trying to become a trucker

If you have not signed up for your GI Bill, then do it before you get out. You can use it at most CDL schools. If they don't accept it don't go.

 

Millis Transfer has good training.
Midwest-coast Transport has CDL school.

 

Bad, there are lots and lots of companies looking to train new drivers. I think you might consider a private form of payment rather than indentured servitude thru a company school? Worked for me. I know Swift Trans pays driving w/mentor, 2 years ago it was $450/week. But, there are many others. If you go to a company school, just do it 'til it's done, and move on with your experience and income. Get on it, Bro, time's awastin'.

 

You don't need a company to get your CDL, you can convert your Military Equivalent.
http://www.scdmvonline.com/DMVNew/forms/DL-408A.pdf

 

I used my GI Bill to go to a PTDI accredited school, (Sage,) and made the fatal mistake of swift afterwards. I had a sweet opportunity at another carrier, but the terminal was 160 miles away, and I didn't want that commute coming off home time and then starting a 11 hour drive session. Here's what swift will do for you. They will take you through orientation, attempt to throw out your medical card until you take your DOT Physical through their clinic, (no biggie, but it's MY medical card, and not their right to throw away,) and after your classes on Qualcomm, Comdata, safety, etc you go out with a mentor. You get paid crap, but it's a good experience. Afterwards you solo, I think I started at 27 CPM.

Then the fun begins. You get paid shipping miles, where they look up the shortest mileage possible, and that's your rate. Then you get routed through your Qualcomm. (I still pulled 2500 miles a week, but I had a bad ### driver manager,) I stayed out 6 weeks at a time, for months. Finally I asked my drivers manager about a raise, he said to call back. I put in my two weeks and got raised to 37 CPM. I stayed at that rate until the new HOS rules were coming into effect, asked my driver manager how I was supposed to cut my hours down to where I could manage my 34's without having to take ridiculously long 34's, and he told me he had no idea. (Most of my runs were scheduled to where I had to run 550-625 miles a day, or I'd be late and get a service failure.) so I left on good terms, and went local. I get paid hourly, and I do like it.

I will say that swift never once lied to me, or shorted me on work, I just didn't like working my ### off to be broke.

Anyone with a clean record who is able to pass a driving test can get hired by swift. If you go to a private school, find a carrier that pays more, and keep swift as your fall back.

Worst case, suck it up until you find something better.

 

One other thing you should know is that right now companies get huge bennies for hiring recent vets. You may qualify for different training programs than civilians do.

If ACF ended in 2011 and you have 7 years in Military you should be grandfathered under it, if you paid for it. I had to pay $100/mo for one year when I was in. I haven't kept up on it recently as I got out many years ago. The GI bill will still pay for you to go to a tech school program. You will learn the ropes at a slower pace. When you get your CDL that way other companies are open to you, again with recent vet status even more opportunities come your way, plus you will not be contractually held by a company.

even if you don't have deep pockets to start you want to make sure you do what's best for you long term. there are grants and loans available to you to get into tech school, maybe parents, grand parents. a payday difference of $100 / wk between companies will quickly add up in the future.

I talked to Swift a year or so ago. they offered .27 CPM to start. training pay while with a trainer was I think $400. I think you could probably do better.

 

Liking trucks and enjoying driving them is, I hate to say it, no guarantee you'll enjoy being a "truck driver", if that makes any sense. That's a bit akin to saying you want to go into car sales because you really like cars. Trucking is a job, which means it sucks most of the time. Trucking is a bottom line oriented meat grinder. It's about making money. That's it.

 

Sounds like you did about as well as anybody realistically could at a company like swift.

 

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I don't drive for Swift nor have I ever. I talked to them because I was considering a career change. Their spiel didn't sound too good.

I have driven many years ago, but not recently

 

If you can get your CDL other than from a mega, then do that. If not, I would DEFINITELY look at Prime over Swift. Much better pay and really good training. Prime also has really nice facilities and yards.