Hey guys I'm new to the forum. I am 21 and interested in become an OTR driver. I have no experience and because of that I must learn the ropes through a major carrier. I have been approved by Werner, Swift, and U.S. Xpress. I want to know your opinions on which of the major carriers that you can think of that offer good training, and good home time. :?:

 

Try Roehl Transport: www.roehl.net and www.roehldriver.com

They've got a 7-on/7-off hometime fleet and a 7/3 7/4 hometime fleet that runs out of a dropyard in Akron Ohio. If you want to run all 48, they're hometime is probably tops among the big outfits: 7 days out gets you 2 at home. 11 days gets you 3. 14 gets you 4. They've got EZ-Pass, I-Pass, and a toll-card for the Ohio turnpike.

They've updated their fleet with a bunch of newer Freightliner Columbias and International 9400i, with alot of new trailers as well. Plus they pay Practical Mileage instead of getting ripped off by HHG.

 

Marten Transport has an above average hometime policy, 1 day off for every 5 out. However they do not have schooling to obtain a CDL. They will take students that are fresh out of school that have their CDL's already and put them with trainers for about 6 weeks if you meet their requirements. I believe they still have tuition reimbursement too. I found that the best hometime for me was to stay out 25 or 30 days and take 5 or 6 off. But quite a few times I would stay out 35-40 days so I could take 7 or 8 days off straight, this seemed more profitable to me and I could get a lot done at home and still have time to relax.

 

oops

 

As far as training companies go, you would probably be best off with one of the following companies:

Roehl - Van or Flatbed
Millis Transfer - Van
TMC - Flatbed

These companies seem to have a good training program and offer fair pay after training.

In all honesty, I would stay away from the ones you listed.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I appreciate it tremendously. I always trust you veteran drivers to be straight forward with me and not throw the b.s at me. Thanks again.

Zak

 

I think you have to be 23 for TMC. You'll need to check around with different companies to see what their minimum age restriction is. Some will hire at 21, some at 23. Good luck.

 

When you get 4 months exp, you can check with knight. They offer weekly hometime. They also have a 4 on/4 off schedule.

 

Coshocton, Ohio, huh? I started with Swift Transportation when I was staying out in the boonies outside of Zanesville.

I'd also look at Roehl - ran with them briefly in the dry van division. They will teach you right and treat you right.

That said, I've always stood behind the fact that Swift is not a bad place to get your feet wet. Some guys stay, many move on. It's all what you bring to it, and one of the dispatchers at the Columbus, OH terminal (my old home terminal) is IMO the best in the company.

 

I wish I could say Crete Carrier would be good for training but they only take students from a PTDI school or you have to have at least 4months of OTR exp. They are a great company, with lots of benefits and great pay. The way they work is you drive 14-17 days and off for 2. No matter who you go with if home time is important then getting the miles will not be high on that list, if excellent benefits are high on the list then that is what you strive for. It really depends on you... As far as your choices that you have for being pre-approved for....out of those three....I would say Werner..and thats not saying much, but at least you don't have to worry about your logs since they are paperless and Us express...blows alot of smoke up your tail pipe and swift has a bad reputation for not training properly, alot of people leave and with such a turner over rate your luck if you find your trainer with 6months of experience himself, before training someone else. With Crete the minimum age is 22.
Good Luck
BettyAnn