Greetings and Great Things!

Greetings and great things from San Diego, CA! My name is Mitch Beddoe and I'm stoked to finally be a part of this forum.


I decided to start considering the trucking industry over the course of this year and I can't wait to see what's in store for me. I've always enjoyed driving and even had my own Econoline-150 for nearly 7 years plus a trailer I hauled during my college years for my band. I was always the one behind the wheel keeping everyone safe during the drive and making sure we all showed up on time and in good condition - I look forward to applying that mindset towards any future commercial driving endeavors.


Post college life left a lot of room for personal and professional growth but nothing seemed to stick and after four years since graduating I ended up landing a sales job at a sunglasses company called Gatorz based near Temecula, roughly 40 miles from my home in Escondido. I hated the job and the bs management but I always enjoyed the long drive through the Temecula mountains each day.


One day while driving home after a frustrating day of trying to set up vendors for the company I recall approaching a big rig just ahead of me to the right and remember thinking "why can't I just do that?!" No boss over your shoulder, being part of a functioning system, enjoying the view and the drive - just you and the road. (I know, and the dispatcher and the traffic and the noise and the truck stops and the loading dock crew and all the other schtuff people complain about!)


Fast forward a bit and after getting laid off after my 3 month probationary period was up (I think it was obvious I didn't want to be there) the idea came back to me and I started doing some research and have grown more and more intrigued and excited to tackle this new industry I actually want to be a part of. Sure it's a lot of long, lonely nights on the road but given that I'm not married and have no kids and I've always had a nomadic sense of adventure I feel this will be a great chance to explore the country, gain some expertise, save some money and enjoy what the future has in store.


After a lot of research, including following this forum, I've decided to skip the $4000-$6000 school circuit and get my training online to pass the CA-DOT permit test and, fortunately enough, I have a family friend who owns a commercial water truck and gravel truck and, upon passing my permit test, is willing to devote some time towards getting me competent and prepared for my CA Class-A license.


I'm elated to know I can circumvent the traditional standard way of entering this industry - saving myself a lot of time and money in the process. However, after some research, I learned many companies require at least 160 hours of school or a minimum of 6 months experience. Thankfully enough, the one company I wanted to start out with only requires a Class-A license and, after pre-employment and orientation, will have you out on the road training for 6-8 weeks with a mentor (DM) before getting you out on the road with your own truck. Pretty standard.


That company is...drumroll please...S...W...I...F...T.


Swift always stood out to me on the road before I ever even considered the industry so their name and image were always on my front burner going into this. I know a lot of people bad mouth them but anyone knows if you read this forum long enough you'll hear smack talked on just about every company out there.


I know their starting pay is a bit lower than other companies but as they say, your first year isn't about money, it's about experience. Plus (the kicker in my case) no driving school necessary!


Again, I don't know all the p's and q's on the situation quite yet but I had a great conversation with a Swift recruiter, Matt, out of Phoenix who filled me in on some of my questions.


He quoted 6-8 weeks mentorship training at $500-$700/week. (I know I've seen it posted $300-$400/week around trucker forums but for now I'll take him at his word)


He also quotes starting pay (west coast based) at:


.25/mile 1st-2nd month
.26/mile 3rd month
.28/mile 4th-5th month
.30/mile 6th-8th month
.31/mile 9th-11th month
.32/mile full year


Sure there are better paying companies out there in the long run but given the big picture of my circumstance I think they're a great place to start with two terminals near me in Fontana and Otay Mesa. I also used to live in Seattle so I'm excited by the idea to use their Sumner terminal and enjoy some time off in Washington visiting friends and splitting life between SoCal, the Northwest and the open road.


As of now I'm currently studying for my permit online through OnlineCDLTraining.com and plan to take the permit test starting in July then spend the majority of July into August training with our family friend in his big rig then passing the test and acquiring my Class-A no later than mid-August. Once I get my license I'm hoping to get on with Swift no later than September.


Overall I think I have a pretty good plan. Plenty of time to study and learn the ropes and prepare myself for the ups and downs of life on the road. I'll continue to post updates on my progress as they arise. Can't wait to see how things pan out and what's yet to come!


Thanks for reading!


Oddfellow

 

Hey RickG! Thanks for the head's up!

 

Just got on board with Swift! Been documenting my entire journey on YouTube as well! Check out some of my videos if you're interested. Thanks!

youtube.com/OddfellowTrucker