Swift Transportation Company, Inc. - Phoenix, Az.

I have. I applied a week or two ago over their website, and within 5 minutes got a phone call from a guy in their PHX operation. He didn't had hasn't promiced me anything. He has been very helpful with getting me answers to questions I have. He isnt pushing me into rushing me into class....letting me take my time. I know recruiters are paid by how many they get into the company, but this guy is going about it the right way. What do you do with a salesperson at a car dealership when they try to rush you into buying the first car you say you like? you leave. Recruiters wont get paid for the potential drivers the run off.

So far, i am leaning on going to Swift. Unless MCT comes thru, and can get me into class on the 21st....i'll probably be a Swifty

 

I my dealings with Swift, which are many, I have come to realize that working for Swift is fine if you are a beginning driver or you are going through their training program. But I personally would not stay any longer than 6 months which is about where you have to be in order to get hired by somebody else. I have not really met any owner operators, but as far as company drivers--I have never met any that were satisfied or any that are making "real" money. BTW, before you comment-unless you are making at least .39 cpm(as a company driver), and even that is low, and running at least 2500 miles per week-you are not making any "real" money--you are in fact slaving to the company. As an O/O, you should at least bring in $1.50 or better per mile w/ the fuel surcharge, unless, of course, you company is robbing you.

 

Now, before you fly off the handle, i spent the time and read this post THREE (3) times. You say 'if you go to swift, just for their school, i wouldnt stay with them for 6 mo.' well...unless you have $2k just laying around, which some people dont, you will be with swift for 2 years, or end up paying for your half of the tuition out of pocket. Want to put me thru class? And you say almost 47k a year isnt 'real money'?? again, all depends on your point of view. You are, once again, thinking you know everybodys situation. You dont know mine. I use to work in the casino business for 6 yrs. I made $33-36k a year. To drive 2000-2500 miles a week, and making $10k more than that, is making real money to me. I've got a plan. I will be with Swift for two years. Those two years I am just trying to gain seat time. Will I have more experience than a newbie, sure. Will I be as good as a driver 5-8 years my senior (in the seat) no. So what. I am not out there to be the #1 driver in teh country making $100k a year. But I will tell you, i know people. And after two years, and have a perfectly clean driving record with my CDL, i will be hauling cars by 2011. THEN, i'll be making $50-60k. Far cry from the $33-36k i was making in my previous job. Ask anybody 'how much you make and is that real money'...then say DOUBLE IT....i am sure they would tell you then that that would be real money.

Just remember, now matter how bad you think your job sucks (not YOU you, just you in general) there are always 100 more people out there who would LOVE to have your job.

 

Well as much as i hate to say it i worked for swift, after orientation on wednesday i didnt get a truck and going till thursday afternoon, then was told i would get home to get all my stuff in my truck as i was told not to bring anything due to where i live, i didnt get home till saturday no blankets or anything, then i thought when i started that 11 states would be the way to go, NOT, i only went state of washington to california, and only got 1400 or less miles a week. what happened to the other 11 western states?? guess they fall off the earth with swift, after 3 months and not making any money and only going to california time after time after time, i decided it was time to go elsewhere and do better, also i worked for the lewiston terminal, which ive been told is the best terminal for swift, is this is true, i would hate to see the worst swift terminal, even the dm and safety person there told me how to cheat on my logs to keep going but i refused to do that and get caught, so this is another post against swift sorry.

 

great news for me, seeing how i'm headed to the Lewiston, ID center for training....thanx. =) I hope to prove all of you wrong. Once you are on your own, i'm looking at about 2 months after I start class, ill be on my own....running the 910, what i am told. no western or eastern states, but everything in between. What are the odds i can tell my DM that they can list my 'home' as any one of 4 cities, and as long as they get me close to one of them, i'll be happy. Think the odds of going home loaded will be better??

