Need more information on Swift, PAM, and Driver Solutions who recruit for PAM

Mostly true, and an accurate synopsis of Drivers Solution for sure. I think David doesnt have his CDL yet and may be wondering the best way to go about it. For someone who cannot pay for the training up front, whether it is Drivers Solution, community college or any other driving school, what is the alternative to actually get a CDL?

As for Drivers Solution treadmillers not being respected, yeah the trucking companies they contract with may be the worst of the worst. I didnt make much money my first year. I got bent over plenty of times. Experienced truckers may scorn me for the company I drive for. But now I have 15 months experience with a clean record and more options than I did a year ago. Everybody has to start somewhere.

 

Any company where SWIFT stands for Sure Wish I Finished Training must mean something!

 

If you have little or no money for upfront costs, your best bet is one of the companies I mentioned:

Millis Transfer
Prime Transport
Central Refridgerated
FFE
Roehl

These are the most reputable of the bunch, and all of these companies pay 99% of all your upfront costs. The only money you will need is about 100$ for licensing fee's, and maybe another 100$ for snacks and drinks. They will put you up in a hotel or dormitory, and pay for all your transportation. If you are ABSOLUTELY BROKE, Prime Transport will even loan students 200$ per week and you just pay it back in increments on future checks.

These are the starter companies to STAY AWAY from, according to most drivers:

C.R. England
Stevens Transport
CRST
Knight
Swift
PAM
USA

Read the forums about any of those companies, and the bad stories simply out-number the good ones. That is NOT to say there are not happy drivers for these companies, but they are certainly hard to find compared to bthe unhappy drivers. The turn-over rate for starter companies are already high, but these companies are simply ridiculous. The training is an absolute joke, as they only train you enough to basically steer a wheel and press a clutch. Often times, when you leave one of these companies and are ready to move on to a better company, the new company will demand that you be re-trained all over again, which is a complete waste of your time, and a waste of their money.

My situation was even more difficult since I was not only broke as a joke, but i also have the added responsibility of owning a dog, so it basically cut my choices to companies with pet policies, such as Prime Transport and Central Refridgerated. Prime probably has the best training out of all the starter companies, which involves 3-6 months on the road with a trainer, but Central can get you to solo status faster.

 

Tho a downside to Prime I've noticed is that they are slower than our trucks, most of them running at 55mph...

 

Welcome to the forum! In my opinion I would steer clear of Drivers solutions and Pam transport. Along with those I would also stay away from the other mega-carriers. There are too many other great companies to choose from out there. The smaller companies are going to be your best bet. Your chances of success will be much greater! There isn't anything evil about the mega-carriers they just are what they are... massive companies that use cheap labor. If you are interested in being part of their cheap labor program then look no further. Prime, England, Swift, Werner etc... are all great companies that utilize the utmost inexperienced, cheapest drivers they can find! They spend millions of dollars advertising to get YOU to work for THEM! This should set off alarms in your head! Where else have you ever heard of companies having to spend money to get people to work for them?!

Do yourself a huge favor and take the time to do your research and find a good smaller company to drive for. Craigslist is an excellent place to find some good gigs.

Your dispatcher is going to be your biggest key to your success and at these mega-carriers the dispatchers are responsible for hundreds of drivers. At a smaller company you are going to be more able to develop a good personal working relationship with your dispatcher allowing you to maximize your potential for income.

The reason most newbies choose these mega-carriers is because they make it very easy to get hired. They are also paying school recruiters to steer you toward them by not mentioning any other competing companies. As a newbie you don't know any better and also don't know of the really good companies out there.

You've already taken a step in the right direction by coming on this site and doing some research so don't stop there. Take the time to really research a great company to work for! Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and talk to these companies either. When looking for a company to drive for you also don't want to necessarily pick the highest paying one either. A company could boast about paying $.50 a mile but if they aren't running any freight then you aren't getting paid for any miles! Once again, do your research.

You asked about Drivers Solutions, there are many other companies just like them so beware. After you fill out their application they then send it to every mega-carrier out there (and I wouldn't be surprised if they also sold your info after that!) and in a day or so you will receive a hundred answers saying you are prehired to these companies! Don't waste your time! Fill out the applications to the companies you are only interested in. Be persistent.... The companies that are worth working for are going to require a little more effort to get hired on then these mega-carriers. Also don't let these school recruiters tell you that the mega-carriers are your only option. Keep in mind that they are getting paid to tell you that!

Here is another site that may help you find some of the good smaller companies:

http://www.truckdrivercentral.com/truckingcompanies.html

Good luck man...

 

Prime trucks are governed at 57, I believe...lease trucks at 62. Not sure how accurate that info is, but that's what I read over in the Prime forum. I believe the reason Prime is governed so low is because they are primarily a training company, and the training period is quite long. Long story short, the trucks are mostly designated especially for new drivers and trainers, so that could account for having them governed so strictly.

 

There are two major reasons for companies governing trucks. Insurance and fuel consumption. Stay away from these companies and you won't have to worry about all their ####amamie rules and regulations. Drive for a real company that lets their professional drivers make their own professional decisions.

 

Thanks Airforcetoo for your input as well. What company do you work for? YOu mentioned they had faster trucks so I was wondering. Let me know about the company you work for.

 

Thanks so much Huckstah for your input, I greatly appreciate it. Out of the companies you listed do you have a favorite? Would like to talk with you a little more, do you have a number I can reach you at? Thanks again.

 

Chompi, Hey thanks for all the info you supplied. What companies have you worked for and what has been your experience with them? This site is really helpful to new guys, like myself, trying to make decisions about something they know very little about. You have been driving for a while and I can learn a lot from you more experienced guys along with those guys that have done quite a bit of research like huckstah and others. I just appreciate you guys taking the time to help others out, I really do! Lot of good people on this forum. By the way, what smaller companies do you recommend? What companies have you workded for and what has been your experience with them?