Schneider Interview

[gigi_roxx]

Tomorrow I have my first telephone interview with Schneider. Can anyone with interviewing experience with Schneider give me any idea of what to expect? What to ask?

I have a list that is nearly 2 pages long of questions to ask, but I am curious about what others' might have asked that I might be overlooking. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

I'm hopeful that I can get on with Schneider, they are the top of my list based on feedback from folks who are currently and have previously been employed by them. They seem to have most of what I am looking for so I'm really excited about this interview and the prospect of being able to be a company driver for them.

[Sundance]

I was just hired by Schneider in Charlotte NC. I attended their job fair last week. They treated me very well and really answered my questions with out making me feel like a newbie!
Anyway its really just a matter of paperwork... making sure you have all you ID, License, endorsments, SSN, yada yada. They let me know the next day that I had a prehire and that they were interested in me. They really make it easy for you. Good Luck!

[SwervynMervyn]

Howdy....been a few years since I had that phone interview so I don't remember any specific questions that they or I asked.

They want you to answer at the time they set up, not sure if they will try again.

Seems like they just covered the pay, benefits, where I would train. I know he did answer my questions because I also had a long list.

Then it seems he sets you up with a contact person and when to call them. That person helps guide you throught the rest of the hiring process.

They set up your physical, travel to training, and motel.

If you have any questions that is who you will call to get answers. I remember I had to fax the person addittional information.

From the phone interview until I started training was about 2 months. But I could have started sooner, just had to tie up loose ends at home.

Hope this helps....good luck, Schneider is a good trainign company.

[ohiomohawk]

I have been with Schneider for 6 months now and it is a good company to work for but BE CAREFULL.

Are you going to Green Bay to train?

If you are going to Green Bay to train be aware that they bring in about 80 students a week and most are unaware of how intense the 2 weeks are and about 30% will get sent home. The recruiters won't mention none of this to you. They move at a fast pace and anyone slightly behind schedule will be dropped off at the local bus terminal for a ride home.

Best of Luck to You

[SwervynMervyn]

Long as you are serious and do your part to take in what they are trying to teach you, you will not be sent home.

The ones I saw sent home were jokers or were not really serious about the whole deal.

At night in the motel, relax for a bit. Study anything they wanted you to and go over what they covered that day. Don't get caught up in going out to have a good time and staying out late.

It's not hard to succeed at Schneider if you put in your time and effort.

[marcel27208]

SNI now does a physical fitness test also for new students, i dont know if they do it for new hire experienced drivers, you have to go thru a series of mindless physical activities. But, no worry its just stooping down to pick up a box and etc......

[gigi_roxx]

First off thanks for all of your responses. It is helpful!

I'm currently attending a CDL training course at a local college here and I am curious about how different Schneiders training will be? Can anyone give me any ideas of what to expect? I've got my CDL Permit, by the end of my course in three weeks I will take my first stab at the DMV road tests (hoping to pass the first go around and have my CDL right out of school).

Since I have already recently taken a physical will they still require a new one upon hiring me?

How about Hazmat? I'm willing to get it I just don't really have the money right now to pay for the backgroud check. Will they give you time to do that and allow you to drive non hazmat loads? Are they flexible?

I am sure I can ask the interviewer all these things tomorrow but I'm really kinda wanting to get a heads up if I can.

Any more help is greatly appreciated! )

[SwervynMervyn]

Not sure about the college you are learning at, but Schneider taught me more in 2 days of training than I learned at the CDL mill I went to.

I had a current physical and Schneider wanted their own done.

I already had hazmat so it never was a question. So I'm not sure if it is required first or not.

Good luck with your CDL test. Before I tested I set up the recliner in front of the couch ( in line ) and practiced my pre- trip in the lving room.

[gigi_roxx]

Well I had my phone interview and I got the "congratulations" speech at the end. I'm very pleased at this moment.

I will be training in Green Bay. But I'm ahead of the curve because I've already been in CDL school and will already have my License by the time I head out.

OhioMowhawk - when you went through training in Green Bay were you there with or without a previous CDL/training?

From what I've heard from another recent recruit to SNI from the school I'm currently attending, he didn't have to deal with all the same stuff that a standard recruits did. He was only in "orientation" for 3.5 days and then it was home for a couple of days to wait on a trainer to become available.

I'm sure everyone's experience is different and that people with and without previous experience, Class A CDL, etc will not experience the training the same.

