Question:
Well, I recently graduated from college here in Austin, Texas, am single, and am looking to be become an OTR driver. Ive read tons of other threads regarding newbies looking for the right company, and have come up with a few company names and wanted to see what yall thought of these that Im listing, and see if you recommended any others.
I currently live in Central Texas, and would like to make runs in the Central and Western US if possible, so what companies would you recommend driving for that are based in that area or that drive the majority of their runs in that area? I have no previous training, dont even have my CDL, so what company would you recommend going with for that? Are there any good companies based out of Texas?
Here are the ones ive heard good things about-
1)Crete
2)Schneider
3)Stevens Transport
4)US Xpress
5)Werner
I went to my local truck stop and those were the names i heard in the time I was there. Are there any other companies you might suggest? Being single, im not worried about being home at all, just looking for a good company that does really good training and that will pay pretty good. So do you have any suggestions that I should look into?
Thanks!
Hook EM Horns!

Answer:
Kindly define "will pay pretty good". What's your idea of "pretty good" money; $300 - $400 a week take home? More? Less?
BTW, which degree(s} were you awarded upon graduation?

Answer:
Id like to get around $500 a week atleast once i got trained and out on the road---But not knowing much about the pay in the trucking industry---i really cant say. Thats just what id like to get. Who are some of the better paying companies for newbies? Probably the driver I enjoyed talking to most at the Truck stop was the US Xpress Driver. HE seemed to love his job, his truck, his routes and his pay. Are they a good company to work for? So knowing this, what companies do you suggest?
Oh, and I got a degree in Psychology and a Minor in Business Administration
Hook EM Horns!

Answer:
Figure it like this: 6 to 8 weeks of “training” at a take home of around $200 per week ($300 - $350 gross). Then, maybe 2,500 pay miles per week at about 26 cents per mile (cpm) for $650 per week gross; knock off F.I.T., FICA and minimal health insurance and you’re at about $500 per week. Combine the “training” period and your regular pay for 52 weeks and you’ll average about $465 per week. Amortize the cost of your CDL training ($4,000 - $7,000) over two years and your weekly take home drops down to about $425 for your first year.
Which company you choose is pretty much immaterial as long as you don’t lease a truck. Whether you enjoy your job and/or make any money will depend almost entirely on your relationship with your dispatcher. What you hear about companies from other drivers depends on how his/her relationship is with his/her dispatcher and/or their willingness to eat large orders of crap with a spoon.

Answer:
But if you spent 4 years of your life getting a college degree (not to mention the monetary costs involved), why would you want to go OTR? Yes, you may be able to make $400-$500 a week driving a truck, but you will put in 70 hours+ to get that money. You will also work crazy shifts, put up with a wide assortmant of rude and ignorant people, and for the most part be constantly lied to. Why not get a 9-5 job where you get weekends free and time to spend with your family?
I'm not trying to knock your decision (heck, I'm a trucker myself), it's just that not too many people who get a college degree think about hopping into a truck.
Windtalkers: A John Woo Film Starring Nicholas Cage

Answer:
Originally posted by GeneThePoolLifeguard:
But if you spent 4 years of your life getting a college degree (not to mention the monetary costs involved), why would you want to go OTR? Yes, you may be able to make $400-$500 a week driving a truck, but you will put in 70 hours+ to get that money. You will also work crazy shifts, put up with a wide assortmant of rude and ignorant people, and for the most part be constantly lied to. Why not get a 9-5 job where you get weekends free and time to spend with your family?
I'm not trying to knock your decision (heck, I'm a trucker myself), it's just that not too many people who get a college degree think about hopping into a truck.
Windtalkers: A John Woo Film Starring Nicholas Cage
You know, every bad thing you just listed sounds almost exactly like my previous job in IT. It was supposedly 9-5, but don't let that fool you. IT professionals fall through the same wage protection loopholes truckers do, and IT bosses lie just as much as yours do. Even more so, because many in IT are judged subjectively, not objectively, so sexism is just as rampant and much more difficult to deal with.
70+ hour weeks, crazy shifts, rude managers and coworkers, and being constantly lied to. Ayup, been there, done that.
--
No matter what we think of Linux versus FreeBSD, etc., the one thing I really like about Linux is that it has Microsoft worried. Anything that kicks a monopoly in the pants has got to be good for something. - Chris Johnson

Answer:
Id consider Stevens Transport if I were you, their terminal is in Dallas and last I'd heard they had their own school to help you get that CDL.

