Question:
Hi folks.
I"m new to this place, and Lordy, it took me a month of trying to register to finally get to post, lol.
Here's my deal:
I"m 34, from Mississippi, never driven a truck, no CDL.
I don't have the money to pay for it myself, and don't have the credit to get a loan. I"m checking into the WIA program, but have been told it may be months before I get an answer.
Ideally, I"d like to go to training and get paid from day one, all the way through, but the only organization I've found that will do that is Swift, of which I've read good things and bad, but they do seem to be pretty competitive once you get over your first year.
I don't want to O/O, at least ,not for a few years. I want to get in, learn from a company, let them pay for my mistakes, pay my dues and work hard at trucking, but funds and credit are my limitations.
I don't want to 'sell my soul to the devil', so to speak, but I may not have any other choice. I want to do this, and I"ve made up my mind about it, but I want to do it SMART, if that makes any sense.
Please, you truckers out there, give this Southern boy some good advice.
Thanks in advance,
SouthernTrucker
Answer:
You ask and we'll advise.
I've never heard of any company who pays from day one in truck school. They all pay you for on the job OTR training but not while in school.
As far as the rest you might as well go to Swift. Just try to last 6 months in the least. looks better on your record.
Take a look at trucks in a local truck Stop and seee if there is a type of driving you think you might like better. See what the trucks are pulling, Vans, reefers, Flat beds, RGN's, heavy, equipment, Chickens etc. Then work on getting experience in that area from the start.
Make a workable plan.

Answer:

Then stay away from trucking.

Answer:
Stuffs,
I went to the Swift website, and the way I read it, they pay you from day one. Maybe I misread it, but I'll check again.
Who do you drive for?
Answer:
I drive for a smal company moving equipment around.
I looked at their Web page for their schools and didn't see where they paid you. I did see some charges there though.

School information
http://www.swifttruckingjobs.com/academy.html
I am fairly sure what your reading is the OTR training pay. Most companies will pay you while your on the road with a trainer.
Below is their OTR training pay. That is not truck school pay.
http://www.swifttruckingjobs.com/payrates.php

Answer:
You may be right. I wonder how long it would take them to get me my CDL, assuming they even do that.
Now I'm totally confused.
I found out today that we have a few community colleges around here that do CDL training. It's an 8 week program. I"m gonna check into it Monday.
It'll probably be a good bit cheaper than a regular school at 4,000 to 6,000.
Answer:
Something that i recommend is that if the majopr companies have put locks on the front door of the industry, and they have the only keys, then slip around to the side and see if you can get in through a side door. There are some ways to get into trucking that don't require you to sell your soul to the large companies in return for schooling, and will provide you with hometime vice living out on the road for weeks at a time.
LTL companies often have programs that take people working on their docks, allow them to learn driving in the yard, and get a CDL and become a driver. While doing this, they pay decent wages and provide benefits. With a limited pool of labor to pull from, they are advertising more and more and opening up their options for drivers to begin.
If you live in a community with farms about, most large farms run trucks hauling their grain from the field and out to market. You can drive a farm semi hauling crops from the farm without a CDL, requiring only an "F" endorsement here in Michigan. getting the "F" only requires passing the written portion of the test, no road test required. I've worked on farms where we had 16 year olds who were dependable and could legally drive the semi's hauling our grain. You may spend some time also driving tractors in planting and harvest season, but it's a place to get some experience and proides access to a truck and trailer that can be used for taking the road test. After a couple of years there, you can use the experience to move on to a regular trucking company. That's what I did, and the experience I showed on my job application.
There are ways into the business, but you have to look a little bit deeper than just the major companies. I don't care for them as an entry to the business, because they only care about moving cheap frieght and filling their seats. There are companies that don't deal in cheap freight, but you can't get into most of them without both a CDL and some experience. If you can find a company that runs regional rather than strictly long haul, you can get home much more often and still do pretty well financially.

Answer:
They may not pay you during training, but they pay for training. Most companies expect you to at least pay them back after a time period. WSE only asks for commitment. They sent me to a GOOD school and put me with a GOOD trainer. No lies, No Gimmiks, No (edited). It may not be the best, but its far from the worse.
Two-Tone

Answer:
Almost all companies that have a school ask for a comitment and no money if you stick it out. Most will also reimburse you a certain dollar amount for your training cost if you went to another approved school.
They all pay you for OTR training with a trainer. It is usually enough to survive OTR but not enough to pay any big bills at home.
WSE goes along pretty much with the norm for training cost verses comitment. As a company they are probably better than some to start with.

Answer:

This situation is what adds fuel to my contention that trucking is a last (or only) resort for those who can't or won't do anything better.
When I was in driving school, about a third of those in attendance were people who had no money, no education, no skills, and no hope of anything else if they failed at trucking.
At all the company orientations I have been to, there have always been a few drivers who had no money, no education, and no discernable skills other than the ability to maintain a CDL.
I have never seen anything like this in any other busines I have been in .
Which is why I often make the generalization that often those who drive trucks for a living do so because they are too dumb to do anything else.
Answer:

Yeah, that and the kooks and social misfits who hide from society in a truck. I remember there was this 20-something girl sitting next to me at orientation. She had a nose ring, tounge ring, some type of strange metal in her eyebrows. Kind of reminded me of that nutcase Courtney Love. Anyway, they did that bit where they go around the room and you introduce yourself to the group and say where you're from and why you chose to drive for Roehl. She refused to stand up and say anything when her turn came around. She signed all her paperwork as "Chuck E Cheese" and thought it was funny.
No way someone like that could make it at a real job that required interaction with her co-workers.
Funny thing was my last few weeks I met her again at Volkswagon in Pleasant Prarie, WI. This time she had some sort of metal-studded dog collar around her neck. Said she loved the job and couldn't imagine doing anything else.
I should have given her Shuffler's e-mail. Looks like they'd hit it off perfectly.

Laziness and no wish to better themselves are also big factors.
Answer:

I know exactly who you're talking about. They gave her a brand new truck and she lasted about a month....Was never on time for a load once, and every time she got home (each weekend) she would take 3-4 days off. What a mess! I think her brains seeped out thru all the piercing holes!!!!

Answer:

If all was said and true about her, why was she let in anyhow???

Answer:

Minority requirement concerning 'hiring'.
I've seen the practice numerous times. :shock EOE
Answer:
In reference to newbies. I my self will be a newbie. I will be going thru Swift. I have to start somewhere. Just because I want to be OTR doesn't make me ignorant or this is not my only job I can hold. Maybe some people have nowhere else or they don't like what thier doing. I've always wanted to do 2 things i my life, One is be a firefighter which I have do as a vol. for 25 years and 3 years as paid. Now my kids are grow and out own thier own so I and my wife want to go OTR which is the second thing I have always wanted to do. Not every newbie is a nobody. Maybe I am reading things wrong but it sounds like some of you just don't like newbies. If some of you think the newbies should have more time and more training please give them some good advise that may help them. I know I would gladly take any good advise to help me learn. Treating some newbies like they are are stupid will not learn anything.I understand some may seem like idoits but not all of us. It sound like some of you think all newbies idoits.