how do u find good company?

[husband/wife team]

Hi my husband drove for 30 yrs with teamster companies, we've been out on the road for over a year now. (0 points, no dwi,)

We are looking to upgrade who we work for, but how do you know who the good companies are? well besides looking at their websites.

Who are the best companies? Good dispatchers to work with, good pay, good benefits, good hometime, lots of miles 6000+.

We hear that married teams are sought after, but who really rewards hard workiing teams?

[repete]

Do a lot of reading on here and then start asking, you'll get lots of opinions

[Bigmon]

Start your own.

[syl77dar]

GTI Gordon Trucking Industry one of the best.

[ronjon619]

i thought 30 years in the union got you an EASY STREET pension.

[geeshock]

heh, just because someone can retire, doesn't mean they wanna retire. Only thing I can suggest is ask around. Some of the best companies don't even have to advertise so the only way you'll find them is word of mouth. I'm suspecting with 30 years in the teamsters your pension is set regardless of if you stay teamsters or not. If not might wanna stay with them until you start getting it.

[kappa1300]

Ive always been a fan of talking to the other drivers and asking how long they have been there and the things they DONT like about "company a" Usually gets the conversation down to brass tacks. But the fit is pretty much like a shoe I dont think there is a one size fits all carrier out there. Hey geeshock nice to see I have a neighbor on here Im over in elizabeth city

[geeshock]

heh, yes, always nice since this isn't exactly truck driving capital of the world, lol

[husband/wife team]

ronjon and geeshock thanks, but 30 yrs in union means only 27 yrs driving as since 1978 there have been many layoffs, u only get what u paid in while actually getting to work. He did work for non union while on layoff. first 24 was with cf till they closed then roadway/yrc, until his seniority didn't cut it. quit just b4 going to get laid off, so he could train me. We need both incomes to make bills.
So we quit on the 5th of August and picked up our truck on the 14th, have been out since, signed on with a small owner operator fleet, a friend of ours doesn't own his own truck and is an employee of this guy, and says he's a real upright guy. so far he's seems to be just that. bought truck from selectruck in okc, has warranty, already have been back to them twice, they fixed heater core and gaskets, manifold ok. they seem to be upright too. So far, so good. thanx 4 the imput.

[GMAN]

So are you a company driver or owner operator? You didn't say who bought the truck. I will assume that you are the one who purchased a truck. I don't know to whom you leased your truck, but unless you want to get your own authority you really need to find a carrier that pays owner operators a percentage of the line haul. Some of the percentage carriers don't have dispatchers assigned to owner operators. Since your husband has been accustomed to having a dispatcher this could be a difficult transition. Running for a percentage carrier could afford you some good opportunities, especially since you will be traveling with him and also driving. One could search for loads while the other drives. You also didn't mention the type of freight you want to haul. Again, I will assume that you want to pull a box or van. I would look for a carrier that does a lot of drop and hook unless you own your own trailer. Keep in mind that when you pull a company trailer, even for an agent based carrier, you will lose about 8% of the line haul when you pull their trailer.

I would check with Landstar and a few other agent based carriers. I believe that Schneider also has a percentage contract. JB Hunt will recruit you to pull their trailers and pay a percentage if you have your own authority. If I were looking for a carrier that pays mileage I would look at Crete. I don't know what they currently pay owner operators, but they seem to be a good company. One thing to remember when you run for a carrier that pays percentage is that they have both cheap and good paying loads. It will primarily be up to you to find the better paying freight. That is why I suggested that one of you look for freight while the other drives. It will take a few months to learn the system of any carrier. You need to decide what you want in a carrier and then find one that will best match your needs. When looking I would check their primary travel lanes and see how that matches your needs. Some carriers may travel I-40 and others I-80. One of those lanes may be better for you than the other. While you are traveling around I would talk with other owner operators and see how they like the carrier to whom they are leased.

I am curious as to why you would consider leaving your current carrier since you have only been with them a couple of weeks?

[GMAN]

Who are the best companies? Good dispatchers to work with, good pay, good benefits, good hometime, lots of miles 6000+.

We hear that married teams are sought after, but who really rewards hard working teams?

I am a bit puzzled by this part of your post if you are an owner operator. An owner operator is self employed. You don't really work for a carrier. You lease to them. It is or should be a mutually beneficial relationship. It is not an employer/employee relationship but two independent businesses who decide to work together for their mutual benefit. Since you work for yourselves, you should not expect to receive any benefits other than your load pay. If you are seeking insurance and other benefits then you should find a company driving position. Owner operators pay for their own benefits. That can be a real eye opener for someone who is accustomed to being in a union where the company picks up the tab. Most owner operators pay bobtail insurance, occupational accident insurance and for their own health insurance, if they want it. They also pay for their own base plates and permits and everything else that goes into running their business. Some carriers will pay for the base plates and permits and others will front the money and take a flat rate out of your weekly settlements to reimburse them for those costs. Most carriers have a fuel card which can save you money on fuel purchases. Many carriers offer national discounts on tire purchases. That is about the extent of any benefits most carriers offer owner operators. If they started offering health insurance and other benefits you will no longer be an independent contractor, but an employee. If you want all the benefits then you should sell the truck and find company jobs.

One other thing I will mention is home time. It is much easier to get home time when you work for an agent based carrier who pays percentage. The reason is that when you are paid mileage it is often for all miles. Percentage carriers pay a percentage on each load rather than a strictly mileage rate. Once a load is off the truck you can deadhead home or do what you want. Mileage carriers can be more demanding because they are the ones who are paying you to go by the house. On percentage the carrier gets the same money no matter how you get to your destination and if you want to go by the house it doesn't cost them anything.

Your reward will come by finding the best paying loads and doing a good job. If you want to work on mileage then most of those rates are fixed and will not by that high.