There are a lot of good companies that will take student drivers. You can find them if you look in here. Don't make the same mistake I did in 1998 when I got my cdl. You will forever regret working for a bad company.

Its obvious turbo that you are a man on a mission.The downfall and destructive evil enterprise named swift.I did worked for them cant say I share your level of resentment ,actually Im sure I could complain about certain individuals within the company but not the whole entity as an evil empire.I could certainly look for the negative in any company Ive worked.You are such an expert as anyone can see, maybe on a more positive note you can point me in the right direction.Which leads to my question, who is the best company to drive for these days?Obviously not swift.Maybe youd sleep better at night if you put more energy into helping old and new drivers find the best trucking company.Better yet maybe you need to start your own company.you could call Not so swift? Just a suggestion Im sure you will come up with a better name.Im hungrygator,Look me up on here I said a few words about swift.

First of all, thanks for your comments.

I'm sure it could be viewed that way by some, and you're right. It wouldn't break my heart at all if they filed bankruptcy tomorrow.

I don't resent them. I don't think they offer a decent working environment for newbies. Experienced drivers should know that they are a bad egg. I don't think they take safety issues seriously enough. That company is operated under shoddy managment, with no regard for anything but making money.

When have I ever typed the words "evil empire" to describe them? I haven't.

Well...that depends. I don't generally help people that poop on me.

Let me respond with a question of my own. What is the best car for me to drive? Your recommendation may not fit the criteria that I have when looking for a car.

In order to answer any question as to what company one should drive for, that person would need to fill in some rather large blanks. I don't know where you live, where you like to travel to, what you may be seeking in terms of hometime, what you are seeking in terms of income....lots of stuff.

It's apparent to me that you must not have read very much of this site, if that is your take on me. I sleep fine, thank you.

I've owned two already, and had interest in a third. Made a killing on them when I sold them.

Uh...yeah, I think I could do a little better.

Uh...okay...

I drove for Swift for 2 1/2 years till just recently. For all the bad things you can say about them (all true) there are some positives as well. First,
is the driver manager. I had 3 of them during my time there, the first 2 were fantastic, the last one was a real jerk. It got to the point that I would wait till I knew he wasn't in the terminal if I had to call for some reason. He just seemed to hate life and have a negative attitude about everything and he usually talked to me like I was a dog that just crapped on his living room rug. A driver manager (good or bad) can make or break a driver. Next is just the styma of working for Swift. When I first started I had no idea of the reputation of the company (well deserved in most cases). So I bought Swift shirts and a cap from the company store. I walked through truck stops proudly wearing my Swift gear and other drivers would make fun of me, tell me Swift jokes (we've all heard them) and insult me to my face and I've never seen these people before. On the CB, it was even worse (because of the anonimity, I suppose). Other drivers just seem to assume that because I was with Swift that I was brand new and the biggest hazzard on the road. (I've had my CDL since 1986 and have been a local driver for many years. I just decided to go OTR after the kids were grown and out of the house). Anyway my bottom line is this: Swift can be a good place to "get your feet wet" in the industry, then go on to bigger and better things. I feel as though I've "paid my dues", I left Swift Feb 1 and am scheduled to go to orientation at US Express this coming Monday. I'm hoping I like it there, if not, I'll just have to move on till I'm happy. Wish me luck.

Hey good luck to you.

They are a starting point for many, many truckers. Swift is a place to learn the trade and hone the skills.

Because of the "rookie" status of the majority of their driver pool, and the shear size of the company they make a lot of mistakes. And, these mistakes are rarely made in private. They happen out in public where everybody has chance to observe and comment.

Before Swift came into being there was another company that took the brunt of many jokes and puns. They were also famous for their mistakes, and everybody rode them hard. "Big R" was their code name, and Roadway Express was on the doors. Those guys used to really catch a lot of grief.

Get away from Swift and find a good company.The answer to if Bush is a succsess how do you define a failure ,thats easy. failure =John Kerry,Hillary Clinton,Bill Clinton,Ted Kennedy,just to name a few.

I'm confused, you go from Swift to US EX. You would be hard pressed to find two companines more alike... both have horrible, well earned reputations... frying pan into the fire sort of thing..

Unfortunately, sometimes those "mistakes" involve other motorists, hence their reputation.

__________________
Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

After doing some more research, I've decided against USX. I've just heard too many things about them that I don't like, and if a lot of people are saying the same things, then I've gotta believe it's true. A lot of people have told me that I would be better off with a smaller more local company, so that's where I'm gonna put my energies. Besides, after talking to that recruiter a couple more times, I think he probably was just blowing sunshine up my rear. So, I'm still unemplyed, but hopefully not for long.
I appreciate everyones input and advice.