New to trucking, need personal advice

I Believe you will do fine at swift.. just stay away from CRE...Swift is good to get your feet wet so to speak, & they have a very large freight base to keep you moving for the most part...

stay away from the lease deals too..

 

Be SURE to ask MANY more questions and listen to all of the people who have worked for Swift who volunteer info. Do yourself a favor and take most of what the recruiters tell you with a grain of salt. Their job is to put butts in the seats. They will embelish as much as it suits them to get you to sign up. Check with ALL of the training companies. Please don't make a hasty decision. Some require you to sign a contract to stay with them for a certain period of time or they charge you for the training. You'll be stuck with them good or bad for that period.

I can't offer you any more than that because I am semi retired right now. I have driven for O/O's most of my career because I am a non conformist for the most part. I like running single sheet logs and not having qualcomm (big brother) to chase my every move. When you get trained and have some good OJT, you can make your decision to move or stay put depending on your likes and demeaner.

ABOVE ALL....don't get in a hurry. Make an informed decision. You'll be much happier!

 

Based on your current income ... easily. Once you go out with a trainer you will be around $450 a week for the first 4 weeks, then $500 for the last two weeks.

Once you are solo you should be pulling $500 plus a week barely trying.

 

I work for swift and am fairly new (6months), when the recruiter gIves you the number of someone who actually works at swift who does your paperwork, ask them about the moving violation, just to put your mind at ease.
I enjoy my time on the road (although I'm so ####### over the east side of the country, 3 ####### months). First month solo your gonna probably make #### pay as your still semi learning the ropes, my first few weeks were terrible, avg around $250 a week, however im now averaging 600-700 a week. They will keep you running, all I can really say is for maybe 2 months it will be terrible pay, but once you get the hang of everything, you will start making the dough, don't turn down any loads if you can help it, even I'd it's a tiny little 60mile load as they will give you something good after one or two of those. Also take everything you hear from drivers at the terminals with a grain of salt, alot of them complain without seeing that they are themselves to blame for some of the circumstances.

Only thing that will irritate you is the "mandatory" classes that you don't get paid for ansthey expect you to start your 14 to go to (I don't, I say I'm doing it of my own free will and in my own time). Any other questions about swift itself, have a gander in the swift forum

 

Like I said earlier, talk to everyone you can. I've heard mostly bad things about Swift, JB, Prime, CRE, Stephens and on and on....

You don't have to make a decision tomorrow do you?

 

plan on not being home on a regular basis.

At least for the first year. Once you get past the 6 months experience and for sure past that first year, things will really start to improve job wise.