Truck Driving Jobs – Characteristics of a Good Company

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truck-driving-jobGood Trucking Companies

Are you looking to score your first truck driving job? Are you a current driver looking to make a switch? Are you not sure what you should be looking for in your next truck driving job? Well, in this article we want to examine the characteristics of a good company. We want to share with you what you should be looking for in your new truck driving job. Is it all about the pay? Or do benefits play a large part in it? Would you like to have a dog or a cat on your truck? There are several different factors that dictate what makes up a good truck driving job. It really all depends on you and where you are at in your career.

The first and probably most important thing about a truck driving job is home time. Do you want to be home every night? Can the new company get you home every weekend? Or will you get stuck out on the road for several weeks or even months at a time? If you are looking to be home every night and live in a decent size city you may want to consider an LTL (less than truckload) carrier for your truck driving job. These are companies like Old Dominion, FedEx Freight and UPS. These are very sought-after jobs though. And they usually work off of seniority. So you may take your lumps for a while and may not make as much as you want to start out. They also have another sticking point as well. They often have layoffs and you may find yourself looking for another job soon after you start.

If you are looking for over-the-road work, you should look for a truck driving job with a bigger carrier. This way you will have access to their large freight base. This will help you get home more. You may also be able to get some type of regional or even local truck driving job with the new company. The bigger carriers have many local/regional jobs offered. They also have dedicated lanes, local drivers and hosling positions as well. We have also seen a trend at the bigger carriers like J.B. Hunt to offer more regional truck driving jobs too.

Obviously the next important factor in a truck driving job is pay. Where LTL carriers often offer pretty good hourly and mileage rates. It is also hard, especially at first to get all your hours to make that paycheck add up. Since it is based upon seniority you may find yourself at a lack of hours. If you pick a smaller company you may find yourself not running many miles because of the smaller freight base. It all just depends on what your priorities are. If you want to be home, or if you are looking for a high paycheck. If you are looking for a high paycheck, a truck driving job with an OTR carrier is probably the way to go. You will quickly gain status as you work hard. The dispatchers and planners will get to know you and you will run more miles. There are also other ways to get extra pay with all of these carriers. Most carriers offer local pay, higher mileage scale for shorter runs, training pay and other forms of extra pay that you should take advantage of.

In my opinion you should also place a good amount of weight on the benefits package a company is offering. This is sometimes what sets apart smaller truck driving jobs from the bigger ones. Sometimes the smaller companies will pay a good portion of your health benefits if not all of them. And since they don’t run as many miles as a big carrier they will usually offer good benefits to offset the lower miles. Another great place to look for benefits is at an LTL carrier. They typically have good health insurance and retirement plans as well.

The last characteristic we want to discuss is comfort. You want to develop a comfort level and a good relationship from day one. If you walk in and talk to the recruiter or someone in the office and it doesn’t feel right. It probably isn’t the place for you. Good relationships at your truck driving job will lead to success over the long haul. Once the office staff at the company get to know you and your work ethic they will hopefully put you in a position to win. Having good communication is essential at any truck driving job. And if you go out of your way to keep a positive attitude I’m sure you will be rewarded. Thanks for taking the time to read this article on truck driving jobs. Please feel free to engage in the conversation by sharing this article or your comments, questions or concerns. And as always, be safe out there!

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