Does it really matter where I go? Will the training pretty much be the same if I go to Swift/Knight, England (for sake of argument), Roehl, Prime, Schneider, Wilson, Millis, etc?
I say this because the Swift academy is 45 minutes down the road, so I wouldn't have to travel and stay in a hotel for a month. However, I don't want cut-throat training if other companies will prepare me better.
If I do go successfully through Swift, will more reputable companies in the future look down on my training?
What say ye?
So If I Go to a Mega to Get My CDL and One-Year's Experience...
Discussion in 'Trucking Schools and CDL Training Forum' started by hidden1, Feb 10, 2021.
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About the only two megas to avoid are England and CRST. Everyone else is about equal in how they treat people. Some get a bad rap, but that's mostly just because of how big they are.
I will highly suggest to beg, borrow, whatever to get the money to pay for schooling and not have to worry about working for whichever company you choose for a year. Mainly because what if said company isn't a good fit and you hate it. -
Swift is ok, but go with Swift Refrigerated. Swift Refrigerated has a terminal in Fontana.
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hidden1 Thanks this. -
It’s interesting that on this site most favor trucking school as opposed to company training. However on the TT site they favor company training. I can see the arguments for both, but isn’t the problem with trucking school is that you still don’t have the experience upon graduation? I’m sure I’m missing something here.
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Yes, per your recommendation this is where I’m leaning. I just want my training to be some of the best there is. -
Northeast Hillbilly, Gearjammin' Penguin, nredfor88 and 5 others Thank this.
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Last edited: Feb 10, 2021
farmerjohn64, firemedic2816, hidden1 and 1 other person Thank this. -
This site likely has some industry angle as well for all I know, but they allow frank discussion of subjects unflattering to some trucking companies. TT does not.Coffey, DoubleO7, firemedic2816 and 2 others Thank this. -
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I did the Swift route and glad I did. I've had a good experience with Swift. Not all do for whatever reason, but mine has been good and I'm glad I went the Swift route.
Swift tends to have a bad rep for drivers that don't know how to drive and make mistakes. However, most of the times those incidents are rookie mistakes easily attributable to lack of experience and the bad decisions made because of it. Well, Swift is a really big company with lots of drivers and since they do start many drivers out with no experience, it isn't a statistical anomaly that you get a higher number of such incidents. Many companies won't consider a driver until they have had 2 years of experience and so you don't see their drivers making such rookie mistakes. Point being, don't let the bad rap you may hear about Swift drivers deter you from considering them.
Also, if you are a vet, you can get a higher cpm rate and if you drive refrigerated you also get more cpm (although some think the cons of driving reefer aren't worth the extra cpm, personal choice, I do). Together, I making a decent cpm rate for the industry. So, my pay is better than many with the same experience level as other starting megas.
The number one thing I like about driving for Swift is that if I feel due to weather or road conditions that it isn't wise to continue and I park it. They support it. They do not try to coerce me drive when I think it is safer to stop. Even if other drivers are still on the road. Even if the load will be late. They give me the authority I need to allow me to be safe and make the decisions I feel are the safe choices. The fact they I do not feel pressured to stay on the road when I earnestly think I should stop means a great deal to me.
I've been solo for 15 months and as things are now, I don't have a desire to move somewhere else when I get 2 years in.
Regardless of whatever choice you make, good luck to you!Last edited: Feb 10, 2021
TexasChoctaw, MIT, Chinatown and 1 other person Thank this.
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