Rider Program

Looking for some assistance. I am starting truck driving school next month. I am so excited. Anyways, once I get out I can choose the company I want to work for. I want my wife to share this experience with me. She can't drive due to medical issues or we would team. Anyways, I want her to come on the truck with me as soon as possible after training, so we can share the experience together. What, if any, companies will allow her to ride with me right out of training, and will they allow her to be with me all year round? Thanks for the help. New here, so if I am rambling, I am sorry.

I don't think you'll find any companies that will let you take her fresh out of school. The company I work for is 6 months after your training is done. You need time to learn the in's and out's of the job before you bring someone along. I'm sure not only the companies prefer that, but the insurance companies do as well.

Scott, that make sense. I have found where Warner, Melton, Averitt, and a driver told me TransAm all said that you can have someone out year round, but they didn't say anything about if it can start right out of training. Swift recruiter told me that I could, but not sure that is entirely accurate either. Thanks. I'll keep researching.

Yeah, it's unlikely you'll find anyone to let you take your wife with you immediately after training, and to be honest, I certainly wouldn't use that as a criteria for choosing a trucking company to work for.

Do the research and see what the various companies require, but make sure you choose a trucking company that suits you well. Even if you have to go on the road for a few months without her, those few months are going to fly by. So you'll want to make sure you've chosen the right company.

The thing is, it takes time to establish your reputation as a reliable, hard-working driver and that's how you get the best freight, the best miles, and the best treatment. It also takes time to learn the ropes out on the road - handling that rig, trip planning, dealing with DOT , etc, etc. So we always recommend you stay with your first company for a minimum of a year no matter what. So when you choose a company, do so with the idea that you'd like to stay there for quite a while. You don't want to choose a trucking company simply because they have a policy that suits you well for the first few months of your career.

Brett, I was afraid you would say that. I found a happy medium. TMC promises to try to get you home almost every weekend and they said their average driver spends 52 hohrs at home. I can do that for six months then take my with me. It helps they have beautiful black and chrome petterbilts with a cat. In my research they seem like an excellent company.

TMC is indeed an excellent company and that's probably about the best situation you're going to find right out of truck driving school. In fact, very few companies even have positions available to new drivers that will get them home on weekends, so that's a huge bonus right there.

Great news. Talked to a rep at Melton and can take my wife from day one. They were high on my list even before I found out. Put in an application with them and also got a pre hire from tmc as well.

Great! Well either way it will work out great for ya in the long run. Even if you had to wait a few months for her to go with the time would fly by.

Yep Brett. Thanks. Driving a skateboard wasn't the first thing that came to mind. I always wanted to but thought you would have to have experience driving first. Appreicate the help.

It helps they have beautiful black and chrome petterbilts with a cat.

I do not know how true this is, but a TMC driver came to my school on Saturday morning and told me that TMC is going to start going with 9 speed trannys and cummings motors Petes. It is hard to believe since alot of their freight is heavy, so I would think that they would stick with the 13 speed trannys and Cat motors.