Swift Transportation reviews

Q: I'am finally done with all my documents now and is ready to hit the road. The only thing now I dont have is a passport. Iam starting next week Monday at Millington, TN at the academy. I dont know how the program works and not familiar with it. I already have my Cdl permit. 

(1.) - On hometime where will the truck be parked? Some companies dont allow drivers to take their equipments home so I need to know this info
(2.) - How many weeks out over the road?
(3.) - Miles solo drivers average?
(4.) - When do drivers get paid?
(5.) - How much will I expect to make a week solo
(6.) - How fast are company trucks?
(7.) - Passenger policy?
(8.) - What type of trucks does Swift currently have in their fleet and how old are they?
(9.) - How is the 3 week program over at Millington TN?

A: Truck can be parked at a truck stop or a empty lot if 1 is available near your home I have heard some terminals if u live with 100mioes they have to be park at term don't know I don't live near 1

otr at least 12 days but if u go home very 2weeks don't exspect to make much stay out at least 24 days to make money

I averaged 3000 miles but I'm a hard runner this depends on u I would figure on 2500 miles a week to see if u can handle it 1 day off for every 6 out 4 days off max can't keep them for later they just disappear if not used

payday is every Tuesday Andy tripsempty by midnight Wedsday on on the next week pay


Pay any where from $300 to $1400 a week depends on you how well u run and how much u wanna sit or get stuck baby sitting freight I average $1000 a week $600 Hometime weeks.

trucks are 62 but If u wanna lease 68

$30 a month anyone can come they say they do background check they don't oh and they have to be at least 12 years old

Volvos, freight liners, Kenworths 2008 and up exspect a older 1 to start maybe u may get lucky I was given a brand new truck after 8 months keep safety rating good and no preventabes help.

no clue about millington sorry.

swift is a good starter company good luck to ya

Q: My brother has been solo with Swift for years. I am getting my CDL on my own next month, maybe July. We plan to team , if tolerable, and supervision has already offered a position to us out of a Target dc in Florida. Can we get enough miles for this to be worth it? Thanks in advance.

A: If they are like the one in Texas that used to run out of Ft. Worth, now out of Denton I believe, the team trucks are always moving to and from their deliveries. I haven't talked to anyone in a couple of years, but they were very happy then.

Q: So I just got off the phone with a recruiter at swift. I'm looking to get CDL training & she gave me some info about the school & training.when asked about starting pay she told me between 35-37 cents per mile to start. I was just wondering if anyone here knows this to be truth? Or do you think she just told me this in order to get me in their school? Also she stated that after the 3 weeks of schooling then you get your CDL. Once you have your CDL you go out with a trainer for 200 hours. My question on that is about how long is 200 hours? How long can it take to complete that training with the trainer? & lastly I asked about home time & she told me 2 weeks out then 2 days of home time. Anyone know this to be true? Thanks in Advance!

A: It's all true, a friend of mine currently works there. The starting pay depends on division. DRY, Reefer , FB, Don't think you can do intermodal right away. 

If you get a trainer that dosent waste your time about a month and a half.

Hometime is a day for every week out, if you take more than three days they may take your truck and give it to another driver. Far as I know they won't fire you for it though.

Make sure during orientation you get it straight what division you want. Otherwise they will probably put you in whatever the flavor of the day is. That's the last oppritunity to switch till you do 90solo days.

Q: I just applied wih swift as I've been out of cdl school since early 2014 and haven't used my cdl yet, however the time has come that I need to make more money. Swift seemed to be the only ones that would take me, so I'm hoping things work out, I have a few questions for current swift drivers 
1. Have the driver facing cameras affected your ability to do your job? 
2. How much time will I spend with a trainer and what will I be doing when I'm not driving? 
3. I haven't drove a truck in 2 years so I'm worried I won't remember pre trip things or be bad at shifting again, I never got used to the double clutching I could always float with no issues but I would grind when I double clutched 
4. When I go out on my own for the first time, will there be someone I can call if I get in a hard place? 
5. Is the pay enough to live on? 
6. Where is orientation and how long? 
I haven't spoke to my recruiter yet so maybe she will cover some of this for me but I would like to hear you guys experiences with swift.

A: 1. I don't have one yet, but I doubt it will hinder my abilities.
2. When you are not driving you will either be studying or sleeping or eating or showering or...
Figure 6-8 weeks with your trainer (mentor, as they are called at Swift).
3. I doubt they will simply put you with a trainer at first. You will need a refresher course, which means doing the whole school thing again.
4. You can always call your DM, or ECT if your DM isn't on duty. You can call shippers/receivers for directions if you need to. There are always options, even if it calling the local police for help getting out of some where you shouldn't be.
5. That depends on how much you need to live on.
6. That depends on where you are in the country. Orientation is usually 3 days.

You will probably be out of Syracuse ... Always had a positive experience there ... shop is good and the terminal manager was very driver focused - he went well beyond what I expected to help me out at one time.

Get in an snoop around ... I a lot of Canada stuff is run out of there ... basically run between Canada and Syracuse

Q: I know the academy you test and practice on Manuals.
Take ya cdl test in a manual.
But whats after that?
I know they said we have a road test in the morning, is this on a auto or manual?
What about with your trainer and your own truck?

A: The mentor program is going 100% auto. All new mentors have to have auto trucks. The only sticks are those already in the program.

Academy is still doing sticks, and will likely continue to do so, so their graduates don't have the auto only restriction on their license.

It's was great training great instructors. Fast paced but nothing hard. Plenty of backing practice maybe 3-4 hours total drive time. Could be more, could be less depending on size of class so take advantage of every chance you get to drive to learn to shift & downshift

I thought their contract terms were strange the first time I read them but once I compared them to the terms other megas have, they probably have one of the more realistic contacts out there. Most carriers offer tuition reimbursement at a rate of $150 a month or $1,800 a year, yet value their in-house training program at $6,000 to $9,000 a year, quite a discrepancy. I know Swift actually deducts money from your check weekly, but they are the only company I have seen that actually credits anything weekly or monthly against the full tuition amount. I think I saw 2 other carriers (maybe Prime and Roehl?) that knocked a chunk off after 6 months, but with everyone else, if you leave after 360 days you still owe the full amount.

I know they get a bad rap on this site and others, but I think they would be a good choice to train with and drive with for someone starting out. If you can get past the cameras!!

Your experience with Swift will depend entirely on your home terminal. Every terminal runs a little different. I've heard stories about guys who get counselled for floating gears. I float 99% of the time and nobody's said a thing to me about it. 

If you have a good terminal and a good DL, your experience can be just fine. Make your pickups and deliveries on time and you'll hardly ever have to talk to anyone from the company

Q: Does swift allow you to have misdemeanors?

A: Yes they do. I had two misdeamenors for smoking weed in 1992. Granted they were over 20 years old when I signed on but they still knew about them and I had to talk to the safety department.