Apollo Transfer Company

Topic 6593 | Page 1

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Scotty D's Comment
member avatar

This company delivers bobtails (new, used and repairs). They pay the driver $.96/mile and then costs are deducted from that. I got my CDL in January 2013 and never utilized it so I'm not considered a "recent graduate" anymore, therefore companies I've contacted want me to go through a refresher course. Apollo doesn't require it because it's just tractors. I figure if I do this for a few months, I can get the wheel time I need to get other companies to drop the refresher requirement. In my research I can't find anything positive so I'm turning to you all for some input/advice. I know I can get solid information from everyone here that I can't get anywhere else.

Thanks! good-luck-2.gif

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Bobtail:

"Bobtailing" means you are driving a tractor without a trailer attached.

Scotty D's Comment
member avatar

Bumping this up hoping someone can throw me a bone before I make the leap and sign on with them.

Steve L.'s Comment
member avatar

Don't you think companies will still want you to have training/experience hauling trailers?

Sandman's Comment
member avatar

Don't you think companies will still want you to have training/experience hauling trailers?

This is a very good point. Companies really want the experience hauling freight. I do know with moving the trucks. You are responsible for every little thing. I would suggest videotaping the pre trip and post trip. It has to be the same way you got it, when you deliver it.

Scotty D's Comment
member avatar
double-quotes-start.png

Don't you think companies will still want you to have training/experience hauling trailers?

double-quotes-end.png

This is a very good point. Companies really want the experience hauling freight. I do know with moving the trucks. You are responsible for every little thing. I would suggest videotaping the pre trip and post trip. It has to be the same way you got it, when you deliver it.

I like the idea of pictures/videotaping. Always good to CYA.

Does anyone have any information about or experience with the company itself?

Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

I'm not familiar with that company but I certainly don't think you should be making career decisions based upon not taking a refresher course. Pick the company you want to be with doing the job you want to do. If they require a week or so of training, so be it. Don't sweat it. You'll be a lot better off in the long run.

And I agree with those guys above....I don't think just moving tractors is going to count as experience to a lot of companies.

They pay the driver $.96/mile and then costs are deducted from that

And what the heck does that mean? Costs of what? Fuel? Hotel rooms? Are they technically making you an independent contractor?

I think you're better off with a refresher course or contact one of the Company-Sponsored Training Programs. They'll get you on the road as quickly as possible. They won't want you sitting around a backing range when you can be out there hauling freight instead. So they'll give you whatever training they feel you need and send you out there.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Company-sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Scotty D's Comment
member avatar

I'm not familiar with that company but I certainly don't think you should be making career decisions based upon not taking a refresher course. Pick the company you want to be with doing the job you want to do. If they require a week or so of training, so be it. Don't sweat it. You'll be a lot better off in the long run.

And I agree with those guys above....I don't think just moving tractors is going to count as experience to a lot of companies.

double-quotes-start.png

They pay the driver $.96/mile and then costs are deducted from that

double-quotes-end.png

And what the heck does that mean? Costs of what? Fuel? Hotel rooms? Are they technically making you an independent contractor?

I think you're better off with a refresher course or contact one of the Company-Sponsored Training Programs. They'll get you on the road as quickly as possible. They won't want you sitting around a backing range when you can be out there hauling freight instead. So they'll give you whatever training they feel you need and send you out there.

You hit the nail on the head, Brett. I would be an independent contractor and any costs incurred come off that $0.96 per mile. They do break down approximate costs and you average about $0.26/mile take home. It's not the extra week or so that the refresher course would take, it's the extra cost. The school that I went to for my CDL wants a couple grand for a refresher. I just thought this opportunity might be a way to get some experience while earning a paycheck. I'm not getting a warm fuzzy from feedback here nor from what I've read online about the company itself so I will continue my search.

dancing-dog.gif

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Company-sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

When you're going to need a refresher course, make sure you consult the company that is going to hire you, not the schools themselves. Each company will have different requirements and will accept different schools. One might tell you to get a 20 hour refresh from one school while another company will require a 40 hour refresh from a different school. So apply for Truck Driving Jobs, make follow-up phone calls to make sure everyone is working on your app instead of letting it sit in a pile collecting dust, and ask each company what they would require from you for a refresher course.

I would definitely look into the Company-Sponsored Training Programs also. If any of those companies interest you, that's probably going to be the quickest and least expensive way to get out there and get rolling.

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Company-sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Sandman's Comment
member avatar
double-quotes-start.png

I'm not familiar with that company but I certainly don't think you should be making career decisions based upon not taking a refresher course. Pick the company you want to be with doing the job you want to do. If they require a week or so of training, so be it. Don't sweat it. You'll be a lot better off in the long run.

And I agree with those guys above....I don't think just moving tractors is going to count as experience to a lot of companies.

double-quotes-start.png

double-quotes-start.png

They pay the driver $.96/mile and then costs are deducted from that

double-quotes-end.png

double-quotes-end.png

And what the heck does that mean? Costs of what? Fuel? Hotel rooms? Are they technically making you an independent contractor?

I think you're better off with a refresher course or contact one of the Company-Sponsored Training Programs. They'll get you on the road as quickly as possible. They won't want you sitting around a backing range when you can be out there hauling freight instead. So they'll give you whatever training they feel you need and send you out there.

double-quotes-end.png

You hit the nail on the head, Brett. I would be an independent contractor and any costs incurred come off that $0.96 per mile. They do break down approximate costs and you average about $0.26/mile take home. It's not the extra week or so that the refresher course would take, it's the extra cost. The school that I went to for my CDL wants a couple grand for a refresher. I just thought this opportunity might be a way to get some experience while earning a paycheck. I'm not getting a warm fuzzy from feedback here nor from what I've read online about the company itself so I will continue my search.

dancing-dog.gif

This just sounds like what Joseph canell (guy from YouTube) did for a while. Don't know the name of the company he worked for. He now drives in the oil fields. He would video him picking up the trucks and checking everything. He would also haul his personal car with the truck. So I don't really know. Maybe add him on facebook and ask him about it?

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

Company-sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
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