Hi,
My husband is preapproved to start training with both CRST and Schneider - he has no previous trucking experience. He wants to go with the better company, and our biggest issue is hometime. We have a 2 year old "daddy's girl" so he wants to be home as much as possible so she doesn't forget him. We are in Charlotte, NC if that matters.

I really appreciate your answers, and I've enjoyed reading all the diaries on here. That's a great thing you guys are doing for the rest of us who don't know what goes on in this industry!

Hey lisa... I talked with Schneider and CRST. Both are decent companies, but I would choose SNI. CRST does strickly teams and are out at least 21 days, SNI your hubby can go solo after his training and will be out around 14 days.

I am currently prehired with werner (they have an OC near me here in FL) but I am going to a school. Not sure if a school is an option for you besides SNI or CRST. Good luck to you two

Thanks for the input. Is it bad to drive teams? I guess it depends on your partner!

Good luck with Werner!!!

SNI use to and may still have training offered in charlotte, as well as the OC terminal. so during some of the training he would be home.

Lisa,

I contract with CRST Malone. I get home whenever I want. I own my own truck and trailer. Although you didn't specify you may be talking about CRST van division out of Iowa. In any case I will throw my 2 cents in. I pull a covered wagon and for a different division. I can pull some of my own loads and I work for a percentage of the line haul. I have been with them just over 2 years and so far they have been decent with me. I have had to take more than 3 months off due to a family illness and death. No pressure. I am fortunate that I could afford to take the time. CRST Malone is based out of Birmingham. They have separate agents from the van division in Iowa. My division has several agents in the Carolina's, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Birmingham, Jacksonville, etc. I would think the van division would have at least as many. I am not sure how things work for the company drivers. There aren't many in the flatbed division where I am. I would just try and talk to some who have been there for awhile and see what they say. Schneider certainly has a lot of freight. There is a small company (about 250 trucks) based in Shelbyville, Tennessee, near Nashville. They get their drivers home almost every weekend, Big G Express. I worked for them for a couple of years. I have never been treated so well. I probably would have stayed but they don't have owner operators. They have new or nearly new mostly Volvo's and keep the maintenance up on them. I don't know what their present hiring policy is but they used to hire within 200 miles of their home in Tennessee. They were only about half their present size when I worked for them. You take your truck home with you. I believe they have a website. If not, I know they sometimes advertise in some of the trucking magazines. You might check with them. I prefer to work for a smaller company. (although admittedly I have had limited experience working for someone else. I have almost always worked for myself). Most of the big ones don't treat their drivers very well.

Thanks, GMAN and nolajon! This is just the type of info I'm looking for. He was scheduled to start training in Charlotte, about 15 minutes from our home, but then spoke more in depth with a CRST recruiter, who told him that CRST offers more hometime and that he wouldn't have to load/unload. He has a bad back (but not THAT bad!), so heavy lifting all the time isn't a great thing, though he probably could do it.

Both companies offer things like the 20/10 program, where you're out for 20 days and in for 10. Has anyone here done anything like that? Did you like it? He's wanting to do something like that after he has a few months or a year's experience under his belt, so that he can get home but we'll still have enough $$$ to live on.

I really, really appreciate this info. I never expected to be a trucker's wife, and know nothing about your industry, but I want my husband to be happy and not tied to a desk, since that seemed to make him so unhappy. Hopefully he will enjoy this!

I worked for schneider out of charlotte for about a year, they run glass. I was on an account where i got home on weekends. tell hime to as SNI about dedicated specialized accounts in your area, they have them. as for unloading, he will never unload any glass specialized loads, but will have to tarp them, but its a sinch, my 75 yr old father has help me on the road before, it just rolls over and zips, yes, zips up, about 15 mins. and you get $35 extra each time you have to do it, ( alway with a glass load )

I will tell him, Flash, thanks! I keep hoping he will change his mind & go with Schneider! Mainly because they're more local & he'd be here during training, which will help our little girl adjust to him not being here 24/7.

i would recommend Schneider to you over CRST