What are recommended companies for new drivers?

If you apply at Prime, and they answer.... do NOT LET THEM TALK YOU INTO A LEASE.

 

This is like asking what shoes to buy without anyone knowing what size feet you have. Great shoes that do not fit you are not great shoes for you. A "good job" is one that meets your needs. You need to define your needs or be willing to sort through your needs because you will need to pick among a company that meets some of your needs, and provides some problems for less important needs.

You should decide how much money you must have, need to put up with the serious and continuing stress/frustration of this job.
You need to decide about how much time you can stay away from home, or work before getting time off.
You need to decide how long you need to be off work, when you do get off work.
You need to know if being home every day/night is worth the serious frustration of being in city traffic all day, every day, and commuting daily.
You need to know if X amount of more money is worth Y amount of maintenance issues on the truck and trailer.
You need to compare our desires to one or more question above to most of the answers you want but with one major problem or the worst answer to one of the questions above.

Please don't go to CDL school until you know where you want to work. CDL school isn't college where you have years to make contacts and do research. It's 3 weeks followed by 12 months at one trucking company, almost no matter what. Take your time. Work 2 part-time jobs at home until you know where you want to work and then make a decision about CDL school. It may make sense to sign a contract at your dream job in exchange for 12 months of required work, or that may be the worst possible thing to do. It depends on where you live, what you need, and what company you want to work for. There are plenty of trucking companies that only stay in business because too many newbies are in a hurry to make a big mistake before they add on several thousand dollars of obligation for a CDL school after they quit the trucking company that "paid" for their "free" CDL school.

You wouldn't pick a route before you picked a destination, would you?

 

Give them a call, they might have something for you. Drivers - Garner Trucking, Inc. - Garner Trucking Inc.

 

No one/company (that I know of) is going to pay you overtime after 40 hours a week driving OTR or Regional. Possibly driving/working for a grocery warehouse/union job.

Trucking isn't like your normal 8-5 job mon-fri. You're going to pay your dues, stay out weeks out at a time to start, for "beginner" pay, hate life and want to go home. IF you make it through your first 6 months SOME mega companies will "look" at you. Your driving record and how many miles you've accumulated.

Make it a year, accident free, no out of service inspections (driver) and no drug test refusals/failures. YOU ARE GOLDEN.

Take it to heart, this isn't an easy life, and believe me it is a life decision. You're either in or your out, and out to long and you start over.

Never drove for them but Prime is probably your best choice. Good luck Driver!

 

Good luck with time and a half. I feel that's an unreasonable want starting out.

Ag exempt is just that. Exempt from most rules that govern other truckers. No logs, no HOS and definitely no time and a half.
I believe most trucking companies whose business is predominantly OTR are exempt from typical labor law such as time and a half.
You might as well get time and a half out of your head and take what you can get friend.

 

Wow, hires 18 yr. old drivers for apprenticeship program!

 

Save yourself... would NOT recommend Steven's Transport