Hubby's last day of school, still looking for job
 

Before my husband even started Sage CDL training we started checking out companies for him to apply with. He has a couple of prehire letters to go to orientations but is still looking to make sure he finds the right job. While he has been in school it has pretty much been my job to find companies hiring new drivers and screening out the ones that he wouldn't want to work for based on his priorities.

The reason I'm posting here is to be sure we have left no stone unturned in the search. We have checked out the local newspaper for companies for months now. I have looked for companies on message boards and trucking sites. I have checked the local yellow pages too.

I'm going to list my husband's priorities in order of importance and see if you veteran drivers can give me any suggestions that we haven't looked into. Specific companies are okay but I don't think you can find any that have websites that I haven't already looked at. I'm really looking for places that I might not have searched.

Priorities:
1. Hometime-He wants to be home every week at least. He knows he has to put his time in somewhere to get experience. He would even be willing to work local to be home every night but we know it might not be possible.

2. Prefer Tanker or Van-Before he went to school he was okay with flatbed; but after he started Sage and talked to his brother who is a veteran trucker, he all but ruled out flatbed.

3. Pay-He's not becoming a trucker to travel. He has a family to support so of course pay is important but it's not the most important thing to him. He would like to get reimbursed for his tuition but we also know the companies that do that pretty much just take it out of your pay for the first year or two by paying less per mile. If the pay is better to go somewhere without TR he would consider. He is a "by the book" guy so he plans to run legal. Any company he works for will have to support that.

4. Benefits-definitely need affordable family insurance the rest is gravy.

5. Safety rating- he doesn't want to spend all his time at weigh stations being inspected and wants to drive equipment that is safe to travel in.

This is the first time I've posted a topic but I've been on here reading a lot. I know most of the time a few of you make fun of people and a lot of you are funny. I don't care if you make fun of me as long as you try to answer my question while you are doing it.

Driver info: Clean driving record, no arrests or convictions. CDL A with Hazmat, Tanker and Double/Triple endorsements. Already has passport if needed. We live in central Indiana. The reason we are searching so hard is because he wants to find a company that he can stay with long term not just for experience to go somewhere else. Sorry my first post was such a long one.

Kim does hubby want to drive OTR or local?

From what you have laid out in your above post. I would take a hard look at Schneider.

1. Schneider generally has one of the best reputations for starter companies.

2. The Schneider Shadeland Ave/Indy OC will make it easier to get home.

Central Indiana/Indianapolis is usually one of the prime hiring areas for the larger OTR carriers, as we are indeed, "The Crossroads of America."

Most carriers will keep their new drivers out from 2-3 weeks at a time until they get through training. Finding an otr driving job where you can get back home every weekend can be a challenge, especially starting out. If he needs to get back home several times a week, he may want to consider looking for something local. However, most local driving jobs require a year or two of otr experience. He might find something regional. There might be some companies who could use a yard dog driver. These guys move trailers around a manufacturing or distribution facility. They spend their day backing and pulling trailers out of loading docks.

From what you have laid out in your above post. I would take a hard look at Schneider.

I would take a look at Prime Inc. to.

Are you crazy? I wouldn't go to Prime if they was the last company on earth. I had a friend that worked for them, they are an outlaw company from what she and others have told me about them. I'd go to Schneider if I was you.

I have two friends that told me the oppisite. I guess everyone is diffrent. But I was just giving him another option to look at. If I had to pick, I would pick the big orange pumpkin. :wink:

Oh, sometimes I have been known to be crazy, but arent we all? :wink:

Yup no one is perfect or normal at all! I understand with giving him different options, it's better to have options. 8)

Options is all that we have, and if we dont share, then we are cheating /hurting to new guy/woman. If he want to get into tankers he really needs to talk to Cyniane. I think that I didnt spell that right. LOL

Cyanide. I spelled it right this time. :wink:

TMC and Maverick hires Grads and drivers get home weekly... also i hear alot of drivers on this board raves about Marten and i think they take students also and they get home not weekends but i think 2 days off during the week, might be wrong!!!

I thought that the Schneider OC in Indy would be a great selling point. I can see that we are talking about family types here and I know that the Schneider OC on Indy's east side is busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. I run with 'em all night. They seem to do a pretty darn good job, if I may say so myself.

I think that would make it much easier to get home more. Just my 2 cents.
Wadda I know? :wink:

Hey,

First question for you is this. What State are you from? I ask this because Roehl has a 7/7, 7/3 and another program where lets say on the 7/7, he goes out for 7 days and then he is home for 7 days. Or out 7 home 3. You have to live within 50 miles from one of their main terminals and its slip seating.

I did my 14 months with Roehl when I got my license. I did the out 2 weeks deal and its not that horrible. I would not do it again though. I like to have a life. However, when you are first starting somewhere or something, you gotta put in your time.

I will say from what I have seen and heard about some OTR companies. I would not suggest Swift, Werner, Prime, I would be hesitant about Schneider also, however he is a new driver and will have to do his time.

One suggestion as far as local. Its a long shot but maybe look at UPS Freight. They are growing. The downside is being on the bottom of the list requires crap runs, layoff or lack of work in the winter, long hours during the summer. They are union however and the hourly wage is descent.

Back to Roehl a little bit to answer a few of your questions. They did supply some tuition reimbursement for me. I spent zero time at weigh stations. I got pulled in once and only had my logbook and license checked. Van is 90% of Roehl. They have a flatbed, Curtainside and just recently got into the reefer division. They have great trainers also. He will go out with a trainer for 3 weeks to make sure he can safely operate the truck. Neither one of my trainers slept while I was driving. They were in the seat next to me.

