Swift...... I enjoy my job

*smiles*

I'm glad you now have a career that you enjoy and that pays you what you feel you're worth. I wish you joy in your life and career.

 

To Wrongway (the original poster) I'm so happy you're enjoying your job. I too enjoy working for Swift.

 

congrats wrongway be safe out there

 

Wow, some guys are really hung up on the .25/mile thing. Do you think Swift keeps you there forever? It's a starting wage. Swift gives a newbie a pay raise at 3 mo, 4 mo, 6 mo, 9 mo and 1 year (don't ask me to explain why at 3 and 4 mo). After that it's every year. At the end of the 1st year, I was making .32/per mile plus a .01 bonus for heavy (west coast pay side of chart).

If you do a google search you can find the Swift paychart. My situation was a bit unique, since I was on the short mileage chart, but after calculating in the short miles chart and HH pay, I averaged .39/mile in one year. This was on an average of 2200 - 2500 miles a week. Tack on a couple of short runs with bonus pay, a handfull of trailer spots or sweep outs, and I'd bring home $700-900 a week.

Sure the 1st 1/2 year sux. But it does get better.

 

I enjoy my job here at Swift as well. Got my first raise recently and the miles,lifestyle,paychecks etc are starting to settle into a regular routine. I'm happy with that. You can't put a value on that- it's priceless.

No one can make us feel any way we choose not to feel. If you enjoy your job that's great! People who want to say someone is too dumb to know they are being underpaid probably have underlying happiness issues themselves.

 

I will be attending school next week at Central Refrigerated, but I have researched this site pretty well. I drove 20 years ago, flatbeds-TMC-%-48&Canada, and am returning to driving on my own choice. I've retired from Qwest communications and from the US Army. I own a home and am debt free. I just loved driving and my family hated it. My boys are grown and my wife passed away. I want to do this so I've been pretty well read on all of these threads.
Which brings me to Mr. "Slave Wages". There are hundreds of lines good and bad on here about every company out there. But this guy, a ex-trucker of 9 years, only shows up on Swift threads and only when another trucker or student says something GOOD about Swift.
He has some posts about unions and breaking down the Truck companies and unionizing everthing. When I was 5 my family escaped Hungary, my mother and sister were shot dead by Russian guards at the Austrian border. For escaping the workman's paradaise your unions want to provide us with. Thats a whole nother ball of wax.
Dude, I will take it on faith that you think you are doing everyone a favour, but it looks alot like you have a grudge against Swift. I do not know if they fired or rejected you, or if someone from swift pissed in your cornflakes. BUT if it has gotten to you to the point that you can not see other people have a different opinion than you!!!! then you need to get out of this forum and get a hobby you like. Fishing and golf are always good choices. good luck and be safe.

 

I don't know about past years but getting >2500 miles a week at Swift in this economy is pretty hard to impossible.

I know everybody's pride does not want them to admit how little they make but the fact is a Swift OTR driver averages 1600 to 2100 miles a week. Those are hard numbers and use to be posted in all terminals. Some terminals were on the higher end of that planning, but most were at 1700 miles per OTR driver. All terminals use to post this fact, often in a line chart, but the true embarrassment of the facts has made them some of them hide the data.

Swift publishes the goal of 2500 miles in their handbook, but at this time you are lucky to get planned once you reach 1600. I got that number from more than one planner.

Part of Swift's strategy in the OTR market is to have enough drivers with the hours to market their service in any location. Hence the continual training and hiring of new drivers. Max out drivers are not marketable.

Consider how much work it is to plan drivers over 2500 hours with no service failures! With all the newer drivers at Swift, would a planner risk planning that many miles on any one driver? I can tell you it rarely happens - no pride no bs.

 

I know drivers getting the miles and drivers not getting that many. I also know if a team isn't willing to run 5-6 K a week they're not allowed on our fleet and if a solo isn't willing to run 2500 he/she isn't allowed on the fleet.

 

ok I too love my job at Swift. I am am mentor and that 2500 mile stuff is for the birds. Even when i was a solo driver I would average 3000 to 4000 miles. If you only average 2500 then you are lazy in my book! when i went to mentor status the miles did pile up. this year alone i have to my credit 95000 miles and it is just sept. to all the Swift drivers out there and those wanting to be " keep the drivers door closed and you will make the money" My mentor told me that many years ago.

 

Thank you sir for your honesty. You are right, people have a false sense of pride, and do not like the truth, it hurts.
The facts also reflect a dismal payscale equal to what drivers were making 20 years ago.
This is not just a condemnation of Swift, but is an indictment of the whole industry.
I am not pro-union, but if you look at the difference between union and non-union trucking companies, it is very evident that the union drivers actually make a livable wage.
These mega -junk haulers paying 1990 wages ought to be shut down. Look at their turnover rates. They lie to people, make them false promises, then give them the shaft.
Why are their turnover rates so high? If people were making money they wouldn't leave so soon.