[ohiomohawk]

Well I had my phone interview and I got the "congratulations" speech at the end. I'm very pleased at this moment.

I will be training in Green Bay. But I'm ahead of the curve because I've already been in CDL school and will already have my License by the time I head out.

OhioMowhawk - when you went through training in Green Bay were you there with or without a previous CDL/training?

From what I've heard from another recent recruit to SNI from the school I'm currently attending, he didn't have to deal with all the same stuff that a standard recruits did. He was only in "orientation" for 3.5 days and then it was home for a couple of days to wait on a trainer to become available.

I'm sure everyone's experience is different and that people with and without previous experience, Class A CDL, etc will not experience the training the same.

You should be fine.....If you have some training before going up there you will be ahead of the crowd. I went up to Green Bay in July 06 with no prior experience and was sent home because I did not catch on. I came back to Ohio and went to a 5 week truck driving school and recieved my CDL then returned to Green Bay in Dec 06 and did fine.

As far as that 3.5 days goes all I can tell you is they gathered 16 of us who had just recieved our CDL's from a trucking school and took us to a room and we each went out for a driving test on our 1st day there and 2 out of 16 passed. Those 2 only stayed there for 3.5 days and the rest of us stayed the whole 2 weeks. They reason why 14 of us failed was becuase when we went through CDL mills we were not taught how to handle tight button hook turns therefore we all ran over curbs during the driving test. Most Cdl mills teach you enough to pass the CDL and thats it.

To be on the safe side when you go.....bring enough clothing and $$ for two weeks because several people thought they were only going to be there 3.5 days and ended up having to stay the whole 2 weeks.

I think you will do fine and wish you the best of luck, Schneider is a good company to work for.

[bigdad7]

i think you should stay three months and then take the raise and leave for jbhunt....if you can get into a good dcs account you could possibbly make way more money and be home every wkend.....i have to say i left what i thought was a good company cfi to come here and have never looked back...my gross the first two weeks has ranged between 1150 and 1450 a week and still am home to type at you every wkend just keep it in mind as you see your orange checks and as soon as you get your 3 months start looking company loyalty for screwing you financially while your training don't pay the bills ....just my 2 cents

[Cluggy619]

SNI will have it's ups and downs...I have heard alot of news about schenider.... If I was ready to go OTR again, they would get a call. I would have to find out more current info about their bulk division. If you start with SNI, and quit before your year is up, you will end up owning them.

If you like to workout, try their Dollar General account, or one just like it. You will get some exercise. :wink:

[BigAtrukn]

Try getting into a good dedicated run before you sign up, that way you will have steady runs and miles. Once you start as OTR with them good luck getting out of it, they give the dedicated runs to new hires. I got a nice dedicated local run with them when i started even though there was already a waiting list to get on it.

[inmate1577]

i think you should stay three months and then take the raise and leave for jbhunt....

Bwahahahahahaha!
Yeah leave for JB Hunt, and drive co. trucks that are governed slower than SNI's.

[gigi_roxx]

bigdad07 - Thanks for the two cents. But I don't plan on running from SNI after just three months. I plan on sticking it out for at least one to two years. Who knows, maybe I'll like it enough to stay even longer that that! I'm glad you happy with what you have done so far in your career and I wish you all the best.

--I've seen another post floating around on this site in the past day or so about "commitment" and thankfully I don't have an issue with that. I'm not afraid to commit. I am a hard and dedicated worker with a very strong work ethic (which is part of the reason working for state government isn't working out... but that's a whole other post! haha). I can't see why anyone would want a job if they don't intend to actually WORK. If SNI treats me right, provides quality service to me as an employee and keeps me rollin then there will be no reason for me to leave.

I'm not looking for the "big bucks" or planning to participate in job hopping to get more bucks, because as I've stated in previous posts, I'm definitly not going into the trucking biz for the money. Sure it's nice but just having the opporunity to do something that I've dreamed of doing for even pennies more than what I'm making now doing a job I hate, will be worth it.

BigATrukin - thanks for your thoughts also. However I don't want a dedicated or local account. I'm ready to see the country sitting on 18 wheels and running all over the place. *gasp* Yes... I actually WANT to go OTR! I must be crazy, I know!

