Least evil training company?

Don't know about Swift but you gotta start somewhere,there is lot better companies out there you just gotta take a risk and suck it up for 6-12 months and then move on to a better company.

 

Stevens has APUs and Inverters on all trucks. Fleet is about 30 month age average.
Plenty of freight and their home policy (which they honor) is one day off for each week out, home every 5-6 weeks.
All training companies are going to end up paying you about the same during the first couple years. Some have more miles, but less per mile, some the other way.
First year solo drivers for Stevens average 22-2500 miles per week the first year. First year drivers can figure about $30-$35,000.


there.... my speach is up.
Next?

 

That's like asking what is the meaning of life

 

There will be no better conclusion on this post. In all honesty you have to draw your own conclusions. I'm confused too and no closer towards being one hundred percent comfortable with taking the risk of going into a new field, except now I have a head full of mixed feelings about a lot more than what I did before I started reading, not to say these boards haven't been helpful, cause if they hadn't I wouldn't be here right now. I don't expect to make the greates money but i have been working in kitchens for since I graduated high school back in 2004 and I'm used to not making great money, so anything is better than that. Once i get out there and acclimated with the industry I will trust my judgement a little better until then I have to take risks, because no one is going to make these decisions but yourself and for every good thing you read about a company there's a bad one. Just think of this, many people get pissed off and take the time to write negative things but very few satisfied people take the time. So if a company is backed up by dozens of positive reviews, being in your first years of trucking, I find that's more than enough reason to give it a shot. What's there to lose when you're just starting out?

 

YEAH GO TO STEVENS WHERE THE PAY FOR ROOKIES IS 25 CENTS A MILE IN 1997 FOLKS WERE PAYING 30 CENTS FOR A NEW GUY. WHAT A JOKE

 

just look at it this way you are gonna have to make a sacrafice somewhere so the 1st year is your learning period so all you need to do is focus on getting good and then finding the right place to go. the company I am with has a million ex drivers that hate them but I like the place i run my business I dont let them run it for me

 

Swift has a bad reputation that is well earned amongst older drivers due to some of the policies Swift enforced in the past.

That said, Swift is the company I would go to if I were to ever start driving again. The company has done a complete 180 from the way they operated even just a few years ago. Most of the current drivers I've spoken to recently (in the past year or so) are about as happy as a driver is capable of being. The trucks are newer, and better maintained. And the pay appears to actually be a bit higher than industry average, provided that the driver is willing to put forth a bit of effort. While I don't agree with their truck policies when it comes to hometime, I can see where the company is attempting to maximize resource useage in keeping the trucks working while the driver is at home. Also, I imagine that a good driver can probably find a way around losing their truck while on hometime. There are companies that will "bend the rules" for dependable drivers on some issues. My last company was more than happy to let me take my truck home, even though I lived well within the area of drivers required to leave the truck at the yard and commute. I was a good driver with a good reputation within the company, so the policy got "bent" in my favor.

The most important thing is to try the carrier out, and give them a year. See the ups and downs, and understand that freight has it's fast times and it's slow times. Swift may be the perfect fit for you, it may not. But after that first year, you will find doors opening for you that are currently closed due to lack of experience. And you could certainly do worse than Swift for that all-important first year of driving.

Another company I would reccommend for that first year is TMC. Run flatbeds first, and then move to dryvan if you find flatbedding to be too "hard" for ya. Flatbedding experience is invaluable for any driver. And hey, once you start flatbedding, you may never want to drag any other trailer behind ya!

 

I can relate to the OP, that's for sure. After reading tons of information all over the internet I was very confused! It seems like all the companies make the same claims, and none of them pay a new guy very well.

I ended up choosing CR England because they have a special promotion going on right now. School is tuition free, and they only ask for a six month commitment.