As a professional truck driver, it is often assumed that your whole life is spent on the road. But, at Dot Transportation, Inc. (DTI), we know the most important parts of your life happen when you aren’t behind the wheel. That’s one of the many reasons why we offer a variety of schedule options and job types—so Dot drivers can choose one that best fits their lifestyle.
One of the many schedule options available at DTI is the “traditional” schedule, also known as a customer delivery specialist (CDS).
The traditional schedule at DTI can vary slightly depending on which location the driver is based out of. But all traditional drivers across all locations have at least one thing in common—they get home weekly. CDS drivers deliver around two loads per week and are typically out for two to three days at a time. But, like we mentioned before, this can vary. It all depends on which distribution center (DC) or terminal you’re based out of and how far away a customer is from your location.
At DTI, we know our drivers can give you better, first-hand knowledge about the Dot Experience than anyone at our corporate office. So we spoke to them to get their take on how driving the traditional schedule for Dot Transportation is better than what you’ll find at other trucking companies.
Home Time, Stability, & Career Growth for a National Guard Veteran
Philip Gainous, Dot Foods Delaware traditional no-touch driver trainer, has been with DTI for two years. After leaving the Delaware Air National Guard, Phil was looking for a new career. Between the home time, pay, and growth opportunities, Phil knew DTI was where he wanted to be.
“Dot’s scheduling options offer more home time than the average trucking company,” said Phil. “It is set up to achieve more home/work balance and lets you make a decent living, as well.”
Phil was drawn to Dot because of our low turnover rates. To Phil, that meant he would find stability, longevity, and upward mobility if he joined our team.
“At other companies, there was just no sure way to know what the future held,” said Phil. “At Dot, I know my paycheck is going to clear.”
Phil has found fulfillment at Dot through his schedule and his promotion to driver trainer. And he has found that his students feel the same way. In the classes Phil teaches for DTI’s training and orientation program, he always has students saying great things about the schedule. The week we talked to him, Phil had three students say that DTI has the best home time, pay, and benefits they could find in the market.
From HVAC to Dot Driver: A “Life-Changing” Career Switch With Options to Fit Driver’s Lifestyles
Josh James, Dot Foods Indiana customer delivery specialist (CDS), has been driving for DTI for six years. For Josh, switching careers from his previous HVAC profession—where he had no benefits and mediocre pay—to being a professional driver with Dot Transportation was “life-changing.”
Josh was able to leverage the State Earn and Learn (SEAL) program through the state of Indiana and Dot’s Warehouse to Driver Program so he could continue earning a living while going to driving school to get his Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL). Once he got his CDL, he was able to start driving for Dot immediately.
“Depending on what your life is like at home, DTI has all the different schedules and roles,” said Josh. “It’s great because you can pick which one works best for you.”
Being on the traditional schedule at Dot works well for Josh and his family. The way Josh’s schedule is laid out, “I only sleep in my truck two or three times a week. I am home a lot more than people realize.”
While his wife and daughters were wary of Josh’s transition to truck driving at first, they all agree that between the work/life balance, pay, and benefits, they wouldn’t want him driving for anyone else.
“DTI provides a good work life/home life balance,” said Josh’s wife, Jen. “We’ve looked all over and we can’t find anything like what Dot offers—we’ve never found a company that even comes close to the pay and home time we’ve found with DTI.”
One of the major benefits for the James family was that Josh’s new job allowed Jen to stay home with their kids when they were younger without causing the family to stress over making ends meet. This flexibility in their financial life allowed the James’ to prioritize their family in the way that worked best for them. Today, Jen has gone back to work because the kids are older. But she shares that the time she was able to have at home with her kids was “the most important thing for our family.”
Even today, the James’ continue to benefit from DTI’s flexibility—just in a different way.
“They’re so flexible,” said Jen. “If Josh really needs to be home at one of the kids’ events, Dot does everything they can to work with him so he doesn’t have to use paid time off (PTO).”
“Dispatch is so supportive of drivers,” said Josh. “They want to help you if things come up in the middle of the week—no questions asked.”
“If I were ever to get out of a Dot truck, it would be because I decided to leave the trucking industry,” said Josh. “I can’t see myself working anywhere else.”