Prime or Central Refrigerated?

Everyone gets an APU at Prime... minimize idling.

I believe Stevens also provides APUs, not sure about Central. If Central follows Swift's lead... no APUs, and they have a punative idling policy.

 

Stevens sells used APUs in their fleet sales, so it would appear that they do have them on their trucks. I honestly can't remember if any mention of this was made when I was looking into them back in 2011... they had a job fair at a library here in Co. Springs, and I applied with them.

 

I imagine they would. They like to make their presence known in Colorado. I don't know how they are to drive for... a day or two after I applied, I got a call from a small fleet owner in Elbert asking if I wanted to pull a flatbed for him, so I went that route instead. I do remember them saying that they don't run I70 west of Denver. I'm in two minds over that policy.

 

Well, that's yours to choose, and I can't tell you what's right for you. I'd be wary about breaking into the 401k, personally, but I'm not in your shoes.
One thing to consider.. with the company schools, it's not like they actually own you. The financial obligation is so that you don't have to pay for school.. if you change companies before that time is up, then they send you a bill, and you work out a payment plan with them.. I believe.. people like to make it seem as if they've got a ball and chain around your ankle when you go through a company school. They might even depreciate the cost based on the time you spent as an employee of theirs.. that would be something to ask the prospective companies about.
Either way, you really take the same risk. It's a high turnover industry, and there's a large portion of people who get into it and don't last in it. But, if you can hack it and keep your CDL clean, you can find some form of employment pretty much wherever you go. When I first moved to Co. Springs, I was told the city was jobless, I wasn't going to find work very quickly, etc. I waited until my second week here to go on the job hunt, and had a job three days later, and I've been consistently employed since. So piss on the naysayers.

 

A reputation as a job hopper will impair you. But if you find a company you want to work for which says, "well, now you have enough experience, we'll hire you", then you've already been accepted, so what are you worrying about? If you get six months in, find a better company, apply, and get a green light, then what's the issue?
People understand that drivers are quick to leave entry level carriers when something better (or something they perceive as better) comes along. Now if you spend six months here, three months there, four months elsewhere, then five months over yonder, that is what can bite you - in the immortal words of Forrest Gump - IN TH'BUTT-OCKS.