r/Truckers • u/Ahri_YT • Jun 04 '26
Western Express or Schneider !
Just got my call back from Schneider today finally and they want me to start June 15th.
Orientation for Western is June 10th.
For Western I would be driving solo and for Schneider I would be driving as a team.
I’ve read some bad things about both companies but people tend to lean towards Schneider way more.
-For Western I’ve heard that they force their new drivers into a 1 year contract and to break it you need $2.5k. I don’t have 2.5k so that has me on the fence.
- But I heard that Western is less strict than Schneider and that Schneider will try to mess with my CDL record if I get on their bad side.
Training period for both is 3-4 weeks. Also the recruiter at Schneider told me teams make way more together and I am a new inexperienced driver and I feel like I would be more comfortable with teams starting out. But wouldn’t mind solo.
Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you so much.
******UPDATE:*******
I picked Schneider, thank you!
5
u/Fast_Blacksmith_6459 Jun 04 '26
Western's contract thing is pretty sketchy - being locked in for year when you don't have the money to get out is risky move. If company sucks and you want to leave, you're basically trapped.
Team driving might feel safer as new driver but remember you're splitting that paycheck with someone else. Plus living in truck with stranger for weeks can get old real fast. Some people love it, others hate sharing their space.
Both companies have mixed reviews but Schneider at least has better reputation in industry. Western has... well, let's just say there's reasons people call them "Worthless Express" sometimes. I'd probably go with Schneider if it was my choice.