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Plenty of Options!!!
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As you are likely aware, there are easily tens of thousands of trucking companies nationwide. There are some as small as one truck, and some that have tens of thousands of trucks. There are local, regional , and over the road companies, and some that are a combination of two or even all three.
There are tanker, flat bed, reefer , dry van , dump, and a multitude of other types of trucks you can drive. There are companies that specialize in one type of truck, and some that have a combination of several different types. So with all of these choices presented to you, how do you know where to go next with your career? To tell you the truth, it's not that hard. Here are some of the key points we will be focusing on in this series that will help you choose the trucking company you would like to work for. Once you can answer these questions you will be able to narrow your choices down to a much smaller pool of trucking companies and then you can pick the one that seems right for you
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How often would you like to get home?
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What areas of the country would you like to run in?
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What would you like your work duties and lifestyle to be like?
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What size company would you like to work for?
Let's start this series by debunking a few myths and giving you some generalizations and insights into all trucking companies, the trucking industry in general, and you as a driver - and what you can do to put yourself in the best position to be happy and successful. Without understanding these factors, all of the rest of the above questions will not help you be happy and successful at any company you choose.
The Trucking Industry Is Very Dynamic
For starters, trucking companies and the trucking industry itself are very dynamic and the competition is fierce - both within your own company and between the companies themselves. Trucking companies, especially the larger ones, are often comprised of many different divisions that all must work
together, but at times by nature must work against each other. For example, many companies have dispatchers and load planners. The load planners will generally decide, with some input from the dispatchers, which trucks get assigned to which loads. The dispatcher's main job is to handle all communication with their drivers and convey information to the load planners about the driver. The dispatcher can "campaign" for certain loads for certain drivers. Maybe one driver has had four straight runs in the northeast, so he/she can let the load planner know that it's time to give that driver a run to a different region. Or maybe a certain driver has been running really hard and isn't feeling well, but can still handle a short run for the day. The dispatcher can let the load planner know this. As you can see from this example, the two divisions - dispatchers and load planners - must work together for the good of everyone.
On the other hand, you have the logbook department. Man, I cringe just saying "logbook department. "It's like the principal's office of the trucking world. You never just go there to say "hi" or see whassup. You go there knowing bad things are about to happen to you!
Anyhow, the drivers, dispatchers, and possibly the load planners - depending on the structure of the company - are mostly looking to get as many miles as possible. For some of them, that means cheating the logbook at times - many times for some drivers (innocent look on this writer's face). So the logbook department by nature must keep the dispatchers and drivers in check. Even though the more miles you run, the more money you'll make, you still have to abide by the Federal Hours of Service Rules - and so the logbook department must at times work against what the drivers and dispatchers would like to do.