Hi everyone,
Today I had my first day of truck driving school and I got to listen to three recruiters talk one from Schneider, one from Werner and one from Maverick.
I must say after listening to all 3 recruiters talk, I decided that throwing groceries is the only way to go. I would take Mains, GFS, Sysco, MBM, McLane, Northern Hasserot, C.A.Curtze, Lipare and Sherwood any day over any mcmega truck load carrier. I guess you can sum it up like this, if a company has to recruit so hard for people to work there all the time and they need masses and masses of people to come in get chewed up and then leave, is that really the place you want to work? I mean I know food service has over turn to, but I mean these big OTR outfits they really really have employee over turn. Also ever heard of the term sliding pay scale? I learned it today and boy does that sound like a good way for a company to rob you blind. When the OTR companies have to come in and say "We do not do a sliding pay scale so don't worry." Then you know something is wrong.
Now I know food service trucking is not for everyone and food service trucking is much much much more then trucking, but that's why I like it and that's what it's appeal is. I really do not want to be an over the road driver, I would much rather do food, I mean obviously if I had to I would go where I have to go, but I am holding out for what I want.
To be fair though Werner did sound like the best if I had to choose, but I work right now and am not hard hard up to work so I am going to hold out for what I want, and just keep applying at GFS and Sysco and Sherwood. Yesterday I applied to Northern Hasserot Brandt for a class A or B driver. Really I don't care straight truck or tractor trailer, hell I would be happy to drive a cargo van for GFS , Sysco, NHB or who ever I am not picky, I mean I'll start at cargo van and work my way up to truck.
Any how as far as school goes, I am in the class room right now and it is going to be a while, before I get out into the yard and get in a truck and go on the road, but that's okay I'll take it all in stride. However as far as school goes the instructor that I had in class was a nice guy and he was an old school flat bed driver, he was pretty cool and I like him, we talked about preventative maintenance a little bit and putting equipment out of service if it is broken and the best ways to protect your CDL and your self. We talked about driver fatigue and controlled substances. Really the bottom line is say no to drugs and alcohol. We talked about cargo tie downs and protecting cargo and flat bed type stuff, actually that is one thing I would consider trying is flat bed like the covered wagons that Valley Transport of Ashland, Ohio has for what ever reason I am mildly interested in that.
Any how in school we also talked about truck stops and how they are dangerous. Really that's another good thing about food service work minimum time in truck stops. I mean obviously if you work for an OTR outfit you have to go to the truck stop, but I mean I don't see to many Sysco's or GFS's at truck stops unless they are delivering there.
I will say this if for what ever reason if I have to go OTR I would probably sign on with Werner. They do seem like the most fair, benefits start day 1 at Werner and they pay you for orientation. Also they seem to have some okay perks, I guess according to them they are the only company that uses electronic logs and there drivers do not have to carry a paper back up log book. Werner says they have a federal waiver and you do not have to do any paper logs at all and I guess with Werner and there electronic logs it is impossible to run illegal. I did know someone who I trust that worked at Werner and he said that information is correct.
Although for most food service guys, working a city route, how much log booking do you really do? I mean some of you guys are within 100 air miles of the terminal and when I applied for my operating authority (I have passenger carrier authority, was going to start a limousine business, but plans change, limousines are DOT regulated and must display a DOT and MC number on the door.) the FMSCA told me within 100 air miles of the terminal log books were not required.
Also I have a sneaking suspicion and I'll never know, but I have a sneaking suspicion that these truck driving schools get a kick back from these OTR companies, I could be wrong, but these trucking schools seem to want to push everyone to work at Schneider, Swift, Werner, Maverick, Star (now Swift) & Roehl. I have to believe and I could be wrong, but for some reason I have to believe that these schools get a kick back.
Any how you know another thing is and they should really say this upfront, but these OTR companies they are in business to move freight, getting you home is not in the best interest of their pocket book so really why would they have any motivation to send you home and have your truck parked at the yard not making them any money?
