Which training company to start with?

After 6 or 8 years of battling a 9-5 schedule and wishing I was driving a truck, I'm finally about to get started. I need my CDL and training, and am planning to go to a "driver mill" company to get that plus a year of driving experience before switching to a good company. I've read all the horror stories about training companies, but I know that I can make it by being smart, quiet, patient, and hardworking - all things I'm good at anyway. I don't have the budget or driving record (speeding in 2009, reckless in 2003) to go to a private school and start with a decent company right away, and I can take my lumps. So, I'd like some input on what company would be good (or maybe "not awful" is good enough) to do the company-sponsored training and get some experience. My research on this forum has led me to consider the following:

Stevens
Swift
Prime
Roehl
Watkins Shepard
USA Truck
Central Refrigerated

I'm single with no personal attachments, young, fit, adaptable, and smart. I find that I never seem to mind any of the things in life that others complain about. So I don't mind if I never get home time, have to throw tarps on a flatbed, sleep in CA without idling, wait 5 hours for my next load, or any of the other things people complain about in trucking. I live in southern Oregon and would prefer a company that has a lot of freight in the west, but am happy to "relocate" to somewhere that's in some company's hiring area. Since I don't have a house or family to go home to and everything I own is in my car, my address means nothing more than some numbers and letters.

I know I need to talk to recruiters to get some real answers, but I'd like help prioritizing my list so I start with the best of these bottom feeders. Which are better than others? I'm thinking Roehl, Prime, Central? Am I missing other worthwhile places that offer their own CDL training? Thanks!

Alex

 

Thanks for the info. I'm planning on doing OTR - all I want is a minimum of BS and a maximum of miles, so I'm not interested in regional and line haul. I just spent a bunch of time reading a bunch of threads about Prime, Stevens, and Swift, and of those, I'm leaning towards Prime. But all opinions are welcome.

 

Thanks for the info. Does Schneider have their own school? I think their website said they have a program to hire drivers from approved (probably PTDI certified) schools, but they don't have their own training. They'd be on my list if they do!

 

That's good to know. All I can find on their website is this:
http://www.schneiderjobs.com/CompanyDrivers/TruckDrivingSchoolGraduates/index.htm

I can call a recruiter, of course, but I'd marked them off my list because it looked like they don't have their own school or sponsor you in a third party school - they just reimburse you for the $$$ you put into school after you're driving.

My local community college has a CDL training class, but it's not much different than the private ones: Pay a few grand, sit in class and/or drive for 4 weeks, sign up with a recruiter that visits the school, and get reimbursed after you start driving. That's a good way to go, but I don't have the budget for that. Also, my less-than-3-year-old speeding ticket makes me ineligible to drive for at least one of the companies that hire from my local community college. I talked to the recruiter at Gordon already about that and would expect a similar response from most other companies that hire that way. So that's why I'm pretty set on getting started with the bottom feeders who will take anyone - I just need some experience driving while my ticket turns 3 years old, then I can go anywhere.

I drove a school bus for a while, and have my Class B CDL from that. So I could drive a straight truck, dump truck, tour bus, etc. Anyway, I'm not sure if I actually need the CDL learner's permit since I already have the Class B, but if so it's nothing - just make some marks on paper and pass the test again. Once I pick a school the recruiter will tell me if I need that.

Thanks, and keep the info coming!