Originally Posted by Buckeye 'bedder

So for flatbedders, lets say Swift asks you to pick up a dry van load. After you drop that load off, how do you go about getting another flatbed trailer/load? I would assume flatbed and dry van will have particular lanes/routes they run, so how do you get back to the FB routes?

I stay away from van loads, you get the junk left over runs, that are usually allready late. I allways ask now if they have something to back a load up if its an off the wall place.
I now prefer to sit than pull a van, not worth the headache for a couple 200-300mi runs. Then they seem to do their best to keep you away from a flatbed terminal.
Flatbed in this company is 99%mon-fri an occasional saturday pick or drop, very rare it seems with this company. You might have to sit a day but something usually pops up.

Originally Posted by Michelinman

do you care to mention what company the other driver was from?...

Some fly by night company called MBA it was a moving company truck. I even parked under the light in the lot,go figure.

Originally Posted by dieselgrl

You've got to get routed to a terminal that has an empty flatbed trailer, or a load waiting to go. Best chances are Gary, IN, Phoenix, AZ, Greer, SC, Lancaster, TX (dallas), and Laredo, TX. I'm down in Kansas City waiting on a load...they offered the possibility of a van load, but since I'm dedicated I didn't want to give up my flatbed without a plan so I opted to wait until Monday.

smart women, i picked up a load of concrete out of kansas before, i did one of the pilmalco runs and finaled out up their, that was a nice paying week.

Hows the dedicated treating you?

Originally Posted by schmud0811

I stay away from van loads, you get the junk left over runs, that are usually allready late. I allways ask now if they have something to back a load up if its an off the wall place.
I now prefer to sit than pull a van, not worth the headache for a couple 200-300mi runs. Then they seem to do their best to keep you away from a flatbed terminal.
Flatbed in this company is 99%mon-fri an occasional saturday pick or drop, very rare it seems with this company. You might have to sit a day but something usually pops up.

From listening to drivers from (strictly) FB companies, it seems a lot of flatbed is done M-F with not much happening on weekends. I guess FB company drivers do their 34 hour restarts at home. If I get with Swift in FB, I can't say I will hate doing 34 hours restarts away from home, as long as I get good miles and runs M-F, along with seeing all regions of the USA. No reasons for me to have to be home on "weekends", so no issues about that. I won't mind. Besides, I can always mind later. My only concern about Swift is their low pay (.26 [flatbed] cpm beginning; .34 cpm after 1 year?)

Starts at .27

Originally Posted by AZS

Starts at .27

Geez, AZ, I see conflicting pay scales r/t what Swifts current start pay is. Someone who just started for Swift stated that FB'ers starts at .26 cpm. .26-.27; some may say "what's the difference?" Well, every penny helps. BTW, how are things going at Swift? What is going well; what isn't? What you recommend to others considering Swift FB? Feel free to PM me if you like.

.26 unless they changed it for this year. it was .25 for van .26 flatbed

Thought for sure its. 27. Sucks they don't really broadcast these things. Ill see what I can find out. Buckeye I'm still with my mentor but starting the downhill side of my time left with him. Ill think about what I like and dislike. I will pm you. There is defisnitely more like than dislike.