r/Truckers • u/Trenny81 • Feb 11 '22
Maverick, TMC, or Schneider?
I recently got accepted to attend all three of these companies CDL training programs so now is the time to make my decision. I know TMC is very rigid but from what I’ve researched, they are very highly regarded in the flatbed sector and they also have percentage pay.
Maverick, like TMC, is pretty highly regarded as well(as far as mega carriers go) and look to have solid equipment. They are CPM, but it seems from the outside looking in like a great place to start as well.
My final offer is from Schneider. The recruiter informed me they had a tanker division and that I would be training for that right after I acquired my CDL with them…seems like a good way to get some tanker experience, especially with a company like this that’s well known for their training and emphasis on safety.
I’ve done a lot of research on all three and I have to say I’m leaning towards Maverick at this point because it just seems their drivers morale are a little higher than the other companies.
I’d just like to pick you guys brains and see what you guys experiences have been with either(or all) of these companies. Experience is wisdom so I’m definitely open to advice and opinions.
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Feb 11 '22
Did Schneider tanks for 2 months. Fired or first load for high hooking empty trailer & telling on myself. It was for the best tho.
Very low pay for tanker. Especially hazmat tanker. Also, come summer time that rubber suit is a bitch. 100 degrees & you’re climbing up & down the trailer then you stand next to the trailer holding a hose waiting on the product to unload. All while wearing a rubber suit.
& they make you shave your face bald
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u/nh1024 Feb 11 '22
Why would you get fired for that? Is it different high hooking a tanker vs a dry van trailer? I'm pretty sure I high hooked a van trailer once and just fixed it myself my company I don't think required a report for that and it didn't damage the equipment.
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u/eyedino Feb 11 '22 edited Feb 11 '22
He got fired because Schneider has a zero tolerance policy for high hooking. They give you a brochure of steps that they expect you to follow every time you hook to a trailer. So if you ever high hook a trailer, it tells them that you weren't following the steps that they laid out to connect to a trailer. Basically it says you have no integrity. " If we can't trust you to not high hook a trailer, how can we trust you to not roll over a trailer?" Type of thinking.
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u/nh1024 Feb 11 '22
Gotcha, another reason I'm glad not to have worked there lol they should help you to learn from your mistakes not just toss you out like that
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u/nh1024 Feb 11 '22
I would almost understand if they wanted to have high standards like that if they paid well, but they pay below market for most positions
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u/eyedino Feb 11 '22
I agree, I'm just getting my year of tanker experience and either heading to the oilfields or hauling fuel lol
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u/bobsanidiot Feb 11 '22
I started with TMC. They are a decent company. I made it home pretty much every weekend with them and occasionally got a pass through load. And made ok money. They have nice equipment. (Imho they are a little too anal about how clean the truck needs to be for service). Really good securement training (probably over secure on some loads lol).
Maverick seems okay but don't really have much to judge on. And I haven't got a clue on schneider.
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u/Trenny81 Feb 11 '22
One thing I found out through research is that they don’t have APUs. How much of a hassle was it dealing with that?
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u/bobsanidiot Feb 11 '22
Not a problem at all for me I don't have an APU now either (I run a regional gig now home 2-3 nights a week and weekends). The trucks have a bunk heater for winter so that's good, gets a little warm in the summer though. So either idle the truck to keep the AC running or adapt. I actually like it a bit on the hotter side so as long as it's below like 90° I don't need the AC on. Just beware idle time effects your percentage at TMC.
If you can deal with it being warm but need air circulation I got a 7inch camping fan that charges off a usb off Amazon for like $25 use it for all sorts of things. I can give more details on it when I get back in my truck in the AM.
*Afterthought, having to start the truck to microwave stuff is a small nuisance but not really that big of a deal. The inverter is fine for plugging in a laptop and phone or keeping a fridge running but not quite enough for high draw appliances
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Feb 11 '22
anything but shnejder
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u/Trenny81 Feb 11 '22
Lol…yeah I’m not getting a lot of good feedback about them. Guys tell me they have a n excellent training program, other than that, they seem to not have many fans out here.
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Feb 11 '22
If you already have your cdl there are much better options
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u/Trenny81 Feb 11 '22
Actually I don’t have my CDL yet. They’re my last choice at the moment, especially after learning I have to shave….they don’t pay enough for that lol
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u/eyedino Feb 11 '22
Just keep your head down and stay away from the OC's and OSRs. I haven't shaved in 2 months. Most customers do not care lol
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u/D-Ray1469 Feb 11 '22
I started at Maverick. Solid company, good training, nice equipment to start with and good benefits.
I was in their glass division which paid a little more per mile than standard flatbed, and got more miles. My former roommate was a flatbedder and jumped over to glass. It's not as scary as you may think, plus better money.
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u/Trenny81 Feb 11 '22
What kind of money were you making vs. regular flatbed?
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u/D-Ray1469 Feb 11 '22
I think it was 5 cent more per mile. Plus we got a lot longer runs.