That's another thing I understand very well restaurants are in business to sell food, broad line food distributors are in business to supply restaurants the more food the restaurant sells the more food the distributor sells to the restaurant, the more Mike J has to unload the more I get paid. I'm out here to make money, not sit on my duff and I have no problem pushing a 2 wheeler would rather do that then sit behind the steering wheel for 9 1/2 hours worrying about every stupid thing under the sun. Which was another topic we talked about today in school. All the windshield time can turn into worrying time. Really though this is a business decision and I feel for me food service is exactly where I want to be and I understand the food company is in business to sell food and lots of it. Which translates to more work and money for me, plus I like running the two wheeler I have my own Magliner Gemini II with all the accessories that I use for my liquor deliveries I paid over $600+ for it, I also plan on keeping it the rest of my life and never buying another 2 wheeler again, which means if I go to an LTL outfit like R&L carriers I will already have a professional 2 wheeler and not have to buy one.
Now the one thing I am interested in and this is going to be a separate issue is the passenger bus training I am going to go through after my CDL A is done. There are only a handful of people enrolled in passenger bus training not nearly as many people go for that as tractor trailer, so the class is going to be smaller. I know that Greyhound from what I read actually has a very very intensive training program, they do not play around at Greyhound they are very serious about how they train. I just wanted to have bus driving as a back up like working at Lakefront Lines or Cleveland Southeastern Trails or even any of the limousine companies here in Cleveland with a Passenger Bus Endorsement on my CDL I can walk into any limo company and probably find work totally worth the extra money it's a nice back up to have.
Any how I determined at the end of the day today the companies that I want to work at are the companies that do not recruit at truck driving school, those are also the companies that use day cabs and not sleeper cabs in most cases. Now to be fair is OTR trucking fun for some people? Yes I am sure there are some people that enjoy it Schneider and Werner have people who have worked for them 20+ years absolutely.
Look I am serious about this as a career and that is why I would like to work at a career company off the bat instead of a starter company not that you cannot have a career at a starter company because you can, it's all about attitude. I know that is kind of like skipping a step, but I am not the first person to do it and GFS and Sysco to me are professional career companies really all the food service companies are professional career companies not that the OTR companies are not, but all the food service guys I have met in my life and all you food service guys on here, you guys are all pro's and definitely very high caliber drivers and people.
Any how thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed my insight.
Mike
Today I had my first day of truck driving school and I got to listen to three recruiters talk one from Schneider, one from Werner and one from Maverick.
I must say after listening to all 3 recruiters talk, I decided that throwing groceries is the only way to go. I would take Mains, GFS, Sysco, MBM, McLane, Northern Hasserot, C.A.Curtze, Lipare and Sherwood any day over any mcmega truck load carrier. I guess you can sum it up like this, if a company has to recruit so hard for people to work there all the time and they need masses and masses of people to come in get chewed up and then leave, is that really the place you want to work? I mean I know food service has over turn to, but I mean these big OTR outfits they really really have employee over turn. Also ever heard of the term sliding pay scale? I learned it today and boy does that sound like a good way for a company to rob you blind. When the OTR companies have to come in and say "We do not do a sliding pay scale so don't worry." Then you know something is wrong.
Now I know food service trucking is not for everyone and food service trucking is much much much more then trucking, but that's why I like it and that's what it's appeal is. I really do not want to be an over the road driver, I would much rather do food, I mean obviously if I had to I would go where I have to go, but I am holding out for what I want.
To be fair though Werner did sound like the best if I had to choose, but I work right now and am not hard hard up to work so I am going to hold out for what I want, and just keep applying at GFS and Sysco and Sherwood. Yesterday I applied to Northern Hasserot Brandt for a class A or B driver. Really I don't care straight truck or tractor trailer, hell I would be happy to drive a cargo van for GFS , Sysco, NHB or who ever I am not picky, I mean I'll start at cargo van and work my way up to truck.
Any how as far as school goes, I am in the class room right now and it is going to be a while, before I get out into the yard and get in a truck and go on the road, but that's okay I'll take it all in stride. However as far as school goes the instructor that I had in class was a nice guy and he was an old school flat bed driver, he was pretty cool and I like him, we talked about preventative maintenance a little bit and putting equipment out of service if it is broken and the best ways to protect your CDL and your self. We talked about driver fatigue and controlled substances. Really the bottom line is say no to drugs and alcohol. We talked about cargo tie downs and protecting cargo and flat bed type stuff, actually that is one thing I would consider trying is flat bed like the covered wagons that Valley Transport of Ashland, Ohio has for what ever reason I am mildly interested in that.
