Deciding between CFI and SWIFT for CDL training

The “how do you make a right turn” thread is recommended.

 

lol funny

 

I like the time and effort you are putting into researching which company to seek employment with. I did the same thing when I started out and Swift was one of the companies I considered. I have noticed your posts on other company threads asking questions. Most (unfortunately for them) do not investigate their options anywhere near enough. I like the attention to detail which will help you once you get started and thru your career.

I have never worked for either company and do not have any insider info on either but wanted to give you some things to consider.

Having a terminal close to / semi close to your home is much more convenient for a number of reasons. Home time situations - having your truck repaired or serviced while you are on home time instead of while stuck at a distant terminal, having a safe place to park your truck for home time or vacation etc...It is also nice to have such a widespread terminal system such as what Swift has. They also have a large variety of driving options beyond OTR.

As far as Swift's reputation, much of it is truck stop and CB banter. Some really believe it but I am not one of them based on my observations and research.

They are an extraordinarily large company with something like 20,000 trucks and drivers. I believe they are the largest carrier in the country therefore they stick out everywhere because they quite literally are everywhere. Add in the fact some driver's are quick to jump on the Swift bashing bandwagon to exploit any incident at all the continuous trash talk never stops.

I've looked up their FMSCA numbers along with other major, large common carriers and their percentages are similar with many other big names in the business. You are always going to have knuckleheads in every company big and small.

I do not agree with the possibility of teaming after 50 hours of solo driving during training.

There is quarterly bonus money you can earn on top of Swift's base pay that you listed. They rank driver's on various criteria and depending on your ranking you can earn anywhere from 1/2 a penny per mile bonus up to 08 CPM with a few levels between these 2 extremes.



As far as CFI goes I do not know anything specifically bad about them and they do not have the reputation that Swift has. Only mentioning reputation because that seems to be a concern of yours. I did look at them a little bit when doing my research but not much because they did not have a terminal anywhere near me. They were Conway Truckload then but same company. They are a much smaller carrier, have good equipment, pay lower, have a smaller terminal foot print, limited to mostly OTR driving options.

Overall I do not think you can go wrong with either company. You just have decide which one seems to work for you better. Whatever company you choose, just remember it will not be easy and the first year or so will be the hardest. As time goes on and you gain experience on the different aspects of the job things wills become easier and more familiar.

 

Go to Schneider.
Faster way to your own truck.

 

Need 6 months company before you can apply for ic.
You can try it for a short time to see if its for you.
Check out the other trucker James Best.

 

I think he meant on your own, by yourself in an "assigned " company truck. He is wrong though.
You still would have to attend a CDL school first and then attend a 3 week new CDL holder orientation at Schneider. Your time with a Schneider trainer in the same truck is shorter which may be what was meant. I believe it is 1 week out of the 3 week orientation which in my opinion is not enough.

 

Refer back to my longer post from a few days ago about pros and cons. Don't worry about truck stop banter from people with nothing better to talk about in their lives.