I have been accepted to both schools for my CDL. I got in on the military program. I want to get the best pay and benefits possible. Could I get some information on the best training from these companies? I want to get my CDL with the best company possible. Does anybody know which company that I should choose? I would like to stay in the Southeast region. I have to start next week so I need to know soon.

Thank You,

Stephen Sistare

Just grab a dart and start tossin'. They're all pretty much the same minus the paint job and DOT number on the door.

JB Hunt doesn't train anymore. Instead, they have a small army of low-life recruiters trolling all the truckstops.

I think you should look more closely into both. JB does have an excellent triaining program to get your CDL if you were recently in the military. They use one of the top schools in the country, which is located in Drumwright, Oklahoma. If you look across the board they have much higher OTR pay, which you will probably be stuck doing with both companies for the first few months out of training. JB also has a lot of dedicated runs to choose from after you have gotten some experience. I would look into both carefully and find out everything you can. BOL

Both companies are equally horrible.
Both companies use recruiters, as all of the big ones do, that will lie through their teeth to get you into their system.
JBHunt trucks are governed at a maximum 62 mph, I think Swift is set at 65.
Anyway about it, entering the trucking industry nowadays must be a hell I am glad I will never have to go through.
I have found that the best jobs are with the companies who are not trucking company, instead, they have their own fleets of trucks to deliver the products they are selling.
I am currently working for a company that gives me the same benefits as everyone else in the company (everyone else being non-drivers/management), including 8 paid holidays, 2 weeks per year vacation, 1 week sick leave, and 3 personal days. All paid. Try to find THAT from ANY trucking company, good luck. 401k, stock options, allowed to use truck for personal use, huge company parties that are totally awesome, cool working atmosphere, GREAT pay, home every night, in fact, I get very good money and work 8 hours a day, no weekends. Buy anything the company sells - which is a HUGE array of household items, AT COST plus 5%, which is FAR better than wholesale prices. Freebies galore, every day, plus the eventual opportunity to get completely OUT of trucking, which is my goal - the company has a "culture", they call it, of promoting from within. For those experienced drivers that are wondering WHAT this place is, it's Ferguson Enterprises, they are in all 50 states, their parent company, Wolseley, had 20.8 BILLION in sales last year. Plumbing, waterworks, appliances, Fire, heating cooling divisions and more.

This is for anyone with any experience. If you are tired of bs, working your behind off, getting shafted in the process, and are looking for a GOOD job, THIS is the company to come to. Yes, it is hourly, and yes, they will lowball you, offering you $15 per hour to start, but if you have enough experience, they WILL pay MUCH more. Just have to talk them into it : ) BTW, I'm just a driver, I don't get anything for that freebie promo for them. They are mostly unknown, except for the industries they are serving, because they do very little advertising. This company rocks. I haul large and small pipe and all the accessories/commodities that go with it - drive semi's, International 4400's, small stakebed trucks, even company pickups, whatever they want, that I do, it all pays the same. I LOVE going HOME ---- EVERY DAY!

But, I paid the price to get there. You will have to, too, if you are serious. Personally, if I WERE to drive for one of these lying trucking companies again, I would get all of their promises both on tape and in writing. I would bypass these recruiters, call the company, ask for management and get some REAL information. You can ask other drivers, but sometimes even they don't give you correct information. Remember, recruiters only business is to bring you to the company they are "currently" working for. They don't CARE what they tell you, the falsify information, the way over-exaggerate, and basically offer you heaven. What you end up with, of course, is ALWAYS something very different. I don't like ANY of them, so you won't get any good references from me, but I will say that on the top 3 list of the ones I REALLY hate is J.B.Hunt, Werner Enterprises and Swift.

For the future, if you make it through all of this, get some experience under your belt, remember Ferguson Enterprises, they're in the phone book, and, as I said, they are in all 50 states.

Actually JB is governed at 65 mph now and Jb Hunt's pay has gone up and they still have the best benifeits I think in the industry. Atena health and vision and perscription drug plan. Also their life insurance is pretty darn good as well. Check out their web site at www.jbhunt.com The only thing they need to work on is getting miles for all their 11,000 drivers!!

It doesn't matter if it's BIG or small. Why can't these companies just be honest for once. That's all drivers are looking for. What makes the trucking industry so special that they ALL have to lie to make a buck? Whatever happened to honesty is the best policy or Making and honest buck?

