Female Friendly Company Sponsored CDL??

I am researching company sponsored schools. I do not have my CDL and can't afford the upfront costs. I'm in Missouri. So far I've looked at CRST in Iowa and Prime in Missouri. Does anyone have any experience with how these two treat women??? If you don't have any experience/opinions on either, what is your opinion(s) on team vs solo driving for single women??

Hey Christy! I've seen you about the forum recently and just want to say welcome! It's great you're researching as much as possible before diving in.

I drive team for Swift and have no direct experience with either CRST or Prime, but I've heard good things about both. I think they both have mostly refrigerated freight, which tends to be more live load and unload than dry van. The great thing about reefer is they tend to have the longest loads and relatively consistent freight year round.

As far as their treatment of women, most large companies are actively recruiting women nowadays and will treat you with the respect you deserve as a fellow employee and professional driver. No matter who you end up going with, if you have any issues you can speak directly with your driver manager and/or human resources. I have never had any problems with Swift.

As far as team vs. solo. I've only done solo for a short time period, so I'll let someone with more experience brief you on that. I love teaming. You couldn't get me to go solo at this point. But, I also started out as a team driver with my fiancé, and we had lived together for three years before we went to trucking school and went OTR.

Now, I personally wouldn't team with someone I didn't know. There is just too much trust involved in my opinion. You have to sleep behind that person while they are operating 40 tons of freight and steel. I couldn't trust a stranger enough to get good rest. In addition, it can be very difficult to live on the truck with someone for 4-6 weeks at a time. We call it "cab(in) fever". However, there are plenty of people who do it and love it! If you don't think these things will be a problem for you, go for it! You can always switch back to solo if you find out it's not for you. In the case of CRST, they require a certain amount of time spent as a team (6 months perhaps?) in order to pay back your schooling debt. They also pay a bit less than some other starter companies, but I think the team miles and constant freight probably make up for that.

Here is my list of the positives and negatives of team driving:

Pros:

• You have someone to help you out during those difficult first months (and beyond!). Two heads are better than one, etc.

• Miles rack up quickly, and teams generally get priority on the longest loads and JIT freight.

• Homesickness and loneliness that is common among solo drivers, especially in the beginning is lessened signifcantly by having a partner.

• You have a spotter for difficult backing situations. Get a pair of walkie talkies to communicate between driver and spotter.

Cons:

• As mentioned above, you have to sleep while the truck is moving. This is a problem for many people. It is easy for me to fall asleep most anywhere, and even I had problems at first. If you're anything like me OTC sleeping pills and ear plugs will become your two best friends in the whole world.

• Cab fever is real and can get intense. It helps if you get along as a general rule, but even the best of friends are susceptible to it. Team trucking can and has destroyed friendships and marriages. If you're teaming up with someone you have no prior relationship with, you don't have to worry about that, but it's also a gamble because you don't know if you'll get along from the start.

• Be ready to run hard. This is actually a pro in my opinion, but I put it in cons because many rookies are unprepared for the reality of it. You get a 10 hour break just like solo drivers, but usually the truck will be moving the entire time save for your teammates half hour break. It makes a hard lifestyle that much harder. At the same time, parking is almost never a problem. If you get to a truck stop with no spots available, you can simply switch out with your codriver and do pretrip/posttrip at the fuel island (without blocking another driver of course).

If your codriver is unwilling to be a team player, many of the pros aren't there. For example, you get a partner who plays around and only drives 400 miles a shift, meanwhile you are driving 600+ each shift. In a cross country load this could mean you end up driving 600 miles more than your teammate, as well as potentially making you late due to an extra shift change. Many companies split the team pay and you each get paid for all miles driven on the truck. This means your codriver will get paid the exact same amount (gross) as you, while doing less work overall. Now, obviously you will rarely each drive the exact same amount of miles on a load, freight just doesn't work that way. But if your codriver is consistently working less than you and making up excuses to not drive, it is going to cause strife. The same is true if your codriver won't spot for you when you need it, or is constantly making you late on loads by taking too long for breaks. These things make team driving much harder than it has to be. You might go through several teammates before finding the right one.

Geez, I just previewed this post and it was way longer than I planned it to be! I'll shut up now before I bore you into a coma. Good luck, and if you have any more questions ask here or feel free to PM me! I'll try to less of a jabber jaws next time.

Geez, I just previewed this post and it was way longer than I planned it to be! I'll shut up now before I bore you into a coma. Good luck, and if you have any more questions ask here or feel free to PM me! I'll try to less of a jabber jaws next time.

Thank you for taking the time to write...Every bit was helpful!! I've already started a list of qualities to look for and questions to ask of a potential "cab mate" (regardless of either route, solo or team, I will HAVE to at least go out with a trainer). I already know I will require the same qualities in a male or female, and while I plan to be the diplomatic professional, I am capable of a full - blown, Taurean, Oldest Brat conniption fit if needed :) Your mention of ear plugs made me smile as I have to wear them whenever I stay at my mom's because she will not shut up! I hadn't thought to put those on my list of things to pack, so thank you again for that!! I will email you, networking new friends and mentors is the second part of why I joined this group!

And thanks from me too. :-)

And thanks from me too. :-)

Nancy I LOVE LOVE LOVE YELLOW TRUCKS. I am going to Road Master school in Bethlehem and so far I have not arrived yet and wow they are movers and shakers to get things done if they can for students financially. Anyone can go to school. I want to let people know that there are alot of women drivers out there now. So they think 2x b4 they cut a truck off maybe that will help.