Hello, many people have asked for this thread and here it is. Which is the best company to start out with.

depends on where you are, what you want to do and what companies are hiring in that area. You might just post a list of available opportunities in your area and see what people think...there are too many variables to consider to ask such a generalized question.

wELL IN MY AREA
MAVERICK
DM BOWMAN
SCHNEIDER
SWIFT
NEW CENTURY
WESTERN EXPRESS
NU WAY

Its like religion the one that you feel is best for you is the best one.

__________________
Save a target... Shoot a Tweeker
Why is common sense so damned uncommon?

(Spoiler) Swift kills Dumbledore

Every company is going to have its ups and downs. Every new driver has seen it first hand. We have to learn how stick it out till we can go o/o, get a better job or like it. I personaly think Swift is a great place to start.

Kinghunter

You need to decide what is important to you and then research these companies extensively looking for the one who has the majoirty of the items taht are on your list. What is good for me may not be good for you. Look at everything you can.

Check out the SafeStat scores. The higher the numbers the worse the company is. I look a lot at the driver scores and the summary for violations. It is easy to tell if the company "pushes" drivers to run illegal through these numbers.

When reading sites like this one understand that most of the comments on here are from disgruntled, ticked off drivers who are "getting back at the company" for what they did. Problem is, you only get one side of the story. The Bible says, "one man's story seems right until another comes along and questions him." If people would give all the facts as to why the company treated them the way they did (i.e.: how much the driver did to cause the situation) then it would be different. Think about this for a moment, one part of this website is called Trucking Company DAC reports. We know how one-sided the real DAC reports can be. The company makes inputs from their perspective and fail to see how their actions might have affected the driver. The same is true with the comments on this site.

Talk to the recruiters. You should have at least 25 questions to ask them. Don't just let them rattle off their recruiting speech. I called one, she ran through her speech and asked if I was interested. I said maybe but first I have some questions I would like to ask you. I then hit on everything that was important to me. The things that were most important I would ask in a couple of different ways at different points of my "interview". Write down the answers to each of these questions for further reference. At the end of your interview ask the most important question you can ask. "Would you be willing to put all this in writing and sign your name to it?" An honest recruiter will have no problem saying, "Yes."

Then interview drivers. Ask them some of the same things around your important issues. See if they validate the recruiter's information.

Often the pay questions come to the top. The wrong way to ask about pay is, "How many cents per mile will I get?" $0.50 a mile means nothing if you are only getting 1200-1500 miles per week. Ask questions like, how many miles are your drivers averaging per week? What is the average length of haul? (This tells how much dock time you will experience.) What is the average gross income per year? Of course there are many others that can tell you what you will really make.

It is good to make a side by side comparison of the companies you are looking at and try to narrow it down to two. Compare the items that are most important to you and see which ones come out on top. When you have narrowed it to your top two choices, then make a pros and cons list. What do I really like about this company and what really concerns me about this company? Then choose the one that best fits your situation.

You may think this is a long process but it will be worth it in the end. You will probably be happier with the company, even if it isn't the "perfect" company. See, the truth is, there are no perfect companies. But the research of the trucking company you drive for is important because trucking is different to any other job. It is more like a marriage. The better fit there is between you and your trucking company the better you will do and the happier you will be. And you will come across drivers that absolutely hate the company you work for but you can know it is a good fit for you; and that is really all that matters.

You made some good points and ones that I will remember when I go to school next month and when the recruiters come to the school I will ask them some of these questions along with asking them if they have drove for the company they are recruiting for. Thanks for the heads up.

What is it that you like about Swift? Just curious since all I really read about them is negative.

I like the fact that they use the safest truck in the world, a Volvo which is the only truck to exceed sweedish standards. Plus they have many opportunites within the company as it is very big. When I start out, Swift will be at the top on my list but I live right on the border of their hiring area and may have to move north should I decide to go with them. As many say, Florida is a one way state .

Kinghunter

well i,m a swift driver. as for safest truck ??????? WRONG!!!!! i saw, and see what good the volvo is. there is good and bad in all trucks. Seems the ones i am seeing have an electrical problem and have been known to catch fire.
i do drive a freightliner< so i cant say first hand. As for a good company???? that too remains to be seen. All companies have ups and downs. depends on how safe you are, what accounts you get onto, and what area you sign up for, and how much freight you turn down. I personally have not had a problem with them,except that getting repairs done in certain area,s STINKS !!!!! other then that if you get the chance get onto a deicated account A.S.A.P. your better off.
JD