I quit JB Hunt late last year - the lies they filled my ears with were unbelievable.
I hadn't heard they had upped the speed on those trucks, they were ALL set at 62 mph last year, except for some "test" area in New York or somewhere where they were testing out trucks being set at a higher speed.
Whatever, my company truck does 80mph, in Arizona all interstate highway speed limits are 75 mph, except for some inner city portions. I can't even imagine going back to that piece of junk truck Hunt had me driving - an almost 8 year old international that was falling apart. They promised a brand new tractor, of course. The real problem was the pay - they totally lied about it, even though it was a dedicated run - which allegedly is preset in pay scales.

The problem with the trucking industry, and recruiters lying, is that everyone is desperate for drivers. ALL of them. I found a study conducted by some company that specializes in doing these kinds of things that states that by year 2014, this country will have a shortage of over 300,000 drivers.
It also states that a greater portion of the driving force is older and will be retiring within the next 10 years - meaning the trucking industry is screwed if they don't get with the program. The biggest complaints this study found were lack of pay and being separated from home for long periods of time, with irregular intervals - read: unreliable and dishonest - for getting home. Many recruiters lie about the time home "stuff", leave the cussing out, but if I could, I would definitely lay it on here.

The point is simple: truck drivers should be paid much more money than they are making in exchange for the sacrifice they make in staying out on the road as much as they do. They should also be given a regular schedule of home time that is nonretractable for any reason. If you WANT to spend six months on the road and not come home, that's a different story.

I TOTALLY agree with that TrooperRat! You guys do WAY too much stuff for free! The last company my husband was with omg, they were horrible. His dispatcher was trying to get him to back log and when he wouldn't do it the miles dropped VERY low to like 1200 - like 900. We've had it, with having to lie to make an honest buck. But if you are lieing then you aren't making an honest buck now are you? I think we are ALL just sick of the lies. It doesn't take a rocket scientes to figure out what is wrong the industry. If these companies and I mean ALL of them would wake up and realize one thing. Geee my turn over rate is sooooo high how do I fix that? One simple answer, just be honest actually come through with you promise on the phone. Then there wouldn't be no shortage everyone would be happy!

8 Year old INTERNATIONAL?
Ive worked here quite a long time and the only Internationals I have seen is the few brand new ones we just added to our over the road fleet.
Hmmm...something doesnt seem right about this story.

About hometime....Companies dont dictate hometime as much as the freight does.

Im not trying to be a smartass or anything. I see drivers all the time that say things like "drivers should be paid way more" and "drivers should be home a lot more" Do you know what you should do? You should open up your own trucking company and pay the drivers way more money....and get them all home everyday. Come on, you should be able to make it work. Hell, Jb Hunt started with a 7th grade education and 25 bucks.
I tell you what, you create a billion dollar trucking company which pays the drivers 60cpm and gets them home every day and I will personally come recruit for you. Those would be easy jobs to hire for.
Unfortunately, that wont work. Business just doesnt work that way. Customers are the reason drivers are paid what they are. If you raise drivers pay a lot, you have to charge the customers a lot more. Eventually some company will pay their drivers less and take all the freight.
Once again I will go back to the tiresome "all recruiters lie" crap.
Thats a very generalizing statement. I can guarantee that I am lied to by drivers WAY MORE than you are lied to by recruiters....but you will never see me say things like "all drivers lie".

Enough is enough.....if the pay is so terrible and the home-time seems nonexistence, yada, yada, yada....then GET OUT OF THE INDUSTRY. Go work for Wally World as a greeter, or flip burgers for Micky D's......either way you'll be home every night and lets see how you like the pay.


JUST STOP YOUR CRYING!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL....Funniest comeback I ever heard from a recruiter at work:

A driver told the recruiter "I dont want to run OTR....I make 450 a week and I am home every night"
The recruiter said, "So does my pizza delivery guy"

Devildice brings up a great point. This industry needs OTR drivers. And that takes people who are willing to go out on the road and spend some time out there. I know it can be tough. But it is a CHOICE. Personally, I see some of the paychecks the OTR drivers I hire bring home, and its not bad pay.
You also see a lot of drivers on these boards complaining that some companies are talking about bringing drivers from Mexico to solve the driver shortage. On the same boards you hear the same drivers complaining about running OTR and being away from home so long.
You really cant have it both ways. Thats just what the job of a long haul truck driver is. There are plenty of local and regional jobs out there for drivers. You also have that choice.....but dont expect them to pay as well as OTR. No one is forcing anyone to be an OTR driver. No one is forcing anyone to stay away from home for a few weeks. All Careers are a CHOICE.
The drivers that make the most money in this industry are the OTR drivers who are flexible with their hometime. Its the same with almost any job in any industry. Those who succeed the most are those who go the extra mile.