Here again we have that "live with until you get experience " . Things aren't like they were a few years ago . Companies that hire only experienced drivers don't have half the turnover they used to have . Drivers are keeping their jobs and there are very few openings for the thousands that think "some experience " will open the door . There will always be thousands more to compete with that have more experience and are competing for those jobs .
Well I would hope that people aren't dumb enough to go hey I put in six months I think I'll quit this job and start applying at for a new one tomorrow. I would think you would have a job offer before quitting your present job cuz no matter how bad or how little they are paying you some pay is better than no pay. I know that's expecting a lot from some people after following some of these threads on here I realize a lot of people do have two and three bad weeks in a row and quit. Which I'll never understand that. They say it's cuz they had 200 dollar checks those weeks and yea that sucks a lot but 200 is better then 0. Now before everyone goes off on me I'm just talking about company drivers, I don't even want to get into to L/O's all I can say about that L/O's is that I've never seen a good lease, I mean that being leasing car which a lot of people do or by leasing a truck. I think by leasing anything, that means basically your making payments on something that you'll never own and in the trucking world usually by the time you've signed a lease on a truck five or six other drivers before you have already tried to do what your about to do and don't you think if they had been successful that um, they still might be driving that truck? Oh but wait I know, they just didn't know what they were doing, right and your (meaning who ever leases) are going to be so much better then them, Wrong. My other question is why would want to take on so many other problems by leasing? I'm mean your just getting your foot in the door of a new career why not get the hang of the trucker's life style first see what's going in this career field. That would mean running as a company driver for 6 months to a year and talking to other lease drivers from your company and seeing how they're doing. Then decide if that's what you want to do. But I feel that if you lease a truck with a company especially one of the newbie companies your chances of success just really dropped.
I am in school right now, graduate 2/05/10. We have had Werner and Swit recuriters come in and tell us what they have to offer. I felt that Swift had more to offer me, according to the Werner recuriter they have better trucks. Don't really know about that. The instructer of our class has been driving for 40 years says both are good started companies. He has check with several companies and a lot of them want any where from 3 mos to 2 yrs of driving before they will hire. He has some other companies coming out for us to compare to see where we want to go. So just look around and compare the choose what you think will work best for you, but remember you will be poor for the first year.
well not poor poor... just you wont be making as much as most think they will be for the first year... now if you have bills for stupid things you really dont need? yeah your going to be poor... if you know the value of a dollar, I think you will be okay.. my dilema between the 2 is: werner has paperless logging swift doesent Swift seems to have cleaner vehicles werner trucks "to me" seem a bit run down in pictures over the web.. benefits for both are not bad.. pay is undetermend for both people say different things about pay all over the forum so you dont know who is legit.. so we will see.. i just need more legit answers to my questions before I make my decision BUT I must say im leaning a bit more towards swift..
Swift has a driving academy for non-CDL holders. Werner does not. Either way, you will be tested, get frustrated and abused, and probably generally hate your first year, but so does everybody else. Stick with whichever one you pick through the first year and things get easier for you because you "have experience."
Yeah, any company you start out in, will be a drag, least your first year, but spend time checking out every company you can. I have been reading posts for about 5 different companies. I went through the Swift academy in 07, like any company they have their good and bad points, but i think because it is such a large carrier, you can get lost in the shuffle from my experience. If you are going through the school, and getting your CDL, you should look at other companies outside Swift and werner. Some have better starting pay and better equipment then those two. I wish i would have done more research when i started back in 2007, i would have picked a different company... just my suggesiton
You might also get valuable input from the folks at your school. They've been working with these companies, see their graduates go here and there and hear things back from them. You probably also can hit up some of the smaller, but still starter companies whose posters are on your walls. The key is finding that first company and staying the first full year. Doing so will help you develop a work habit and track record. If you don't, finding the second one will be exceedingly difficult, especially in these days when the freight is increasing and the regulatory environment is getting more and more strict.
the problem here in washington is they want atleast 6-12 months experience to get a local job. My instructer hears alot of good from the guys he teached that went to swift and werner so now I just have to research and make the decision before the new year
The good I have heard on Werner is dedicated. (maybe 60%?) Bad thing is they are "finger print" loads. Or maybe that is good! I got out of shape with Swift. I almost went with them. They had a big Dollar General DC here. I was told their OTR will starve you.
