Company CDL Training

You seem pretty dead set on Stevens, I see 'em out here plenty - trucks are in good shape and they're usually being driven in a safe manner.
Remember they're governed at 60 mph for the most part, so you'll learn to keep the left door shut. Note Chinatowns comment on the waiting for loading too.

I always recommend paying for your own schooling but realize it's not in reach for everybody.

Prime is worth checking into - I'd avoid Central due to the Swift merger, and even before the merger - I'd see those kids at the motel in Rialto on training . . .

Either way good luck. We all gotta start somewhere.

P.S. - Navajo out of Denver - training?

 

Good thing about your area is, it should be easy to get home. If that's important to you?

I also recommend a local school if you can swing it. It keeps you from "locking in" with a specific company. It puts YOU in the drivers seat, Figuratively and literally! But if you can't, You can't.

Good luck!!! My word of advice is, Learn ALL you can in the job you HAVE, While searching for the job you WANT!!!

 

SlowPoke's right; terminal location has no bearing on the ability to get home with the national carriers. Everybody runs through Denver, so you're in a good spot. Most companies have some policy on being allowed to take the truck home if you are not within a certain range (50-100 miles) of a terminal, provided you have a legal place to park the truck, and permission to park it there.

Prime was my first choice, and I still highly recommend them. The only reason I am not with them was due to their lack of female trainers. I've heard that they've had some policy changes since then, and that's not the problem it used to be.

As far as terminals go, Central *is* Swift. Both companies are using all terminals. The difference between Central and Swift is simple... reefer or dry van. Reefer is, by its nature, mostly live load/unload. Swift is mostly drop and hook.

I'm coming up on my one year anniversary with Swift. My only complaint is that the pay rate (on National OTR) at the start is not that great, but frequent raises throughout the first year get it up to what everyone else is paying. I have never been starved for miles. Yes, there have been light weeks where freight is slow, but that's the nature of the business. I've seen the drivers at the terminals complaining that they've been sitting there for days, but these are the same drivers who (proudly!) boast that they never run the Northeast. (Yes, there's a correlation.) After a month of running solo, I landed a great dedicated position that pays well. We have drivers that start here, right off of their mentor's truck. Not one day on National. Swift is aggressively going after dedicated accounts (like Walmart and Target store delivery), and these usually pay better than National.

FYI: Going to Swift Academy (their training school) does NOT force you to drive for Swift, despite what others are saying. I had offers from three other companies when I graduated.

Bottom line: For the first six months, it doesn't matter who you run with. After six months of driving, the possibilities open up. Keep your nose clean, maintain a 100% on-time delivery record, and you can go wherever you want.

 

Navajo requires minimum 140 hr. CDL school. They don't have their own school.

 

this might help http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...r-voice-data/230765-unlimited-data-plans.html

 

I start my school in phoenix next month. Leaving a lucrative job driving a power plant from the control room. I just got tired of the 16-18 hour shift work and too much politics, getting yelled and cussed at by upper management, and forced to do very unsafe things jepordizing peoples lives and breaking equipment. Saved up a lot of money to help with the first year of driving. kind of curious how much truckers at swift are making after the first year weekly after ins. and taxes? And how much to dedicated routes make? is it by the mile or paid by the load?

 

How much? "It depends". There are a LOT of variables involved. I believe that National (48 states) gets 32 cents/mi, and 2500 miles/week is typical. If you're a "runner", you can often get more. Northeast pays more per mile, but the runs are often shorter.

Dedicated pay is all over the map. It ranges from linehaul (the National pay scale) on up. Most is based off mileage, though some pay flat rate by trip or by day.