Thanks again to everyone who has commented on this thread. I'm so excited to get this whole thing started, but I have to wait for one whole month. I'm gonna be nuts by then! hehe

[inmate1577]

bigdad07 - Thanks for the two cents. But I don't plan on running from SNI after just three months. I plan on sticking it out for at least one to two years. Who knows, maybe I'll like it enough to stay even longer that that! I'm glad you happy with what you have done so far in your career and I wish you all the best.

--I've seen another post floating around on this site in the past day or so about "commitment" and thankfully I don't have an issue with that. I'm not afraid to commit. I am a hard and dedicated worker with a very strong work ethic (which is part of the reason working for state government isn't working out... but that's a whole other post! haha). I can't see why anyone would want a job if they don't intend to actually WORK. If SNI treats me right, provides quality service to me as an employee and keeps me rollin then there will be no reason for me to leave.

I'm not looking for the "big bucks" or planning to participate in job hopping to get more bucks, because as I've stated in previous posts, I'm definitly not going into the trucking biz for the money. Sure it's nice but just having the opporunity to do something that I've dreamed of doing for even pennies more than what I'm making now doing a job I hate, will be worth it.

BigATrukin - thanks for your thoughts also. However I don't want a dedicated or local account. I'm ready to see the country sitting on 18 wheels and running all over the place. *gasp* Yes... I actually WANT to go OTR! I must be crazy, I know!

Thanks again to everyone who has commented on this thread. I'm so excited to get this whole thing started, but I have to wait for one whole month. I'm gonna be nuts by then! hehe

Is it any more crazy OTR, or sit in city traffic all day long, making multiple stops and dealing with one red after another?. I'll take OTR or Regional. SNI has a good training program and their emphasis is SAFETY and following federal /state guidelines. All drivers must attend winter and spring training programs every year, regardless if they have been with the company 2 days or 20 years.

The best thing about SNI is they wont push you into a situation that you feel is unsafe. If you feel that the weather is too hazardous to make your delivery, tell them. They'll call the customer and let them know and they wont push you to drive. Also a word of advice, dont let them push you around either.

The thing with alot of megacarriers is that most of the drivers are ex-military and are used to taking orders without question, as for me, I'm ex-Union.......I dont take sh*t from anyone :wink:

You'll find that your year will go by rather quickly. Expect to be out at least 3-4 weeks when you go solo. Actually I would recommend it to so you can learn the job, but also learn to manage your hours and make your load assignments on time. Contact your STL everyday, just to let him know how things are going and if you have any concerns.

Do your training, listen to the instructors, study all your homework because you'll have tests everyday and when your with your Training engineer, remember that the TE has no power or influence over whether your hired or fired, so dont let that stand in your way.

Take the mileage pay instead of Per Diem. No matter what they tell you about how great per diem is, take the mileage pay. Per Diem is only beneficial to owner/operators and the company.

Dont listen to "Billy Big Riggers" because for the most part, they are full of sh*t. Talk to real drivers who are both professional in attitude and their driving.

You'll hear all this stuff about how "SNI sucks" usually from idiots who got fired, or have idiot friends that got fired. I work for SNI and although I'm not saying they are the best, because there is no best company to work for, but being their emphasis is on safety was one of the main reasons I joined them.

PM me if you have any other questions.
Good Luck

[BigAtrukn]

Not all dedicated runs are local. SNI has OTR dedicated with steady miles. I dont know if any of you have seen the black SNI trucks, but they haul trailer parts out of indiana to California and other states. The account im on has an OTR side that goes from Perris, CA to Kent, Washington an back. Its just that if you get on one of those, your always gonna have miles unlike the system drivers that have to sit an wait for freight to be availible in there area and the dedicated drivers get the priority over them.

[inmate1577]

Not all dedicated runs are local. SNI has OTR dedicated with steady miles. I dont know if any of you have seen the black SNI trucks, but they haul trailer parts out of indiana to California and other states. The account im on has an OTR side that goes from Perris, CA to Kent, Washington an back. Its just that if you get on one of those, your always gonna have miles unlike the system drivers that have to sit an wait for freight to be availible in there area and the dedicated drivers get the priority over them.

Not true, the longest I've ever waited for a load is 2 hours. I usually have a load assignment before I've dropped the current load.

[BigAtrukn]

Well then you cant go wrong either way. I get my loads a day ahead of time. What OC you out of inmate1577

[inmate1577]

Well then you cant go wrong either way. I get my loads a day ahead of time. What OC you out of inmate1577

Originally Charlotte, currently W. Memphis.