few questions from a newbie

[convoykris]

I am new to the forum. I have a few question. first let me explain my experience.

I am 24 yrs old and have Class A CDL w/ tanker. I drove for an oilfield company delivering pump equipment and dry bulk cement in the snowy canyon and mountains of Utah and Colorado for 6 months. I was considered an Equipment Operator. I did labor for the company. I mainly aimed to drive and operate the dry bulk cement truck instead of the fracturing pumps. lots of intense labor for days at a time without sleep before I would drive again. but I loved the driving on the snowy mountains!
Ive driven icy and treacherous mountain cliffs and passes. I know how to chainup in less than 15 minutes as it was -40 degree out.
but I do not have any other experience, very little city/town driving, mostly off-road. I drove briefly on the east coast bulk cement in NYC and had no problem with city driving. but i realized id prefer to be able to see some country instead and moved out west again.
cities arent really my thing.
I love the southwest, especially Arizona, and the desert. And I would like to be a trucker there and get to explore the open road.

I have about 6 months experience with the oilfield company before I quit due to poor treatment and many other variables.
I dont think my driving experience counts as OTR. although I lived out of the truck in these canyons for days to weeks at a time, and drove them all over servicing, fracturing, and cementing oil wells. I would even 24 out in the field.

I have zero accidents, no speeding tickets in past 3-5 years. I am 100% drugfree and no criminal background. I dont smoke or drink.
And I currently have valid medical card.

I can double clutch without grinding gears and I drive well (my backing needs work though), and I learned how to float gears on both up and down shift but I prefer to use clutch.

I am interested in driving for Knight Trans, but I read that you need 4 months OTR experience. I really like what I have read about the company.

I live in Denver, but I am interested in driving the southwest region as I love the desert and eventually want to relocate to Phoenix permanently in a year. the 4 day on 4 day off schedule that Knight Trans has is brilliant.
and Volvo's are absolutely my favorite truck to drive.

I was thinking about finding an entry level company to work for a year to earn as experience and knowledge on how OTR works (and some money), and then make the switch over to Knight Trans and move to Phoenix.

I have read the forums up and down reading reviews of companies and forum member's responses.

and I am considering between Schneider (bulk) and Werner Enterprises. just for the experience.
I hear to stay away from CR England, Swift, JB hunt, etc.
and to even stay away form Werner but they seem to be my best option for right now.

are there any other companies I should consider that would except my experience or as an entry level newbie?

I live out of a bookbag, I am single, and I want to travel and live on the road as a lifestyle, not just a job. I dont care for home time for my first year. I just want to travel, live out of the truck, gain experience to make the switch to Knight Trans, and save money.

I have not driven for about 1 year as I was on an extended vacation abroad in Sweden (home of Volvo). the only thing that would need a little work on would be my backing, so I wouldnt mind going through a little training and to learn how OTR works, so I would be confident in doing my job safely and with utmost quality.

Will I be able to get an entry level OTR job?
does my 6 months of driving count as OTR experience? (probably not)
what entry level companies are the best for me?
and which company's experience will Knight Trans accept?
I want to start with a company that my experience will be accepted instead of frowned upon.

I am interested in bulk (by experience), flatbed, dry van. no east coast driving. I would prefer west and/or south. I could handle all 48 as long as it wasnt all east coast.

I prefer no touch freight. and it be cool to have drop and hook if possible. but beggars cant be choosers, right?

I am also interested in TEAM driving or SOLO. but i read you can make more money as TEAM, and I dont mind sharing with another person (for a year anyway), so I think I would choose team over solo.

any and all help is appreciated. if you have any pointers or information, please help me out, as I am interested in becoming a real trucker and not being taken advantage of by oilfield companies.

thankyou very much for taking time out to read my message and help me out. sorry i have so many questions, or if they have been asked before.

take care, convoykris

[all18wheels]

you should direct all these questions to the recruiters. they can tell you what the accept as OTR or not.

[Uturn2001]

You are right in that your experience is not really going to count for anything with an OTR company.

Your best bet is to call or place applications with training companies that hire out of your area. You could always put in an application here on CAD and send it to everyone and see who bites and then pick the best company for you out of those that offer you a pre-hire.

[Rawlco]

Unless I miss my guess I believe that the most common thing you will hear is that you will need a refresher course before they can take you.

An experienced driver is one who has at least one year of driving OTR within the last three years.

A student is somone who has graduated from a truck driving school recently.

You don't seem to fit either category, sorry. Perhaps you can contact some local schools and inquire about refresher courses and their cost. That way when a recruiter turns you down you can ask them if a refresher course from xyz school would help. Good luck.