I briefly drove last year for Werner; I know a bunch of guys that really dislike this company, but I actually had a positive experience during training. Well, it really wasn't too much like training it was more like team driving, but I am a quick learner and I had
plenty of miles to gain confidence behind the wheel. My trainer was very cool; having me plan out the routes and etc. My only gripe was the minimal backing, but oh well. After getting my own truck I found out that my father was terminally ill and I quit to stay with him during his final months of life. During this time I was having problems paying bills, etc. And when he did pass I was overwhelmed with debt. Also, I originally was going to drive for swift so I attended their school and when it came time for my mentor I was told to go home and wait. After waiting for 2 weeks I called Werner and they immediatley hired me and had me with a trainer within 2 days.

Here is my question: I never paid and off my tuition from the Swift Driving Academy. I remember being told at Swift that if we don’t pay off the tuition that they can suspend my license. I never changed my license from a TN to a FL license either. And when I tried checking on-line if it was valid I got a message that because I hold a commercial license that I must present myself at driver’s license office in TN to do anything. I’m worried that they may have suspended my license and I’m about to return to Werner for orientation. Can Swift suspend my license for non-payment?

A company can not arbitrarily suspend or have your license suspended. In other words it is a bluff on their part. What they can do is is place the information about a breach of contract and an unpaid debt to the company in the company's employment file and pass this info along to any company that contacts them for employment/training verification. They can also place the unpaid debt in your credit reports and finally refuse to give you a "diploma" for completing their school.

Well you became a qualified driver at Werner , And resigned voluntarily on good tems I assume ,So you should be able to just do a resign ...You have 30 days leave in which time you can return and just receive the keys to a truck ,but over 30 days requires resign paperwork/pee test , but you should just call Werner I'm sure you can get back on there .

Yeah I quit on good terms with Werner, I returned the truck to a terminal and had it signed off while I was there. I also assumed that Swift coudn't just suspend my license, but I thought I would ask folks that have been in the game longer than me. Thanks again for the quick responses...

Another quick question: is it always hard to get a job trucking if I live in south Florida? I live just north of Miami and just about every company told me that I live too far south. Is this becuase of the current state of the economy or is it normally like this?

I've heard freight is hard to get in those areas making it hard to get you home and out again without deadhead ...but Werner has terminals/yards/freight every where ,so they hire pretty much everywhere . Lakeland,FL is probably the closest to you .

Freight coming out of Florida is very scarce except for produce, cut flowers, plants and a few other commodities. Most of the freight that does come out of Florida is already wrapped up by Florida based carriers, so unless the company has a terminal or large customer base there, they will not hire you because they don’t want to lose money trying to either find you a load home, or find a load out for you.

I would recommend applying to the companies that do have a strong presence in Florida. Foodcrafters, in Apopka, FL has a terminal in Medley. Purdy Brothers has a terminal in Zellwood. Lester Coggins (LCT) is based in Okahumpka, Peninsula Truck Lines is based in Sorrento. Swift has a terminal in Ocala. Southeastern Freight Lines, Saia, and Estes all have a strong presence in Florida as well. There are many others, you just have to look.

I am surprised that Swift would have simply sent you home and not have a truck for you once you completed your training. Depending on how your contract with them is worded you may not have an obligation to repay them for the training if they promised a job that was not available once you finished your training. It would be much less of a headache if you could just work through your training obligation with Swift. They cannot take your license or have them suspended, only law enforcement can suspend your CDL.

No, but they have all the other legal remedies of any other creditor, which in this case is exactly what they are. They will most certainly demand payment for the training, and they will report your unpaid debt to the credit bureaus and perhaps even sue you in court. They can garnishee your wages and put a lien on your home if you own one.