Yeah, I have been leaning towards Swift from the beginning. I just wanted some first hand advice from the people that have gone before me. I think that is what I am getting from matcat, and Synchro. I know that both of those guy have dealt with Swift in the past. If Swift was all that bad, they would be yelling and screaming at me "DON'T DO IT!"

I feel pretty confident that Swift is going to be my choice. Hey that gives me 2 more weeks of down time to finish the bedroom addition on my wifes house before I leave!

We aren't saying Swift is peaches and cream, we are just saying that inline with your needs it will work. Swift is a 'starter' company, and considering the current economy, it is an OK place to start.

Well I tried to call the recruiter from C.R. England four separate times today. She never gave me a direct number to call her, so I have to wait through about 20 minutes of hold time. It gets annoying when I have to listen to the same propaganda over and over again. Anyways, she never came on the line, and every time I was transferred to her extension I went to Voice Mail. Left a message telling her that I needed to speak with her about the school that starts on Monday. Still have not heard back from her. The funny part is that i did get an email from the manager of the school which was a form letter telling me what to bring to class.

Best of all, they would need me to be on a Greyhound which leaves a 6am tomorrow. So even though I had already decided to with Swift, C.R. England sort of made up my mind for me.

I called the Swift recruiter and she was happy that I had decided on Swift. She seemed a little surprised that I made up my mind so fast, but I think I had already decided when I spoke to her yesterday.

So, now I have two more weeks to work on crap here before I need to go to Lewiston ID.

I just want to say Thank You to everyone that has given advice on this and other posts on the forum.

Well I have been in contact with the recruiter several times over the last two weeks. She gave me a list of things to get to her for the file, had me complete the Swift Online Training program, as well as had me get my WA State CDL instruction permit.

Today she calls me and said that there was a small error in my file where the documentation for an accident from 2007 did not get entered even though it was turned in. Long story short, she says that my name was removed from the class list for Monday June 1st. Now she has fixed the file and I am still eligible for the school, but i need to wait for a spot to open up. She did not sound confident that anything would open up any time soon.

So, once again I am pushed out of a school only days before I am supposed to leave! I know there are a lot of people trying to get started in these schools, but this is ridiculous!

Now, I once again scrambled to see if I could get any help from the local Worksource and I found that there is a program that President Obama got passed where I can get financial assistance to attend a school where they will pay the cost of tuition at $4200.

Apparently this funding is available starting June 1st.

Get the paperwork started?

Have you thought about trying CR England again? It looks as though you have a couple of small things that have held you back. If you really want to get into the industry, and can bear a year with them, it may be worth a try. You can then have some miles under your belt and move on to another company. They woul not be my first or last choice, but if you have a couple of infractions that are holding you back, it might be a place to start for you. You may want to look at Stevens Transport as well, I believe they are still taking some students, and they are not, or at least were not as picky as other training companies. But I do not know your situation, and it may be better for you to wait. Those are just some options if time is not on your side.

I waited till today and went to the once weekly class at Worksource for WIA benefits. The first words from the guys mouth were, "We are not funding any CDL schools at this time!" Apparently they have already sent 5 students to school and they do not want to send anymore students till the Fall!
So that was a whole week wasted because they wouldn't talk to me until after I attended the orientation! I did call C R England back, but the recruiter was gone for the day. So I left a message and will talk to her in the morning.
I also tried to call Prime and see if they are hiring for this area, but the recruiting department was closed. Schneider is still only hiring experienced drivers, and Central Refrigerated won't even talk to me because of that misdemeanor from 2006.

I was on the internet just typing in the big trucking companies and seeing if they have a program for me. In my search I came accross CRST Van Exp, which I had previously discounted because they only run teams. Looking at their program, they will pay for ALL of my schooling if I will sign an 8 month contract to drive for them as a Co-Driver. I see a lot of CRST trucks on the I-5 corridor here in the northwest, so I know they are running up here.

Is there anyone on the forums that is running with CRST, or that is running a team that is not husband/wife? How hard is it to run a team. I assume the truck will be running almost non stop, and I understand you are going to be living with your partner in very close quarters.

I will be talking with the recruiter in the morning, so I can figure out where the school is and where they would send me for orientation. i am assuming that since I am in WA that they will send me to Fontana CA for orientation.

