So Many Choices
Topic 8909 | Page 1
For me, I decided on the things that were the most important to me, then I started doing my research. I got lucky because I was driving straight truck at the time and would talk to drivers from companies I was interested in. With the help of those conversations and a couple of the veterans here, it helped me lock in my decision and I don't regret it one bit.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Choosing a company to drive for is pretty simple if you do it the right way. Sit down and make a list of important things you want out of trucking or think you want. Try and come up with ten things. Now put those things in order from 1 to 10 with number 1 being the most important. Now use that list to weed out the companies. You will not find a prefect match. Never will happen. Ever! But you can at least get pretty close to your ideal company.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Choosing a company to drive for is pretty simple if you do it the right way. Sit down and make a list of important things you want out of trucking or think you want. Try and come up with ten things. Now put those things in order from 1 to 10 with number 1 being the most important. Now use that list to weed out the companies. You will not find a prefect match. Never will happen. Ever! But you can at least get pretty close to your ideal company.
Mind if piggy back in this thread and ask for some examples of what should be important? Obviously money, mileage, home time, benefits, etc.. But, not sure what else I should look at. And, yes, I understand this will be different for each individual. I too am having a hard time narrowing things down. Thanks.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
You have to look at all aspects of your life. Only you know what's important. Home life. Social life. Friends and family. Money. Happiness. Things you will not stand for. Things you would let slide if all things are going good.
My list would look like this but maybe not in this order. Order changes depending on my mood at the time....
Ability to take truck home.
Miles.. Ability to keep moving.
Pet policy.
Equipment conditions.
Relationship with DM.
Home time
Money paid per mile.
Paycheck each week. Very different than Money made per mile.
Company culture as a whole.
How bad weekend/night dm's don't suck.
This is my list. Like I said the order changes all the time but these are the most important to me. All the other stuff that can be listed will take care of itself if the above items are taken care of.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Sit down and make a list of important things you want out of trucking or think you want. Try and come up with ten things. Now put those things in order from 1 to 10 with number 1 being the most important.
You have to look at all aspects of your life. Only you know what's important. Home life. Social life. Friends and family. Money. Happiness. Things you will not stand for. Things you would let slide if all things are going good.
I'm going to do exactly that-
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
You have to look at all aspects of your life. Only you know what's important. Home life. Social life. Friends and family. Money. Happiness. Things you will not stand for. Things you would let slide if all things are going good.
My list would look like this but maybe not in this order. Order changes depending on my mood at the time....
Ability to take truck home.
Miles.. Ability to keep moving.
Pet policy.
Equipment conditions.
Relationship with DM.
Home time
Money paid per mile.
Paycheck each week. Very different than Money made per mile.
Company culture as a whole.
How bad weekend/night dm's don't suck.
This is my list. Like I said the order changes all the time but these are the most important to me. All the other stuff that can be listed will take care of itself if the above items are taken care of.
Thanks Guy for your examples. Triggered a couple of thoughts for mine, which, at this point would be:
CPM
Home time
Miles
DM to Driver ratio
Company culture
Variety of transport
Service department and terminal locations
Rider/pet policy
APU vs not ;)
Decent starting point. I'll add as I understand more.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
APU:
Auxiliary Power Unit
On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.
Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.
You have to look at all aspects of your life. Only you know what's important. Home life. Social life. Friends and family. Money. Happiness. Things you will not stand for. Things you would let slide if all things are going good.
My list would look like this but maybe not in this order. Order changes depending on my mood at the time....
Ability to take truck home.
Miles.. Ability to keep moving.
Pet policy.
Equipment conditions.
Relationship with DM.
Home time
Money paid per mile.
Paycheck each week. Very different than Money made per mile.
Company culture as a whole.
How bad weekend/night dm's don't suck.
This is my list. Like I said the order changes all the time but these are the most important to me. All the other stuff that can be listed will take care of itself if the above items are taken care of.
Thanks Guy for your examples. Triggered a couple of thoughts for mine, which, at this point would be:
CPM
Home time
Miles
DM to Driver ratio
Company culture
Variety of transport
Service department and terminal locations
Rider/pet policy
APU vs not ;)
Decent starting point. I'll add as I understand more.
DM to drive ratio.... Unless your working at a small company I would not really count this one. Most companies that hire rookies are the large companies and each DM will have been 60 to 80 trucks they look after. And like most they will have some teams and trainer trucks. So your looking at 60 on the low side and 160 drivers on the high side.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
APU:
Auxiliary Power Unit
On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.
Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.
Thanks guys thats kinda how i heard about doing it i just wasnt sure how to quantify everything. Like theres a few things i know i wont do simply because they arent for me like team driving and such, but im still not sure how to rank the other things im looking for like the estimated milage and where they run and stuff like that.
Some things you learn only through experience. But simply put....
If you know what the companies pay their drivers it's simple.
Miles = money vs the amount of experience you have/what you are going to be paid.
A hard truth. Drivers only get paid turn miles. No driver gets to sit and collect free money. So basically more money/miles you want the less home time you will take. If you want more home time then the less money you will make. Very seldom can you have both of them.
Money and home time are tied very close to one another and are at opposite ends never to meet except on rare occasions. The exception to this rule are the LTL companies like ABF, Old Dominion, R&L Carriers and Yellow Freight. Just to name a few.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
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I never thought it would be so hard to decide which company i want to work for
. Ive just started school and i got over 6 prehires already a few local companies and a few national ones i thought i had it narrowed down but now im beginning to think more about these others. Its so dang confusing because they are all the same but they are all different. How did you other guys narrow it down?
Prehire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Prehires:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.