i know thier are a million posts on swift and i have read as many as i can find, and a good 90% of them are bad. but thier school is based in columbis and thats only a 2 hr drive compared to schneider which is in winsconson, and pam's traning which is in indiana, so it would seem swift to be the most practical, now everyone says its all in how hard you work, but how can someone be "lazy" in trucking. its a hard job with hours on end of repetitive driving (something i love to do) i just wanna pass this frikkin test so i can get out of mcdonalds! after 4 years of managing that place for 800 dollars a month, i need out!!! ive got a finace and a $500 a month rent. and $220 car pament. so im used to being broke. well enough rambling about my crazy life, i just wanna start fresh and ive always wanted to drive a truck. so what do i do?? i jest need someone to help me. swift? (they seem to be easy to get a cdl with) pam (gotta go to indiana and transfer liscense to indiana to take the test to maybe get a cdl) or schneider (seems to be the most thourough and hardest to get a cdl) responces appreciated

Hey there RYI,

I believe they have a school in Trenton, Ohio and they have a much much better rap sheet than Swift. Swift is a big company with a lot of problems and they will drive you into the ground or starve you out waiting for loads. Just my opinion hope it helps. Good Luck!

hey thanks largecar!!! i checked it out and they seem awsome@!!!!!! so far they're blowing pam outta the water! and pam was the one i was leaning tward, im gonna call the recruter guy and get more info ty so muck you've been an amazing help! this company seems to be rarely talked about and no one has ANY bad to say about them, so im gonna check it out and let you all know!

I am in the same boat that you are in. I was looking for a decent company but all the stuff i read about swift and pumpkin scares me. What company are you referring to. I would like to check them out too.

It boils down to what you want to do in trucking. Swift has a bad record because they are cheap. They take drivers with 6 months experience and make them driver trainers. That robs you of the training you need. They don't pay very well and there's no future with a company like that.

I know alot of soon to be drivers are kind of stuck on who they can go with because of money. You've read on this board about going to school on your own because then you will not be tied to any one company. But if you need the money it's very difficult to do. Most of us will say you need a bank stash to hold you over. But that's almost impossible when you're living paycheck to paycheck.

I would suggest that you set yourself some goals. Both long term and short term. Long term would be where you want to work or drive a certain type of truck and you'll retire from there. Short term would be getting the best training (even if you have to do it on your own) and keeping your record clean. Lets face it companies like swift do not have drivers making that company a career. But you can use the lower companies just like they're going to use you. Get your experience and good work habits now and later on your be able to go to a job you really want. So the time you put in now is only your stepping block to a better job.

I hear alot of people that want to drive a truck and think once they get their CDL it's all they need. But you'll find out soon enough that the lower companies can be a bag of worms at times and might not be what you're looking for. I'd much rather hear a person say I'm going into trucking and eventuality will haul nuclear waste for so and so. Or something along those lines that shows that person is looking down the road and trying to get the best job they can.

You are very welcome. I see that you are from Youngstown, Ohio? I am originally from Martins Ferry, Ohio. Small world. I have looked around on here and all I have found on Millis Transfer is very positive feedback. Their training isn't to expensive either. Good Luck to you and hang in there!

blueeyes, I was talking about Millis Transfer, check them out on the web and see what ya think? Hope this helps you.

I think it can be equated with your spouse asking the question, "Does this dress make me look fat??"
ANSWER: No, dear, the six pieces of KFC you stuffed in during David Letterman did...

If you were able to formulate the question, then you likely already know the answer... you just didn't like it,
and were looking for someone to give you a different answer... in other words, LIE... and the best person
to do this would be... a recruiter.

__________________
No good deed goes unpunished...

I have Worked for Swift for 1 Year and I know they have there issues but overall I love it they keep me rolling i average 3100 miles a wk and my dm is awesome ur gonna have issues with any company u go with but if u pull up ur britches and work hard then Swift is one of the best

Just where the hell are you based? and if you are getting 3100 miles a week, you must be running dedicated. either way, i might have to call BS on this. im lucky to get 2000 miles a week.....LUCKY. i've been averaging 1800. Now there are a few reasons for that. 1) i'm new....only been solo for about 10 weeks, maybe they are just trying to fill me out. 2) my DM just plain sucks and dont realize that he works for ME....or 3) freight is just super slow....

where u based, i'll assume you run all 48, if not whats your 'comfort zone'? I ran the 910, was getting jack for miles, so after christmas i went all 48. I usually got a couple 600 mile loads and a few 100+ mile runs for the week....but the biggest check i have seen was almost $600 take home. I was planning on $700 a week.

buddy of mine from orientation is on a Dollar Tree dedicated account and is bringing home $1000/wk. but he unloads his own trailer.

oh...and my DM can pull up my log sheets, and tell that i never reach my 14 hr clock unless i've been sitting at a shipper/cosigner waiting to get un/loaded...and most of the time is spent driving. he can tell i want to roll, when i drive 9-10 hours a day, and only stop for 60-90 minutes for breaks. and i get my $#!T there on time......so where are the miles?? I was stuck on the east coast for a while, and there was NO freight coming out of there. same in the great lakes area. they had to reposition me from columbus, oh to memphis to get into a better position.