Is it always faster to create indexes after loading data?
Back in the day we would bulk load our data in this way:


Drop indexes 
Load data in the order for which the clustered index would be built (i.e., you export the data in a precise way)
After the load is completed, create the clustered index
Next, create any additional non-clustered indexes
Miller time (this was before I could afford decent beer)


That method always proved faster than leaving the indexes in place. However, this was for Sybase and SQL Server. I imagine other systems would be similar, but I can't say for certain.