So If I Go to a Mega to Get My CDL and One-Year's Experience...

Wouldn't influence me a bit; I'd still go there.
`
Swift, Knight, Kold Trans, combined, have 10's of thousand of trucks. Safety record over all looks real good.

NOW HIRING RECENT CDL CLASS A TRUCK DRIVER GRADUATES IN CALIFORNIA

 

I never drove for Swift. I agree you are responsible for your safety never had that issue for the companies I drove for.

 

In the past you could look on the fmsca safer & see how many fatalities were caused by carriers. You can no longer see that information. To say a company's safety record looks good when certain information very important at that is missing is not a good assessment. No different than FedEx Ground when they were in constant accidents causing fatalities. Hitting that school bus in California broke their culture of wide open trucks & unsafe practices.
Yes it would influence me if your operation is responsible for 2 deaths a month in a 2 year period something is definitely wrong. It was no different than when I worked for Georgia Pacific & workers were getting killed & injured by forklift drivers. Regardless to how big your operation is, if the record shows it has unsafe practices it has to be corrected. I hope Swift did(you can't see those figures anymore).

 

That just means they have a lot of trucks. Sure 2 deaths a month sounds like a lot, but if you take 20,000 trucks (Their aprox. fleet size last I looked) randomly and look at the death rate you will likely get more deaths per month. I'm not saying it's good, I'm just saying on average Swift isn't bad once you realize they are as huge as they are.

 

If you go with Swift, complete 1 year, and have NO preventables, and no tickets, you will not be looked down on. You've just accomplished more than the majority of new drivers, regardless of whose vinyl decals are on the truck and trailer.

 

When I was going through the Academy in August of 2019, I was talking with the lady that runs the place and she told me less than 2% of the folks who go through the Swift Academy are still with Swift at 2 years. And, about half the folks that do leave come back at some point. (Clarification: the 2% she referred to were those who stayed with Swift the full 2 years, not those that left and returned.)
It is looking like I may very well be part of that 2%. Not sure that's something to brag about though!

 

Kinda like my experience. When I was at orientation the lady in charge claimed 50% would be gone in 6 weeks.

 

Thank you. I’m about to go through Swift’s school in Corsicana. I have heard this same opinion from drivers who drove for them years ago. It’s nice to get a current opinion from a current employee.

 

You going refrigerated or dry van?

 

According to a Feb. 22 announcement, Yellow on March 8 will open enrollment to an eight-week CDL training program at seven locations;
Chicago,
Indianapolis,
Nashville,
Portland, Ore.,
Maybrook, N.Y.,
Carlisle, Pa., and
Richfield, Ohio. The program will open to other locations later in the year.

Yellow said students will be in class 40 hours a week during the four-week, paid training program, with an instructor preparing them for the appropriate state’s Class A CDL skills and road test. If the student is away from home during the program, Yellow will provide pay for travel and accommodations. After completing the program, there are four more weeks of training at the driver’s home terminal.