Schneider, Roehl, FFE, Swift, Stevens.. HELP!!

Hi Young, I'm in the process right now too, started it in mid december. Spent a lot of time searching these forums, google, and youtube. Shortened my list and sent out applications. After getting accepted by all three I had applied to I narrowed down my decision and chose the best one for me. From my research they all have good things and bad things and for me it just came down to what worked out best for me. In my case I am 44 and this is my second career so I most likely look at some things a lot differently than you. The big thing that was really stressed from the people I have me through this forum is the OTR part and to be prepared to be out for a while. I've been divorced for a number of years now and have significantly lightened my load as far as worldly possessions thus I am in a good position to be out for a while. I also have a Military background and understand how that works. In the Air Force it was called Air Force needs, i.e., you were home when they let you... Anyways, best of luck in your search, this forum has been a great place for me to learn information.

 

What do plan on doing? do you want alot of home time? there is a thread on here about everyone of those company's. it comes down to how you want to run and what kinda freight you want to haul

 

Those are good companies to start with. For Schneider, I think you will need to get done with a school first. Other companies like Swift, Stevens Roehl, FFE have their own school. For Stevens, the only way you could go to their school in Dallas is if only you live in the state of Texas. If you dont, then they will send you to some schools to get you your CDL.

 

Roehl has a terminal in Ellenwood, right by Atlanta.


Joe

 

First, I want to wish you the best of luck. Second, if you have a couple bucks, go to Amazon and buy "Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving" by Brett Aquila. Read this before making a decision. Im not saying this book is the perfect source but it will answer a lot of questions and hopefully it will help you make a more informed decision.

Also, research this forum. A lot.

 

I used to work for Schneider National, and they are a pretty good company to work for. They have a good training and orientation program, which is really nice for new drivers. They also have some nice simulators for use in teaching defensive driving techniques, which I found very helpful, especially as we are in the winter season. As far as CDL Schools go, I went to Roadmaster Driving School in West Valley City, Utah and found that it was very helpful, though I learned more about backing and being able to walk my trailer from my mentor at Schneider than I did from the school, so, together they were a nice setup. The biggest thing to consider when looking for training is, if you sign on with a carrier to do it, expect to have to give them one year work to repay for the training. If you go to a school, it is cheaper to pay all cash or use job service credits if available as student loans are expensive.\

Have fun, and be safe out there.
Thumper

 

FFE has a terminal in Atlanta, but not sure what is required for their training, if you need Texas drivers liscense or whatever.
Stevens is good; a guy posted on here today that he lives in Washington and has been accepted to Stevens school in Dallas.
Schneider has some kind of deal going with some private CDL schools, you can ask about that, it's a good company.
Atlanta is an excellent location for trucking/freight corridors, so you will have many options.