Looking to start

Before settling on a company talk to the drivers. The recruiters are full of BS and not to many people take time to tell the internet about how great a company is. Swift for example. might not be as bad as the reputation that they have. Talked to a few of their drivers. and they seemed happy. I know the jokes are as numerous as Chuck Norris jokes but if I see a truck in the ditch it's usually FedEx or some no name. And remember believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see. Take your time and find the company that best fits you. And remember most of us are paid by miles. Your first question should be what are the average miles. They may offer you .50 cpm but if you only drive a 1000 Miles you are better off at .26cpm at 3000 miles.

 

Get a little duffle bag and fill it with cheap foods from Walmart, Dollar General, etc.; the school, hotel, truckstops will have free microwave ovens. Here's a few things to take:

Flip-flops for showering
oversize sleeping bag (no sheets/blankets)
pillow
coffee cup with snap-on lid
Ramen noodles
instant coffee/tea/hot choc.
instant oatmeal
canned soups w/can opener
canned tuna
Bennie-weenies
anything else you like that a microwave can heat.

Buying food and drinks in truckstops will cost you 3 or 4 times as much as at Walmart or Dollar General.

 

I hate swift, but do believe the training academy is second to none. You need a few hundred bucks to survive the 3 weeks training, but I got my cdl first time through and hadn't even seen the inside of a semi when I showed up. Also, I actually made more with my mentor than I did OTR solo. So, go to swift train academy, make 2k with your mentor, finish, then bounce outta there. - My .02 -

 

I took my CDL permit test today failed Air Brakes so I have to wait 7 days to retake.Im suppose to be at the academy on Dec 2nd now I won't get there until the 9th.Someone said Stevens will hire anyone that's not true they turned me down for work history Swift only needed notarized letters from two people.Clean MVR,Clean criminal record,No accidents or tickets,drove in the military.What more could a employer ask for 20 year veteran.To all truckers and their families have safe and enjoyable thanksgiving.(back to studying air brakes)

 

Remember these are the holiday weeks. Things usually slow down, then back up to full steam after the new year gets started. Don't be in a hurry as they're going to do background checks, employment verification, everything that's unique to how they do business.

 

How many companies have you applied to so far? Some are faster than others, but two weeks is a long time to hear from someone. I averaged anywhere from same day to four days later with most of my applications. Smaller companies took more time than some of the big ones.

 

CR England called me the same day. Swift was on the phone with me within five minutes of hitting the submit button and Stevens took about a week maybe a little longer.

 

That sounds about right. CR England called me quickly and incessantly after submitting my application to a resume blasting website (huge mistake... don't fall for those).