hello, im 25 located in va and ive decided that trucking is going to be my next occupation. i currently have no experience otr or a cdl, although i do drive a class b (500 lbs underweight) freightliner on a daily basis for a local delivery job for 60-70 hours a week. my soon to be partner currently works with me and used to drive otr for jb hunt years ago and got out when he got married and had children, but since he and his wife are going through a divorce hes looking to get back on the road. he still has his cdl and is aware he will probably have to go through some kind of refresher course. so my questions would be....

what is the best company for us to get started with? basically which companies value their drivers more?

would he have to get hired first or would i have to go to training first and then bring him in later?

would it be better for me to get my training with the company im going to drive for or go to a truck driving school and then apply with an otr company? id like to make this happen without my partner being in "limbo" so to speak

thanks for replies

 

I believe Covenant trains people together. It seems someone mentioned that once. You will probably want to look at a company that can get you home once in a while. Roehl, Millis, Swift and Schneider all have training programs. If you check the company listings on this forum, you may get some leads on companies you can contact. It would be better to get your own training, but there are several carriers who will train you with a work commitment. CRST did have a 6 months commitment and they do teams in their van division. If you want to pay for your own training, see if you can find a community college or vocational training school near you. The cost will likely be much less, but could be longer than some of the private schools. Before committing, you may want to check with some carriers to see if they will accept their training program. Some are better than others. There are several recruiters on this forum you may be able to better answer your questions. Your friend may even want to check with J.B. Hunt, since he used to work for them. Sheepdancer is a recruiter with them. You could address questions about them to him.

 

Schooling: If you can afford it then find a decent school and attend it on your own. That way you are not obligated to any company.

Driving Partner: This is something that you will need to talk to the company or companies you are interested in working for. Depending on how long he has been out he may need to take a refresher course and then OTJ training or just do some OTJ training.

Since you are wanting to team with someone specific you need to apply to companies together. No point in one of you getting hired when the other one will not.

As far as companies go I strongly reccomend staying away from Prime and CR England. They are pretty much the worst of the lot. Beyond that do your research and find the company that best meets your needs at this time. After a year a lot of doors will open up and then if you are not satisfied with your first company you will have a lot of options.

While I am not reccomending any company you might want to check out Roehl and Millis. Both have decent reps.

 

If you both have/get your CDL's Interstate Dist. trains teams together.

 

I have a friend who's looking to obtain his CDL. We have paid visits to all the local CDL schools in our area. This is what we have found out.

Western Pacific Truck School - $4500.00 8 week course (no financing)

Check Ride Driver Services - $3995.00 4 week course (financing avail.)
tuition jumps to $5200.00 w/ financing.

National Transportation D/T - $4500.00 4 week course (no financing)
They do have sponsorships with Swift, and CRST.
If Swift sponsors you, you pay $285.00 and work for Swift for 13 months.
If CRST sponsors you, you pay $185.00 and work for CRST for 8 months.

All these schools offer life time job placement assistance to there graduates.