To be honest, I didn't even want to go OTR. I wanted something local but the local stuff that would take me was not what I was wanting to get into. However, now that I am an OTR driver, I kinda like it. After reading some of these forums while in school, I was scared to death of Swift or any big OTR company for that matter. Don't let that stuff sway you. Much of what is complained about is just trucking in general. I'm not saying there aren't problems BUT, OTR takes some getting used to and I still have SO MUCH to learn.

You don't have a lot of choice when you first start out. Just have a look in your local paper for the good local jobs and they all want 2 years OTR with clean mvr.

There's a lot that SAGE can't teach you and there are many things your trainer wants to teach, but really can't. You learn a HELL of a lot when you go solo. That's where the learnin' really comes. Get as much as you can out of the experience and ask questions, no matter how simple or embarrasing you may think they are.

Shifting will come to you so don't get flustered. Backing is still challenging to me after being out here 6 months. Some days I can back like a pro and other days I can't hit the hole if my life depended on it. It's a strange thing.

When you're out there, chat with some of the old hands in the truck stops, they'll be glad to give advice and much of it is helpful once they get past the "you don't know ####" stuff.

As for Swift being the only company to appeal to me, I don't think there's any company that really appeals to me. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to run only runs I want to where I want to go that are the best routes and most profitable to me. That's a mighty tall order for any company out there. The only way I could do that was with my own equipment and authority, which costs a helluva lot of cabbage I ain't got.

Reality is, freight has to go all over and to many places that are undesirable (to me at least) and though there are many places ALL driver's pretty much hate, you'll even find some places that many drivers don't like to go that don't bother you in the least. On the plus side, you will be seeing places you've always wondered about and can finally see for yourself.

Know your limitations and don't be swayed to go past them until you are comfortable and confident. If you're tired, park it and get some sleep. Pay close attention to the smith system. They are very helpful and practical tools to help you be a safe driver and will save your ### if you get in a jam and will likely prevent you from being in one if you really adhere to and use the keys.