Deciding On Going Into Trucking Comments And Help Please

I have been thinging of going into trucking as a form of making money. I have been unemployed since November 2013 and been collecting unemployment im sick of being at home. Dont get me wrong its not the family life im sick of its the not working part im sick of I have put in hundreds of applications to many places and habe been only on a few interviews. I have come accross deals with Prime Inc and Swift Transportation where they will train me for my CDL . They have good points and bad. I wondering if their are others out their that can do the same and if not what would my best choice would be if the the only choice would be between Prime INC and Swift.

Biowolf...there are literally Hundreds of companies that will train you and put you in a truck. But you are the only one who can decide which one you want to go with. We strongly suggest that you stick with your first company for atleast a year....So choose wisely. But you can look them over here, and if you wish, apply to all of them at once. !! Take a look at Truck Driving Schools and How To Choose A Company Welcome to TT, we are glad you came...now sit down and start to learn more than you ever thought you could about trucking...

Thanks im reading the book that brett wrote as well im learning a lot from it I will certainly look that site over

Welcome aboard biowolf!

Definitely read through my book (free online version!) and even more importantly go through our Truck Driver's Career Guide. That will give you a mountain of information on just about every topic imaginable pertaining to getting your trucking career underway. It will help you understand what the job and lifestyle are like, what your options are for CDL training, how to choose a school, how to choose a job, and all that kinda stuff. Follow all of the links you come across. I consider it essential reading for anyone considering a career in trucking.

Is the info in the free or nearly free cdl training are up to date for 2013 or 2014 cause if so I like the swift and prime but cant decide on which one my wife cousin's is a trucker and suggested I go with swift since they are a big company and more then likly I would get more loads what is everyone else recommendations

The information is up to date as far as I know but things change quickly in trucking. If they've changed it won't be radically so. It might be a penny or two difference in mileage pay or a slight change to the training itinerary. But shouldn't be anything major.

If you haven't looked through it already, go through our Truck Driver's Career Guide from start to finish and follow all of the links you come across. There's a mountain of information in there and you'll want to know every bit of it. Included will be an entire chapter on How to choose a truck driving job which will go in depth about the different types of companies, different types of freight, and what factors you should be taking into consideration when making comparisons. But don't jump to that section. Read everything from beginning to end. You'll be glad you did.

But the companies you mentioned, Swift Transportation and Prime Inc are both fantastic companies and a lot of people that come through this site wind up with one or the other. But there's a big difference between the two in some major ways, including the types of freight they run, the type of home time packages they offer, the equipment they have, and the pay & benefits packages. Their both great places to get your career off to a great start but you'll want to evaluate them to find out which one might suit you best. Then again there's a lot more Company-Sponsored Training Programs and trucking companies that hire inexperienced drivers to choose from. So you'll want to take your time, learn how to evaluate them, and make a good choice for yourself.

And another thing. Both Swift and Prime have company-sponsored programs but you might want to go to a private truck driving school instead. In our career guide it will also have a chapter on Choosing A Truck Driving School.

Lots of research ahead!

Really enjoying theloads of information I have considered going to a school for cdl training and I know it would better suit me but at this time I really cant afford going to school thats why im considering the free training buy a company I just have to figure what compay is best suited to me right now so far its between Swift and Prime but I will consider others the only thing that im sure of is with prime you can have the option to lease a truck but what does that fully intail am responsible for the upkeep such as fuel and maintenance (out of my pocket or is it company's cost) Im not sure if Swift gives the option for lease. I think I have maid my mind on becoming a trucker as a new career its beats sitting behind a comouter desk looking at enginering drawings for mechanical systems of buildings all day.

its between Swift and Prime but I will consider others the only thing that im sure of is with prime you can have the option to lease a truck but what does that fully intail am responsible for the upkeep such as fuel and maintenance (out of my pocket or is it company's cost)

Biowolf, You'll hear plenty from all of the vets on this site about "leasing." While technically not a "scam" by the trucking firms, it sure seems to run a close second according to the facts, once you understand them. I'll defer to others to provide those facts as anything I say is only "hearsay" evidence and not admissible in court.

Jopa

the only thing that im sure of is with prime you can have the option to lease a truck

Indeed forget about that option entirely. Even if you manage to make the payments you'll never turn a worthwhile profit. At best you'll make 3%-5% more than a company driver, at worst you'll go bankrupt. You don't risk everything for the potential to make a few extra percentage points. And even if you wanted to do that some day you wouldn't want to own a business in an industry you know nothing about. They'll eat you alive. You would want a couple of years under your belt and I'm confident by that point you'll do your research and figure out you don't want anything to do with buying or leasing a truck.

You might also look into getting WIA funding (Workforce Investment Act). It will take some time to jump through all of the government hoops but they'll pay for your CDL training at a private school if you get it. But if you can get into a company-sponsored school I wouldn't worry about WIA funding.

Got it im to stay away from that as much as possible I took a practice test last night from the app your sight recomended and scored 90% Of all the questions correct with out looking at the cdl book dmv and the helpful spots under the questions in the app lol I thing thats damn good

Budy of mine has a bad back (herniated disk and bulging disk) and was woundering if he could drive the big rigs since he would following in his dads foot steps of going over the road whats your thoughts