Comments By William K.

The training won't be an issue because I'll still be getting my full active duty Navy paycheck for a month while on terminal leave (still in the Navy, but moving on). The "rookie" trucking pay isn't that big of a deal since my retirement paycheck will be supplementing it.

A few random questions.

#1. I've read, or seen videos, about some drivers parking their trucks at their homes during their home time. I have less than zero space for a truck in my driveway. Can I leave it at a terminal like Lancaster, or do I need to figure something else out?

#2. Pay. CPM, detention, layover, load cancellation, breakdown, etc. Is there somewhere I can find the handbook for Swift's payscale to check it out?

On a sidenote, I absolutely love this website. I've been thinking about trucking for a few months as a second career. The fast feedback from people in the industry makes me feel like I'm getting quality information. Thanks for everything.

I hope it works out that smoothly for me. I'm looking to get back to Texas, a little south of Dallas. According to Swift's website, they have a training site only about 15 miles from my house there.

Through all the research I've been doing, I've seen a lot of "possibilities". After orientation your chosen company, you MAY have to wait for your mentor due to his/her load. Some sites have even straight out said you may go back home for a few days, or longer, until your mentor is in town. Could anyone fill in a few gaps with their personal experiences? I'm leaning toward Swift as my #1 choice for now, so I'll use it below. Thanks.

1. Attend training. (Veteran Scholarship Program, so I'm not paying for it. However I'm not receiving a paycheck.)

2. Wait for orientation. (The wait time will be different if I don't attend company training. Is there a general rule of thumb for Swift? I know it starts on Mondays. I'm not receiving a paycheck.)

3. Get into the truck and get PAID. (Is it very often that drivers have to wait a few days for their mentors?)

Pretty much weekly, on Mondays. Often enough for ya?

Perfect. Thanks.

Typically, companies wanna see applications within 30 days of expected graduation from trucking school. So start applying when you're 30 days out from graduation, which usually means right after you start school!

Swift is one of the companies I was looking into. This site says their Texas training location is in San Antonio, but their website says Corsicana (250 miles closer to home). Either way, I haven't seen anything yet on the exact dates of their schools, so I don't know when the "30 day" window would be.

I was actually about to ask this same question when I saw this post. I'll be retiring from the Navy in May. I was thinking about using the GI Bill to cover my training so I wouldn't be cornered into a contract. Thoughts on job hunting five months out for the Dallas, TX area? Thanks.