Swift and hometime...can you take your hometime anywhere with enough advance notice?

Thanks! I have training tentatively scheduled for 12/31 so once I get there I'll start posting up about my experience. That is, if they have wifi or some way to get hooked up to the internet.

I definitely do not have that attitude of knowing it all. I can understand how a trainer or a DM whoever would get frustrated with people like that. I do have some experience with training people. I remember those that had the attitude of knowing it all or trying to apply their previous experience to this new, different opportunity. It used to drive me nuts to some degree. I wont do it myself. I go into this open minded and ready to learn. I'm really hungry for this opportunity.

Our outlook is always relative to our experiences.

I learned a lot when I drove a cab in Jersey City. I worked for a company that was barely making ends meet. They took out their financial woes on the drivers. We worked out of a little construction trailer in a small sketchy alleyway behind a burned out church off Communipaw Ave. There were make-shift bars on the windows of the trailer where the dispatcher sat somewhat safely inside. I say safely because not only was the area sketchy looking and in a rough area of J.C. but the urchins knew we operated out of that street. It was one way in, one way out. They used to get pretty creative with trying to rob us as we came back to dispatch over the course of the night. My favorite ruse was the one where you would pull into the street and there would be someone lying down in the middle of this narrow alley holding their stomach like they were hurt or got shot. The expectation was for you to get out of your car to help them and then they and the other persons hiding would rob you. Never worked with me but they tried. I would just back out of the alley and give the dispatcher a call to let 'em know about the fake injured urchin and get a patrol car out there. The bottom of the bars on one particular window in this construction trailer dispatch headquarters, the one we used to check in with the dispatcher, were unsecured so when you got too close to the window to talk to the dispatcher, their monster pitbull would pop its head out and take a swipe out you. Taught you quickly not to get too close. They had a couple of other pits chained up to some old broken down cabs and you learned how long the chains were to stay safe. I actually befriended the one pit they kept inside the dispatch. The cars were in various stages of disrepair including exhaust leaks that were so bad you got dizzy driving. I remember times being assigned cars like these and having my fares complain about the fumes. Embarassing and unsafe to say the least. I've driven cars that didnt have working headlights or taillights. When I complained to the dispatcher I was told to keep driving and to utilize the 4 way hazard lights. Insane. If I got a flat, I paid for it. If I got stuck up by a fare, I paid what I owned anyway as they didn't believe you and were money hungry. Often I would return the cars due to safety issues such as the toxic fumes and despite their threats that I needed to continue to drive, I returned the car anyway. The next day when I showed up for work, there would be no car for me to drive. The next day after that would be the same thing. You were punished. We also had a mandatory, unwritten rule regarding tipping the dispatchers. Since we did what was called a 60/40 split, instead of leasing the cars per shift, we split the total amount made that night. My shift being the 6PM to 6AM shift. The dispatchers had a good idea how much we made. In the morning, when we returned the cars we were obligated to "tip" the dispatcher 10% or more at the end of shift. You don't tip? Then you get crappy runs, no airport runs, crappier car etc. Tip more and you would get better runs.
Oh, and my dispatcher got so drunk during his shift, he would fall asleep during the last few hours despite calling him over and over again. We were obligated to pick up 6 packs and other unmentionables during our shift and bring them back to dispatch. The money we spent would be subtracted from the obligated, end of shift tip. After this experience, I left until there was a new owner later. I drove a straight truck in the meantime with much better conditions.

Experiences like this have really set the bar so I set the standards pretty low, with the exception of real safety issues I cannot fix myself. Ive learned as a result of this nightmare hack job to roll with the punches and be flexible. I think it has helped me to some degree. That's why I think I'll be a good fit with Swift because it takes a lot to get me upset or disenfranchised.

Oh, and regarding being a hack, I did the job on purpose as my grandfather drove a cab in NYC when medalions were only like $25k or something (now they are $750K) so the experience was actually a bucket list item. In case anyone was wondering why I would do that job to begin with. I'm glad I did.