That right there is damn funny! Great line BigDawg!

Good luck to you aeneas on your new adventure. Swift does allow your pet. There is a $500 deposit ($250 refundable - $250 not).

 

Thanks Spranglin'_Spider! Do you have any words on Swift? What I have been reading in other threads about them is not good! Right now my list of possibles is Werner or CFI. I going to make my decision which way to go next week.

 

I was giving you good advice and I wasnt chastising you at all. You just didnt get an answer you wanted to hear. Ive been in this business for a pretty long time and I have seen the REAL reasons a lot of drivers succeed and a lot of drivers fail. Most of the time it comes down to this; FLEXIBILITY
There are many reasons a lot of companies dont allow pets....the safety issue is just one of them. Another reason is many customers dont allow pets on their property. In fact the reason we dont allow pets in our trucks is exactly that reason. Too many of our customers complained and said "no pets on our property" Say your dispatcher has a great load for you, but "OOPS" thats one of the customers that doesnt allow pets. Do you think your employer is going to say take the load anyway and hide the dog? Nope, you are going to be sitting and you are also now going to be one of that dispatchers or fleet managers least favorite drivers on the board. Then your miles might suffer.
I guess Im just a bit of an animal lover and i dont think its humane having a dog in a truck or car for that long. Do you know why dogs like having their heads out of the window while driving? Most people think its because dogs like to smell the outside. Thats not the reason at all. Everyone knows that dogs sence of smell is very good. The reason dogs stick their heads out the window is because the smell inside the car or cab is overwhelming them and driving them nuts. Most vets will tell you that keeping a dog in a car like that for long periods of time isnt Good for their health or their stress levels.

Look, i think its great that you arent desperate for a job and you have choices. I hope it works out for you. I just felt you were limiting yourself. Me personally, I wouldnt want to be limited at all in my choice of career. The people who are not limited and are flexible go farther and succeed more. I love my dogs too....But if I had the choice of keeping my dogs and working for a lower paid job where i could barely make my bills. Or a high paying job where I can afford to take care of my families needs, pay for my kids schooling and room to advance, the dogs would be gone tomorrow. You might be able to do both but it kind of reminds me of a guy with long hair working for a minimum wage job....he could have a great paying job, but he refuses to cut his hair. Sure, he gets to tell all his buddies "I wont cut my hair for anyone, I do what i want" Sure, he gets to keep his long hair.......One problem though....hes going nowhere in his career and he cant pay his bills.

Another choice you have would be to buy your own truck. Then you could take whoever or whatever pet you want. You could choose only to take the loads of customers who allow pets on their property.

But its your career and your choice.
once again...good luck

 

And just so you dont think Im trying to recruit you to our company by feeding you BS about pets. We dont hire students or new drivers so this isnt me trying to recruit you.
I was just giving you ADVICE......isnt that what you were looking for?

 

Sheepdancer,
This helps me in my decision making process. Now you have given me some information that I can use. I appreciate the insight regarding the "no dogs on my property issue". This is something I was not aware of. Luke, my dog, and I have been on many long trips (10 hours and more) and he must have o/o blood in him because he handles it like a champ. I would not want to risk his well being for my sake but I have to give this a try. Its either driving or something (job wise) that I will hate. As for excersise he like me do it on a regular basis. I understand that driving will change my current lifestyle quite a bit. I do plan on becoming an o/o just as soon as I get enough experience under my belt. I am no kid and I do, do my homework when I approach a project such as this career change. I see now you meant to give good advice and I just misinterpreted your early response.

I am taking in and researching alot and plan to make a decision next week as to what direction I will go. Nothing is as black and white as it seemed to be when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's. If I do this truck driving thing it will be the last time I change jobs. Although I was born in the city and wore a suit and tie most of my life I always knew as my buddy Mark would say that I am basically a country dog at heart.

Thanks

 

With regard to CFI's pet policy.....to eliminate the confusion:

If you are an "experienced driver" who only goes through orientation and is assigned a truck...you can have your pet with you immediately.

If you are a "student driver" who is going out with a "Finisher" aka trainer, you cannot take your pet with you. Once you finish the training program and are assigned to your own tractor, you can take your pet with you.

 

Thanks, Skywalker