Question:
I have four years of driving experience, 4 state, mover,dry box,reefer,heavy/strecth container I-5,and 90. I know logging and bill of,laiden and etc... I don't know anything about big truck companys, but I want to run for one, got any suggestions and why?
thanx
freedom for all who deserve it

Answer:
I only know of a few that run the west.
U.S. Xpress has a western division.
Navajo, out of Denver, but they do have a terminal in Ohio.
Nichol Plated Express, or NPE out of Washington State run all 11 west.
Combined Transport, I think they are out of Oregon and I know they do logs and oversized.
Possibly, Seward out of Nebraska
As for why to drive for them? I don't know but at least you have some to check out I've checked out all their websites they look pretty good!
EsterJ

Answer:
May Co- buddy drives for them and is happy. He is hard to please too.
NPE (Nickel Plated Express} checked into them and they seemed like a decent company. There is a O/O that posts here and is really happy with them.
Gordon trucking-last I heard they were under going changes. Like you to stay out awhile on most runs
Market transport-Reefers doing grocers. I'm a flatbedder so I'll not comment.
Interstate- In Tacoma. Used to be a great company but now I've heard different. Does all 48 states, might get a regional.
TWT- Spokane. Does all 48 I beleive but worth a check. System is their flatbed company.
There is a number of smaller companies doing the west and the I-5 corridor. Check the yellow pages and the Times online. There you might notice the same companies ads often. Made me wonder.

Answer:
Check out DiPetro in Kent. They run about 60 trucks, family-owned company. All 48' refer. Mostly long-term customers (Krustee's, etc) with sub-frozen freight.
Leave Puget Sound Monday, run south - maybe via Wenatchee or easter Washington, back by Friday or Saturday. Not top dollar, but nice folks - no screamers. Optional walk-in wafety meeting/breakfast at local restaurant every Sunday hosted by company. Good folks, hangin' on and doing pretty good with an aging fleet of reefers. Pay negotiable.
Don't have their number anymore, but it's DiPietro in Kent, WA.
Gordon's all western - mostly I-5 if you live in Seattle.
U.S. Express has a western division.
Werner has a western divisions (flat and van).
Swift runs mostly western.....don't laugh... western generally doesn't pay much anymore with anyhone. Many western drivers are finding Swift pays as good as most these days.

Answer:
I live in seattle and want to run west
Unrelated, but the 1st thing that popped into my mind after reading this was "he wants to be a ship's captain." West of Seattle is water!
Answer:
Originally posted by highwayman:
I live in seattle and want to run west
Unrelated, but the 1st thing that popped into my mind after reading this was "he wants to be a ship's captain." West of Seattle is water!
highwayman your right and funny,
freedom for all who deserve it

Answer:
But I live west of Seattle and this isnt Atlantis.
And there is acouple of truck lines out here.
Peninsula trucking
Puget Sound trucking
Oak Harbor Freight.
And a number of smaller outfits pulling vans and reefers.
Lots of flatbed companies that meet your western 11 requirements too
"But officer my dispatcher told me to go north on I-5. Then when I get to Seattle to take a left. Next thing I know SPLASH! and I got water coming in my doors!"

Answer:
Actually....that's "Puget Sound" west of Seattle, then the islands, the the "Olympic Peninsula".....THEN the Pacific Ocean.
I drive west of Seattle every so often. Skiffman lives west of Seattle. It's beautiful out there on the islands and the Peninsula that separates Seattle from the Pacific Ocean.

Answer:
Originally posted by Shuffler:
Actually....that's "Puget Sound" west of Seattle, then the islands, the the "Olympic Peninsula".....THEN the Pacific Ocean.
I drive west of Seattle every so often. Skiffman lives west of Seattle. It's beautiful out there on the islands and the Peninsula that separates Seattle from the Pacific Ocean.
Yeah, I know there's still some real estate west of Seattle, but it not a whole lot. Certainly not enough to make a living OTR by running strictly west of Seattle!
Answer:
Gordon trucking.You can stay out 2 weeks and go home a couple days.good pay,safety is extremely important(legal logging).I think new drivers are starting at 28 cents a mile.
I will survive!
YES! I spell COLOUR with a U, cause....I AM CANADIAN!!!

Answer:
If you want one of the big, institutional companies, I too would recommend Gordon (or Werner).
Werner offers more variety. Gordon'll keep you mostly on I-5...up and down...and down and up....over and over and over...Since you live in Seattle. Even drivers in Arizona, etc., have trouble getting off I-5. It's a common complaint about Gordon out here.
Werner'll send you all over the place. I just deliverd a bunch of appliances to several Sears stores in Jackson and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Now I'm on my way down to New Mexico. Then perhaps across to San Diego, then maybe up to Denver...typical Werner "eleven western van division" stuff for a driver who goes home in the northwest.
Godron's smaller with 'stronger personality'...if you know what I mean.
Werner treats you more like a number, but they've got a great system. Lots of enroute load-swaps with other drivers -- for example -- it keeps you rolling as we relay freight in and out of the western states from all over the country. Werner uses the paperless-log data to creat electronic driver 'profiles'. If you run hard and manage your time intelligently and responsibly, they try to reward you with the most productive, tightly-scheduled freight. If your 'profile' shows you ani't so ambitious, they'll stick you with more delayed loading and extra time. I do 2800-3500 paid miles every seven days I'm out, all of it bonused for mileage, on-time and accident-free, plus additional stop and assist pay. It all adds-up to another 4 or 5-cents per mile.
I don't know Gordon's specifics. Gordon may pay more per mile, but I doubt you'll get as many overall miles. They have shorter trips, more down time. But they have some of the nicest, most professional drivers out here, and whatever their system, obviously run a good, decent company. In the end, the money's about the same. If you reeeeaaaly want to roam the mountains and deserts with the hard-core, you can't go wrong with either one unless you screw it up.
Do you actually live in-town? I always say Seattle, but I actually live in Maple Valley near Kent. Where are you going to park your truck when you take it home?
.
[This message was edited by Shuffler on October 13, 2002 at 00:41.]

Answer:
Highwayman,
"...Yeah, I know there's still some real estate west of Seattle, but it not a whole lot. Certainly not enough to make a living OTR by running strictly west of Seattle! ..."
Mostly logging trucks out there working the Olympic mountains on the peninsula...but lots of freight going in and out. There's a big population and a lot of land west of Seattle. No OTR jobs out there I know of, but I bet there's some choice local jobs that get you home every night.

Answer:
USXpress has a waiting list for their regional run. My long haul honey wanted to run regional, and was told it could be up to 2 years before they could put him on regional.

Answer:
With gordon,you don't get as many miles,but you get paid more than the industry standard,usually at least 30 cents a mile.if you like I5 then go with them,in winter....hehehe,well anyways,in winter you better know how to drive.a acronim for GTI is Goat Trails Inc.We run canada as well,so you see lot's of pretty scenery.There's lots of dedicated fleets for pretty much all our customers,mainly haul paper products as well,got heavy haul and all that as well.Canadian division is nice and usually keeps you out of california,if that's an issue for ya. any more questions about Gordon just ask here!!
WWJD?=what would Jimbo do?

Answer:
And I-5 is fine with me,I'm checkin out werner and gordon, I would have already hired on with someone if I did'nt get picked up as a longshoreman causal semi driver (22.95$ an hr), but it will pan out any day now and I will have to hire on with a real company,PRIME INC. keeps calling me
freedom for all who deserve it