[BlueByYou]

I have a slight problem...
I graduated Roadmaster Drivers School in Jacksonville,FL last year (Feb.2008).
I quickly went to Swift Transportation where I completed all my training (9Weeks!!!), and I had NO problems at all... They sent me to hometime for 9 days (One day each week), I had to call them back on the 9'th day, and ask them if I can come back.. they said "Sure"..."Come pick up your truck"... I thought"Cool" Ive got my own truck,Im doing good... I drove to Ocala terminal from Jacksonville,and when I got there they gave me my own VOLVO truck.. YAY!!! They said the keys were in the ignition and to go drive it around. I walked out to it, and no keys... Turns out that truck was in for maintenence for "Electrical Problems", I walked back in and talked to the driver manager, he gave me my own Freightliner!!! YAY!!! handed me the keys, and went out to it, it had no inner tires on the rear,and it wouldnt even start... I told the driver manager, and they sent me home due to not having a truck at the time... I called them back a few days later, and they had Laid me off due to not enough work coming through the terminal... I was MADDD.... I enjoyed every minute of my training, and was the best time I have ever had in my life... I was OTR and went everywhere...

I have been an Automotive Technician for about a year now since this happened, and I just got laid off from this position... I am looking to get back into truck driving, but I dont know how.... I would rather have something local... but I really dont care as long as I can make some money...

I talked to "Placement", at roadmaster and they are talking to Stevens Transport and Covenant for me to see if they can get me on there... they said these were the only 2 OTR companies hiring out of Florida Right now...

Is this true???
and out of the 2, which would be better???
I dont mind pulling Reefer...

Thanks a lot!!!!
Steven...

[GMAN]

I am sorry to hear about your difficulties. Not all carriers hire in all states. Part of the problem is home time. Florida is a difficult area for some carriers. There isn't much freight coming out and many carriers avoid the state. Covenant is a larger carrier and they do have a training program. You can hear pros and cons about any carrier. You will likely spend at least 2-3 weeks out at a time starting out. Covenant will probably put you with another driver and you will drive team for at least a few weeks to a few months. They seem to have more teams than singles. Regardless of which company you go with you will usually be put with an experienced driver for a while until they feel that you are knowledgeable enough to run on your own. If you have some truck stops near you see if you can speak with those currently working with them. Those who are working for a company are in the best position to advise you about those carriers. You can also check some of the truck magazines. There are many who advertise in them. These are free at most truck stops. Another source is this forum. There is a company listing on the top of this page. Click on company listings and you will find many of the larger carriers and their requirements.

[marcel27208]

if you dont have a home life or dont want one go with stevens...5 weeks MINIMUM!!!! you have to stay out.

[zipy46]

I cannot figure why companies like Swift even exist...

they are scary

[SickRick]

If companies like Swift DIDN'T EXIST, there'd be no place for newbie drivers (like ME) to get that 1-3 years of EXPERIENCE that all the other (so-called) DECENT COMPANIES are looking for.

Fact is - getting hired out of ANYWHERE in Florida is a ROYAL PAIN. I though having a Jacksonville address would be far enough NORTH for me (since I live in Ft. Lauderdale for the time being), but even THAT looks bleak for every recruiting site I check out for the "(so-called) "Big 10".

Looks like an ATLANTA address might be the way to go...

Rick

[Malaki86]

Be glad you don't live in West Virginia. Even though there's plenty of truck traffic through here, most companies won't hire drivers that live here.

Take a look at the hiring maps in the employment books. Most have every state around WV marked as hireable, but not in WV itself. And, I only live 30 miles from PA, and 15 miles from the end of I-68 where it meets up with I-79.

[zipy46]

Originally Posted by SickRick

If companies like Swift DIDN'T EXIST, there'd be no place for newbie drivers (like ME) to get that 1-3 years of EXPERIENCE that all the other (so-called) DECENT COMPANIES are looking for.

Fact is - getting hired out of ANYWHERE in Florida is a ROYAL PAIN. I though having a Jacksonville address would be far enough NORTH for me (since I live in Ft. Lauderdale for the time being), but even THAT looks bleak for every recruiting site I check out for the "(so-called) "Big 10".