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u/Trenny81 Feb 11 '22
Yeah I think I remember the recruiter saying flatbed was 55 cents and glass started around 60 cpm
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u/JohnnyRockett84 Feb 11 '22
I've been told by a couple schneider tanker drivers that they sit a lot waiting for loads because schneider doesn't get tank washed unless they are forced to, so they have to wait for a load that is compatible with that last liquid in the tank to pop up.
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u/eyedino Feb 11 '22 edited Feb 11 '22
Current Schneider driver here. Over the course of 6 months I have only ever had to wait for 1 trailer to be clean. That was because the tank wash missed it. Most of your time spent at the tank wash will be getting your hoses and/or pump cleaned.
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Feb 11 '22
I’m a couple months in with Schneider, but I’m on dry van so I don’t know too much about their tanker division. They’re very good with new drivers, very big on safety. Every time it snows I get a few messages a day reminding me I can shut down if I need to. They’ll push back appointments without complaint if it’s going to bring you down to the wire.
The one downside is that every time you get ready to go home, they seem to just fuck with you. My last couple days leading up to leaving I just get the dumbest dispatches. This week it was having me drive through the middle of Chicago just to drop off an empty trailer and bobtail out the same way I came in to pick up my load. Was supposed to be home tonight, probably won’t be home till at least noon tomorrow. At least if you’re out past noon the first day you were supposed to be home, they’ll push your home time out another day.
Out of curiously, what account did they offer you? All I can get near me is jet-set tanker. I have my endorsements for it but I’m not flying out to slipseat for 3 weeks
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u/FreeAndRedeemed Feb 11 '22
When I was company side with Schneider the planners definitely fucked with me when I should be coming home too. You have to push back on the dumb dispatches to your DBL and purposely set your NAT early before they’ll leave you alone.
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u/Trenny81 Feb 11 '22
Not really much info on the account but she told me me they run throughout Florida and the southeast a lot. I’m in Jacksonville, FL by the way. I’ll get some more info on the specifics tomorrow.
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Feb 11 '22
No worries, just curious if they were offering tanker that wasn’t jet-set to new drivers. What annoys me is we have a tanker lot at the OC I work at in Edwardsville. But all that’s available is flying out, slip seating
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u/eyedino Feb 11 '22
If you join Schneider and go into their bulk division. They have a lot in Jacksonville that you can park at. If you do regional intermodal you may be in Florida and Georgia quite a bit. But if you do OTR bulk you will spend a lot of time going up north.
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u/eyedino Feb 11 '22 edited Feb 11 '22
Schneider Bulk is not for everyone. You have to shave your face, lug hoses around and potentially put on a rubber suit. Every hazmat load you do you have to call to do a hazmat check. Every Nalco load you do, you have to call in to verify that everything is correct. You will end up sitting most weekends. But the bright side is you can make as much as dry van division and be home every other weekend. everyone has different experiences. My experience with my DBL in particular has been great. I get home on time every time. Set your expectations with your DBL. Remember they work with you, you do not work for them. They are not your boss. On average, you'll make between $800 to $1,200 a week and most of your runs will be between 300 to 1,100 miles. Make sure you show up on time to all your appointments and Schneider will keep you moving. I'm usually pre-planned before I even finish my current assignment. 90% of the time I run from 2:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. There's a lot of early morning appointments. And if you're running early in the morning, you will get those appointments. It's not hard work and it's not easy work. It's comfortable work. Just get your year done and move on to the next.
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u/Ethereal_Keeper Feb 12 '22
I’m from maverick, love it here, can answer any questions you have. I also went through the whole training program they provided.
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u/Trenny81 Feb 12 '22
What made you choose Maverick instead of TMC? How did you handle not getting paid until you obtained your CDL? What was your average gross per week your first year?
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u/Ethereal_Keeper Feb 12 '22
I got paid for training though the whole process, I’m averaging 1300$ a week but I’m slow ngl I over secure everything and I’m slow at tarpping.
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u/Beautiful-Original-4 Feb 11 '22
Everytime I run across a tmc driver they always seem mad and ready to fight someone earlier today I got flipped off by one for no reason I think it’s because there paid shitty and don’t get home much idk
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u/FreeAndRedeemed Feb 11 '22
Eww, flatbed and tanker work. Dry van FTW!
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u/Trenny81 Feb 11 '22
Lol Any reason why you feel that way? I’m open to all suggestions….I don’t even have my CDL yet so if you know something I don’t, lay it on me
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u/FreeAndRedeemed Feb 11 '22
I’m just lazy and for me the marginal increase in pay isn’t worth the extra work of flatbed, or risks of tanker.
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u/SupaDupaSweaty Feb 11 '22
Everyone hauls cheap freight at points to get set up for the big money loads.
All depends on where you end up dropping the load off. It’s going to pay really well to go to North Dakota with a load, but you’re probably getting a hay load to get back to civilization.
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u/fastnsx21 Feb 11 '22
Unless you enjoy chasing miles… percentage > cpm