You’ve put in the time and are ready to drive a truck for your career, but where do you start? Finding a job can be tough, especially with so many different trucking companies out there. 

It’s normal to wonder what the top trucking companies to work for are and if you’ll be able to land a job with them. But finding the “top” company isn’t necessarily the right answer. Every company is different, and that’s something you need to consider during your job search.

Choosing the right trucking company to work with is not as straightforward as it seems. You need to think through your own priorities and preferences before you take a job, or else you could end up in a situation where your values or needs don’t align with your new company’s. Or, even worse, you could end up in a very stressful, uncomfortable situation that requires you to search for another new job — and no one wants to do that.

Selecting the Right Trucking Company

Your first thoughts out of CDL school may be: “What is the best trucking company to work for?” At Pride Transport, we want to help you choose the right employer. We believe that by setting your own priorities early, aligning your values, getting to know the equipment, and researching the companies you want to work for, you’ll be in a better position to make the right choice for your career. 

Set Your Priorities

When you look at job listings, what are your priorities? 

Here are a few examples of questions you can ask yourself to determine the kind of job you’re looking for:

• Do you want to spend more time at home and have a balanced schedule, or would you like to stay on the road as much as possible and travel all over the country?
• Do you need (or want) benefits? What about a 401k, bonuses, or salaries? 
• What income are you hoping to achieve? Do you have a bare minimum that a job has to offer for you to work there? What starting wage do you want, and do you have a goal for the next three to five years?
• Do you have a preferred driving route? Are there any areas you don’t want to travel to?
• Do you have any preferences when it comes to freight? Are there certain items that are off-limits (such as dangerous chemicals), or are you licensed and ready to transport anything?

As you go over these priorities, don’t forget to note which are deal breakers versus flexible requests. Then, look at job listings and what’s being offered to match your application up with the right roles.

Align Your Values 

What kind of company do you want to work for? The answer is probably one that you feel proud of working with. Whatever your core values are, whether they’re transparency, a people-first approach, excellent safety processes, or others, look for those same values in the companies you consider working for.

At Pride Transport, we have five honest, straightforward core values:

1. Safety-minded: We believe in putting safety first, so you’re always as safe as possible on the job.

2. Reliable/do the right thing: Our employees represent us out in the field every day. We expect them to do so in a professional manner.

3. Friendly and approachable: Good old-fashioned politeness never goes out of style, and it’s what we have preserved in our company’s culture for more than 38 years. 

4. Knowledgeable: Every person has a responsibility to know their position and how to perform tasks safely. We emphasize knowledge-building as a part of our training.

5. Hard-working: We’re open 24/7. Our drivers (and non-drivers) put in the work.

Know Your Equipment

Your pay is important, but that’s not the only thing you should be looking at when you’re deciding to drive for a company. You also need to look at the equipment that you’ll be using and determine if it’s equipment you can safely work with. 

The quality of the equipment a company provides can show you just how much they care about safety and maintenance. It can also reflect how financially stable the company is — healthy companies don’t have vehicles that are falling apart. 

Research the Company

Don’t forget to research the companies that have jobs you’re considering. It’s not enough to look at pay or even the equipment you’ll use. You’ll also want to look at company reviews from past employees, current employees, customers, and others. 

The company’s reputation will reflect back on you. A company with accolades and awards is a good place to start, as is one with a reputation for a positive work environment.

Why You Should Choose Pride

Why work with Pride Transport? At Pride, we put our employees first. We believe in upholding our core values and supporting you in your new role. 

Starting with our trucks, you’re going to love that they’re clean, cool, and reliable. Like our name, we take pride in our fleet. We want to have not only the safest drivers but also the safest, best-equipped trucks on the road. Our equipment includes both manual and automatic transmission trucks. And as for age? Our fleet’s average is just 23 months. 

We currently use:

• Freightliner Cascadia Next Gen
• Peterbilt 579
• Freightliner Cascadia Evolution

Take a look at our equipment page to read more about our fleet and why we believe it’s the best in the industry.

We offer an excellent driver benefits package as well as ways to earn above and beyond mileage. Some of the benefits we offer include:

• Health insurance through UMR
• Dental insurance through Delta Dental
• Life insurance through LifeMap Group
• Vision insurance through EyeMed
• An employee assistance program (Ulliance) with counseling, coaching, work-life materials, and more
• Supplemental insurance to protect against critical illness, short-term disability, and other risks
• 401k retirement plans through Securian Financial and the Utah Trucking Association with a 20% of employee contribution discretionary employer match

Benefits aren’t the only reason to work with us at Pride. We also give back to our local community and use our platform for good. Our employees (that could include you) have opportunities to work with charities via payroll deductions and volunteer opportunities. 

Our partner charities include:

• Primary Children’s Hospital
• Salt Lake Truck Show
• The Utah Food Bank
• Operation Underground Railroad
• Truckers Against Trafficking

These are just some of the reasons to consider a career at Pride. Ready to take a deeper look at our job listings? Check out our career openings to learn more.