Question:
For those that have asked about CFI or for anyone interested. I do not work there any more So I get nothing for this.
Also: I'm not sure if they will hire directly out of school you might need at least 3 months driving experience.
Also remember that I am not promoting this company, I am just giving my opinions and experiences along with info posted on their website.
It's always easier when we make informed decisions
Ok, Here is what I got for ya...
www.cfidrive.com
From their website:
CFI prides itself in providing its drivers with the most modern, well-maintained fleet of equipment and most advanced technology on the road today. Only the safest and most respected team of company drivers and owner operators drive for CFI. CFI enjoys an image and reputation that is second to none. Drivers benefit from the following:
28¢ per mile to all single drivers with 3-6 months of experience.
This is new since I worked there. If you're graduating from school you might want to call to see if they'll hire you out of school
30¢ per mile to all single drivers with 6-12 months of experience.
35¢* per mile to all single drivers with one year of experience. Additional pay incentives available for teams.
Regularly scheduled frequent pay increases.
According to this scale you will get 35 cpm with 12 months experience. That's pretty good money for an OTR company driver. This is also new since I worked there
A safety bonus will be paid to each full time, over-the-road company driver who does not have a preventable occurrence during the period beginning December 1 through November 30. The bonus will be up to 04¢ per mile for dispatched miles during that period. A driver will receive credit for all single miles and ½ of all team miles dispatched.
One week of vacation after one year. Two weeks of vacation after two years. Pay is based on the driver's average earnings over 52 weeks.
(You get 1 day off for every 7 days out) I used to stay out for 5 weeks and then take my 5 days off. So it was like having a week off every month. You will be out at least 3 weeks with them
Six paid holidays at $60 each. Drivers need not be on the road to collect. (Must drive 75% of fleet to average to be eligible.
(If the fleet average is 2700 miles per week you need to be driving an average of 2025 miles per week to get the holiday pay.) If you are on the road during the holiday then you will get paid for it no matter how many miles you drive.
A $1,000 Bonus for each experienced driver or team hired as a result of a driver referral
Since I no Longer work there I do not get this $$
Drivers can draw up to 10¢ per dispatched mile in cash advances. They may obtain their money in three different ways: Comdata card while fueling, Comcheck, or from the company owned ATM machines located at all CFI terminals.
This money is an advance on your pay that is put into your account as soon as you are dispatched. If you do not use it, it will automatically be rolled into your paycheck. CFI pays on the 1st and the 15th of the month
Orientation at CFI is pretty intense and strict. They are a very organized company and really take safety seriously. They run top notch equipment, KW T600's and KW T2000's. Most of their trucks have 13 speed transmissions and some have auto shifts. They are very image oriented and therefore want their trucks in good shape. They will pay for all truck washes and have truck washes at most of their terminals. All of their terminals are very clean and have driver facilities including clean showers and Laundry machines. The main Terminal in Joplin MO has a Gym and indoor basketball court for drivers as well as a shuttle service that will bring you anywhere you need to go in Joplin.
In my opinion, As far as Large companies go, CFI is one of the best companies out there for a driver to work at.
Another note, Their Dispatching system is really good.... It basically works this way:
Picking up at a terminal; When you get to a terminal you enter a message that you are available for a load- you're then placed on the board. If there are other driver's waiting for loads ahead of you, you are given the next number in line. When it's your turn, you go to dispatch and pick from the loads they have available.
If you are on the road, it works the same way but you don't get to pick from multiple loads. Drivers on the road are placed on a load board for the area they are located in so you never have to wait long for a load. (the longest I ever had to wait for a load was about 5 hours)
(many loads pick up from the terminals because CFI likes you to get into the terminal often to make sure the Truck is serviced and washed and they do a lot of routing through the terminals.)
The only thing about CFI that was a pain was the fact that you must have a spot approved for parking the truck for Home Time. This must be set up during orientation. So if you don't have room at your home you need to get permission from a local shopping center or mall to park it there and you need to have a phone number for them. If there is a truck stop nearby then you don't have a problem or if there is a local elks lodge or something like that you might want to go in and see if they'll let you park it there. most places will let you use their property for a small fee, like $20 per month or even less.
Remember, no matter who you Drive for, If they don't have a terminal near your house you'll need to have a spot to park that BIG RIG..
Also, CFI has a no Bob Tail policy, this means that whenever you go home you will have a trailer with you.
I hope this info helps, If you have any other questions feel free to ask. I'm usually around
Here's a thought,,, If you can't go with them right out of school, My suggestion would be to go with a company that has a terminal local to where you live and get at least 6 months under your belt and then switch over to CFI or another company that might better suit your needs.
Answer:
Ditto!
That's pretty much how it was when I drove for them.(1993-1995)

Answer:
Just followin' in your footsteps
Answer:
From what I have heard CFI does not hire newbie solo drivers straight out of school. They seem to like to bounce between 3 months and 1 year of experience depending on how many empty truck they have at a given time.
The talk on the street about this company is that they have no need or use for hotdogs, either in the dispatch office or in the drivers seat. So if you are the type who really want to push it you might want to look somewhere else.
Answer:
I heard that their road test was pretty intense too.
Do they still have a Texas intrastate run??? Dallas, Laredo, Houston triangle?
Codger"Stop holding me back. I'm going to clown college." Homer Simpson

Answer:
Does CFI hire company drivers out of the Los Angeles area? What would they do with someone whose operating capacity (because of logbook heavy line 4 usage) is 2,000 miles per week?

