Best starting-pay company for a newbie? If avoiding no-touch freight?

Again, a newbie asking a common question, but not the ones that SHOULD be asked.
While I understand the issue of money, it should not be the top or second consideration.
In my opinion, almost all newbies share the same issues no matter which starter company they go with.
The issues of being away from home, getting home regularly, costs of living on the road, the 'trucking culture' and management's treatment of drivers as chattel.
People blame Werner, England, Stevens, Swift...but these issues above are just endemic to the industry.
Consider this: You are beginning a new career in a field you likely know little if anything about. In this day and age, with the intrusion of big brother (DOT), computer driven operations and Just in Time schedules, the most important thing a new driver needs is to learn the system.
So the most important question a newbie should ask is, "Which company will equip me best for a successful career in my new chosen field?"
Will the company train me in the rules, teach me fundamentals such as backing, show me how to comply with the endless regulations and generally prepare me to become a safe and courteous driver?"
It really doesn't matter if comany A pays 0.30 to start (after training) vs company B that starts at 0.26 if company B averages more miles and stop off pay. Generally speaking, you will earn about the same with any of these companies when starting and you will leave after a year or two and go to a company whose focus is moving freight, not training newbies.
Second tier companies, (those that hire someone with at least one year or two year's experience) will look at where your DMV record, your CSA score and who you trained with.
If you trained with a company with constant DOT problems, you are not as likely to be hired as if you trained with one that runs 'by the book' and forces you to comply with the rules. The day and age of independent cowboys is past. Companies are driven by the insurance industry. They want and need drivers that will follow the rules. CVSA scores are imporant. Shippers are now awarding contracts based on a carrier's score.
If you learn to drive with a company that skirts the issues, then you aren't the kind of driver that a good company will want.
As for equipment?
A KW700 is a KW700 as far as inside space and acutraments. A Freightliner is a Freightliner. Fleets generally equip their trucks the same or pretty close to. It's true that some have APUs and inverters and that makes a difference for driver comfort, but starter companies don't (as far as I know) equip their trucks with refers, micros, sattelite TV or heated driver seats.
Those are the companies you will be looking at AFTER a year or two of experience.
Invest some time in your future. After you narrow down your choice (based on your personal needs such as location), go to a local truck stop in your home area and start interviewing drivers for those carriers. Be sure and let the TS management know what you're doing so they don't think you're some kind of flake). Tell the driver you are considering their company as a starting point and ask their opinion. Most drivers will tell you straight up. Use this as part of your measuring stick in deciding which company to start with.
You can recieve valuable information from a forum such as this, as well.
But keep this in mind: If (and that's a big IF!) you stay in this industry, you will likely leave that starter company within the first two years. Find one that will give you a leg up on your second company!

 

great info emulsified.

 

Best advice I've seen given on any topic so far.....Clear concise, and to the point, and honest. No sugar-coating no opinions just true to life and subject matter.

 

Keep in mind that there are many other avenues of trucking besides just flatbed, dryvan, reefer, tanker. Specialty haulers, animal haulers such as horses, cows, exotic animals etc... You also have bedbuggin (moving companies), electronic tradeshow gigs. These are companies that do the big tradeshows and not only haul the stuff but help set up the displays and product or demonstrations. Along with that are the entertainment folks. Companies like Upstaging run concert tours for shows like Peter Gabriel, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Tim Mcgraw etc...

http://www.upstaging.com/

Musicians like Kenny Chesney actually have their own personal fleet of trucks that haul his stuff around. Might be a little harder to land a job with him but then again everyone knows somebody!

Back to hauling exotic animals, Budweiser has a whole fleet of sweet custom trucks that haul their Clydesdale horses around the country to special events. There is a company out of Florida (Motorcycle Freight) that hauls just motorcycles around for expensive customers and bike week events. There's are many, many companies all involved with Nascar that haul everything from the teams, to promotional stuff, tires, etc... There are also multiple companies involved in the sports world such as CBS sports that haul the event stuff, camera equipment and staging, rigging, etc... Some of these gigs are very high in pay due to the dedication involved. These are loads that must be moved with no exceptions! Weather, sickness, traffic and what not, doesn't matter you have to get that truck to the next event, and quickly! A lot of these gigs also put you up in fancy hotels and issue back stage passes or tickets to attend all the events. Exotic cars, Custom boats and Yachts, Airplanes and helicopters. All stuff that pays extraordinarily well! Companies like Western Express have an armored truck division in which their tractors and trailers are highly armored for expensive and priceless freight. Also for hauling sensitive government and military product.

Of course you have your heavy haul and wide load, permitted stuff which pays well. Anything from houses to huge boats, construction equipment etc... There are companies out there that haul highly hazardous materials such as nuclear waste.

https://www.randrtruck.com/marketing_home.htm

http://www.aatcarriers.com/commercial-explosives.php?gclid=CK_roYGTi7MCFQKCnQodrEMAMw

Not sure of the level of experience you would need but these are options potentially for the future.

Besides all these different avenues of trucking there are also many companies out there that offer unique routes and places of travel. My wife and I used to haul Potash out of a mine in the middle of the Moab National Park. It was always a treat to get to go there for that particular load. Hauling boats can take you to interesting ports and waterfront customers all over the country. Hauling reefer and picking up produce and such can take you to some beautiful rural areas of the country that grow foods and produce that can only be grown in that particular area of the entire world! We have even hauled loads in and out of massive caves in Missouri and Kansas. (though I'm sure quite a few of you have been there too!)

Anyway point of all this rambling is that you have options man. Many, many options! Options other than Swift, England and Werner and Schneider! (and better color trucks too!) Take your time and do some heavy research. A lot of these gigs may even require some investigative work. I find the harder it is to find or get the job the more potential and better the job will be.

Good luck man, holler if you have any inquiries....

 

He is correct...lot of choices out there...do the research and start asking + don't get down on yourself if the no's outweigh the yes's especially to start with. Trucking is one of those type professions where experience carries lots of weight, but so does the right attitude. Please don't try and "dress the part" and go to an interview wearing cowboy boots, a western type shirt (unbuttoned halfway) skin-tight wranglers with a can of skoal in the back pocket with a Cadillac sized belt buckle and a 10 gallon hat with a goose feather stuck in it. You'll look like you're ready for Halloween or worse a sorry Hollywood TV show or movie ( read BJ and the Bear...Movin On...Smokey and the Bandit). Carry yourself with self respect and confidence and you'll do fine...Best of luck finishing school and getting started......

 

Thank you for posting this description of stereotypical truck driver dress.LOL. It was so funny, I forgive you for the new coffee stains on my jeans!

 

All excellent information here. Remember, ya' have to pay yer dues ... to a point. Any company is going to make sure you can handle several hundred thousand dollars worth of equipment and merch, whatever that may be. As far as otr goes, forget the home time and comfort zone of your truck, at least initially. These are some of the least important things in regard to getting experience which should be your short-term immediate goal. Chompi and Emuslified nailed what is important so I won't duplicate what they've provided here. Read their posts, read them again, and read them a third time. Then let them sink in.

 

Roehl. You won't get rich, but you PROBABLY won't get screwed. And be PATIENT AND CAREFUL. Patient and careful. Remember that. There's no rush to get down the road.

 

Alot of good info on here, Not sure about cali but just starting out might be tough finding someone that will take you on. I remember i took what i could get just to get miles under my belt but then i was in prolly the worse part of FL for them to get me back . Good luck with your new career choice.