Any how in school we also talked about truck stops and how they are dangerous. Really that's another good thing about food service work minimum time in truck stops. I mean obviously if you work for an OTR outfit you have to go to the truck stop, but I mean I don't see to many Sysco's or GFS's at truck stops unless they are delivering there.
I will say this if for what ever reason if I have to go OTR I would probably sign on with Werner. They do seem like the most fair, benefits start day 1 at Werner and they pay you for orientation. Also they seem to have some okay perks, I guess according to them they are the only company that uses electronic logs and there drivers do not have to carry a paper back up log book. Werner says they have a federal waiver and you do not have to do any paper logs at all and I guess with Werner and there electronic logs it is impossible to run illegal. I did know someone who I trust that worked at Werner and he said that information is correct.
Although for most food service guys, working a city route, how much log booking do you really do? I mean some of you guys are within 100 air miles of the terminal and when I applied for my operating authority (I have passenger carrier authority, was going to start a limousine business, but plans change, limousines are DOT regulated and must display a DOT and MC number on the door.) the FMSCA told me within 100 air miles of the terminal log books were not required.
Also I have a sneaking suspicion and I'll never know, but I have a sneaking suspicion that these truck driving schools get a kick back from these OTR companies, I could be wrong, but these trucking schools seem to want to push everyone to work at Schneider, Swift, Werner, Maverick, Star (now Swift) & Roehl. I have to believe and I could be wrong, but for some reason I have to believe that these schools get a kick back.
Any how you know another thing is and they should really say this upfront, but these OTR companies they are in business to move freight, getting you home is not in the best interest of their pocket book so really why would they have any motivation to send you home and have your truck parked at the yard not making them any money?
That's another thing I understand very well restaurants are in business to sell food, broad line food distributors are in business to supply restaurants the more food the restaurant sells the more food the distributor sells to the restaurant, the more Mike J has to unload the more I get paid. I'm out here to make money, not sit on my duff and I have no problem pushing a 2 wheeler would rather do that then sit behind the steering wheel for 9 1/2 hours worrying about every stupid thing under the sun. Which was another topic we talked about today in school. All the windshield time can turn into worrying time. Really though this is a business decision and I feel for me food service is exactly where I want to be and I understand the food company is in business to sell food and lots of it. Which translates to more work and money for me, plus I like running the two wheeler I have my own Magliner Gemini II with all the accessories that I use for my liquor deliveries I paid over $600+ for it, I also plan on keeping it the rest of my life and never buying another 2 wheeler again, which means if I go to an LTL outfit like R&L carriers I will already have a professional 2 wheeler and not have to buy one.
Now the one thing I am interested in and this is going to be a separate issue is the passenger bus training I am going to go through after my CDL A is done. There are only a handful of people enrolled in passenger bus training not nearly as many people go for that as tractor trailer, so the class is going to be smaller. I know that Greyhound from what I read actually has a very very intensive training program, they do not play around at Greyhound they are very serious about how they train. I just wanted to have bus driving as a back up like working at Lakefront Lines or Cleveland Southeastern Trails or even any of the limousine companies here in Cleveland with a Passenger Bus Endorsement on my CDL I can walk into any limo company and probably find work totally worth the extra money it's a nice back up to have.
Any how I determined at the end of the day today the companies that I want to work at are the companies that do not recruit at truck driving school, those are also the companies that use day cabs and not sleeper cabs in most cases. Now to be fair is OTR trucking fun for some people? Yes I am sure there are some people that enjoy it Schneider and Werner have people who have worked for them 20+ years absolutely.
Look I am serious about this as a career and that is why I would like to work at a career company off the bat instead of a starter company not that you cannot have a career at a starter company because you can, it's all about attitude. I know that is kind of like skipping a step, but I am not the first person to do it and GFS and Sysco to me are professional career companies really all the food service companies are professional career companies not that the OTR companies are not, but all the food service guys I have met in my life and all you food service guys on here, you guys are all pro's and definitely very high caliber drivers and people.
Any how thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed my insight.
Mike