Answer:
Here are the three ive narrowed it down to:
1)Crete
2)Roehl
3)Stevens Transport
Of those three, who would you recommend?
thanks and God Bless-->
Hook EM Horns!

Answer:
IMO...Stevens, should have NEVER been on your list to begin with.(just b/c they are based out of Texas, does NOT make them a good company.)
(5pgs)Past Posts About Stevens(click here)

Answer:
Although I am new to posting on this board, I have been reading it for quite sometime now. I have researched the trucking business for the past two years now, and here is a list of companies that, to me at least, seems to have a higher driver approval rating*.
1.)Millis Transfer (if you live in their hiring area)
2.) US Xpress. (Nice VERY late model trucks with all auto-trans and generally nice people to deal with.)
3.)Rhoel (pronounced "Rail") 1998 or newer tractors, regional positions available to newbies that live in certain areas, and good starting pay and benefits.
4.)Crete Carriers (IF you can meet their somewhat overly strict hiring requirements)
5.) Werner Enterprises
*this of course is not an all inclusive list, and even with the companies listed above there is no gaurantee you won't have a bad experience.
One other comment... you mentioned Schneider. Remember, this is a VERY large trucking company. In terms of size, comparing Schneider to these other carriers mentioned here is like comparing Sony with "Joe's electronics botique" down the street. Really big trucking companies can at times be very cold and impersonal. Yes, smaller outfits can be too, but at the really big outfits; drivers..especially newbies can tend to get "lost in the shuffle". Plus, there is a very good chance you will get assigned a cabover after your OTJ training with Schneider. And cabovers ride about as good as an ungaited horse.
I also have my own personal list of the "worst rated companies" if you are interested.
8o)
500 years from now, none of this is gonna matter.

Answer:
I understand that there are good and bad points to every job, but let's be realistic here. Do you mean to tell me that you only made $400 - $500 a week working IT? Sure, you put the hours in, but there's a BIG difference. YOU GOT PAID FOR IT!!! I know because my brother is a C++ programmer in Colorado and he puts in alot of crazy hours. He also makes $80,000, though!
IT guy\gal: $20\+ hr for 70 hour workweek.
Trucker: $6.43\hr for 70 hour workweek.
IT guy\gal also doesn't have to deal with traffic, lumpers, log books, fines, DAC, hand-unloading, fighting dispatch for reimbursements, etc.
I can go on but I think you get the idea.
Windtalkers: A John Woo Film Starring Nicholas Cage

Answer:
Truck-O-Matic,
Post the bad companies, post the bad companies!
I'd like to see your list, please.
Thanks,
For the road,
Starkman

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I suggest you put your college education to good use.Find a really good job in your field of study.
I wonder why you chose Stevens as a possible employer. They pay only .23 per mile, and may keep you out up to five weeks. Not a first-rate company!
none

Answer:
Starkman, here is my list of the lesser rated companies. Please bear in mind that even with these companies there will be positive and negative experiences.
1.) Covenant transport. -Lots of terrible horror stories about them. VERY poor hometime (even for a strictly coast-to-cost running company).
2.)CRST They will hire nothing but teams for newbies, and most drivers are either overly pleased or absolutely disgusted with the way they have been treated by them.
3.) Cannon Express. (they are to my knowledge, NOT affiliated with US Xpress, or FedEx (Federal Express). Posts I've read about them lead me to believe that..more so than most.. they view their drivers as robots rather than people.
4.)USA Truck. Even the recruiters are a**holes.
-Well thats the main ones I would respectfully employ a newbie to stay away from. UNLESS, you have a questionable background. Both CRST and Covenant have been known to hire people with questionable work and driving histories. CRST has even hired felons before (or so I've been told several times by several fellow-truckers).
-Best of luck to all of y'all.
500 years from now, none of this is gonna matter.
[This message was edited by Truck-O-Matic on August 27, 2002 at 21:44.]
[This message was edited by Truck-O-Matic on August 27, 2002 at 21:45.]

Answer:
You're right about those USA Truck recruiters.....the ones I've had to deal with sure were. Woundn't drive for any one of those companies on your worst company list.......they are all horrible