I need some help for my hubby!!
 

Hi all!!

I stumbled across this message board while looking for trucking schools for my hubby.

My husband is very interested in getting into the trucking field and has a pretty much prestine background (nothing criminal, he doesn't drink, no drugs, 1 ticket that was reduced to a parking ticket and a not at fault accident 2 yrs ago...the only bad thing we have is credit)

We live in Southern California and he's working security right now making $420 week (estimate) with NO benefits!

We have researched C.R. England, Swift, and Central Ref.

So far, Swift looks like it will be the best option but after seeing all the negative remarks on this message board I'm scared half to death.
I don't want to send him on some wild goose chase and have him stranded 1,500 miles from home.

Any, and all input would be wonderful. I know it's a long process and to start with a training company isn't always the best "deal" but the way I see it is it's a good way to get your foot in the door.

What the recruiter from Swift has told him is that on average (low ball) he'll make $750 week. Is that about right for a newbie?

THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING MY POST.

The Clawson Family
James and Jo

I would not go to any of the companies that you listed.

I know that Marten Transport takes students, but I don't know about what they have available for school. Or try KLLM, they have a third party that they use for school and they pay for it, but will have to drive a year for them. After training they pay .34 per mile and have a .03 bonus that is very obtainable. 2500 miles a week will give you $850.00 NOT counting the bonus. They both have terminals in the Fontana / Ontario area.

Both of these companies are refrigerated carriers, guys either love it or hate pulling reefer, but both of these companies have good customers, so it is not as much as a hassle as some folks make it out to be.

They both are reputable and have guys who have been with them 10,15,20 plus years.....that says alot about how they treat their employees....

Good Luck to you.

I sent you a PM!

Swift has a lot of local work in California (or they used to). Try and take about 90% of the Swift slammers with a grain of salt. Swift is the latest company that is the whippin boy of the industry. They give a lot of "marginal drivers the chance that they say that they want. When those that would have never made it for any company wash out, they make up every excuse from soup to nuts on why Swift "screwed them". I have a friend of mine who just got off the road to return to radio who was on one of the many dedicated runs that Swift has and he was making about 50k a year. This job is not for everyone and its really gotten the reputation as a meat grinder for pretty good reason. LOTS of people fail at this, its the job of OTR trucker primarily, its not always the company. Swift is just as good as most and better than some as a starter company. Once your hubby gets some experience in, the SoCal area there are plenty of local driving opportunities.

Here are a few company names, that might hire your hubby straight out of school.

Benito Bulk Transport
(562) 633-6555 ....... Tankers and Dry Van.....Hourly pay...local work.

Wiliams Tank Lines
(562) 984-7022 ......... Tankers...hourly pay.....local work.

Kings County Truck Lines
(909) 865-2070.............. Tankers...(milk)...mileage & % pay.

System Transport
(562) 988-7667.....Flatbed/Stepdeck/heavyhaul/boatmoving...% pay, OTR.

Interstate Distributor Co
(562) 426-7017 ...............Dry Van & Reefer......Local, Regional, OTR....Mileage OR % pay.

Bullet Freight Systems
(909) 937-9162 ......... dry van ...ltl freight...mileage & percentage pay, local & regional.

Gardner Trucking Inc
(909) 930-5606............Dry Van & Flatbed....% pay.... Local & Regional.

K B Transportation
(909) 923-5680........Reefer....Regional...Mileage or % pay.

Ryder Integrated Logistics Inc
(909) 947-2466 ........... Dry Van, Reefer & Flatbed....Hourly 4 local work, mileage + hourly.

Give them a try.

A few things I noticed in your post. Your income isn't that great right now and you have credit issues. So, I'm assuming your looking for a way into this business as cheaply as possible. I'm not trying to belittle you, so please don't take offense. If I read into your post a little too much, I apologize now. I also noticed you live in California. I was recently told that Cali deemed these company training contracts illegal so you may be able to train contract-free with any of the training companies, if you train in California. Validate this on your own though, don't take my word for it. If, in fact it's true, go with one of them to get the CDL, get some miles under his belt, and bail scott free to a better gig in the future.

You will hear a mixed review on the starter companies. As someone else posted, disregard most of what you hear. Bad news always travels farther and faster than good news. There are many on these forums that seem to have nothing better to do with their time than bash companies. Disgruntled ex-employees sometimes just have a bit of trouble letting go and moving on with their lives. It happens in every industry, not just trucking. My only advice to you would be to go into this knowing that these companies pay low wages and don't really care about their drivers. If you're after medical dental vision etc, do you own comparison for what works for your needs. The positive side is that if your husband pays attention to what he's doing for the first year or so, he can bail out and look for a nicer gig.

As far as Swift's $750 a week, I'm sure you're being quoted a best case scenario. Based on what they pay rookies, it sounds like the recruiter is quoting you a 3000 mile a week number. I'm sure some of the drivers here, with a current or recent history with swift can tell you more realistic miles to expect.

One thing to be aware of, unfortunately, is that EVERYBODY checks your credit these days. I was just out of work, and I applied for a boatload of different jobs. Every job application made me sign an authorization to have my credit record pulled. I've heard lots of horror stories about people who got in a hole not being able to get a job because their credit sucked.

I'm not saying this to spell doom and gloom. I'm saying this as somebody whose credit sucked for a long time. I spent 10 long years digging out of that hole. It actually took me 10 years to finish paying off my tuition to trucking school, on top of all the other debts I had racked up that put me into the idea of doing this in the first place. I didn't go bankrupt, and it was damn hard.

This new trend for employment concerns me, because I know how easy it is to get messed up, and wind up in a bind. I don't want to discourage you from trying to bail yourself out with trucking, because I can tell you it can work. What I'm getting at is that if I were you, I'd discuss this issue up front with would-be employers, and make sure you don't waste a lot of time going through rigamarole only to get turned down at the last minute because your credit score is too low, or whatever.

Good luck!

Re: I need some help for my hubby!!
 

That is a flat out lie. $250-$550 is what you should expect your first 6 months. After that it will get better. But be prepared to weather a lean first year.
If you can afford it, pay for the school yourself. This will give you a great more number of options and enable much better pay. Swift should only be used if your broke and your credit is bad.
Best of luck to your family.

Re: I need some help for my hubby!!
 

I'm not sure what credit has to do with it, except maybe getting into a school. there are ppl on here who have filed bankruptcy and are working.

Re: I need some help for my hubby!!
 

It was in reference to paying for the school. Sorry for not being more clear.