When it comes to your first CDL job you are going to see a lot of people talking about Mega trucking companies for they tend to be where most entry level CDL drivers go due to the fact that they are self insured and do not mind taking the risk on a new CDL holder. In this article we will take a closer look at the Mega trucking companies
What Is A Mega
A mega refers to a trucking company that has a ton of trucks, like five thousand plus. The most common mega trucking companies in North America are Schneider National, Prime, Swift and Werner. Along with having a ton of trucks and drivers they also have their own schools which many people use to obtain their CDL
Mega Reputation
This is odd and it changes a bit year to year. Most of the Mega trucking companies take flack due to the number of accidents it seems to have. We have all seen the photos and memes of a Swift truck doing something stupid like hitting a bridge or traveling down a road that is clearly not a truck route. What needs to be considered however is the number of drivers they have that work for that particular company.
When Schneider National left Canada they still had over ten thousand drivers in the United States, guess what not all of them are going to be gems. Swift with their huge roster just has the bad luck of being the one people point at and capture on film
Number Of Terminals
One of the best parts about working for Schneider National was the number of terminals they had across the United States. It was nice to know that if I needed a place for maintenance on the truck, a place to do a couple loads of laundry for free, a warm meal that was not fast food or just a place to grab a shower and park for the night.
As I spent more and more time with the Company I would learn where all their terminals and drop lots were located and made sure as apart of my trip planning I would attempt to end up at one if possible
Financial Stability
Now of course there are a couple of bad examples of larger trucking companies going bankrupt such as Yellow and Celadon however the risk is much less than a smaller company or even worse a new company. The Mega trucking companies I have mentioned have been around for a very long time and show no signs of going anywhere. On the other hand with a new company the chances of them making it more than a couple of years is not that great.
Canada has a problem of new trucking companies starting out of nowhere that is disrupting the market however a large majority due not survive for very long. It amazes me how many new companies I see sporting Ontario plates driving down the 401 and suddenly they are nowhere to be seen. There also been horror stories of drivers putting in a ton of hours for a new company and not getting paid
No Experience Required
This tends to be the largest selling point when it comes to getting your first CDL job with a mega trucking company and that is they are not looking for the two years of experience that other trucking companies require due to insurance reason. Of course the reason Megas are able to do this is that their insurance is in house so they are able to take more of a risk on a new driver
The other part is that the Mega trucking companies have been dealing with new CDL holders for a very long time and have set up their training or orientation in order to ensure the drivers safety. As I mentioned before in the article regarding picking a CDL school that a lot of them prepare you to pass the test and not actually succeed at the job.
Depending on the mega you may spend a week in class than a week or two with a trainer before you are given a truck and on your own. You will learn more during this brief time period then you did at your CDL school unless of course your schooling was done through a mega
Getting Your CDL Through A Mega
Now of course a popular option is to go to a mega CDL school for after you are done and have received your license you will also have a job lined up. The mega trucking companies do not do this out of the kindness of their heart
When you sign up for this particular CDL school you will also have to sign a contract in which you will pay back the mega for the cost of your training and if you leave before the contract expires you will still owe the money to them. The last number I heard was around $5000 for the training
Most CDL holders will tell you that you will be better off if you can get the CDL on your own as this way you are not tied to a company. Go to Swift and realize that you do not like how they operate you are free to go somewhere else. However if you have a contract hanging over your head you are going to be stuck until its done or face the financial obligation
Safety, Safety, Safety
Since most megas run their own schools they harp on safety over and over again. I know all trucking companies claim to be safety orientated but a lot of them are blowing hot air out of their exhaust pipes. Too many companies hire a new driver than throw him or her in a truck after a couple of days to either sink or swim with tragic results in some cases
Of course with megas as well as some other companies they take safety to extreme and more than one driver has been let go for a couple of safety violations where the same violation at another company would not even cause a dispatcher to blink
When it comes to your first CDL job a mega trucking company is not a bad choice and many a driver has used it to gain experience then move to another company which pays better. In a future article we will take a closer look at the Mega trucking companies
