have a cdl- no experience

I , too, am interested in a reply to this question. Thanks!

 

Try swift ..they have a cdl program.

 

It would be beneficial if you could provide more information about yourself. How did you get your CDL, what kind of driving job do you think you might like to do. How does your MVR look, do you have any criminal history.

You mentioned company sponsored schools. I cannot make any recommendations because I will be chastised to no end but I will try to tell you what considerations you should make, and what steps you should go through as you make your decision.

First and foremost, you should be certain that trucking is the career that you want. You aren't going to get rich driving a truck. You will probably be really lucky to make 500-600/week for the forseeable future.

Do your research. Any company that tells you that they will train you for free and you will earn 37,000 your first year is full of it. Nobody, but Nobody is going to train you for free. There is always a catch and never a guarantee of a job.

There is a gentleman on this forum that has suggested that you can go to a small family owned company, try to make a good impression, and perhaps get yourself into a job. This is a reasonable thing to do if you have the time to pound the pavement.

Train somewhere near home, in your own state. Don't contract yourself to a company in exchange for training, doing so is contracting yourself to poor treatment, and low miles.

There are some good options reasonably close to everyone. Tech schools and community college are usually the most affordable but are usually the longest in duration and may take the longest to get into. Private schools are more expensive, but can start you more quickly and are shorter in duration. Make certain that your school runs a complete background check on you prior to training, or run it yourself. There are many simple factors that could disqualify you from a job.

Find your own job and do it before you begin training. Doing so, lets you know that your background atleast meets a trucking company's mimimum hiring criteria.

Don't leave a good job to start a career as a truck driver. If you are unemployed and have no other options, by all means dig in.

If you are approaching trucking as a temporary job to get you through this bad economy, you are wasting your time.

 

David Boyd's post is right on.
Check your local driving places so you can get used to the big trucks. Cement, Garbage, Or if there is a Farm equipment place see if they are looking for drivers to deliver their stuff. I do not recommend Swift, The big companies will train you enough to get you into a truck with not even half of the knowledge you need, and then use you as cheap labor! then when you make enough mistakes, will toss you out with a bad record. NOT WORTH IT!
Start at the bottom and work up.

 

Yes, they do. Just fill out an app, and they will email you an acceptance letter. A couple of phone calls later you will have a bus ticket in hand. You, and about 150 other people.

If you think that Swift needs 150 new drivers every week on top of the experienced drivers and recent graduates that they hire every week, then you should certainly attend their training. I don't know the exact numbers but I would say that you might have a 50/50 shot at a job.

Are there any swift training academy grads on here that can enlighten us on the number of starts, the number of grads and the training process at the Swift academy?

 

Three GOOD people that I know went the Swift route, All Three now have their driving records ruined. I still don't recommend any of the Driving mills. I almost went that route and I am SO glad that I didn't

 

have you checked into your local oil field. I did my CDL like you (without a school) and you basically have to start local. The oil feild is slow right now but it might be worth looking into. See if there are any salt water companies in your area, thats a good start with some steady work