Best company for new driver atlanta area

Everyone's definition of a "good" carrier will (of course) be different.

With that said....here are some suggestions, as food for thought:

• If you can -- join up with a carrier that has a terminal in the Atlanta area. This affords you the opportunity to have your tractor fixed/serviced during your hometime, & takes the hometime parking problem off the table. Plus -- you then have a fairly short commute to/from work.
• Join up with a carrier that is self-insured. This usually means one of the larger "starter" carriers. Why? Well...if...as a new driver....if you have a bad day....& mess up a tractor, or trailer....the carrier can write a check for the damages, & then basically look the other way (from a money standpoint). A smaller carrier that is not self-insured will get a check from their insurer -- but often with the condition that they also FIRE YOU. Thus -- if you make a big mistake &/or do something stupid -- you are generally much less likely to be fired at the larger, self-insured carrier. Getting fired, as a new driver....is usually the "kiss of death" for your driving career. Examples of self-insured carriers: Swift, Schneider, Werner, Roehl, Prime....& probably Maverick. If not sure -- ask a recruiter to confirm. This trap is a "gotcha" that many new drivers overlook....until it's too late.

Note also: the CDL job market right now is basically in the toilet -- & especially so, for drivers with little to no experience.

Many carriers that would normally take drivers right out of CDL school....now want 3 -- 6 months experience, &/or instead have switched to hiring (mostly) teams.

Thus -- you may encounter many rejections, before getting a real offer. This will very likely be worse -- if you job hunt without those earlier recommended CDL endorsements.

-- L

 

What exactly is 'self-insured' and how does that concern a driver?
Hope @Ridgeline will explain this.

 

If you already have your CDL I would highly recommend Roehl Transport, they have a terminal in Conley, Georgia and they do flatbed training at that terminal. If you have a willingness to work for them I would highly recommend signing up for flatbed and then as soon as you are able get in their curtainside fleet. It is the best gig that company has going. If you do not want to do flatbed work you will most likely start in reefer but you can always move to van, flatbed, Conestoga, curtainside, etc in the future. Roehl's training is superb.

 

Living in Atlanta, you should check out Werner. I did orientation at their Lithia Springs terminal when I worked there in 2022. They aren't the best in the world but you could do a lot worse for a starter company. I don't know about now but they had a lot of dedicated accounts out of that area when I worked there. You might even luck out and get a trainer from around there who goes home regularly.