New to trucking, need personal advice

Firdt off, much of your success will depend on YOUR attitude and WORK ethic, not so much as where you start or get your training. I went to a community college, and a good friend of mine went with Millis. I work for a smaller company, run like 12 states and get home every weekend. He works for a large company running regional and gets home every weekend. We both made around $40,000 our first year. But, We both bust ###, when I stop for my break, I eat, shower is possible, go to sleep and as soon as 10 hours is up I roll. He works the same way. You will find that most of the drivers you hear saying they don't make money are the same drivers that spend more time parked than they do driving, deliver late, get to pick ups late ect.Driving is different than any job I have ever had, but one thing is the same as any job. To reap the rewards, You must put out the effort. Good luck, work hard, do things right, and you will do well.
Stay safe all.
b

 

I can't speak to JB Hunt or Werner as I haven't driven for them. However, I did do 2 years with Swift.

Does Swift have problems? Yep, just like every other company. Most of your problems won't be with the "company" tho; they will be with individuals. Everyone of them is a human being with all the warts that entails. The only real "company" problem I had was a cutback on shop mechanics and parts (trying to save $$) which caused longer wait times to get trucks fixed.. which are what makes money for the company. Dumb idea...

Whichever direction you go, keep in mind that larger companies have a larger freight base to keep you moving. Smaller companies will be more in tune with individual driver to take care of his/her needs.

Every company will have faults. Most will have some pencil-necked desk jockey riding a calculator making stupid decisions (hmm, perhaps my opinion is showing...). It's up to you as to which faults you're willing to deal with.