Carolina Cargo is a smaller trucking company that started out as a one-man operation and has since grown into a $25 million business. Working with a smaller company, you’ll find that this company is more forgiving and is one of the trucking companies that hire felons because they believe in giving people a second chance.
Smaller in size, the company has been around for nearly 20 years and now has a fleet of 100 trucks driving over 250,000 miles per year.
Located in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Carolina Cargo has the following driver requirements:
- 23 years of age or older
- CDL A license
- High school or equivalent education
- Clear motor vehicle registration
- No DUIs in the past 5 years
- No more than 5 minor violations in the past 5 years
- No chargeable accidents in the previous 5 years
All potential drivers will need to pass the Carolina Cargo drug test screening to be able to work with the company.
Carolina Cargo trailers are offered to drivers, so you will not need or be required to have your own truck to work with the company.
Benefits and Incentives of Working with Carolina Cargo
When working with the company, you’ll receive the following benefits:
- No-touch freight
- Health insurance
- Satellite communication
- Incentives for top performers
Incentives are given to all drivers that are with the company for a long period of time. The incentives that you can expect include:
- Yearly pay raises of 10%, up to 50% higher than the base salary
- Bonuses for over 17,000 miles driven per month
- $500 safety bonus per 100,000 safe miles driven
- On-time bonus for all trips
- Fuel bonus for maintaining 6.81 MPG or higher a trip
- Training bonus
- $1,000 bonus paid yearly for staying with the company
- $2,000 sign-on bonus paid for first year of employment
When you drive with Carolina Cargo, you can expect 5 days off for every 3 round trips that are completed. This allows for sufficient home time and is a major perk when working with the company.
Carolina Cargo Pay Scale
[alert-warning]What it all comes down to for new drivers is how much does this company pay?[/alert-warning]
And it’s low. While the company does not discuss their pay outside of orientation, there is information provided from drivers that went to orientation in 2013.
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You’ll be driving at least 5,500 miles a week.
Pay is provided on a truck split and is .20 per mile. What does this mean? This is a team operation. You’ll be splitting your driving with another person, and you will both split the .20 cpm. So, you’ll be earning .10 cpm.
During the third day of orientation, you’ll also find out the following:
- There is no tuition reimbursement provided
- No sick leave
- No vacation pay
- No paid holidays
What can you expect to make per week?
Many drivers state that they earn around $800 a week on average – not bad for a starting company. Keep in mind that this company is seen as a stepping stone in the industry and that a lot of drivers are former felons trying to make a living when they get out of jail.
Overall, the pay is on par with what you would expect given the circumstances.
What is important to note about Carolina Cargo is that your paid per trip.
The trip can be a long one, too. For example, you leave South Carolina to go to Georgia and then Florida, Nevada, Texas and California before returning back to the office. You won’t be paid at each of these stops. You’ll only be paid after the entire trip is finished.
So, you may not be paid for a week or 10 days, depending on the trip.
If you need to be paid on a regular basis, this may not be a smart choice for you. The company does pay out in a responsible manner. What many past drivers state in their Carolina Cargo reviews is that they will only pay for the last trip after you go to the exit interview. To be clear, we are not able to verify this claim, but it is readily available on the interwebs. Obviously, there seems to be a few legal issues that could arise if the claim is true make sure you understand this before leaving the company.
The Carolina Cargo hiring area isn’t clearly defined, but please note the company is located in Rock Hill, SC.
You’ll need to be close to the main office if you want the job in most cases. A small outfit, the company has only 150 drivers that they work with, and most of these drivers live in the surrounding areas.
On the outside, Carolina Cargo looks like a company that most new drivers may want to avoid, but this is a company that is all about second chances. Carolina Cargo will take drivers that no other trucking company will. For convicted felons, they should be a good starting point in the industry and a solid way to pay their bills and do so without being discriminated against thanks to the company.
If you’re just starting out or have a past criminal conviction, Carolina Cargo may be the right choice for you.