Looks like an ATLANTA address might be the way to go...

Rick

I was looking at all this from the standpoint that when seeking a job in this industry many companies

want to know how many jobs you have had in the last year... Example: a person who ultimatley wants

to find a decent company to run with gets sucked into a company like Swift (or worse) for thier 'starter

job' ..and then moves to another shi^^y truck mill by mistake due to lack of insight into what is a tough

industry to deal with....now they got what looks like 'experience' but is actually 2 strikes against them.

That's what I was reflecting upon.

In hindsight all I know is...if they have much more than about 700 or so trucks...their dysfunctional

behavior increases exponentially.

The last 'large carrier' i drove for ...I went through 7 dispatchers in 5 1/2 months.

Bigger is not necessarily better in the world of trucking.

Good luck

[SickRick]

Originally Posted by zipy46

I was looking at all this from the standpoint that when seeking a job in this industry many companies

want to know how many jobs you have had in the last year... Example: a person who ultimatley wants

to find a decent company to run with gets sucked into a company like Swift (or worse) for thier 'starter

job' ..and then moves to another shi^^y truck mill by mistake due to lack of insight into what is a tough

industry to deal with....now they got what looks like 'experience' but is actually 2 strikes against them.

That's what I was reflecting upon.

In hindsight all I know is...if they have much more than about 700 or so trucks...their dysfunctional

behavior increases exponentially.

The last 'large carrier' i drove for ...I went through 7 dispatchers in 5 1/2 months.

Bigger is not necessarily better in the world of trucking.

Good luck

While bigger is not necessarily better - it really comes down to companies that can (or will) be able to get their INSURANCE to cover a newly licensed driver (or are self-insured). I have more than once, considered buying my own tractor, getting my own authority and going out chasing freight myself, until I have the magic 1 year to lease on with LandStar or another carrier that hires O/O's - but it's not that insurance is too expensive - I can't find anyone to even WRITE ME A POLICY to run interstate (if anyone knows an insurance carrier that writes trucking liability for newbs, PM me).

This is an issue TOTALLY SEPARATE from the one that precludes even getting an orientation appointment as a Florida resident. I'd REALLY like to maintain my Florida residency, for tax purposes if nothing else - or even worse, having to RE-TEST my CDL & Endorsements, simply to change my address to a "hiring friendly" state.

I DON'T EVEN CARE about home-time. In a matter of a few months, I'll be HOMELESS ANYWAY (foreclosure). I have friends all over the country (from being a manager/road manager for a rock-n-roll band), so it's somewhat likely that I'll be near SOMEONE I know for a great many of my 34-hour reset. But so far, unless you live in one of the "desirable" states - you cannot get a recruiter to even TALK TO YOU. "Fort Lauderdale - sorry, we're not hiring from there - CLICK".

I've still got 4 more weeks in school here - and a number more to deal with closing down my house, finishing my bankruptcy, etc. - before I'm READY to go out OTR. My friend in Atlanta is DYING for me to move up there, and from the looks of the "hiring prospects" here in Florida - that is the likely move I'm going to need to make.

Best of luck to you too - we're gonna NEED IT...

Rick

[GMAN]

Carriers like to know that drivers can communicate and work out problems. If someone has too many jobs then that is usually an indication that the individual would rather move on than attempt to solve his current problems. It shows stability when we see few jobs over a 3-5 year period. Some carriers will not hire a driver who has had more than 3 jobs in 2 years. There can be exceptions, but for the most part if a driver has more than 3 jobs in two years then the problem is usually not with the companies but the driver. People need to find a way to work through their problems. A driver must work through problems each day and do it himself without always having someone to talk with. He is alone in the truck and should be able to work through most any difficulties without leaving the company. I believe that I posted this on here before but several years ago I had a driver who applied who told me that he had 20 jobs in 2 years. According to him it was always the fault of the owner operators for whom he had worked. Needless to say, he didn't get the job. He had the experience, but he is someone who can't work through the day to day challenges of life.