Can Anyone Tell Me About Schneider And/or Swift?

I'm seriously thinking about getting out of my current industry, hospitality and hotels. I'm forty-eight and this coming October I've got a life changing event coming up as I deal with an elderly parent and if things work out I'm seriously considering getting out of the hospitality and hotel industry. I've just reached my limit with the torn up rooms, folks who don't know when the party stops (both personal and groups), working to sign up folks for loyalty programs they don't want to be signed up for (can't tell you how many times I've made my offer just to be told no...). This evening I'm dealing with a group and my hallways smell of pot (really classy). I've been a line level worker and just moved up to my first management job and it's not what I thought it'd be, it's more often than not handing me my ass every day.

I've always been a fan of big rigs. Company rigs are okay and I feel bad when I see an old beat up one go by me on the highway. But on occasion when I see that big beautiful rig, especially at night all lit up, it's like nothing else. My family says I'm crazy, my mother has all but vetoed the idea (she reigns the family). After reconnecting with friends I went to high school with in the late 80's and early 90's through social media, they travelled and I didn't. All I ever do is go work, home, work, home and quite frankly I'm bored. You'd think working in hospitality and hotels I'd take advantage of the travel discounts, but I've just seldom if ever travelled. I like seeing the country and figure trucking would be a nice way to see this great nation, even if it's loading dock to loading dock you get to enjoy the sights in between. I'm not so much interested in seeing the mega-tourist attractions, but just seeing stuff even if it's just the countryside; just to go somewhere. Cause of cell phones, tablets and such I think now would be a great time if I was going to switch as staying current with friends/family and entertainment (streaming music, television and movies) is a lot easier now. I do have a small house, less than a thousand a month which I'd think would be easy to keep up with the mortgage, and with electronics today I could keep up with the security by remote.

I'm interested in Schneider and Swift, particularly the former. I can't drive a stick car, don't know about a truck, but would definitely be interested in an automatic. But anyone have any real inside knowledge of either? Cause I know any website or recruiter would just tell me what I want to hear to get me to sign with them. It's similar to buying a car or a house, a bunch of yes men...

KB Dallas, TX

Hey KB, welcome!

I promise one of the veterans is going to jump in and send you some valuable information and link a bunch of resources for you to read. Please do so!

I currently drive for Schneider. I’m super new to this industry. I turned 50 in December 2020 and decided to start a 2nd career. Went to CDL school Feb 2021, took my test and went to Schneider two week orientation and one week mentor training in March. Next week with be my 6th week solo on a dedicated flatbed account.

Schneider the company has been good. Had a hiccup with what the recruiter told me for the account they hired me but they easily switched me to another account.

I would advise to do lots of research and starting here is a great place.

You will train and drive automatics at Schneider. The orientation is fast paced and they are good trainers. The one week of mentoring is enough for what they are trying to evaluate you on but I felt needed at least 2 weeks of account based training. I got 2 days.

Hope some of this helps - at least a good start of a conversation!

I'm seriously thinking about getting out of my current industry, hospitality and hotels. I'm forty-eight and this coming October I've got a life changing event coming up as I deal with an elderly parent and if things work out I'm seriously considering getting out of the hospitality and hotel industry. I've just reached my limit with the torn up rooms, folks who don't know when the party stops (both personal and groups), working to sign up folks for loyalty programs they don't want to be signed up for (can't tell you how many times I've made my offer just to be told no...). This evening I'm dealing with a group and my hallways smell of pot (really classy). I've been a line level worker and just moved up to my first management job and it's not what I thought it'd be, it's more often than not handing me my ass every day.

I've always been a fan of big rigs. Company rigs are okay and I feel bad when I see an old beat up one go by me on the highway. But on occasion when I see that big beautiful rig, especially at night all lit up, it's like nothing else. My family says I'm crazy, my mother has all but vetoed the idea (she reigns the family). After reconnecting with friends I went to high school with in the late 80's and early 90's through social media, they travelled and I didn't. All I ever do is go work, home, work, home and quite frankly I'm bored. You'd think working in hospitality and hotels I'd take advantage of the travel discounts, but I've just seldom if ever travelled. I like seeing the country and figure trucking would be a nice way to see this great nation, even if it's loading dock to loading dock you get to enjoy the sights in between. I'm not so much interested in seeing the mega-tourist attractions, but just seeing stuff even if it's just the countryside; just to go somewhere. Cause of cell phones, tablets and such I think now would be a great time if I was going to switch as staying current with friends/family and entertainment (streaming music, television and movies) is a lot easier now. I do have a small house, less than a thousand a month which I'd think would be easy to keep up with the mortgage, and with electronics today I could keep up with the security by remote.

I'm interested in Schneider and Swift, particularly the former. I can't drive a stick car, don't know about a truck, but would definitely be interested in an automatic. But anyone have any real inside knowledge of either? Cause I know any website or recruiter would just tell me what I want to hear to get me to sign with them. It's similar to buying a car or a house, a bunch of yes men...

KB Dallas, TX

You’ve packed a lot in and the Moderators here will direct you to excellent resources.

I started with Schneider and everything the recruiter promised held true. That was seven years ago and I worked out of their Lebanon, TN Operating Center.

What I loved about Schneider (as with many of the mega carriers) was I could take hometime anywhere. I live in Florida, my best friend of 40yrs is In Ohio. While with Schneider, I was able to visit with them about once a quarter. When my Son got married in Maryland, Schneider routed me to a nearby OC and I spent the weekend there with family.

Your concerns about your current job will go away, but there WILL be issues with trucking you might not like. We can’t answer whether or not this is a better life for you. I’ve owned my own businesses, been a corporate manager, military and other stuff. This is a job, with headaches and frustration. But it also has rewards. Attached is a recent picture of our house. We’ve made upgrades without going further into debt BECAUSE of the financial rewards of this job.

I did leave Schneider, but only because I could get home more often while making the same money.

I hope this helps.

Jared and Steve... Thanks for the feedback, it'll definitely give me something to think about. Yes my new management job has been kicking my ass but I also did have a particularly bad night this past Friday which I'll admit jaded things. I also just got let go from a job at a place I really loved so I've been down emotionally for a while. Last night I just really needed to vent, but trucking is something I think about off and on. Start your day someplace and end your day somewhere else...

But I'm not doing anything until likely October when the lease on where my elderly father is staying will be up. If I can place him in a home then I'll know he's being taken care while also having a nice place to live. Then I really won't have any ties keeping me here...

Hey Kevin, we have a ton of resources available here. Since you have time to study, you should check out some of this information while you are thinking about this transition. Here's what we call our "starter pack."

These links will give you plenty to look at and think about.

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests