The Great Sign on Bonus Hoax

The Great Sign On Bonus Hoax

One thousand, two thousand, three thousand, 4...  Don't wait, just step right up to the golden door!

The good old sign on bonus...  A re-engineering, re-invention, a re-wording of the classic bait and switch, ye ole switcheroo,  applied to recruiting drivers. For Shame! 

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Here ye go, just sign right here and go with the flow...We have a $4000 sign on bonus, Bubba's Trucking next door will only give you Three, that's right, uh huh, you're at the right place... Join our company, we'll give you a bonus over the next 6 months, a year, you'll earn less while you work here, but don't worry 'bout that, you got a bonus! Just step on up and through the golden door.

It's nothing new.  When did this madness start in our industry?  In the early 1990's, I'm not sure by whom or what company, but that's when it became prevalent. And now, everybody has to do it. 

Nearly every trucking company in the country offers a sign on bonus.  Why? Because they have to. How much weight should you give it in your decision process?  Very little. Don't fall for the hype.

The drivers and operators who watch what companies offer and do their research know this and

drivers and operators who have fallen for it once, know even better.  

The lure of easy money, the temptation of a fast buck loses its appeal with the reality of: "Now, I have to actually work here?" and "My paychecks sure seem small".

How many carriers have clauses that will deduct the bonus you were paid if you don't stay the required minimum of 6 months? Or a year?  I believe you would be surprised at some of these contracts, or maybe not.  

Why do we have turnover?  Is it the drivers fault?  The company's fault?  A case of not seeing the forest for the trees?  If you want turnover, this is a great way to increase it. 

I personally admire companies and people who try new and creative approaches to solve problems. Applying traditional product selling ideas to recruiting drivers.  It was innovative and effective at grabbing attention and drivers when it first appeared years ago, but now it's just fun with numbers.

A $5000 bonus paid over a year is nothing compared with 500 less miles run every week on average.  The miles you will get is always the mystery of starting any driving position.

 

Ask the trucking company about average miles per week!  Read the fine print and do your homework and the math.  Get your wife, husband, father, mother whomever to go over the details.  A second opinion from someone who cares about you and your well-being has never hurt anyone.        

Kottke Trucking - 75 Years of Family Tradition

18 Wheels of Justice Proudly Presents…

75 Years of Family Tradition – Kottke Trucking

Click Logo above or call 800-248-2623 Ask for Kyle

Celebrating 75 Years - Kottke Trucking – A Family Tradition

Kottke Trucking was born on a cold night in 1938 in Buffalo Lake, MN.  The Kottke family patriarch, Mr. Elmer Kottke, started hauling milk, feed and fertilizer for the local creamery. 

In 1961 Donald and Duane took over, called it the aptly named Kottke Brothers and started hauling gravel and dry freight to help grow the business. 

Kottke has had its ups and downs over the years, but in 1983 it lost one of its largest customers and this forced them to change the face of the business.  The Kottke Family is a tough lot and they stuck together and triumphed over these challenges.  They traded in the hoppers for reefers and never looked back.  The Kottke family went after, and was awarded a new ICC authority that gave them the ability to pursue customers and freight in all 48 states.  This was a tough period for the company, but family pulls together and finds a way to make things work.

Connie and Duane Kottke have dedicated their lives to the continued success of Kottke Trucking, Inc. Duane started out driving a mail route truck, then moved to hauling grain. He soon found himself in the position of a dispatcher, and at times, both a driver and dispatcher. Connie’s involvement in the company’s success included buying and selling grain, bookkeeping and occasional dispatching. She and Duane also devoted much of their time to raising their three sons; Kurt, Kory and Kyle. We thank them for creating the strong foundation of Kottke Trucking and with pride; we will carry those traditions into the future.

The Kottke Family, not just the relatives, but every driver, owner operator, dispatcher, office worker and mechanic all work together to make this one of the best reefer companies to work for in Minnesota. 

The Staff at 18 Wheels of Justice HQ was fortunate enough to speak with Kyle Kottke, General Manger, to ask him a few more questions about Kottke…

Thanks for joining us, Kyle.  75 years of trucking, that’s a lot of experience and a lot of responsibility.  Why do drivers and owner operators like working for Kottke?

We like to believe we treat them as part of our family.  They have become an extended part of our family and the foundation of our success.  I believe we work as hard as anyone at keeping the quality of life for a driver high.  Most of our drivers are home every 4-6 days.  Some of the routes go 6-10 days.

 

We work hard to make sure that our offerings are in line with the big guys but their quality of work atmosphere is far superior with us.

We like the family owned and operated tradition at Kottke.  As Kottke has grown over the years, how have you kept this tradition alive?

We are deep into the roots of our company.  Kurt, Kory and I are very involved in the day to day operations of the business and are proud of the team we have assembled.  No question, our heritage is very important to us but we don’t rest on yesterday’s success.  We know that we need to be in front of the industry, working with our drivers and customers to continue to be successful going forward.

 

Our tradition is our drivers, not our family.  The most important Christmas Card exchange we have is with many of our retired drivers who have spent their career with us.  I love to hear what they are doing in retirement and glad that we had a small role in their success and their lives.

 

What are your hiring areas?

We are very heavy in the Upper Midwest(MN,WI,IL, and IA) but we hire from the Midwest, South and Southeastern part of the US.  If you go to our website(click here) and find the lanes serviced page, we will hire a candidate from any of our territories.

How much reefer experience do you require?  A large portion of our audience has expressed interest in switching from to reefers…

I require one year of over the road experience.  Reefer experience is optional and we can train on the reefer technologies.

Who should drivers and operators call? ME!  I personally recruit all of my drivers.  I promise no bull!  800-248-2623 ext 2422.

Very nice touch, call one of the owners, Kyle, the hands on approach is the best way to go in our business. 18 Wheels of Justice likes that and likes Kottke.  Thanks for your time today, Kyle, enjoy your Thanksgiving…

Click on Logo above or call 800-248-2623 Ask for Kyle

3 Ways to Avoid Truck Stop Turkey on Thanksgiving

18 Wheels of Justice Proudly Presents…Trucking Legends 

800-500-3089

Memphis, TN

1. Call Empire or click on any Empire logo to go to website.
2. Fill out Application.
3. Work for Empire.

Empire Express - Memphis, TN only hires drivers in specific areas for a reason.  They get you home when they say they will.  To find out more - read on...



Empire Express began by listening to and embracing an idea from one of their own: a loyal driver.

 

Mr. Ed Gatlin founded and developed a successful automotive refrigerant business, lg-Lo Products Corp.  It was so successful; that the company caught the eye of the Valvoline Oil Company in 1985, and Valvoline made an offer to Ed he couldn’t refuse.

Now, the way I understand it, lg-Lo had a private fleet of 12 trucks at the time, Valvoline realized it wasn’t tough enough for the trucking business and didn’t want to continue to run the private fleet.  Luckily, one of his best drivers (who was also about to be out of a job) approached Ed about starting a trucking company.  Ed decided to try his hand at the “For Hire” trucking business for a few years.  In 1989, Mr. Tim Gatlin, with a belly full of fire and a love for the trucking business, took over and the business grew from 8 trucks to the proud 194 trucks under his careful watch today. 

18 Wheels of Justice likes it when the owners of a trucking company use specific numbers when they are talking about trucks and drivers.  It says a lot about the person, the company and the overall attitude of things there. 

We’ve done this long enough to know whether the owners, managers and dispatchers have a handle on things at their company after the first few minutes of talking to them.  And quite frankly, we are hearing loud & clear that Empire Express in Memphis is running an outstanding outfit.

We were fortunate enough to get a few minutes of Mr. Tim Gatlin’s time to answer some questions for the 18 Wheels of Justice Staff about Empire Express in Memphis (please see excerpts from the interview below).

Mr. Gatlin, thank you for joining us today.  We have heard many good things about you and Empire Express, and we are honored to finally have the chance to speak with you here at 18 Wheels of Justice HQ.  

Now, Empire Express has been in business for 27 years, a big milestone in our industry.  What do you attribute your long term success too?

Empire specializes in safety and time – sensitive freight.  Over 50% of our business is packaged chemicals and 40% is JIT or time sensitive.  This has been our focus for over 20 years and we have a very strong loyal customer base because we deliver the safe, on-time performance they demand. 

Empire is in the top 10% in terms of driver retention in our industry, this is among the best of the best of low driver turnover rates in the country.  Why do drivers who begin with Empire stay so long? 

They stay because of the way they are treated.  We know at Empire Express, without the drivers, we wouldn’t have Empire Express. We have created and encourage a driver-friendly culture.

What is so great about Empire Express for drivers?

They are a name, not a truck number. They get the miles, get paid and get home. During the recruiting process, we make sure the driver lives in an ideal place to get him home regularly.  We know home time with family and friends is so important.  Our customers’ freight is also driver friendly, no-touch high velocity freight. 

Pay per mile is one thing, but miles are important also.  The 18 Wheels of Justice Audience takes their careers seriously and they like to run and not sit when out on the road.  What kind of miles can drivers expect? 

2500 – 3000 per week.

Can they depend on the operations staff to get the miles and get them home when they need to be?

Absolutely! We offer a great pay package, “Pay for Performance”.  Every six months our drivers are evaluated on their performance in Safety, Service and Miles.  The majority of our drivers average over 2,500 miles per week, are safe, and deliver on-time.  This performance qualifies them for the top pay level which helps us retain the top performers and attract other top drivers to Empire. 

Mr. Gatlin, we can’t thank you enough for sharing your story about Empire with us today.  That sounds like quite an operation you have there in Memphis.  How can drivers and operators get a hold of your company? 

They can call our Recruiting Line at 800-500-3089 or visit our website at www.EmpireExpress.com.  Thank you for having us. (Please click on the Empire logos or photo and it will take you directly to the Empire Website)

COPYRIGHT 2012 - 18 WHEELS OF JUSTICE©

How to Stop Unreasonable Child Support Deductions From Your Check in 2012

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How to Resolve Child Support Issues - There is a Solution
At trucking companies across the nation, many dispatchers, recruiters and operations managers often wonder why a recently hired driver suddenly quits after a few months.  Everybody seemed to like him, he did a good job, he seemed to like working at your company.

Suddenly a notice comes in the mail to payroll to deduct for past due child support from the state.  It’s different in every state of course, but it typically is such a large amount that it is hard for the driver to live and have this amount “deducted” from his pay.  This notice usually arrives somewhere between one to four months after starting employment, depending on the state, your companies reporting schedule, what day of the quarter the driver started, etc.

A lot of good drivers leave a lot of good companies after a few months and move to the next one.  Some go to companies where they are paid cash or with a 1099, frequently for less pay. 

So… What is a driver or employer to do?  Everyone should pay child support; it’s the right and honorable thing to do.  That is a given.  A lot of smart divorce attorneys manage to have “alimony” or “spousal maintenance” classified as child support at the time of divorce.  This makes it collectable by the state.  This is a questionable practice, but it is done by divorce attorneys every day.  To try and get this amount changed after a divorce is impossible.  I know in the state of Missouri there is a six month waiting list to even talk to someone about a setting up a time for a hearing.  

This article is not about the inherent bias in the legal system against fathers, but the intent is to make the outcome of divorce and ensuing child support workable for our drivers who find themselves in this situation.
 

Recruiters and HR Mangers at every trucking company need to be prepared to address and handle this with every driver who starts at your company.

Every Driver who has this issue following them needs to know that there is a solution to it, and it’s a lot easier than you may think. A lot of recruiters/HR Managers I know have responded negatively to my comments, and refer to drivers child support as none of their business and the driver just needs to pay it. 

Having arrears in child support doesn’t make anyone irresponsible nor a bad parent or person for that matter.  The system has worked against fathers for decades and many have tried in the past to resolve it, hit a brick wall and decided there was nothing that could be done about it.  And they were probably right. 

A lot has changed recently and now is the perfect time to address it and put it behind you.

First of all, from the human resources perspective, you are helping your driver.  This is what you should to be doing from a personal and professional perspective.

Second of all, as Human Resources professional, this is your responsibility as far as I’m concerned.  If an employee has an issue that is affecting his job and tenure at your company, you should have a program in place to help them.  This should be addressed during the onboarding process.  Reach out and take action, help your fellow man and build a relationship.

Finally, you are helping the children involved by making consistent
child support payments a reality.

The Solution

Nearly every state will adjust the deduction.  There are phone numbers you can call where you can explain to them why you can’t afford the $300, $500 or more per week (usually its current child support plus arrears) they want to deduct and they will adjust it.  This is not an official reduction of the amount owed, just an informal adjustment of what they will take out every week. In my experience the state will adjust it to a “livable” amount, $75 to $150 per week depending on salary, number of children, etc.  This is usually accomplished within a week’s time frame.  I have listed the numbers of the Child Support Agencies in each state below.  All it takes is a phone call; just let them know you want to address current or future deductions being taken out of your check.

You can make a big difference in your life or your driver’s life, and children’s lives today by reaching out and helping yourself or your drivers… 

ALABAMA 334-242-9300 mina.roussell@dhr.alabama.gov

ALASKA907-269-6832    david.tredway@alaska.gov

ARIZONA602-252-4045   dmoring@azdes.gov

ARKANSAS 501-682-6828 mary.e.smith@ocse.state.ar.us

CALIFORNIA 888-898-1745

COLORADO 303-866-4300 csecustomerservice@state.co.us

CONNECTICUT 860-424-4989, option 2

DELAWARE 302-577-7171 www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dcse/index.html

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 202-724-2254 artish.jacobs@dc.gov

FLORIDA 850-617-8099 csepassportdenial@dor.state.fl.us

GEORGIA 404-657-3869 csetaxoffset@dhr.state.ga.us

HAWAII 808-692-7000 wayne.y.izumi@hawaii.gov

IDAHO 208-334-5715

ILLINOIS 217-785-0283

INDIANA 317-234-5700, option 3

IOWA 515-242-6003

KANSAS 785-296-2089

KENTUCKY 502-564-2285 doris.moore@ky.gov

LOUISIANA 225-342-4780225 carol.dewitt@la.gov

MAINE 207-624-4111 kathy.levesque@maine.gov

MARYLAND 800-332-6347

MASSACHUSETTS 617-626-4156 glavin@dor.state.ma.us

MICHIGAN 517-373-2932

MINNESOTA 651-431-4400

MISSISSIPPI 601-359-4879 temekka.williams@mdhs.state.ms.us

MISSOURI 866-313-9960

MONTANA 406-444-3739 cstclair@mt.us

NEBRASKA 402-471-1400 julie.lavicky@nebraska.gov

NEVADA 775-684-0704 cse@dwss.nv.gov https://dwss.nv.gov/

NEW HAMPSHIRE 603-271-4680 http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dcbcs/beas/nhcp/contact.htm

NEW JERSEY 609-631-2670 dfd-lien-levy@dhs.state.nj.us

NEW MEXICO 800-288-7207 (In State)800-585-7631 unit.intercept@state.nm.us

OHIO 800-686-1556

OKLAHOMA 405-522-0028 melody.rotan@okdhs.org

OREGON 503-373-7300 sccuquestions@doj.state.or.us

PENNSYLVANIA 800-932-0211 ra-crbcse@pa.gov

RHODE ISLAND 401-458-4400 richildsupport@cse.state.ri.us

SOUTH CAROLINA 803-898-9314 glenn.hastie@dss.sc.gov

SOUTH DAKOTA700 605-773-3641 kathryn.piersol@state.sd.us

TENNESSEE 800-838-6911 edward.canaday@tn.us

TEXAS 800-252-8014

UTAH 801-536-8500 ext. 22301 cdmiller@utah.gov

VERMONT 802-241-2180

VIRGINIA 800-468-8894 www.dss.virginia.gov/family/dcse.html

VIRGIN ISLANDS 340-775-3070 ext. 5008

WASHINGTON 360-664-5350 lsc@dshs.wa.gov

WEST VIRGINIA 800-249-3778 www.wvdhhr.org/bcse/

WISCONSIN 608-266-9909 marc.dibernardo@wisconsin.gov

WYOMING 307-777-6948 brenda.lyttle@wyo.gov

©18 Wheels of Justice 2012

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy Veterans Day!

18 Wheels of Justice would like to express our sincere gratitude to all who have served and are currently serving our beloved country protecting our citizen’s rights and freedom! God Bless America and the Armed Forces! For all our veterans returning from service, and returning to a slow economy, the trucking industry is hiring and training drivers. Becoming an OTR Driver is full of opportunities, good pay and security. There are many opportunities to buy your own truck and become an owner opportunity after a few years. The future is bright for you in our Industry!

I was blessed with spending opening week-end deer season with my Dad, two of my brothers and my 10 Year old son, Joe, at our family farm in Northern Missouri. After a very enjoyable week-end, my son and I embarked on our two-hour journey home on a rural two lane highway. With a ten year old boy, many rapid fire conversation start and stop abruptly, change course and reignite later at random times. One of many conversations involved the lines on the two lane highway. What do the dotted lines mean? Can I change the radio station? Why is there a dotted line next to a solid line? Look at that cow… Why are there two solid lines? Dad? Why didn’t they make this highway wider?

They made the lanes wide enough for a truck to safely haul freight.

Joe: Why is a truck that wide?

Because the machines they used to make railroad cars are the same machines they used to make trucks and trailers with.

Joe: Why are railroad cars that wide?

The axles and tools that were used to make wagon axles were used to make railroad car axles.

Joe: Why were the wagons that wide?

Because of the Romans

Joe: What does this have to do with Bible?

Nothing, the Roman Empire built Chariots and all of the major roads throughout Rome and much of Europe, and wagon axles were built the same width as the chariots. That way the wagon wheels would fit in the ruts that already existed in the road. The wagons would ride level and the wagon wheels wouldn’t break in a rut.

Joe: Do you mean the rut during deer season?

Not that rut, a rut in the road.

Joe: Ok, then why did the Romans build the Chariots that wide?

Roman Emperor Julius Caesar declared that all official Roman Chariots be built to the width of two horses. There has to be a standard width or nobody would be able to fit on the roads, it would be chaos.

Joe: Hmm. Look at that cow over there…

Top Ten List Final! Drivers: How to Narrow your Job Search

18 Wheels of Justice Home

Welcome Back for our final installment of our Top Ten List...

3.  Pros and Cons of Small or Large Trucking Company.  Think back through your career and which companies you were the most satisfied with.  Small trucking companies tend to be more personal which can be good and bad.  Do you like to keep your personal life and interaction with your employer at arms length?  Do you like to get to know your dispatcher, the mechanics, the staff and company owner more personally?  These are personal choices of course, but important to your overall success with a company.  If you like to remain more autonomous and be a small part of a larger company, this is important to keep in mind when deciding.  With a larger company you can feel less appreciated, but at the same time your dispatcher won't be calling you late on a Sunday asking you to take another drivers load because he has "personal" issues. 

2. Local or Out of State Trucking Company.  What does it matter?  If you work for a local company, it can be nice because it has more of a community feel.  Local companies also mean more interaction with other drivers who work there.  This can be good and bad, depending on how much gossip and complaining from other drivers you prefer to get involved in.  An out of state company has the benefits of being removed from that and you won't have to go into to the terminal every week-end or so when you come home.  Again it's all personal choice.

1. Sign On Bonus - Is it worth it?  It depends and most likely NO.  There are so many different types of sign on bonus's out there.  The majority of them aren't sign on bonus's.  So when you see an ad offering a large $5000 sign on bonus,  don't get distracted and feel short changed because your sign on bonus was only $2000.  Read the fine print.  If it's too good to be true, it usually is.  A $5000 sign on bonus paid over 6 months loses its appeal very quickly when you're only running 1800 miles a week.  You did not get any type of bonus and probably lost money on the whole deal.  These bonus's are designed to attract attention and they do!  But in most cases, that is all it is, a ploy to attract your attention and get you in the door.  Most Carriers have these bonus's now simply because they have to have them to keep up with the competition.  Do your homework and do not make a decision based on a bonus!

The most important thing to remember is to not to sell yourself short!  Stick to your guns and select the company who offers what you need and want as a driver.  This is key to your long term success in this industry.

Do the legwork before you start at a company.  If you are constantly switching employers it will only serve to cause frustration and burnout in your career.  This is a great career and a very honorable profession. 

I have been in the trucking business my whole life and my family has been in the trucking business for four generations.  My Great Grandfather hauled moonshine from Kentucky to South St. Louis during prohibition.  My Grandfather was a Teamster, My Dad owns a trucking company, my brothers are in trucking,  My ten year old son, Joseph, sounds off the carrier names of every truck we see on the highway and helps his Grandfather in the summer by sweeping the shop and picking up trash on the lot at the terminal. 

Trucking is a family tradition and I hope you encourage your family, friends and anyone you know to join our industry.  The majority of trucking companies are in some way, shape or form, a family business.  In these poor economic times, you never see trucking companies lay off drivers. 

There are more jobs available now to drivers than ever before!  This is job security.

Almost every trucking company has a training program to help people get a CDL and experience.  All of the poor souls who are unemployed,  whose homes are being foreclosed on, full of worry and the shame of it all...  Do your good deed for the day and introduce them to our industry,  A Family Tradition.     

© 2012 Michael H. Komadina

18 Wheels of Justice™

"Negotiating with Freight Brokers and 3PL's"  A "must have" in today's freight market, improve your company's profitability by training your staff with this hands on training manual today!

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Book $39.00 USD Book/CD Package $49.00 USD

Carrier Decision - Auto Carriers - Drivers & Operators

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Career Decision

18 Wheels of Justice Investigates

Auto Carriers

 For

Drivers and Owner Operators

November 2, 2012 - 13:57

Welcome to a new multiple part series called “Career Decision”

18 Wheels of Justice investigates all the rumors we have heard for years about the money to be made in other specialized trucking segments of our industry.  We look into all areas of trucking.

We wanted to get the real story on car hauling, not the typical “spiel” from a large car hauler.  The staff at 18 Wheels of Justice HQ was lucky enough to stumble upon a long standing, small carrier in Florida.   Auto Carrier Express, based in Jacksonville, has been very successful and profitable hauling cars for the last 15 years, and more importantly the owner operators and drivers have done just as well.

They have several customer relationships with prestigious customers as Southeast Toyota, American Honda, Hyundai and Kia to name just a few.  First, let’s get some background on Auto Carrier Express (ACE)  

ACE offers auto transport services primarily in the Southeastern United States, from Florida to Maryland and as far West as Alabama on a routine basis.

The primary benefit of this operation is its “1^st come-1^st serve” approach to the dispatching system. There are no A,B,C rated drivers at ACE. There are no “forced dispatches” or “hot loads”. You have the flexibility to run any direction you wish based on the available loads.

Auto Carrier Express is dedicated to the man behind the wheel. This proves evident in the payscale, the benefits and all of the in-house perks that go along with wearing the ACE uniform.  ACE even keeps the freezer stocked with quick and easy meals for the drivers to satisfy that hunger pang when you’re in a pinch for time.

As an ACE driver, you can expect to see your annual pay to be an average of 30% higher than that of a van or flatbed driver.  Some of the other unique salary benefits are listed below…   

  Company Drivers

• Dollar for Dollar 401k Match up to 4% of pay
• Short Term Disability Paid
• Health & Dental Paid 66%
• Quarterly Fuel (MPG) Bonuses
• Monthly & Annual Quality Bonuses

  Owner Operators 

77.5% of Revenue for Op’s – That’s 77.5% of Car Hauler $$

ACE pays 100% Liability and Cargo Insurance + ½ of Plate

Fuel Surcharges on ALL accounts

18 Wheels of Justice – Quick Stats – Who’s in Charge?

In 1997, Gilbert and Vicki Hanks started ACE with just one truck. Today, the company boasts a 60 – vehicle fleet, a team of 70 employees and a stellar safety record — achievements that are the result of building strong relationships with customers and investing in quality people, equipment and technology. 

 

Gilbert Hanks - CEO

The driving force behind Auto Carrier Express is Gilbert Hanks, co-founder and chief executive officer. In 1997, at the request of Southeast Toyota, who wanted to partner with a dependable vehicle transportation company, Gilbert established ACE. To meet the challenge, Gilbert created a strong platform of technology and high-quality assets. Naturally, this attracted some of the best people in the trucking industry, and the rest is history.  

William Mauldin – Vice President

William’s responsibilities include strategy, branding, strengthening current relationships, providing technical and financial management expertise, and identifying and acquiring new business for the expanding fleet.  William has filled several operational and relationship management roles, serving the auto transport market from the ground up.

In short, ACE has the people, equipment and technology to deliver on its promises. The combined experience of its drivers is well above the industry average. ACE utilizes handpicked company drivers and owner operators who have a keen understanding of what sets transportation companies apart: exceptional service and customer satisfaction.  ACE focuses on recruiting and retaining high-quality individuals who measure up to stringent standards – Good People Skills, Positive Attitude, Effective Problem Solvers, Pride in their Work, Self Motivated – Perhaps the most important thing ACE does is to enfranchise its employees, which allows drivers to directly benefit from going over and above for customers. In addition, ACE has developed a comprehensive Driver Development Program that invests time and energy into training promising individuals to become certified car haulers. 

Want a 30% pay raise? Want Home time? Ready to move up?

Drivers and Operators

Call Chris Hanks today 800-809-1491

We would like to thank Mr. Mauldin for his time.  Auto Carrier Express would be a great place to start exploring a new "Career Decision"...

Copyright 2012 18 Wheels of Justice

Part III - Drivers - How to Narrow your Job Search

18 Wheels of Justice Home

Welcome to Part III - Drivers - How to Narrow Your Job Search...

6.  Consult with your wife, husband or significant other.(for ease of reading we will refer to this person as your wife)  This is a step that is often overlooked.  You're wife will remember all the issues you complained about or liked at your last job.  Sometimes we only tend to remember the good things or bad things about a company we worked for.  Your Wife is a great sounding board because believe it or not she listens to you and wants to see you happy.  If your happy, she's happy.  It's not just about the money, it's easy to get wrapped up in the money aspect of a job.  Trust me, the a few pennies more per mile will lose its appeal when you are stuck out over the week-end, not getting the miles, or have a dispatcher that doesn't care or is too busy all the time.  FBC(Federal Blog Commission) Warning.  Too much interaction/conversation with your wife can lead to problems.  As you all know, a wife is, pound for pound, the most dangerous animal in the world.  Tread carefully here.  I learned this the hard way when I recently asked my significant other her opinion and ended up in a relationship counseling session.

5. Online Driver Discussion boards.  Check these out!  These can be a good source of real information.  I think every driver should belong to a few of them.  Like anything, there are good ones and bad ones, and some of the people who post on boards are just disgruntled and unhappy.  So use caution here also and don't believe everything you read.  I have gotten a lot of good information from these boards, and the better ones have members who have their profiles published also, so you can see who your talking to,  I find that for the most part, if someone is going to take the time to write and discuss companies etc. on these boards, they are generally sincere.

4.  Respect.  This is a common and rather generic term that is thrown around a lot these days.  Why?  I don't know.  I think respect is a given.  Perhaps what these trucking companies mean is that they are honest about things.  I think Honesty is the best quality a company can have when it communicates with its drivers.  Its just that simple.  This is a key aspect to look for in any potential employer.  When your following these steps, always keep this in mind.   

This seems like a lot of work, doesn't it?  Yes it does!  But, please remember the hours/days of orientation, setting up your truck, paperwork, drug tests and spending a few months at a company you don't like, when you make a knee-jerk decision to work somewhere. There is a lot of time and money you are investing in a new job, make it count.  A few hours of research now will save you tons of headaches later.  I originally tried to do this in 3 parts, but this is an important decision and there is a lot to cover.  Stay tuned, Part IV this weekend! 

What about a career change?  Have you thought about switching to pulling a reefer, van, flatbed, or tanker?  How about a being a car hauler or driving for an Oil Field Services company? Intermodal?  You ask, we deliver.  18 Wheels of Justice investigates and compares apples to apples and breaks it all down for you... Debuts next week!  "Drivers and Operators: Choices within your Driving Career - The Inside Scoop"...Next week will be the long awaited debut of “Ask 18 Wheels of Justice” on our website. We provide opinions, answers and solutions to all things trucking.  If we don't know, we will find the answer! A sincere thank you to all of you who submitted questions, please keep them coming.

© 2012 Michael H. Komadina

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Drivers - Part II. How to Narrow your Job Search

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Welcome back and thank you for joining us for "Part II - How to Narrow Your Job Search".  It can be a very daunting task, with all the options available.  So many ad's, a thousand job search website's, everyone promising everything to everybody.  I think an important thing to remember as a driver is that our industry is just silly.  Yes, silly.  It is so segmented and there truly aren't any major players in the truckload market.  I remember reading a few years ago that if you combined the top ten truckload carriers in this great nation of ours, they hauled less than 10% of the total truckload market.  When business picks up, your local trucking company will go down to the truck dealer and buy 10 more trucks.  When he has drivers for all of his trucks, he feels he must be doing something right and buys another 10 trucks.  When the bank stops by and visits him and gives him the green light for more trucks, he buys him.  God bless the optimism of the trucking company owner!  My point is that all of the turnover and all the driving positions available doesn't make this a bad industry to work in, in fact its the best industry in the country to work in.  The capacity and availability of driving positions reflects the segmented state of trucking, lots of moving parts for a lot of different reasons.  Back to business.  I hope you have read Part I, if not please do so now and join me back here. 

7.  How did you hear about this trucking company?  This is important.  The amount of advertising a company has does not necessarily mean that they have issues finding drivers.  There are a number of reasons a company advertises for drivers.(see above)  You may have seen their trucks close by home, saw an ad the internet, etc.  What about the ad appealed to you?  Was it any different than the others?
Sometimes you just have to pick one, sort of like duck hunting.  Write down 5 things that appeal to you about a company you want to work for.  New Tractor? Home time? Newer Trailers? Miles? Regions they run? Pay? The Dispatcher - does he have any authority on the amount of miles you get and when you need to be home? Fuel network? Company's reputation? Maint.? and so on. 

Join us later this week for the rest of this article and more!  Please check out our 18 Wheels of Justice LinkedIn group for Drivers and Owner Operators.  If you're not on LinkedIn, please join, it is a valuable resource for Drivers and Operators.  As always, thank you for reading...

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