 

Keep dreaming--if you stay with Swift for 2 years, then that will be about 2 years longer than anybody else that I know has. You are better off taking the higher pay and paying your school out of your pocket. The little $128 or whatever Swift is paying per month now, will not pay your school. ANd if they pay your school, you will be taking a .24cpm job, where if you pay your own school, you can get up to .31 or better. Enjoy "slaving " to the company over there at Swift! You wont be making $47,000 a year either, at least not at Swift. I have been to Swift Orientation, and I know what they offer. BTW, unless they have changed much--you will NOT get paid for orientation except for your hotel and meals. You will be only making somewhere in the neighborhood of $300-$400 a week while out with the trainer for some six weeks or so-so I hope you got money in savings. Also, you will be asked to be out for at lest 3 weeks or so at a time with your trainer, so you can kiss your hometime goodbye. You may get a trainer right out of their school--I guess Swift is operating their own schools again now, at least that us what I gather fom your own post, when I was first starting to drive Swift did not have schools of their own, but actively recruited from about 5 major schools where they knew the curriculum. I did not get a trainer right after orientation and after hanging around waiting on them for 3 months, I went and found something else. They him and hawed around about getting a trainer and so forth. Then they wanted me to start on the spur of the moment without giving my employer(with whom I was with for almost 6 years)the courtesy of a 2 weeks notice. They said 2 weeks, well we cant wait that long for you--My answer was that I waited 3 months for you and you didnt seem to care--that is when I told them that I would go elsewhere, that Swift was not worth the headache. So I wish you luck, you WILL need it--Swift has a lot of problems and one of the highest turnovers in the industry.

Also, as far your quote, I dont think my job sucks, nor have I ever

 

Let's see, if he stays for 2 years and that will be 2 years longer than anybody else you know. That would mean you don't know anyone who drives for Swift. AND if nobody stays that long, why do they have so many million milers driving for them?

As for paying for school, for the first half of the payback period Swift pays half the school cost. For the second half, Swift pays the other half meaning, at the end of the pay back period, you have gone to school for free.

As for pay, a driver starts off at $0.26/mile and after four or five pay raises the first year they are up to $0.32/mile. It would be good to have your facts straight as it gives you more credibility.

 

Ok, I get it you like Swift, you overjoyed to be working for them--If you read the heading this board is for "bad" companies, if you want to sing the praises of Swift then there is a board for that, go over there and sing the praises from the heavens if you want. My personal dealings(please read that word PERSONAL, or did they not teach you what that meant) with Swift would be that I would not recommend them to anyone. BTW, I have never made a pay as low as $0.26 a mile anywhere that I have driven--so I mean if you think that is "good" money well, then knock yourself out. Also even at $0.32 a miles you will be making approx $41,000 a year--that is if everything is perfect and you drive 2500 a week for all 52 weeks and we all know that will not happen at Swift. Chances are your first year you will make somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 to $35,000, if you run and dont get held up by either the company or the customer. I still know people over there both in recruiting and who drive-drivers never stay there long, I said it is a good place to start, but get out as soon as possible and get a real driving job. I personally(there is that pesky word again that you dont like) would much rather take the higher pay and pay my own school, than trust the company to pay for it. That way you ARE NOT a slave to the "master" and you can leave when you can find better pay, and beleive me you can find it just after 6 months experience--2 years is way to long to take the headache that Swift is gonna give you, but like I said, if you like it over there then make sure you hit the favorite board and just tell everybody what Swift is doing for you! Plus I would rather drive somewhere and be respected and known by name , then be known by a driver ID and have them care less about what my name is--if you like that attitude, then by all means--Drive For Swift!

 

Well, if the negative posters can go to the positive forum and counter the positives, why can't we counter the negative comments here? Oh, that's right, the detractors don't want a balanced report because they are so ticked at a company that they want to "get back at them" by posting untrue statements here.

I never said you couldn't have a personal opinion but those of you who post negatively think your personal opinion applies across the board for everyone; as evidenced by the terms you use -- always, never, everyone, no one, everybody, nobody. You cannot accept the fact that many more drive for and like the company you hate.

And if you never drove for $0.26/mile, you must not have driven for Swift unless you went there as an experienced driver. And if you have never driven for them you really have no business making comments about them since this forum is for people to post their experience with a company.

