New driver from MI needs advice

Greetings all, long time reader, first time writer. First i want to thank you guys for some very helpful info here. My issue is this, i am in my 3rd week of CDL school and doing better then i ever thought i would, 97% first test and 100% every test after. It is coming very natural to me for some reason on the road as well. The school was the big worry at first until i got there, now the the biggest worry is what company to start with. The school im in has a ton of big companies come in with apps. The scary thing is they all sugar coat everything they say, so you dont know who to trust.

I figured asking on here would be a very helpful thing to do. First i am 39, a NEW driver next week, live in Jackson, MICH, home time is very important to me so i am looking for a good balance of HT/miles. Miles come in second to HT since everything i have is paid in full, House,cars,ect. So i only have very basic bills.

So far i am looking at Schneider or Swift, Schneider for the "home run" runs they have after 1 year exp, or Swift for thier "Family plan" they have. I just wonder with Swift if i wanna run 2 weeks on and 1 week off if that will be ok ,or will they "just say" it will be okay until its time to have that week off, then will it be "well we really need you back in 2 days".

Any advice would be great and i thank you in advance.

 

I am in CDI/TDI school in South Bend IN, i cant say enough good things about this school. My test scores do not reflect that this school is easy lol, i am a bookworm is all, and remember what i read. By Pumpkin i assume you mean Schneider lol, only thing i dont like about them is you cant park the truck anywhere besides Gary IN for the first 3 months, means i will have to live in a hotel on the weekends for the first 3 months since driving from Gary IN to Jackson MI on the weekends would be a bit much. They did say after 3 months i can park the truck in BattleCreek MI, which is only 40 mins from Jackson.

Also before anyone comments on any companies tuition reimbursements, my schooling is already paid in full. So reimbursements not an issue.

 

"I did ask about bringing the unloaded truck home and was told it is a good possibility."

Schneider says you can take the truck home IF you have a gated 6 foot fence that is in a well lit and locked area, if not it has to be parked at one of thier designated parking areas. This is one of those missleading things they say. So yes you can take home the truck, but only if you meet the requirements. This is how alot of the companies i talk to are.

Thats why i would have to park in BattleCreek.

 

Anyone know if the "Family plan" from Swift is legit, or what kind of time you have to have with the company to get it. Thier family plan is 2 weeks on and 2 to 12 days off, they say its up to you how many days you want off, you have to slip seat of course if you take off more then 3 days, but no biggie there. I just wonder if they make you wait to sign up for this, and once you are on it do they REALLY let you take as many days off up to 12 without giving you crap about it. If its all on the up and up thats a hard deal to beat.

The ONLY thing that scares me about Schneider is the recruiter said since i am in Jackson MI they might not have the runs in the area to get me home on a reg basis, if i was in northern IN or IL it would be no problem.