Question:
I am supposed to call tomorrow for a second phone interview. Today was brief, about 5 minutes. Tomorrow is supposed to be 40-45 minutes. Afterward I will either be invited to Dallas for training or wished well in my endeavors. I hadn't/haven't really made my mind up yet if I want to go with Schneider or some other company offering in house training. I guess it's time for overdrive on the deciding gear. Any and all comments are solicited and welcome.

Answer:
Forget the Overdrive,don't make any snap decisions. Do the interview,see what they have to say. Keep in mind NONE of these training carriers are
in demand,you the potential qualfied applicant is. The turnover rate at
ALL the Carriers is so great that there's always "tomorrow" for a decision by you.
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Mike is right about this. No point in rushing it. Take your time and make sure the decision you make is right for you.
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As the 2 previous posters note " TAKE YOUR TIME " on making the decision on which carrier is best for YOU.
See too many on here who jump at the first one then their following posts are full of DOOM / GLOOM.
I always give potential employees a 2 DAY RETHINK period before I accept them , sometimes they change their minds for various reasons, had 1 a few months ago decide he no longer wanted to be a truck driver saved me time and $ and allowed him to persue other ventures

Answer:
I just got off the phone with Schneider. I am conditionally accepted. I have to get a learner's permit and go for a DOT physical and drug screen. That is scheduled for Wed. Jun 2 so I have until then at least to make a decision. I'm still going to look into other carriers as well as give more thought to the entire decision. I appreciate the feedback so far. When I said go into overdrive I didn't really mean jump at the first thing as fast as possible as much as I meant get really serious about my thoughts and decisions.

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About 15 months ago I was exactly in the same place you are now. Got the Pre-Hire from the Pumpkin Patch. When I got the contract that is when all did not seem too well. Read the fine print on that contract. I did not like the fact that there were too many options for the company to default on you, making you responsible for the cost of getting your CDL. Some of which have nothing to do with driving and none of the companies buisness IMHO. I ended up going to a 3rd party school to attain my CDL. That gave me time to do more research on companies, it also gave me more options on who to go with. I would go with the suggestions of everyone else above, do your home work, and dont jump after the first offer.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with a new Swift driver at a paper plant, He told me that he had been out for a little over a month solo, and the week before he finally found out what he was being paid per mile.

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I guess he really wasn't all that "swift" now, was he?

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I'm not going with Schneider or any other company training. I'm going to the Houston Community College school. It's a PTDI sanctioned school so I should have several carriers to choose from that are looking for PTDI grads. I think the training will be more thorough and it will let me make better choices of who to drive for.

Answer:
Something to consider about the "schools". They are all basically the same. Just like the companies out there, they are in buisness to make a profit. Some are better then others, but the almighty $$ is the bottom line. The only thing that you should expect out of a school is to get enough skills to pass your state test to get your CDL. After that you choose a company to start with. You will run with a trainer for 20-30 days, then depending on the company you will run with another newbie for about the same. Once you get out on your own, that is when the real learning begins IMHO. I've only been at it for a little over a year now, and I am still learning and improving my skills.
Like I said, the schools will only give you basically enough to get your CDL. Sure they will tell you about the SMITH system, and how to do a pre-trip etc. But there is no class room that will prepare you for this job. You just have to do it to understand.