Frustrated: Looking for some top rated company sponsored training programs

Welcome to the forums Vinny!

What your seeing is, unfortunately a trend with the industry. But give me a moment and I'll kind of touch on what you've said here.

First, take everything recruiters tell you with a grain of salt. Their job is to recruit you and often they'll say anything they have to to get you to sign on.

Swift has more than one school. As for the one in Memphis, it isn't Swift that was raided, but the licensing office at their campus that was. No one really knows the whole story about what was going on up there because none of the agencies involved are talking. If your interested in swift, ask to attend one of their other schools.

I'm not personally aware that the same folks who own Swift owns Central Refridge. If they do then I'm supprised because Central seems like a much better company. I'd check that out with the FMCSA to be sure that is true if you were told that, unless someone else here can confirm that for fact.

I hadn't heard that, I know they use Drivers Solutions and if they require you to get there on your own that would be a new one. Just about everyone will get you there, but if you fail out you are usually responsible for getting yourself back home.

First of all, I'll tell you and many others will that there is no perfect company. Especially for inexperienced drivers. Since you live in Dallas and looks like you would like to stick around there for your training (I did) and you need a company sponsored school then I'd suggest you check out:

• Schneider who has a training facility on I-20.
• Stevens Transport who has one off Military Parkway.
• Werner Enterprises who trains off of I-20.
• CR England who trains off US67.

Those are just a few I know for a fact train in Dallas.

But let me tell you up front that every one of those companies have a bad rep in one way or another. But company rep is not always what it seems to be. I've met drivers from all those companys who love them. And just as many who hate them.

However, and this is just my personal opinion, if you want good schooling and don't really care about the company other than for that training and "doing your time" then I'd go with either Schneider or Stevens. But that's just me, and that opinion is from what I've seen and experienced training around them for the last month.

Others will probably disagree with me and flame me hard for it, but you asked for advice and I'm giving what I can

Another option you have is self financing, there are about ten driver training companies in Dallas that are not directly affiliated with a school which will allow you to finance your education then help place you once you complete.

For instance my school got me nine pre-hires the first week I was there, even though I already had the pre-hire from the company I wanted to go to work for (Crete Carrier) before I even attended school.

Now, I paid cash for my schooling up front, and you stated you could not do that. But financing can be affordable if you do it right. Some of the better but cheaper places to look is the Dallas County Community College District. Two of the campuses (Eastfield and Mountain View) both offer the course and it is generally cheaper than going to one of the private schools and both are WIA qualified if you can get it from the Texas Workforce Commission.

Hope some of this helps, I wish you the best of luck in your quest to join the Trucking Industry. Keep us posted!

 

I'm sorry about that Vinnie, you know us Texas folks. There is only one 'real' Dallas.

But really the same applies for all the companies I listed, each will transport you to training if necessary. Unfortunately I do not know about anyone that has a training facility in Georgia, but there is probably one.

And you still might check out your local unemployment commission. Every state has a WIA program as it is based on federal funds.