Question:
I have been reading through this forum an found it very informative.Which companys good an which are bad an stay away from.I am going to decide soon whether or not to change to a trucking career.I know u must have 3 months experience before Celadon will hire u on...Any sugestions for a school an somewhere to work before trying to get in with Celadon.I live in Austin.They seem to have lotsa loads going up an down the IH35 corridor.Thanx for ur help.

Answer:
One Thing you got Right about Celedon.....they DO have a LOT of I-35 traffic.
I live in the OKC area & the few mnths that I drove for them I got home quite a bit.(1-2 times during the wk & everywknd, except two.)(which is THE ONLY Good Thing I Can say about Celedon.)
Unfortunately, getting home on a regular basis was NOT enough to keep me there.
I Normally believe that Before a person Quits one job, they should have another one lined up.
I HATED that place so Much that I QUIT WithOut having another job to go to.
They did NOT impress me at all.
I HATED that place so much & I was SOoooo MISERABLE at that place, all I could do was break down in tears.
This was back in 1995....I Don't know What it's like working for them nowadays.
When they built their new blding in Indy, I Hope they also Re-Did their operations practices & the Treatment of their drvrs.(which I Seriously DOUBT they did.)
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***After you get some Exp under your belt, I suggest going with CFI.(CFI, has a LOT of border traffic as well & they are 200% BETTER than Celedon, or any of those other carriers.)
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As a newbie, living in Texas, you should Not have a hard time finding a Good carrier to start with.

Answer:
These are Not in any particular order...
Prime
CREngland
CRST(unless you don't mind running TEAMS, w/LOW Pay)
Swift(unless you don't mind Low Pay & Extremely SLOW Trks)
I've heard Mixed reviews about Covenant Transport.(I've Never drvn for them, but I personally would Not work for them...although, my ex co-drvr Used to drive for them & liked it there & a friend of my Dad's has been with them for over 8yrs & he Luvs it there.)
I've heard mixed reviews about Werner.(I've Never driven for Werner, & probably would Not drive for them, simply b/c I'm Not a Paperless log "fan".)
I've heard mixed reviews about U.S.Express.
Although I've Never driven for USX, I did drv for SWMF, which was one of their "sister" companies & used the Same terminals & operations as USX.(I was NOT impressed with their way of doing things, however, I did like the fact that they did Not try to hide their dislike for certain people. For some reason I Respect people that do Not hide their TRUE feelings.)
I have a friend that used to work for USX & she really liked the Auto-shift trks they have.(I personally, am Not an auto-shift "fan", for newbies....I think auto-shifts are Great for Experienced drvrs, but NOT for Newbies.)

Answer:
Thanx for ur input.I've also thought about Stevens but u have that contract to stay with them plus they start u off so low pay.Would like to go to Roehl but they're too far away from my home.Im still going to search through some of the other companiesto see what they offer.Maybe Kllm or Arrow,,,Will keep u posted

Answer:
I drove for Celadon earlier this year and though my experience with them wasn't quite as bad as choclit snda's was, it's not exactly a "driver friendly" company. It's also not a "newbie friendly" company so if you're still getting the hang of trucking (i.e., 3 months experience) when you sign on with them, you won't get any "hand holding"; you'll sink or swim and based on their turnover rate, the odds are good that you'll sink (I know; you're the "exception to the rule").
On the other hand, they do have a lot of I-35 freight and a new terminal in Waxahatchie; it's been open since July and maybe by now they even have a washroom open for the drivers (it hadn't been opened by September though the "Staff" washroom was functional).
BTW, their trucks for solo drivers are pretty much crap; team drivers get the good trucks. BOL.

Answer:
Do yourself a big favor!!!!! stay as far away from Stevens as possible !!!!

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Do yourself a big favor!!!!! stay as far away from Stevens as possible !!!!
Why?

Answer:
Stevens requires 2 years if they train you for your CDL.
Their T2000's don't have Jakes. Only the new ones they are getting now do. Very dangerous without those Jakes. Not sure of their reasoning, unless to save money.
My trainer was with the company 7 years and was making all of .27 a mile. But, he was a convicted felon, and it was the only company that would train and hire him. So, if you have a shady past, they might work out for you.
Their orientation begins Sunday - Driving test. Monday, you'll be there from 7 AM to 10 PM. Tuesday and Wednesday, from 8 AM until 10 PM. Thursday is a short day. You get out at 5 unless you are sent out with your trainer that afternoon. While waiting for your trainer, you will be there on duty all day Friday, half day Saturday, and Monday on until your trainer is available or you've proved you are road worthy (2 newbies in my orientation couldn't shift. CDL mill graduates).
You are in the classroon until 5 each day. You are fed lunch and supper. After supper, it's out to the yard for all sorts of driving skill training. Serpentine. Blind-side. Truck-stop practice pulling in or backing in. It's educational, but very tiring after all day being bored by the preachers.
You'll go out 5 weeks with your trainer. Then, back for another week of the above orientation. Classroom and night training. Then, out 3 weeks with another student. Then, you'll go solo with your non-Jake equiped truck.
After 10 years, you might make .30 a mile.
Anything else?

Answer:
Originally posted by Bonk63:
Would like to go to Roehl but they're too far away from my home.
Too far from your home? Roehl has alot of drivers in the DFW area!
I usually get thru there a couple times a month myself! We have plenty of freight going into and out of there! Thats what will get you back home!
Drive on! bandit58....

Answer:
Chetjester, what company are you currently driving for??

Answer:
I'm administering software for a Finnish company in Irving, TX. I've been a failure both times I've gone OJT driving.
The first time with Stevens, I just didn't like the company.
The second time, with American Eagle, I loved the company. But my trainer from day 1 had me driving only at night while he slept. I had less than two weeks to finish my training when I decided computers were better for me. I called to get a new trainer; they said no; I said "maybe next time". I was so exhausted, I couldn't think straight. Nobody should have to go through what I went through with him. I never once drove in the daylight. If they were testing me, well, I failed. But I'm not ashamed.
I'm deciding, at this time, whether to return to them or USA Truck, or get into expediting. Not until April, though. I want to have a decent amount of money in the bank this time. No matter which way I go, it will be for less money than I make working with software. But, I'm so tired of the idiots who are so computer/software challenged. I've just gotten to the age that I want to be on my own
You ask for a simple answer, and I give you a novel. Sorry.

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I meant, "I'm not driving at this time"
I hate it when my fingers don't type the same thing my mind is thinking.

Answer:
if you like sleeping while driving then go for crst...5 on 5 off no way..can you sleep in a bumpy driving International? No way!!!

Answer:
Just about all the same .What you need is a good attitude.Dont let the small things bother you.
You will need plenty of patience with 4 wheelers
and customers.Relax. I think any carrier will be okay.

Answer:
And you will never see your home either, refer carriers and your drop your truck at their approved drop yards for yout t.a.h. just check other post if there was,nt sufficient info on why.Just trying to help, when starting any job you would like to assume your gonna hang in there for awhile, like any job you never want to job hop, but best of luck on which ever carrier you chose, just be careful out there.