if not swift, werner, cr england than WHERE SHOULD I START?

I've never driven for them so I can't give you any first hand experience, but May Trucking has a terminal right in Phoenix and has a training program. You can run 11 western or 48 state with them. They have their good and bad points like any other carrier, but, at least on here, there seems to be more positive comments then negative.

Lot's of info from current and former drivers right here:
http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/may-trucking/

 

since you live in the Phoenix area, i'd go with swift. you will hear about every stinking company out there being bad, and frankly most are, but if you put off deciding, the clock will tick away, making going BACK to school an all to real situation. go to swift, get it done, hell you might even like the fact they are close by, makes for more conveniences than you can imagine.

you keep waiting for a "good company", you might miss "the boat".....

 

alot of those posts are from drivers who were fired from those companies and are disgruntled,or people who had a bad attitude and thats what led them to the outcome that they got.

you can have a positive experience at ANY of those companies, they use the same business model,if you deliver on-time,dont harass your manager,easy to get along w/,dont complain,work hard, and keep a positive attitude above all else..

you will do well.

what rerun said is good advice, one of the main thing i would look at is who has the largest presence in your area and do they have dedicated and/or local positions,because thats what you will likely want to transition to at some point.

 

TMC
BTC
Maverick
Watkins Shephard
Schneider
Roehl
US Xpress
KLLM
Conway

These are just a few more companies that will hire recent grads. I cannot guarantee that you are in the hiring area for all of them, but look at their websites and you can check. There are a lot of halfway decent companies that will work with recent grads.

 

Prime has the best training, and the longest, but most starter companies suck. Prime does seem to have a LOT of loyal drivers, though.

 

All I can say is that for every loudmouth that is whining about Swift there are thousands of drivers that are happy. If you want to be an outlaw, slide by, not do things according to the boss and so forth, then yeah, you are gonna have a hard time. But if you will be a professional, not a "supa trucka", but a professional, be on time, be polite, don't whine, COMMUNICATE, do what you are supposed to then you will get along just fine. There are a whole lotta well paid happy drivers who do not have time nor inclination to whine about how mean the company is. Nothing in life is without fault nor is perfect. But 9 times out of ten, people need look no further than the mirror. They won't though, and that is why there are lawsuits about coffee too hot, slippery sidewalks and, yes, "evil ignorant multi-billion dollar revenue truck companies!

If you are smart and put in 2 years somewhere with no serious tickets or accidents, then you can get a job anywhere, anytime no matter the economy for as long as you keep your CDL and can pass the physical. Most, not all, but the huge majority, of the people pissin' and moanin' how Swift, Werner, Schneider, ad nauseum "done me wrong" could not keep a job getting paid to whine on the Internet! Much less a real job.

My best advice, find a company that actually is in business and has freight and won't play stupid ##s games with logs or mechanical and learn for yourself. I have discovered, to my great joy, that 99% of the crap I read about Swift was just that...Pure CRAP. Remember not every one who causes you a hassle at that moment is your enemy. Not every day is gonna be great. Mostly, it is what you want to make of it.

Unless you are in the 5 or so percent unlucky ones, then the only way it will not work for you with any of the bigger companies is you. There will be some howling indignation by some I imagine, but just be a professional, be smart, be on time, don't be an idiot and IF trucking is right for you, you will be able to do just fine. If you want to be an O/O you can learn the ropes and go your own way with whoever you want, or on your own authority.

 

Please I have heard this speech about starting out keeping your record clean no accidents and after two years you can go where you like and start making money. I did exactly that and I have been driving for 5 years now and I still can not make even close to what this kind of work should pay and neither is anyone else I talk to this industry is ruined and we are suckers for staying in it o/o are going under everyday and companys keep the pay low miles low and the training door revolving.

 

Then quite simply, Jerez, you were/are unrealistic. Nobody ever said you would be rich, though I know of several people who run two or three trucks that are leased to one big company and do very well for themselves. But not rich. $40,000 a year is a very reasonable middle class income.

I do not know what your education and work history is. But if you have less than 5 years experience anywhere and anything less than a 4-year degree in a useful field (Philosophy ain't exactly payin' well these days!), where else would you get that wage? The hours and lifestyle is a choice. I suspect you know it or you would be one of the many people who leave trucking.

For some it may be the wage. For others, the inability to be a professional. Funny how people, not necessarily you, want high wages but no oversight. You think doctors, lawyers, pilots, heck, even insurance people are not regulated big time? They are. Because some ##s Hat took advantage in times past. Same with truckers. If there were not thousands of fatal preventable stupid accidents per year involving CMV's then we would not likely have all the regs. That said, there are some people who cannot follow the rules, new or otherwise. But most who leave simply do not want the lifestyle. They ##### about being away from home...as if they thought trucking would involve driving in circles around their own block! Or the long hours.

Well, they all have a bad case of OCB (Other Careers Beckon). And there is not a ###### thing wrong with that. I could not be a Construction guy and yet I see them everywhere busting ### in the heat and cold to make $15 or $20 per hour...when they have work. I could not stand to be an Accountant, yet they do very nicely. I would shortly consider moving to a clock tower!

Look, I am no expert by any means, but one does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure most of this stuff out. The experience teaches you the little "tricks of the trade" that make life as a trucker easier and people like Redd or Blackwood have more than 99% of truckers. But a brand new graduate can drive safe and professionally and if they have a head on their shoulders can figure out how to make it with a company. If Orange or Blue or Yellow is not your thing, then so be it. Try Mom and Pop truck company. If you get on, you may very well get an extra 5 cents per mile or whatever.

Applebrown78, good luck. Ignore the whining and ask yourself one thing. Does what I hear make sense to me or does it somehow seem wrong? I hope you enjoy the learning curve as much as I have. I will still be learning when they put me in the grave I imagine, but it has been great so far. And I gotta get on the road now!