Tough Question: Jb Hunt vs. swift or neither for newbie
 

I've read many posts. can someone give me the pros and cons for both? I've heard JB wins slightly ahead of Swift. I know Swift is a mill.

Unless J.B Hunt has changed their policy, they only take newbies if you are either a family member of a current employee or a military Vet.

deffinatly NOT JB Hunt. the worse recruiters in the wolrd! They just won't take no for an answer.

You are the one who lives with your choices
 

Longevity is the key starting out. Regardless of who accepts you the first year will be difficult. The one who offers a package that you can live with is most important. A daily guaranteed pay and a trainer to give you experience may be the best way to start out. A low mileage rate, sitting with your trainer in a truck stop waiting on loads may only discourage you. Expect a trainer and welcome the advice they share with you. Ask questions at an appropriate time for you and the trainer to cover. Don't let them abuse you, speak up the ladder and clear that issue should it arise. Remember if you are uncomfortable with your trainer it is more than likely no picnic for that person either. Good luck to you and consider your options.
Murph

Its JB's strategy to spend more on recruiters and less on the accidents & service failures that green drivers cause. Why waste big $ on training to have 60%+ wash out when you can just have your horde of commissioned headhunters lure in folks with (mostly false) promises of better money.

BTW don't count on getting to many long runs at JB or Pumpkin. When I'm driving my stretch of 80 between Reno and Sacramento those are the two carriers whose equipment I see the most traveling by rail.

Put me down as a big vote for neither.

Cadillac, I would see if you can get local work. Depending on where you live you can often bypass the year of indentured servitude with a bottom rung long haul outfit and move directly to the $18-20/hr local job.

If you are willing to work a bit more you can earn good money in flat bedding.

Where I live I got a truly free and clear CDL from a LTL company in exchange for being a dockworker for about four months.

Really.... You drive for them or have you worked for them? Care to explain why not JB?

There are too many drivers that have become victims of truck stop nonsense. Every driver needs to do their own research and find a company that meets their needs both personally and financially. As you all know there are a lot of factors to consider when changing jobs. Sometimes the more opinions you get the more confused you get. The choice must be yours. Take your time and gather actual hard data on the company, not the opinions of a disgruntled driver. Good luck

Never driven for them. was thinking about driving for them until I found out you couldn't take a dog with you. Never even applied with them. But one day i get a phone call asking if I wanted to go to work for them, and tell them what I had and what I wanted. told them I had a dog and wouldn't drive without him. He said they don't allow pets, I said thank you, I will look elsewhere. then 2 weeks later they call me back and I tell them the same thing. then the recruter talls me why don't i get rid of my dog? I tell them I would rather get rid of them and tell them not to call me anymore, well, they keep calling, and calling and calling. they can't take no for an answer. How did I even get on a list with them? I didn't ask for it...Here's a clue, if you want ppl to drive for them, make it worth their while, not harrasing ppl...too many jobs out there..

I understand that. They did the same thing to me when I put my application on CAD after I left Star. But I put a application in with CCX and got hired. Working for CCX and they still called me all the time and told them no way was I going to leave a local LTL job to come work for them. Things slowed down with CCX and went to Roadway and they were still calling once a month. Then I got layed off at Roadway so I needed to do something, cant live off unemployment. My first though was JB Hunt so I went with them and have been driving for them for the last 2 months. Honestly... It's not that bad of a company to work for. Their persistence paid off. Thats the first company I thought off when I needed a job.

But honestly the no pet policy for JB Hunt is BS. I could have 5 dogs in my truck and I could guarantee it would be cleaner than most of the JB Hunt trucks I have seen.

Well, I can't comment for Swift. But I did work for JB Hunt for a brief time. Never again.

To learn more, just look up the jb hunt comments on this board.

Good luck with your choice.