I see so many threads and posts giving advice to drivers who are new to the industry, but I'm wondering which companies are good for the next step once a driver gets a few years of experience.

I don't know, it really depends on what one is looking for. There are so many options in the trucking industry. That is what makes it interesting for me. You are always going to find unhappy drivers no matter which segment of the industry you examine. I wouldn't take career advice from a forum, such as this, to seriously. Find out what interest you and go with that.

this is a real good question... wish I knew..

I think you could divide up the OTR driver pool into 4 segments:

1- Beginner/Rookie( less than 1 year exp)

2- Experienced ( 1-3 years)

3- Seasoned (3-10 years)

4- Over-the-Hill ( 10 years and beyond )

Seems the more "seasoned" you become; your Insurance rating- I.E. points on you CDL most likely increase making you less attractive to the larger organizations, plus with more experience you're tolerance for B.S. becomes less and you learn just how easy it is to take your experience to different pastures quickly- and lastly trucking is very unhealth so if you stick to it for long-- you're probably find yourself courting smaller...and smaller companies or becoming an O/O yourself along the way...

So my answer would probably be looking at companies with 500 or less units.

The important thing is with the experience and a clean record you have the ability to go where ever you want.
Some like bigger companies where you can hide in the system and reap the benefits of mass purchasing, drop and hooks, and larger customers that look for truck availability.
Some like the friendlier small company where everybody knows everybody and sometimes everybody knows everybody's business too.
Decide what you are looking for and choose wisely.

I can only speak for me...but the smaller carriers seem to fit much more comfortable.

750 or so units....once you pass 2 or 3000 units things get all effed up it seems.

u need 2 yrs exp at my job. and there super strict on ur abstract and work history. we have some drivers who haven been here for 10/15/25 years. i been drivin for 5 been with these guys for 1 year. gaf building supply. contact tlcdriver.com for all sorts of high paying hourly jobs in your area. local

I agree.
Muffet, one way of doing it, is to look into companies' "lanes". If you find something that might interest you, find out where they run. Sometimes you can land a job that might can get you by the house on the weekends, etc. (depending on how often you wish to come home) It also depends on where you are from, as to how often you get home. If there are certain parts of the country that you wish to steer away from, it would be good to get information on what parts of the country that trucking companies run. It also helps if you can find a good company that is in your area.

Some companies hire drivers that live in certain areas. The companies that you get in touch with, ask them about their "hiring area".

It also depends on what you want to haul. You have to think about what type of work you want to do. Seems to me that a lot of the Flatbed companies offer pretty good hometime. Flatbeds have quite a bit of work involved, but the pay is decent, and there are some good Flatbed companies. Pulling Reefers can be interesting. You can get caught up, sitting at warehouses, etc, but my understanding is that you get good miles, too. There are a lot of Dry Van companies out there, also. You will find yourself going to warehouses, and other places with Reefers, and Dry Vans that can be some tight places.

You might also check into Dedicated companies. Some companies allow drivers to run the same routes, same customers. Dedicated companies deliver to retail stores. You could see the same retail store, per say,-once a week, etc.

You also have your local companies. If you could land yourself with a local (LTL) freight company, that would be good. Sometimes you can find a pretty good local job in the local papers, etc.

With some of the companies, if there is an area you want to avoid, apply with your home address in that city. They will do their best at keeping you away from there. LOL