Truck Driving Jobs

dk1ben · #1 02-13-2008, 11:39 PM

So at the risk of being warned I have decided to share this with everyone in hopes of some other routes.

As some you may know I went through Schneider driving school 8/06 and then left teaming 10/06 due to my wife becoming very ill. I made the choice to pay Schneider for school and return to my old career so I could be home more.

Wife is better now and I am ready to return. I have been shopping around for a few months now. TMC turned me down, the recruiter said to get a few months OTR time and then reapply. Maverick wants me to have a steady one year job and then reapply.

Now dont get me wrong. I understand why companys want this. So I am not complaining.

So today I walk into my current retail job and get laid off. My last day is 2/22 and then I get one month pay. Now things need to move a little faster in finding a job. I would like to be in training during that month of free pay to help cover the drop in pay.

Schneider wants me to go back through school. With that comes another contract of 18 months. I am not interested in that. Not that I blame them for charging. Hell I paid it once.

On a whim I call Swift. The recruiter advised I can go to Columbus Ohio for a three day orientation. I live just south of Columbus. So thats cool. And as long as I pass the driving test I will then go OTR training for six weeks. Now this would work perfect considering my time problem now.

Before I jump into Swift I wanted to see what other companys you all think will be simular in training.

Most companys want me to go through a refresher first. Not Swift. I am not sure how I feel about that. But it works for me.

Thanks for any input. I know I have asked a lot of questions in the past. Now its time to make a choice and role.

Take it easy.
Ben

Sheepdancer · #2 02-14-2008, 12:07 AM

Believe it or not the so called "driver shortage" is over. Its no longer a drivers market. Companies are cutting back their fleets and are for the most part full. Even Swift is cutting back on hiring a bit right now. Also companies are becoming more picky everyday about who they choose and who they refuse. Out of all the 15 companies I recruit for, I would only be able to possibly get you on Swift. Normally USA TRUCK, or US xpress would be another option, but right now they have upped their hiring standards.

dk1ben · #3 02-14-2008, 12:11 AM

So you feel Swift is a good option for my situation? Thank you very much for your input.

Sheepdancer · #4 02-14-2008, 12:22 AM

I think it might be your only option. Unless you want to go back to school. You could try to find some mom and pop outfit....however, Im seeing more and more big companies not counting the smaller mom and pop trucking companies as experience.

dk1ben · #5 02-14-2008, 12:45 AM

thanks for the advise. i cant even seem to find a mom and pop place. heck I made 22 calls today off the Columbus Dispatch. Almost all of them wanted 1 year, the others wanted 6 months.

greg3564 · #6 02-14-2008, 01:11 AM

If Swift is all you can get, then put in the amount of time you need and try TMC or Maverick. I know several Swift drivers and they say it's no worse than any other big outfit. At least you'll be working and getting the experience you need. Good luck.

redsfan · #7 02-14-2008, 01:28 AM

Sheep, I agree with you on a lot of things, but I gotta disagree here. The driver shortage is no where near over. It may be slowed down a little right now because of slow freight, but the driver shortage is still alive and well and will be just as strong as ever in a couple of months.

I read on here a week or two ago that Transport America has a freeze on hiring right now. The poster said that they sent a message out to everyone. I have no idea what they are sending to their current drivers and I'm certainly not calling anyone a liar, but I've not seen any sign of a driver shortage from them. In mid January I got an email from them. In late January I got a letter and flyer in the mail from them. Last Monday, I got a phone call from Terrie Holp a recruiter with TA. This past Friday I got another email from Sheila Nachreiner, another recruiter with them. All this from the same company within the past month. Last week Raymond from JB Hunt left a VM for me. Today there was message from another company that left just an 800 number no company name and I honestly couldn't make out the guy's name who was leaving the message. So far this month, I have emails from 6 different companies trying to recruit me to come drive there. The Cincinnati Enquirer still has 3-4 full columns (or more) of driver job ads each Sunday.

Nah, I don't think there's much evidence of a driver shortage at all. If there is, someone forgot to tell the recruiting departments.

Ben, apparently TA is still hiring at least in this area. Maybe you should give them a call and see what they say?

Go to the company listing on this site and start dialing. Nearly every company will require you to go back out with a trainer and a lot of them will want a refresher course, but I'll guarantee you'll come up with a list longer than just one company. The downside to getting your CDL through Schneider is not being able to go back there for a refresher. Maybe you could contact some of the CDL schools around you to see what they would charge for a refresher course? I know that Southern State CC has a school in Wilmington. Maybe you can check with them and see if they offer such a course?

Rev.Vassago · #8 02-14-2008, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redsfan

Sheep, I agree with you on a lot of things, but I gotta disagree here. The driver shortage is no where near over. It may be slowed down a little right now because of slow freight, but the driver shortage is still alive and well and will be just as strong as ever in a couple of months.

I agree. If the driver shortage really were over, then it would have been foolish of Sheepdancer to get back into the game again as a recruiter. If anything, companies are using this slow down in freight to change the way they hire drivers - becoming more picky about who they hire. If so, I believe that is a very good thing.

Double L · #9 02-14-2008, 02:25 AM

I never thought the day would come when I would agree with the Reverend but I agree with Rev! :lol:

ICS · #10 02-14-2008, 02:30 AM

A driver shortage is totally false. maybe a slow down but by no means a shortage. a ton of companies have upped their pay packages recently. I will give you that they might be being a little more picky but again that is a good thing. There will never be a shortage of good drivers. with the way the insurance companies are running this country they are just going to make it harder for companies to hire the accident prone drivers which means they will either pay higher prices for insurance or pay higher prices to the better drivers. I think paying a little more for better drivers will save money in the long run.