They also go thru and deliver in Canada, so the passport is good. I did alot of deliveries in Toronto. I live in NY, so I would go to Plattsburgh and then hammer down to Toronto for 2 deliveries at Costco the next day after I came out of the house.

Well I hope that helps a little. Money sucks for a beginning trucker unless you have connections. Benefits, depends on the company. Hometime will definitely depend on the company. Also, don't believe all the BS a recruiter feeds you. Read in between the lines and ask lots of questions!!!!!

GL

Re: Hubby's last day of school, still looking for job
 

:wink:

Crete has a terminal in Indy

Damm Blepre you are everywhere. I drove though Belpre Oh and when I worked for Schneider I often spent the night at the Indy terminal off of Shadeland. I sometimes stopped at the White Castles there. I also hauled gatorade from the Quaker Oats plant in Indy. I believe there was an old go cart track right by that terminal.

Thanks for all the suggestions
 

After reading the posts my husband is going to call Schneider tomorrow to see what they have to say. We know we probably can't get all the things on our list, that's why we listed them in the order of importance with #1 being hometime. If the hometime is there then we look at the rest of it. We have looked at TMC but I think they are all flatbed if I'm remembering right. My husband is 38 and doesn't really want to do all the tarping unless that is his only option. He is in good shape physically and wants to stay that way. lol. He feels tarping would be difficult especially in bad weather. Shoot if the wind caught the tarp just right it might sling him 100 ft. He might weigh 140 if he's soaking wet. :lol:

Edited to include: DH applied at NDL last week and hasn't heard back from them. Thanks for the info on them, Useless (I really hesitated putting your username there but you picked it :) ). We hadn't talked to anyone that drove for them.

I graduated from CDL school last May and in my opinion, I've wasted the whole summer trying to find a local job. I'm convinced that unless you know someone, no local carrier will hire you without at least 1 year's experience. I finally wised up and will start orientation next week with an OTR carrier and will simply pay my dues until I can go local. There is no question it will be tough on your family - the longest I was ever away from my family before was only a week for a business trip. If Hubby would consider regional or dedicated, I heard that JB Hunt will take you with only 3 months OTR experience - might be worth a look.

That is pretty accurate. It took me 1 year and 3 months to find a local job(3 long months!!) I looked pretty dam hard but it was difficult to look while OTR. There is not a huge demand for local drivers vs OTR. The local jobs in my area required 1 year experience but often would put the 1 yr people at the bottom of the pile and go after the people with 3,5 or 7 years.

Schneider was the only trucking company I worked for and they treated me pretty well. I spent 15 months there, and still get mail from them to come back and work. They will definately "break you in" to trucking.

OTR companies will ring your phone off the hook while local companies will take their time to call if they call at all.

I sure have gotten around a bit in my 44 years Mohawk! When I first came off of the road, I helped out an owner/op and ran empty gatorade bottles 4 miles, I repeat 4 miles on I-65. Paid percentage. I was making a little under $5.00 a mile!! Yeppers, that's no BS.

It's almost a requirement to get a load of sliders from the Castle when on Shadeland! My final co-driver at CRST was a budding competition eater. We stopped in Illinois somewhere and I sat and watched him slam a full 30 pack Crave Case in one sitting. I was in awe and laughing my ass off. He could eat 8 Big Macs and 8 Large Fries. He was a hoot and a lot of fun. PC, wherever you are at, I hope you are well!!!

Oh yeah Mohawk, if you're ever down towards Belpre on 50....there is a nice new rest area at uhhhhhhh Coolville,Oh........in case you need a rest!

8)

Hubby going with Roehl, another question now.
 

Well, DH has talked to the Roehl recruiter and is waiting to hear back from them about when to show up for orientation. He will be driving in the Midwest Regional Van Fleet for them.

I have a question about orientation that I would like answered by current or former Roehl drivers, especially. Others might know if it's the same with every company. It concerns prescribed meds that he wasn't taking at the time of his CDL physical, but after that the VA doc gave him samples to see if it would work for him.

DH goes to the VA clinic for a physical once a year. They put him on BP meds at one point but he wasn't really good about taking pills and he didn't have high BP every time the clinic took his BP anyway. They told him he didn't have to take it. After he lost his job in May, his BP climbed again. We are talking about barely high. Bottom number in the 90's. He went back to the clinic and they gave him samples of a BP med and want to see him back before they prescribe it to be sure it is working for him (it is working). He wasn't on meds when he had his CDL physical and now he is taking samples that the doc gave him but he doesn't have a prescription. What should he do at orientation? Please help, he may be going to orientation on Monday.

Thanks for helping. :)

BP meds will not show up on a drug screen, but he will still need to list them on his DOT physical paperwork. If his BP is 140/90 or less at the time of the physical he will get a 1 year certificate. If it is over that he may only get a 3 month certificate or even fail the physical depending on how much over it is.

Also make sure he has the name, address and phone number of the clinic and the doctor who is treating him.

In short don't worry about it too much. Just make sure he has enough meds to last him until he can get home to get a prescription or have him go in and get one before he leaves and get it filled. The really important thing is that he takes the meds as prescribed.

Will he have to take another DOT physical for Roehl?
 

He just had a DOT physical this summer. I thought they were good for 2 years. He wasn't on the meds when he had the physical but he is now. I just don't know if there will be a problem because he doesn't have a prescription bottle with his name on it yet because the doc gave him samples. My thought was if Roehl doesn't repeat the physical it might not even come up.

He will be just fine. They are looking for drugs that you buy on the street. :wink:

Re: Will he have to take another DOT physical for Roehl?
 

Roehl WILL give him another physical.
He will be asked what meds he is on.
Pay will be less on Midwest Regional then van, but he will end up going out of the region even so.
Hope it works out!