So If I Go to a Mega to Get My CDL and One-Year's Experience...

They are all basically the same. They all don't teach you how to drive. They teach you on how to pass the CDL test.
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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Swift is ok. Future companies won't care about that anyway. Future companies will be interested in your driving record and that's about it. Stay ticket free and wreck free, and that's what matters. Having refrigerated experience is a big plus.

 

TT website gets headhunter fees for pushing certain companies cdl training. That guy that owns the site gets most of his information from plagiarism of Truckers Report website.

 

TT is industry sponsored. Go over there and criticize a mega for anything and watch how fast the mods boot you off.

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.

 

Go with Swift.

 

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!