Contracting with trucking companies can expand your earning potential as an independent trucker. Choosing the best trucking companies to work with, though, can be tricky. These tips can help you find trucking companies that have the trucking jobs you want to work.
There are more than 500,000 trucking companies in the United States. Choosing the one you want to work with will take some serious narrowing down of the list.
Start with location.
A truck driver can only work for trucking companies that hire in his or her area. You’ll find ads in your local newspaper, but a better place to find leads for trucking jobs is online, especially websites that offer a posting load board and truckers’ forums. Most also have sections for trucking companies looking for drivers, trucks for sale and listings of trucking jobs. One of the best features of posting boards is that you can search trucking companies by area in order find companies hiring in your area.
Equipment and License
The equipment available and licenses you hold will also help you narrow down your choice of trucking companies. Check the kinds of loads usually listed by the trucking companies in which you’re interested. Do you hold the CDL endorsements to haul those loads? Conversely, if you’ve invested the time and energy to get a HazMat endorsement or Tanker endorsement, you’ll want to choose companies that regularly post those types of jobs on the posting load board. Why settle for trucking companies that can’t provide you with the trucking jobs you’ve trained for and want to do?
If you’re hiring on to drive their equipment rather than provide your own, take a careful look at the trucking equipment they have to offer. Don’t make your choice based strictly on type, either. You want to know that the equipment they provide is late model and kept in good repair. You’ll be risking your life otherwise.
Job Requirements
Consider the work that will be required by the various trucking companies you’re thinking about working with. If you don’t mind unloading your own trucks, for example, you may find a lot more jobs available, but you’ll be doing more work. Again, looking at the jobs the trucking companies list on a board that allows them to post loads free can give you a good idea of what their usual parameters are.
Pay Rate
Of course, pay rate is a major consideration. There are many factors to consider in deciding which trucking companies actually offer you the best pay – sign-on bonuses, mileage pay, layover pay and other benefits and advantages.
Choosing the right trucking company to sign on with can make your life as a trucker much more profitable and enjoyable. Make sure that you’ve explored all the various trucking companies looking for drivers in your area before you make your choice.