Swift Transportation Company, Inc. - Phoenix, Az.

Yes Swift will let you set up a Com Data account and have you pay sent to that acct.As for Having my pay sent electronically to my personal bank acct.I have done it for years with no problems.Back when Im was an O/O I started using the electronic banking,and doing 99% of my business with a Debit-credit card.It sure beats driving all over the country with a pocket full of cash.When I do need some cash there is always an ATM close by.So even tho I am retired I still like this system.Another good reason for me to use it,is that I am always aware of how much I am spending.vs.how much money is in my acct.Just my 2 cts.worth.

 

Without these mentors/trainers out there these large trucking companies would not remain profitable. I mean think about it, they have a team for half price. One of the drivers gets all the miles, the other one get paid a little lunch money, and the company makes out like a bandit. It's not only sad it's scary.

Actually mentors are the most expensive thing a company has. You have to pay regular miles to the mentor, ontop of a salary for the trainee. The most efficient and profitable driver is a team driver. They essentially split a higher per mile rate. Most of my mentors will generally only get 3-4k miles per week (12-16000 per month) depending on the trainee. I tell all my mentors that yes you want to make good money, but the trainee must be taught correctly. Can't spend your money if you are dead. Best way is the 7 and 7. Mentor drivers 7 hours, while trainee is watching and learning, then they swap out while mentor sits shotgun. This allows a little more drive time per day for the miles, and both can shut down for their 10 at the same time. They are not suppose to team until around the 4th week unless the student has previous experience and this is just a refresher for them.

Wes

 

Swift has a new low. They are starting to advertise in a local paper that charges next to nothing to advertise and the papers are free to anyone that wants them. The paper Is called American Classifieds use to be the thrifty nickel. Just goes to show you that they must be really hurting for drivers when they do not advertise in the paid subscription papers or maybey they can not afford the better papers any longer.

Getting the most out of advertising is smart business. In some markets we are actually turning away drivers. That assumption would be like comparing someone for shopping at walmart because its cheaper instead of brookshire's or a conveniance store.

Wes

 

One way to rectify that, is to set up a separate account just for the direct deposit, and as soon as the funds are there transfer them to your real account. That way, should they attempt to withdraw funds for "accidental overpayment" or whatever, they'll turn up a big fat goose egg.

Accidental overpayment would just be withheld from the next check. We recently had a computer glitch and the drivers were able to load their cards multiple times with personal advances. We can not reach into the card, once deposited its out of our hands. We can only withhold from the following check if there was an error.

Wes

 

I am a newbee and have this question.

Now the 7 and 7 would that be a violation the HOS?

The way that I understand the HOS is you can drive for 11 hours and be on duty not driving for as long as they please but you must have atleast 10 hours off before next time you would drive so the trainer / mentor would be fine.
The only problem I see is the trainee's time being on duty not driving for 7 hours before he actually drives then he drives for 7 hours.
I thought that you can not do this but please correct me if I am wrong.
I know that the trainner will probaly go over the HOS with me better but just trying to find out more things before I go out so I can atleast look better in his eyes.
I know that you can not drive past being on duty for 14 hours so the trainee may be fine but I would like the clairfication.

We did not cover everthing in school about the HOS just the basics.
How to make our logbooks appear good looking to the dot so we can hopefully avoid the detailed inspections we were told the best way is log 5-6 hours then 2 hour break and then drive the rest of the time avalible and then take the 8 hour sleeper break. I said why not just drive the 11 and then shut it down they told me that would be a red flag.

Thanks for your input.

 

If you watch me drive for 7hrs, and I watch you drive for 7hrs. Then we are both at 14hrs at the same time, with only 7hrs of driving each. So we take a 10hr nap and start again. No violation of the rules as far as I can see. Of course, IMO I don't believe for one second that this will be the norm while you are with your mentor/trainer.

 

thank you for informing me of that

 

yea but they dont just offer or accept anybody. i've only been driving simi's for 6 months yes but before that i was driving tow trucks for years so.. i am a good driver i can back with the best of them i've even just been offered and accepted one of swifts high priority reagions which is the great lakes reagion.. pays 10 cents more per mile and runs you so hard you have to take a restart every 7th day. and the process for being suggested to be a mentor comes from way back for me.. i was trained at there acadamy by the husband (who noticed that i knew what i was doing for the most part and by the end of there acadamy bs was helping everybody else) of the lady who is in charge of mentors at my terminal. my mentor suggested i be a mentor. and my driver manager see's that im on time to every load with no accidents so far. all building up to the fact that there is nothing wrong with me being a mentor in fact ill probably make a better mentor then most of the mentors swift currently has.

 

I wasn't bringing your qualifications into question rather Swift's apparent policy of accepting people with 6 months experience to be trainers/mentors. So are you saying it's 6 months driving experience with Swift as long as you have a certain amount of driving time prior to them or is it 6 months driving period.