What
VIPDarkAngel and
Golf said. I've been out of the industry for quite some time now, but I'll add a few thoughts of my own:
1.) Don't let anyone talk you into venturing into a "
Lease Operator" or "
Lease Purchase" program[/B]. Those "
FLease" deals favor the companies; not the drivers.
2.) Be very, very, wary of employers (usually mom & pop outfits, or owners who have just a few trucks) who want to pay you to drive their trucks as a
Form 1099 contractor. In most cases, what they're attempting to do is illegal, and as with fleece operators, those situations favor the employer, and not the driver. All too many times, those drivers also have difficulty getting paid.
3.) STAY AWAY FROM C.R.England...... unless being hungry, stranded, and bankrupt appeals to you!!
4.) Stear clear of
"outlaw" companies. They'll offer you plenty of miles, but their equipment is often poorly maintained, (although I know of one operation that ran decent equipment) they'll require you to run illegally, and they usually don't pay very well. State DOT & LE Agencies know who they are, and you'll spend plenty of time pulled behind the chicken houses, often because you're over hours and/or your truck or trailer has been red-flagged. Guess who will get stuck paying the fines?? These operations usually hire ex-cons, drivers who have failed drug tests, gone through SAP programs, and been sidelined for a few years, and drivers who for various other reasons can't get hired anywhere else; they're the bottom feeders of the industry.
5.) With the mega-carriers (
Swift, American Eagle, FFE, Schneider, Werner, etc.) you'll be a number, and not a name. The dispatchers can be real a&&holes, and they're used to newbs washing out or quitting. All they care about is having a butt in the driver's seat and getting a load delivered.
The flip side is that they're more likely to offer benefits like health insurance, 401K's paid vacation time, tuition reimbursement, etc. Over the course of a few years, you can develop relationships with freight managers, safety personnel, etc. Then you'll have the opportunity to be less of a number, and more of a name.
I found a good midsize company that was large enough to keep me running and provide benefits, but small enough to know my name. They were also very family friendly, which was important to me. Fortunately, I also had an awesome dispatcher, which is rare. Unfortunately, as I stated earlier, I've been out of the industry for about eight years, now, and much in the industry has changed.
6.) Be wary of what recruiters tell you. There are some good ones, but many of them are almost as honest as used car salesmen, televangelists, or politicians, or a used car salesmen turned televangelist, or a televangelist who's campaigning for public office.
7.) I chose to run as a team driver my first winter, and I'm glad that I did. I don't know where you live, but I live in South Texas, and we just don't get much snow or ice down here. When we do, it's usually enough to ice over the bridges and overpasses, and not much else.
TxDOT shuts the highways down at the first hint of ice because most people around here can't drive when it's clear and dry, much less in inclement weather.
When I hit black ice up in the Midwest, I really benefited from having a mentor observing and guiding me. Taking a truck around a hair-pin curve or on a short exit ramp in black ice, loaded or empty, can quickly lead to jackknifes, roll overs, or other serious trouble.
Fortunately, the company I drove for would support a driver's decision to shut down in ice, or in dangerous weather. They would rather call a customer and tell them that their load was going to be a day or so late than to tell them that their shipment was scattered about over the highway, or sitting in a ditch.
Their policy was,
"If it's snow?? Go slow. If it's ice?? No dice."
Best of luck to you, but always remember:
"Luck is a phenomenon which occurs when the thresholds of preparation converge with the thresholds of opportunity and/or circumstance!!"
