Hi,
I've spent the last 30 years driving locally for Hostess Brands, which just closed it's doors back on the 16th of Nov.. Good pay, benefits, and home every day...now I'm back to square one. OTR is not what I want at this point in my life, but may not have a choice. I was curious about Werner and England. Can anyone out there tell me if they are decent companies to drive for? And are the medical benefits all pretty much the same with these bigger companies?. Any info. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Jeff

I think it's a general consensus to stay away from England! Werner, the last I heard was a descent place to work. I think the bennies at most large companies are pretty much the same and they all promise pretty much the same. Do you have a CDL, endorsments, do you want to drive Refer, Dry Van, Flatbed, how long are you willing to stay out? Where do you live? If you haven't been "over the road" in a while or never you will be limited on where and who will hire you.

You will find a TON of info on here about companies and what you need to do and what to expect. Check out as many threads as you can that look like they might interest you and just keep asking questions. There are plenty of people on here willing to help. I don't know what your situation is as in how fast you need a job, but MY one bit of advice is to NOT just jump into a driving job! You could get into a nightmare and I'm sure that's the last thing you need right now. If your around a "metropolatin" area I would think you could find some kind of local gig. With the Holidays coming up FedEx and UPS are always looking for seasonal workers, on the docks AND drivers, and it would give you time to get your feet under you. Good luck!

Thanks Robert for the sound advice. I know I still have some homework to do for sure. I've driven my whole career in Calif., with only a handful of trips over the hill into Reno NV., but mostly San Francisco Bay Area and central valley. Believe it or not, I've never even chained up. Pretty sheltered life as truckers go! I'm a 2 million+ mile Rookie! I've driven nothing but dry vans, 42, 48, 50, 53', etc., and drove doubles for quite a few years. In fact, that's the only endorsement I have is doubles/triples. Which reminds me, do you know if a lot of these larger companies require Hazmat? I know Walmart does. Thanks again Robert.

Oh boy, hate to say it, but wait until you see the "not so new and improved" trucking jobs available. Sweatshop conditions, low pay and never get home. Werner ? CR England ? NO, Hell No. You wouldn't last 5 minutes putting up with their unpaid crap and intolerable conditions. Get your hazmat and tanker endorsements. There are numerous fuel hauling jobs in the Bay and you can do better. If you want another union gig, we are still hiring in Richmond and Sacramento. View Job Opportunities with Linde

im a veteran annd i was going to go to englands school in salt lake but i just dont have the finances for 3 weeks out there .. the school is covered and so is the hotel .. but me living out there for 3 weeks is a no go ... and i have heard the same about england as well .. so im postponing for right now with england ...

chris

if you qualify for unemployment go to local trucking school and let vocational rehabilitation pay for it. werner and cr england both stink best is schneider, gti gordon trucking industires. where are you from?

Rain, you won't last one trip doing t/l OTR work!

You need to find local work with and ltl carrier or something similar.

ps: CRE is the biggest mega bottom feeder in the industry>no one should be subjected to their abuse.

I have worked for both CR England and Werner. I Have to say run as hard as you can from CR England. They really do treat you like crap. Werner is much better. I enjoy working for them I have a great dispatch and they get me all the miles I can run. Home time is great. If you go to Werner, stay away from Bass Pro board and P&G board. I worked on both and it sucks. I am on Dedicated line and it is great. But you do what you feel is right for you. Good luck.