This is my last option, if they will not work for me I am going to bite the bullet and get into the school for C R England.

it's hard to get the unemployment system tofund cdl training. because to them it's not a real career field. what you might go back and ask them. is what would they be willing to send you to school for. and see what they have to say... you might find a more interesting field of work they will train you for. and you might get a better job and a very steady and dependable source of income.. and you won't have to put up with any of the crap from trucking companies. I was in that same spot 8.5 years ago. and i wish I would of let them help me... maybe my life would have been better

I ran teams for SNI, and I think for a new person it is a good way to break into the system. I enjoyed running teams, and it had some advantages to running solo. I can only give you my experience from my time with Schneider, so here goes. First our teams ran the 48, we ran expedited and high value loads. 80-90% of all or runs were drop and hook, the money is a bit better for a team, and teams generally do not have to wait for freight, most of our loads were pre-planned, we usually had a load before we dropped.
Teams are good, because there are always two heads and when you run into trouble there is another person there with you to help you out. You have someone to BS with when your partner is not sleeping, you have an extra set of eyes for those tricky spots you will need to back into, you will rarely have to stop at a nasty truck stop, and try to find a place to shut down for the night.
Make damn sure your partner and yourself are on the same page, my partner and I talked for 2 weeks everynight before we got into a truck together, we discussed any bad habits we had, what kinds of food we liked to eat, what kind of music we liked, who could or could not drive at night, how often you want to shower, (Please shower each day, it can be done), we talked about our families, religion, our politics, and tried to find out as much about each other as we could. We finally agreed we could drive together without killing each other, and our time out on the road was for the most part, without any major disagreements. You will get on each others nerves, no doubt, but you have to be able to work around those things.
We are no longer on the road, but we are still the best of friends, and talk at least 2-3 times a month.
The truck will move pretty much nonstop, but that is how you make money. We basically drove at least 9 hrs each day and more if necessary. You must trust your team partner with your life, if he/she is a bad driver stay away. You will be moving at night in the rain, snow, fog, icy roads, almost any road hazzard that can happen will happen. So make sure you have a competent driver.
I think you have more free time as a team than a solo, just because you basically don't have to shut down. For that reason we visited many palces we California boys most likely would never have been able to. We went to Graceland, the Harley-Davidson plant, hit every casino buffet in the SW states, and ate at the Famous Amarillo steak house, the one that has the biggest steak in the country. We were able to stop at many tourist traps, we would park the truck tke a cab and see many famous State and National parks and Monuments. We took thousands of photos, of some of the most beautiful places in the country.
So yeah teaming can be good, but I hear with the wrong taem partner, it can be HELL also. My time teaming was great, i would recommend it, but if you are not a person who cannot make a compromise, or are not willing to at times sacrifice what you want, teaming is not going to be for you. You are not always going to get your way, but that just comes with the territory. Your partner must also be the same way, or you are going to have one person pulling most of the weight (no pun intended).
So think about it, there is a reason many, many do not team, it aint easy. But the rewards are great, and the money is good.

Lets hope that when you bite the bullet thats the least of your pain with Crash n Roll England. I went through that school back in 2000 worst experience of my life. Yea I had a good attitude strong desire to succeed not lazy or rude, willing to learn and all that so that wasnt the reason I had a bad time with them. All the bad stuff said about CR is not drivers who are looking to blame someone for their mistakes its sad but true, pure evil......

Just do the math, x number of new drivers coming in x number of trucks not being added to the fleet. Means they have to run off drivers to make room for new drivers. Just the number of trucks to fill new drivers would mean they should be the largest trucking company in the world, do a fact check they haven't grown much if at all since 2000.

Moving freight is a side business for them makes the training scam look legit. If you have bills, family to take care of, wanna eat then make plans not to pay your bills, tell the wife to get two jobs, and look at not eating as a diet plan. You will be ok you will make it at least six months if you quit they will want all of the training cost the six months you paid in will not count fair of em aint it lol

Here is your plan go to school learn nothing, go with trainer learn even less. Starve fall behind in your bills quit. Oh almost forgot see you home maybe once if you luck maybe two times in that six months.

With six months of experience go to another company that will pay you enough to get by, tell the collection company to go to hell, your never going to pay it. Take the hit on your credit report for awhile, move on and hope time and distance will let you forget the nightmare you signed up for.