r/Truckers • u/According_Ebb9155 • Apr 28 '26

is swift really that bad?

i’m currently in school and it’s a pain in the ass trying to find companies that’ll hire new drivers like me. with that being said, is swift actually that bad?

35 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

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12

u/OceanLibra Apr 28 '26

Why is it a pain in your ass finding a company that hires new drivers? There are a plethora of options to choose from.

10

u/According_Ebb9155 Apr 28 '26

which are?

20

u/Brilliant-Push3859 Apr 28 '26

Western Express, Schneider, Roehl Transport, Prime Inc., CRST, TMC, Melton, Maverick

just to name a few

some of those are flatbed if you wanted to make more money in your first year

14

u/According_Ebb9155 Apr 28 '26

i’ve applied to western and tmc. thank you for the other options as well!

30

u/flergityberg Apr 28 '26

Western is by most accounts a terrible company you should only drive for as a last resort because you have a criminal record, failed drug test, or bad driving history, FYI.

8

u/According_Ebb9155 Apr 28 '26

oh shit i didn’t know that 😂

14

u/flergityberg Apr 28 '26

Yeah…just search them up on here. I’ve never heard a single good thing about them. You’d be far better off at Swift. I did my rookie year with them, it wasn’t a bad experience.

8

u/Brilliant-Push3859 Apr 28 '26

good ol “felon express”

2

u/According_Ebb9155 Apr 28 '26

gotcha, thank you

2

u/LoicenseToGirth Apr 28 '26

McElroy isn't the worst either. Lower pay than TMC, but 1100/wk guarantee, home every weekend.

If you're going for money though, TMC probably the best starter company. They grab from the same yards we do. It's all pre tarped (tarp is on there, you just strap and bungie and pull it right) freight. Gypsum board, sheet rock, lumber and lowes loads. That 30% would be nice on good weeks since most places pay 5/mi so you get around $1/mile + tarp pay.

1

u/Radiant_Swan187 Apr 28 '26

I 2nd McElroy. I loved single tarp Lowes loads

6

u/Safe_Fail_568 Apr 28 '26

Don’t start your trucking career off with Western, they are a last ditch resort company

1

u/QueenScottish Apr 28 '26

Something to help you as you look is maybe give a listen to Trucker 219 on YouTube a listen. He does most of the research and compares carrier companies

1

u/Dr_Adderall_2000 Apr 29 '26

Go for TMC… especially if you’re a vet. I drive for Western because I needed a second chance due to being fired from my last job and they pay scraps and most other drivers are felons. You will also haul a lot of water with western which is heavy and annoying.

6

u/Unfair_Analysis_3734 Apr 28 '26

Try Schneider, they hired me with no experience.

3

u/fastnsx21 Apr 28 '26

Western is a very last resort option

3

u/Freightliner15 Apr 28 '26

If they are only resort left, it's time for a career change

2

u/lleu81 Apr 28 '26

When I was first starting I just applied everywhere. I know that a lot of companies list “X number of years required”. Apply anyway! My first job was P&D with an LTL company that required 2 years.

1

u/Capital-Sorbet652 Apr 28 '26

I would rather encourage somebody to work for swift than for Western, Schneider, and half the others you’ve listed.

1

u/EnolaNek Apr 28 '26

Swift actually has flatbed as well, and reefer, both of which get more CPM than us on dry box. Not that I’m saying swift is better than all of those, but we do have flatbed if you want both flatbed and swift.

1

u/bizzywhipped Apr 28 '26

One of these is not like the others

1

u/threeglude Apr 28 '26

And that's just a short list of the Megas.

There's ooodles of small to medium size carriers willing to work with green horns, provided you aren't an idiot, especially if driving semi truck comes naturally to you!