And, if you spent any time on this forum you would know that I do not drive for Swift any longer. I just believe in honest information so people can make an informed decision. So, I was correcting false information in your other post. I guess that is a problem for you to have someone point out the inaccuracies of your information.

Again, why not answer this question if, as you say, drivers NEVER stay there long, why are those who have 1 or 2 million safe miles driving for them? They have thousands of drivers who have been there in excess of 3 years, so your information is incorrect! And, by the way, your smart-alecky comments only lessen the opinion people will have of your post.

 

Hey tim, why dont you just can it? You complain and complain about people not reading YOUR posts, well try and re-read mine. Not only do you completly miss the point of my post, you information is incorrect. Swifts school is a few bucks shy of $4000. THEY PAY HALF. You, once you are on the road, repay your half $18 out of every check, every week. If spend a few seconds (or in your case, half an episode of Seinfeld) and do some BASIC MATH, you will see that 19x4x25 that equals 1900. If i am wong, then i am sure PawPaw would be so kind as to correct me.

Again, read this very carefully. Someone who wants to be a driver might not have $4,000 just laying around to take a course at a community college, or pay their own way thru anybodys class. Let me say that again...Someone who wants to be a driver might not have $4,000 just laying around to take a course at a community college, or pay their own way thru anybodys class. Let me say that again...Someone who wants to be a driver might not have $4,000 just laying around to take a course at a community college, or pay their own way thru anybodys class. If you have a spare $4,000 laying around the floor of your bedroom, or in the cracks of your sofa, please feel free to sent it my way. Ill say it again....If you have a spare $4,000 laying around the floor of your bedroom, or in the cracks of your sofa, please feel free to sent it my way. Ill say it again....If you have a spare $4,000 laying around the floor of your bedroom, or in the cracks of your sofa, please feel free to sent it my way. You go to Swift, take their class, and they pay half of it, you start out making $0.26cpm...not .24. and within 6 months, a driver is making ....well here...let me just cut and paste this for you directly from an email i got from a recruiter:

So you see, you are blinded so much by your HATE for Swift, and think you have got the BEST job, and think you are better than everybody else, that they simply are just 100% wrong, and you are 120% right, that you cannot even take the time to let conflicting information seep into your skull.

So after my first year, doing just 2000 miles/week, at .33cpm, i'll make just under $32k. If i bust my butt, and drive 2500m/w, same rate, ill make $40k. That is .33cpm after the first year. THIRTY-THREE CENTS PER MILE ON MY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY. (0.33cents per mile on my 1 year anniversary). You think you are so much better than me, being a driver for 5 years, pounding your chest because <oooh---oooh> i make more money than newbies....<oooh-oooh>....boy, i sure hope so. But if you failed to read (and obviously you did) that I said, if i go with Swift, i am just going to get my two years in, get my seat time in, then I got a hook up with hauling cars after my 2nd year. So i will go from making $35-40k to $50-60 in my 3rd year. After my 5th year, i'll be making $70+. lets see, that is TWICE what i am making now. Again, my opinion of $40k being 'good money' is just that.....my opinion. I didn't ask for you to argue the point with me, cause i honestly dont care about your opinion. Making $5k more a year than what i was making is better yeah? ($34,000 < $40,000...least last time i saw this in grade school, i understood it).

So from now on, do me and everybody else on here a favor...unless you have some constructive opinion or thought on a subject, just keep your fingers to yourself, and dont molest your keyboard. I am sure it will appreciate it. You are happy at what you do, THAT IS GREAT...I AM HAPPY FOR YOU. But everybody ISNT you...(nobody would want to be you)...and not everybody is as lucky as you to have walked right into such a great job to start out. Like i said, if you got $4,000 just laying around, i will be more than happy to take your change to a bank and coin-up. Everybodys situation is totally different. Everybody gets into trucking for different reasons. Do you have to like or agree with their reasons or opinions? No. Do you have to criticize everybody all the time, saying the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over????