Answer:
They hire from all 48, As for the heavy logging on line 4...
Just log everything you do on line 2 where it belongs
(Asleep at the wheel)
Answer:
Recruiting told me that they don't hire from the west coast. I asked about my home, Portland, Oregon, and they said NO.
Of course, that was two months ago, and things may have changed since then.

Answer:
But there were a few driver's from CA when I worked there. They have loads that run into CA.
Answer:
Things are still pretty much like you described, Jim Spin. Hubby has been there almost 3 months now.
The only stipulation about truck washes is before they will pay for truck wash, you have to have been away from a terminal with wash for a min of 3 weeks. So far Hubby has gotten back thru Joplin, Laredo, or El Paso before 3 weeks so haven't had to get one on the road.
They also have a fuel bonus program which kicks in if you average 6.5 mpg. They want you to maintain at least 6.4 mpg. MPG is based on dispatched miles only and even deadheads home count against that average.
They want you to have no more than 8% out of route miles and idle time no greater than 30-40%. However, in order to get even close to 6.4 mpg after they get done "calculating" you will find yourself idling very little and having little OOR and STILL not getting 6.4, not with an auto tranny T-2000 anyway. The T-600s should get better mileage and drivers say they do BUT the company doesnt appear to make any allowances for the type of truck, engine, etc. when setting the mpg quota and you know not all trucks are created equal, especially since the new trucks have the new emissions standards engines.
According to their tally, Hubby is getting 6.2 average over his time there. This is including his OOR and idle time. He has not had to take the mpg class YET. He has been trying hard to keep his foot out of it and his mpg is improving so there is hope yet. Plus, someone in shop told him he is to get a new truck next month, hopefully more fuel efficient.
There was a driver on here recently who said he was fired for 6.5 mpg. I would venture to say his truck computer showed 6.5 mpg for all miles but that was before they got done taking away the OOR and unpaid deadheads. By their calculations he would have been getting a lot less.
The handbook says you can be sent for further training anytime you are not meeting acceptable mpg, miles, ontime deliveries, etc. It also says if after receiving other training and not making improvements you can be terminated at any time or if director of safety feels it is in best interests you may be terminated without benefit of further training, i.e. attitude.
Of course, we have talked to many drivers who claim they have been there a lot of years and do not meet the fuel requirements and have never been forced to take a class. Others claim to have taken the class numerous times. So I guess it's all about attitude and whether or not you are making an effort to comply.
Overall, we are happy. Miles are very good, no complaints there. Bi-weekly pay has been for 5052 miles+ 2 days pd layover, 6558 mi. (3 days off), 3780 mi. (2 days wasted trying to get relay to NC for uncles funeral, then 3 days off), 6665 mi, 5891 mi.+ $150 extra pay for Canada (4-5 days off). For 10 weeks that averages out to 2794 mi. per week including time off.
As for hiring area, they also told Hubby they didn't hire from Oregon but they could get him there to take hometime with his parents once in a while. We ran to Canada with a driver from CA the other day however. They do have loads going to OR and WA pretty often but maybe not with enough frequency to be able to guarantee to have someone home in 8 days after highlighting for hometime. It took them a few extra days to work us out there the other week for hometime.
Answer:
How about the Fuel Bonus?
I have heard of alot of drivers getting canned for not getting like 6.5 (wich should be easy to do) adverage? Is there a problem with that or are these just a bunch of drivers complaining abou tthe same thing?
I applied to CFI when I did JB Hunt. I liked how both companies looked and what they offered. JB called first so that is were I went.
I do wish they had a pet policy here. CFI did at that time. I do not know if they still do or not.202 N Main Street
Summerfield Il 62289
TRUCK PARKING AVAILABLE!

Answer:

6.4 mpg is what they want you to do to avoid disciplinary action, 6.5 mpg to get the fuel bonus from what I understand. No, it's not hard to average that mpg until you start calculating it like CFI does.
For example, you are dispatched on a 975 mile load. You actually drive 1000 miles (not bad, only about 2% out of route). You burn 153 gals. of fuel for the trip. 1000/153 = 6.5 mpg. Hey, I did it!
Nope, afraid not. CFI calculates your mpg like this. 975/153 = 6.3 mpg. And you only had 2% OOR miles, imagine what your mpg would be if you had 8% OOR (CFI's maximum allowed? You would be getting 6.5 mpg by your calculation but only 6 mpg by the company's method.
Another poster here recently said you would probably need to get at least 6.8 mpg all the time in able to get 6.5 with their calculation. Depending on OOR miles, that's probably on the conservative side. Deadheading for hometime is also not calculated into the mpg at all. 200-300 mile deadheads for hometime can hurt and they're not uncommon. Some DMs suggest to their drivers they put fuel in the truck when deadheading home so as not to hurt their mpg.
Yeah, that'll be the day.