Wondering if I should pursue trucking

Well I think this says all I would ever need to know about Swift.

Swift to Pay $7.5M to Settle Unpaid Wages Lawsuit | Top Class Actions

 

Go for it, many places to see, try to find a company with dedicate route so it's not that hard on you at first, then try doing OTR. All the best.

 

There’s always one lol. I just started driving this month, am currently on my trainers truck and I love It so far. I grew up with a father that was a trucker so it was always something that had my interest. I’d say go for It especially if you wanna see the country!

 

Lisa, I did not take it personally. Swift has been a Pinata for years. I didn't deter me from starting my career there. You can spend $6,000-$8000 dollars out of pocket to attend a privately run Truck Driving School all over the Country. Most of the "MEGA" Carriers have their own Schools and will train you with no money up front. Some will even pay for your lodging and meals while in school. In return, you agree (Sign a contract) to work for them for a specified period of time, usually a year or so, to satisfy the debt for the training. To each his/her own. No matter which route you take, ALL of the CDL Schools teach you just enough to pass your State Exam. ( Pre Trip, Skills, Road test). None of them send you out the door as a "Truck Driver". That part is taken care of by a Road Trainer with which ever Company you choose to hire on with. Usually after 4-6 weeks with your Company Trainer, the Company will issue you a Truck and send you out on your own. That first Solo run will certainly get your adrenaline pumping. It takes about 6 months to a year to really get your legs under you. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you stick it out with your first Company for at least 1 year. By the time years 2 and 3 roll around, you can start to make a decent living in this industry. Expect to make 40-45K your first year. Good luck to you!

 

I often refuse loads.
And Swift is the company I work for, by the way. I've been here nearly 10 years.
One thing that is nice about Swift is that you have some options when considering a load offering.
No forced dispatch - unless you are in the wrong circumstance I guess.

To respond to a load offer we use Macro 9.
There are 3 options... Y, N, and C.
Yes, No, and Counter.
Yes is obvious. I take the load.

No requires a valid reason for a flat out refusal.
A home time request is a valid reason if the load offer is sending you in the wrong direction.

Counter is a way of saying that you can not, or will not do the load in the time allotted.
You can counter it with your own pick up and/or delivery time to more suit your own requirements.
If the times don't match up to the customers requirements, the load offer will be taken off you.
I use this one most often.

Or you can simply ignore it after you read it, and it will expire in 30 minutes.
It may be sent again and again, in which case you would have to do a proper reply with mac 9.