... The second gorilla I carried around on my back for awhile was which company I wanted to drive for. In making this decision I needed to first decide which type of truck I wanted to drive. We all have our reasons for getting into the trucking industry. Some have dreamt about it since childhood, others have followed family tradition, the solitary lifestyle draws others in, it offers a second-, third-, and perhaps fourth-chance opportunity to some with checkered backgrounds, and in my case, I stand to earn a nice living by trading in the traditional lifestyle of working and going home every night for a life on the road. My family has remained in Ecuador while I returned to the U.S. to begin driving, with the goal of providing for our financial future that will see us retired and enjoying life together many years sooner than if we had maintained our previous jobs.
Looking at the various types of trucking jobs available to me, I selected tankers as my preferred choice of truck, as pulling tankers/bulk goods seems to be at the top of the pay scale. As long as I’m here to make money, I’m going to make as much as I can, as quickly as I can. Not having my family here should work out well for me, as ‘home time’ now won’t have any meaning in my life. The best I can hope for is that my new company just sort of forgets about me and leaves me on the road. I’m here to work, so I am going to work. The solitary lifestyle suits me anyway; I’ve been either an ultra runner or cyclist for the past 25 years, both of which have been largely solitary pursuits.
If you’ve familiar with research on which companies hire CDL grads to pull tankers, you’d know that the field pretty much narrows down to Schneider. Schneider, like the school I chose, has a great reputation among trucking companies, is known for its safety practices, and feels like a company I can begin and end my career with. One of the mantras of this website is to stick it out for at least one year with your first company… I’ve never thought much of job-hopping, and would be delighted if I’m able to remain with the same company for the duration of my career. I believe Schneider could be that company.
I mentioned earlier that I may have approached these decisions backwards; I said that because in order for me to get hired by Schneider into one of their tanker divisions, I will have to travel to one of their tanker facilities, as none are located in or near Billings, MT, where I’ll be attending CDL school. Had I held off in my choice of schools, I probably would have attended school closer or near to one of Schneider’s tanker facilities. It simply would have made life much, much easier. Most companies like to hire within a certain radius of a facility or terminal; I thought that since I have no real ‘home’ here, companies would appreciate the fact that I am able to settle near any terminal in the country. This has actually worked against me, as companies want that home address, and want you near one of their hiring terminals.
I am writing candidly about my school and company choices; I do not mean to declare that private CDL schools are better than company-sponsored schools, or that I think my first choice of companies to work for is the best trucking company out there: I am merely explaining my choices, my thought process… yours will be different. If you are considering a school and collecting pre-hire letters, make the decision that best fits your needs. And we all have different needs.
Tomorrow will be my first official day in CDL school, I expect to add another entry tomorrow night. If you’ve lasted this far, thanks for reading, and the future posts should not be this long-winded.
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