biododge1

Hey all..Im looking to start driving rigs. I was curious what companys are good to work for? I have no profesional exp, so Id have to take the schooling. Basicly, like most drivers id like as much pay as i can get with good home time too. I like what I saw on the crengland site, but the thought of being away from home for 3 or more weeks is killin me. Any advice would be appreciated also as I dont have a clue about the industry per se.

thx

GIT-R-DONE

Personally, I would look around home locally for a driving job. Some companies just drive locally or maybe gone for 2 days and are back home again.

I have a friend of mine that he and his wife are a team and get home every 2 weeks, but they have a didicated run/schedule.

chaikwa

If the thought of being away from home for 3 weeks is killing you already, and you don't even have a job yet, look for local or regional runs. OTR is for single people. Or people that WANT to be single!

biododge1

LOL yeah, I really dont like the idea of being away from the fam too long. Regonal would be fine ( and prefered). Im just worried because i know so little about the industry and dont want to commit to a company and find I could have done better at a diffrent one. Im trying to reserch all I can, but I ( like most) just lost my job, so Im trying to get something going as soon as I can

bkrukow

I dont know much abought the industrie either in the big picture but my wife has worked for a larger trucking companie for 12-13 years doing there billing. There drivers are out as long as they want to be. Some longer than others obviously but most are home weekly i balive. My grandparents on the other hand team drove for abought 15 years after grandpa burnt his lungs of farm cemicals in the 80s. The doctor said he had to quite farming or risk dieing if he did it again. They where only home abought once every 3 months. But they had no real reason to come home cause mom was obviously long outa the house. They had each other 24/7 and only came home once in a while to see mom and I then back out they went. Grandma drove as much as grandpa did so they covered a lot of ground and made darned good money doing it. If being home a lot is a goal I would do as mentioned and look for a regonal companie that dont get out far. There wont be as good of money in it as long haul OTR trucking but it can be good if you find the rite balance.

Redleg

I don't have any experience with them, but my understanding is the big schools actually contract you out after graduation and pocket a portion of your pay? Another thought might be to check the railroads. They seem to do quite a bit of hiring when the fuel prices are up, like now.

chaikwa

I'm sorry to hear that. A lot of people I know are in the same boat too.

A friend of mine made REAL good money hauling chemicals. I forget who he worked for, (it was 15 years ago or better), but he was regional, home every 2nd or 3rd day and like I said, he made good money. That may be something to look into if you have a tank and haz-mat endorsement. It sounds kinda nasty but as far as I know he doesn't have a third arm growing outta his chest or anything and his kids were born normal!

Nick02Ram

I agree with some of the other guys, look for a local driving job first, then go from there. We have a Whirlpool plant by us that has warehouses scattered all over the area. Penske leases them trucks and trailers and the drivers work a regular 8 hour shift transporting parts and materials between the different locations.

biododge1

lol. That gave me a good lol right there!!
I am going to get the hazmat/ tanker endorsements, possibly doubles too. So far, Schneider national seems best for what I have found for home time. But Im a bit cautious about them, I thought I had seen here long ago that they were a bad co to drive for-but not sure about that

12valve@heart

No personal experience here but I've heard of several people who went to a school and then ended up not in the industry but did end up with major school bills so check the school out carefully and possibly talk to some graduates.

On the flipside, my dad just started working for a local farming/construction outfit up in MN and they told him to go take his written test for the CDL. That supposedly would get him a permit which would allow him to drive for them during harvest, after which he should have enough experience to take the driving test. No school involved.

Obviously, not a lot of jobs out there like that but it can't hurt to look or keep your eyes open.