Celadon Or Swift?

My husband got pre-approved at 2 schools and now needs to decide which one to go to. The choice is between Celadon and Swift (yes I know both are big companies but he had his license suspended due to unanswered tickets for about 10 years so the fact that they will even take him is huge) The main difference I see is the length between contracts. Anyone have any insights or opinions? Thanks in advance!

When you reach this point, you could almost flip a coin. I started with Swift 18 months ago. I did Swift's school and started driving for them. I'm happy here.

Celadon may be a bit smaller, but except for some small differences, they're pretty much the same.

Swift's pet policy is "no pets". I don't know, but maybe Celadon is different. These are the things to look at now.

I am with Swift as well, went through the the Phoenix academy and have been on my own for 2 months. Don't worry about them being a "big" company we aren't here to bash. Things to consider are home time, pay, training, and one thing that kept me from going to celadon was after you finish training you have to team with another driver for so many miles I believe. Also the length of contract doesn't matter all that much cause once you start you should stay with that company and put in a year of safe driving. This will lead to more opportunities. Good luck to him and don't hesitate to ask us anything!!

Errol are you happy with your home time? Was your pay reasonable? Is the training paid? I've seen good and bad reviews about swift since it's so big, not as much to find on celadon

When you reach this point, you could almost flip a coin. I started with Swift 18 months ago. I did Swift's school and started driving for them. I'm happy here.

Celadon may be a bit smaller, but except for some small differences, they're pretty much the same.

Swift's pet policy is "no pets". I don't know, but maybe Celadon is different. These are the things to look at now.

Celadon requires you to team at first, whereas Swift does not. Celadon has paid room & board during training, whereas Swift has room & limited board. There are other small differences, but that is splitting hairs. Swift has more opportunities besides Otr , where Celadon does not.

I think Swift pays more at start, too, but my memory is shakey on that part.

As a person preparing for school myself, Swift holds the overall edge, in my book, for what each can meet my needs.

But both are good companies.

I got my license through Swift in Fontana. No complaints. I'd still be there if I didn't get sick.

If there was ever a way... I'd say ask for a week in dispatch before you go OTR so you can understand what's really going on.

So when your waiting for a load your not sitting in your sleeper thinking they're out to get you lol. For the short time I drove for them I always had loads. I think I went once maybe twice...

When you pick your truck maybe go get the mechanic or someone and ask em which one he'd pic? He probably just services them so he knows what's the story on em...

A little off topic. I guess. But if I had to do it all over again I'd go swift.

The recruiter my husband was assigned from swift has been really hard to get ahold of and didn't return the call he said he would today which is annoying. I'm tempted to tell my husband and ask to speak to someone else.

neither go apply for a wia grant at your local state job center and they will pay for his cdl at a truck school and this way your not obligated to any company.

My husband got pre-approved at 2 schools and now needs to decide which one to go to. The choice is between Celadon and Swift (yes I know both are big companies but he had his license suspended due to unanswered tickets for about 10 years so the fact that they will even take him is huge) The main difference I see is the length between contracts. Anyone have any insights or opinions? Thanks in advance!

Not a good fit for us because he needs to be able to earn money at the same time. Our local programs don't work with working hours too

neither go apply for a wia grant at your local state job center and they will pay for his cdl at a truck school and this way your not obligated to any company.

My husband got pre-approved at 2 schools and now needs to decide which one to go to. The choice is between Celadon and Swift (yes I know both are big companies but he had his license suspended due to unanswered tickets for about 10 years so the fact that they will even take him is huge) The main difference I see is the length between contracts. Anyone have any insights or opinions? Thanks in advance!

Erin asks:

Errol are you happy with your home time? Was your pay reasonable? Is the training paid? I've seen good and bad reviews about swift since it's so big, not as much to find on celadon

It's almost industry wide that you get one day home for one week on the road, usually at least two weeks of more out before you get home.

One place to look is to compare pay rates, but even then you're only chasing pennies. That's not worth it for me. What's most important is things like that home time, whether you get an APU , rider and pet policies, things like that.

Swift is a big company, so people like to kick them around more. 98% of all reviews are written by people with a complaint, usually of their own making. The Trucking Truth Trucking Company Reviews simply talk about the company, including good and not-so good stuff.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.