The trucking industry tends to be one that sees growth year-over-year, meaning companies within the industry are frequently looking for talented individuals to work for them.
If you’re a qualified truck driver, you may wonder how to find the best company to work for, especially if you have multiple options available to you.
There are tens of thousands of companies throughout the country, and some are tiny and may consist of only one truck while others are massive, with tens of thousands of trucks.
The following are some things to know as you compare trucking companies to work for and find the best employment options for you.
Know the Kind of Work You Do
All trucking companies, at their core, do things much the same way. With that being said, some of the primary ways you can differentiate one company from another include salary and benefits, but also the type of freight they haul, and how often they let employees spend time at home.
You can also compare companies based on the types of trucks they use and driving styles. You can compare positions based on whether or notit’s local or regional.
As far as the equipment, you should only consider a position with a company that values safety, and driver comfort is always a good priority to think about too.
There Is No Perfect
If you’re looking for the perfect company to work for, you’re not likely to find it. This isn’t just true in the trucking industry—it’s true across any industry.
No company or job will be perfect, and there’s no one right fit for every driver across the board.
What you can focus on is finding a company that fits your needs personally. For example, along with things like pay and benefits, you can also look at company culture and see how you might be a fit in that sense.
With trucking, you have to understand the challenges of the job itself that have nothing to do with the company you decide to work for.
Truck driving can be challenging with long, lonely hours spent on the road. The company you drive for can’t do anything to help this, but what they can do is provide fair compensation, good benefits, and a positive working environment overall.
Reputation
Employees are at an advantage as compared to past decades when it comes to finding a good employer for them. There are online resources available where you can learn more about a company’s reputation before you make any decisions.
You want to look and see the opinions of other drivers before you accept a position, and don’t just look at negative reviews. You also want to make sure you’re giving consideration to the positive reviews.
You should be skeptical of negative reviews as well and work to discern whether they’re legitimate or instead just the opinion of a disgruntled current or former employee.
Job Benefits
The idea of comparing companies based on the benefits they offer has been mentioned already, but what exactly are the job benefits many companies will offer?
While not all companies will offer all of these benefits, the following are some common at trucking companies.
- Sign-on bonuses
- Performance bonuses
- A yearly pay raise
- Layover, multiple stop or detention pay
- Pay for going into certain areas, such as big cities like Manhattan
- Health, dental and vision insurance
- Disability insurance
- A retirement savings plan
- Guaranteed time at home
Big vs. Small?
Finally, another thing to think about is if you want to work for a big company or a small company.
If you work for a big company, it may be more competitive and maybe even more demanding,but there are some benefits.
For example, when you work for a big company, you’ll have more variety in the type of work that’s available. If you get tired of doing one thing, you may be able to more easily switch it up if you’re working for a big company.
There may be more stability with a big company too, and they tend to have a lot of high-quality equipment available. If more drivers work for the company, you may be more likely to get your preferred time off, and there may be perks with a big company such as a repair shop or the ability to utilize corporate accounts.
Of course, at a small company, you may have more chances to move up and get a higher salary because you’ll be more vital to the company.
