Question:
I'm 21 yrs. old, single, with no commitments to worry about and I am trying to start into a career in trucking... I have spoken with a recruiter from Schneider National and have been tentatively offered P&G dedicated account out of Columbus, OH. I was told that I would the time out is 2 wks/2days off, and would get 2700m/wk. Does anyone have any information on this account? Would this be a good move to start a career in trucking? I have no experience/CDL, so I would be going through Schneider's training, which I have read is one of the best available. Any information or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Answer:
Just go do it if you want to give it a try.
career thats about as funny as saying somebody has a career as a maid or dish washer
you're young single and free to go try trucking and if it don't work for you move on,no big deal
my guess is the recruiter is lying to you,but you will never know if you don't give it a try
Answer:

I wonder how many times the Recruiter told that 'story'.
See if you can get the offer GARANTEED in 'writing'(snicker)orangedragon.
You Wannabies have to ask yourselves "how can they offer a job when I
haven't even started 'school' yet?"

Answer:
you should really go apply for a dock job at one of those big trucking companies on the west side of town,isn't yellow freight over there ?? get your foot in the door and advance to driver
Answer:

CLASSIC !!! ______
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I'd rather die on my feet like a man than live on my azz hiding in a truck.........Sir James Brown

Answer:
I read this thread, thought about it and wasn't going to reply...but after thinking about it for a whole 2 minutes..what the hey..
Orange Dragon...while you might think these guys are busting your chops, the truth is....it's the truth.
Most, if not all, recruiters are lying. Simple fact, they want meat in the seat and with the big mega carriers, that is what you'll be..just another number, finding yourself on the road, missing out on your girlfriend's birthday, rarely getting to see your friends and when you do, it will be a brief quicky [if you're lucky].
If you think 2700 miles a week, getting a day off for every 2 weeks out, as that is what it will amount to, then they'll be calling you wanting you to fill in, do me a favor, help me out...just this once...
If it were me, in your shoes [and it's not], but I would do just as Zigzag said: apply for a dock job at one of the big freight outfits. Put in some time, get to know how it works and work your way up. While you are earning damn good money on the dock, go to a driving school the freight company can endorse, as they will see you're serious about staying with them. Then, become a driver. You'll be making a lot more than you will with the mega carrier, all while having a life, hometime, a chance to see little Suzy on a regular basis, attend a concert without having to threaten to quit, as well as benefits and a chance at retirement from your new "career"
Or you could ignore this advice, go be another number, and quit after 9 months because the job sucks.
But don't tell anyone I agreed with Zigzag...it would be bad for his image..
dave

Answer:
Orange Dragon, there is a real reason why you are beig offered this alleged "plum" run. ALL the senior drivers have either refused it or moved UP the food chain @ the Great Pumpkin. In all probability it ain't that great! Think about this for a moment...you'll figure it out...we all hope.

Answer:
I worked for Schneider as a system driver for approximately 8 months in 2004. System, in SNI parlance, is running the nation. I spent a great deal of my time on short routes, 300-500 miles. These routes were primarily staging team loads or picking up and delivering the tale end of a team load.
In the course of my last six weeks, I received back to back to back short hauls and then back to back to back to back to back short hauls. I decided to quit SNI based upon the average length of haul.
I never had a late delivery or an accident, but got tired of the high number of short loads. I tried in vain to communicate with the STLs to get longer loads, but was never successful. I guess I didn't yell and scream enough.
I imagine what they are telling you about the dedicated account is, for the most part, true. My trainer had a dedicated account and he was able to get through the house often.
There are good accounts with SNI, but I found a lot of short hauls as a new, solo driver. A lot of your success will depend upon your STL, their version of a "somewhat" driver manager.
After I turned in the truck, I got calls at home from the STL, terminal operations manager, etc. requesting that I come back. I found it interesting that they waited until I left to address the issues. The terminal operations manager agreed that I seemed to have a lot of shorter hauls. While I didn't mind a short haul every once in a while, the number I had began to be a pain. When I got in the NE, I stayed up there with those types of hauls.
I would recommend the aforementioned advice of working in a terminal and doing more local or regional driving.
You will have somewhat of a life that way. SNI is a decent company, but it is so large that your success will be dependent upon the particular supervisory group you are in.
Good luck.

Answer:
Thanks for the replies. I've thought a lot about getting into trucking and have done my research online reading on different sites and in the forums. There is a lot of negativity that comes from the drivers, I can't put too much trust in what a recruiter tells me, and I could make more money holding down two jobs(with more home time). However, I still feel that I would enjoy driving. I don't want to go be a dock worker. It is a great suggestion and would probably be rewarding. But, I know that it isn't for me. I would be unhappy. Even though some of the negative attitudes on this forum have made me question going into trucking, there is a plus side to the amount of negativity I have read. It has made me question my desire to be a driver. Still, I want to do it. I feel like if a person has a strong enough desire and a positive attitude they can be successful in anything they set their mind to. So, that is what I am going to do. Even if it means rough beginnings, and not having a life outside of my job. I have nothing to lose right now and at least I won't have to go through life knowing that I didn't go after something I wanted just because of someone elses opinion. I won't have to wonder what might have happened. I won't have any regrets. I'm young have no commitments yet, and have nothing to lose at this point in my life. If it doesn't work out for me, then so be it. But I have no doubt that I can do it and make it work for me.
Any more info. on SNI would be greatly appreciated(preferrably from current or former SNI drivers)...
Again, thanks for your replies.

Answer:
Check out pumpkindriver.com those guys should answer your questions
Best of luck to ya!

Answer:
Unless you get into bulk or some other non-generic deal, your avg. length of hal as a solo driver is going to be low no matter what. Most trips in the whole industry are short and they pay better per mile to the company.
Zigzag, could you post your avg. length of haul stats from OOIDA again sometime. Wasn't it something like 75% of the loads were under 500 miles?
Answer:
Some of them old, war-wagon Schneider trucks are patched up worse then a set of welfare overalls. Those rolling heaps of junk are DOT jackpots at the scalehouse.
Yeah, what a deal. You're living in a deathtrap while Don Schneider is up there in his skybox at Lambeau field getting drunk as a lord.
No thanks!
Answer:
Should see what SNI charges per mile they have loads under 500 miles that the customer pays nearly $5.00 / mile

Answer:

If I was 21 again, truck driving would be the last thing I would consider. Go to college. Get an education. Get a real career.
I went to Schneider at 39 years of age because my career field since high school is being exported to china.
After training, I hired onto a dedicated walmart account, where I made almost exactly half of what they promised. The last full tax year I was with Schneider, I only made $24,000.
I think you can search on my screen name to read my other posts about this experience.
Since I left Schneider, I have worked for JB Hunt for 6 months, and just started with Crete.
Schneider training is good but not perfect. Do not get your expectations up to high if you decide to go. Schneider as a company to drive for absolutely sucks. There is no reason to go there except the "free" training ... except after you figure out you were underpaid by thousands of dollars in that first year, the training wasn't really free
The reason Schneider is interested in you as a new driver, is that they can pay you less than half what they have to pay to hire experienced drivers.
If you are certain trucking is something you must try, I recommend exploring all your other options before signing papers with Schneider.

Answer:
Heres my previous post telling about my experience at Schneider:
http://roundtable.truck.net/viiewt.php?t=46862