Hey all. I''ve been driving for a smaller family owned trucking company out of Ohio for five years. Never drove for the "big boys". Anybody have any stories about driving for one versus the other? I'm really pretty happy where I'm at but thought someone may share what they see as the big differences, good or bad. Maybe down the road I meet need a change of scenry.

Stay where you are.......... Big boys verses mom and pop....No contest.
you paid by the mile? Do you get enough miles? Do you have benifits, vacation, 401k? You can get them with the Big boys.....But you will also get treated as a bum on the seat. No one within the company will know your name, let alone want to here if you have problems......STAY WHERE YOU ARE.... IF..... You can pay your bills, take a day out, eat dinner a cold beer and a smile on your face.... It ain't always about the green backs....

I've worked for small companies, and family owned companies. The older I got, I noticed that there were bigger, better jobs that would help me in the long run. Not that I loved working for small, family owned companies. I would still be hauling grain for a family company, if I could afford it. I have done part time farm work for an outfit, ever since I was in high school. I would love to work out there all the time, but I wouldnt end up with anything down the road. Some drivers ask me on the radio, how things are at SYSCO, and I tell them that it's ok. Every once in a while, I talk to someone that used to drive for SYSCO, and hated it. I can see it. You have to put up with the corporate junk, but you over look that mess, and it aint too bad. Sometimes, it does feel like I am just a number, but yet, I may go a month, and not talk to anyone from the offices. I work at night time, and I just hook up at the yard, drive to the warehouse, drop and hook at the warehouse, and I head back home.

grumpo, it's all what you want. If you are happy, and you do like working where you are, I would stay, if they allow you to make a good living. Now, if you want something that may have better benefits, and stuff, you might want to look around. The bigger companies may not be as laid back as the smaller companies. You need to remember that the smaller company that you work for probably allows you to have that "at home" feeling. The bigger companies dont quite have that.

If you are happy at a job...why leave?
One thing to think about. One of the most important things about any job is the retirement benefits like your 401k. Working for a small mom and pop outfit might make you feel like part of the family. But I doubt that family is going to take care of you when you are at retirement age and broke. I read an article not too long ago that stated a 25 year old today needed to be saving investing about 450 bucks a month in something like a 401k otherwise they are going to be screwed at retirement age. I see so many people living paycheck to paycheck and making a MAJOR mistake by not saving anything.
Example: People can say what they want about JB Hunt, however we have quite a few drivers that have been here 20 plus years, One in paticular comes to mind because I have met him quite a few times personally. He recently retired and they had a little get together for him at the office. When he was speaking to a few of us, he was drilling into a couple of people the importance of our 401k. He worked here about 21 years, now he was hanging up his keys and going to live the good life with a little over 3 million in his retirement.
Now....do the math. 3 million divided by 21 years = $142,857 per year....and thats before his mileage pay. Yes, he drove for JB all those years....Yes he had a slow truck.....Yes....he probably sometimes felt like a number.....and yes he probably spent 21 years with people laughing at him over the CB for driving for JB....However who is laughing now? HE is.
The point is, can you get that kind of pay from a mom and pop outfit? Are you going to retire broke and if so are you ok with it? Those are the questions you need to ask yourself. I just dont see how the little company can compete with the major corporations.

Thanks. I am paid by the mile, just shy of .40. Got benifits, health in. and dental is good and cheap. Miles, usually get me about 2800 or so ,sometimes a little less sometimes more. Home weekends except for two last yaer due to weather.The retirement thing is important, they helped me set up a roth IRA. no company money percentage goes in to it but if I make good invest. choices I should do good. Sounds like what that JB driver did - good for him. Thanks again to you all sounds like I'm diong ok.

Drove for big uns and drove for family owned companies. Some absolute bastards and angels on both sides. Good n Bad on both sides. Sounds like you are happy with your lot, and to me,that is worth more than £ and $
Have a good un mate :wink:

I drive for a small company(400 drivers nation wide). We are dedicated to accounts. I have always drove for small companys. Something about them knowing on a first name basis when you have problem.

I like the small companys cuz they know your name. Also if there is a problem you can go talk right to the owner and get it fixed. When i say small i mean like 40 or less trucks.

Both can be corrupt. I've talked to guys who drove for "mom and pops" who were treated like crap and expected to run illegal and I've talked to guys who didnt like the corporate atmosphere of the "big guys"

As long as they leave me alone, I could care less if they know my name.

Must be some sort of "needy" thing that a company knows your name?
Whats it matter, really?

I'm a good one to tell stories on this subject. I drove for a small, family-owned company for the first 10 years of my career. They decided to get rid of their truck fleet, and out-source the transportation side of the business. It was supposed to work out where that company would offer all of us jobs, but when the deal went down, they were offering us such bad terms that we all told them to shove off, and our little band scattered to the four corners of trucking and beyond.

One of us went O/O. One of us is hauling doors to Yankee Land. One of us took an early retirement to mooch off his wife. Two of us went to haul mulch in chip wagons. One of us decided to become a bounty hunter. One of us went to haul plants out of a nursery. One of us started a landscape business.

I went to drive for an O/O who is an old friend of my former boss. He's leased on with with what some might call a small company, but they're huge by my standards after a lifetime of Mom & Pop trucking. I think they have 170 trucks and about 50 O/Os.

It's a different world over here in more ways than one. The main thing I had to get used to was the Satellite Spy Box, and having to punch all this stupid crap into the little gray box instead of just grabbing my bills and doing my job. I have to say "I have arrived at the bathroom." "I have successfully unzipped my fly." "I am in the process of draining the lizard, and expect to be finished within three minutes." "The lizard is drained." "I have successfully re-zipped my fly."

"DID U WASH UR HANDS?"

"10/4"

It annoys me to no end having to try to type on that thing instead of just picking up the damn phone.

It's weird seeing other company trucks all over, and not knowing most of the drivers.

There are a lot more rules over here, and they're a lot more strict about everything, and get really pissy if you don't explain how you successfully urinated in precisely the right order.

But I've adapted, more or less. I fell into a fairly good thing here. I would have been a dumbass to quit my old job to come do this, but consider my other choices out there, this is OK. I've mostly figured out how to keep everybody off my back, and keep the spy box from beeping at me, and that makes me a happy truck driver.

Sort of.