Quote:
Originally Posted by Copperhead
Recommendations for a company to check in to? All depends on what you want in a company, where you want to run, how long you want to stay out, etc.
I will jump in though, and recommend the one I am with.... Fremont Contract Carriers out of Fremont, NE. A smaller carrier (100 company, 200 O/O) that has vans and flats. I am in the Midwest Regional side and get me home every weekend and holidays and for anything else I need to get home for. Meanwhile, I make as much or more than I ever did running 48 and Canada. I live in Iowa, but am in or thru the Chicago area every week. We have a drop lot in Romeoville. The insurance is BC/BS. Good company equipment with APU's. I work the O/O side (started as company driver for them) and there is no preference of company trucks vs. O/O for freight. Good family atmosphere and a good customer base. Sit time is minimal. None of the waiting two days for a load crap. Most wait is a few hours to maybe overnight to pickup the next morning. The fleet managers are REQUIRED to have 80% of their assigned trucks pre booked for freight the next day before they can go home that night.
They are hiring some drivers. There is not a large turnover, so they are a little picky. They want good, reliable drivers. They expect you to do the job legally and operations has a leash on them to make them cater to legal. No saying they want legal and then playing games with drivers. But keep in mind, when you have hours to run, you better be working and not goofing off. But you will not be forced to run illegal and not be penalized for not doing so. Just communicate what your hours are and what you can do. They will plan the freight on that. You do have to take an active role in communicating your hours to them. Don't expect them to keep track of hours for you. They expect you to be an adult and act like it.
Sounds like one of the few, smaller companies that actually likes to keep its ducks in a row.
But, that's the MidWest and I'm in the fool's gold state, so that's one major difference.