CDL Graduate

Truckers,

I received my CDL with all endorsements in December. I was scheduled to start with Swift on Sunday but they screwed up my transportation and left me at the bus terminal with no ride. I have recently been turned on to Carolina Cargo South Carolina. The pay is more and the training is much faster. I don't have any felonies or criminal history. Do I give Swift another chance or move on with Carolina Cargo?

Welcome Silas and congratulations on getting your CDL. I have been with Swift almost four years, trained with them and stayed with them. No regrets.

With that said, Swift and Carolina Cargo is an "apples to oranges" comparison. Swift is a multi-billion dollar company, with lots of freight and a proven method of training new drivers. Carolina Cargo is a small, 25 million dollar company. The primary difference is Carolina is an all "team" company, with a variable team structures. This means their is a potential that your co-driver and truck could change for each and every trip. I also think this same model is consistent in how they train entry level drivers, using a "lead driver" concept, but not completely sure about it, their website does not provide much in the way of training details. The shorter training duration is not a good reason to choose Carolina over Swift. Frankly even completing the 200 hours of driving time as a Swift trainee, it only scratches the surface of required skills and knowledge. Training is vitally important in establishing good habits, fundamentals, and prepares you for your career. Why risk the outcome for less time training? Their is a Swift trainer (mentor) who frequently contributes to this forum, hopefully he will chime in when he has the chance. The pay difference is marginal, and will not significantly effect your first year of income.

I am not saying Carolina is a bad choice, or Swift is even a better choice, not at all. It's entirely up to you and what is best for you. In order to have realistic and clear expectations I suggest you research Carolina Cargo further to clearly understand their policies and procedures. Study their website, especially how they train, formulate a list of questions and call one of their recruiters. It's ok if you call them more than once, this is your future and you need to be sure. The below link may be helpful when speaking to the recruiter.

Questions to ask company recruiters

Good luck, and try to keep us posted on the outcome.

G-Town.... very kind answer. I would say Swift and Carolina are more like oranges and melons...very different. Carolina does offer solo driving after 6 months, but orientation and training are very different. One could be trained by another driver with only 5000 miles of training himself. I was already better at backing fresh out of school than was my trainer!! Carolina has only one terminal , and it is more of a repair shop/office. There is no place for drivers to relax except 2 very worn out couches. Carolina drivers sleep in their trucks while their truck is being worked on, or awaiting a load. Carolina is small enough that you'll know everyone soon, but too small to have any frills. -Done Gone