Swift Flatbed Division... ?!

I would put two chains on a coil with no problem.






















To hold it in place while the other 36 get put on there.

 

In every town in America, there is a US highway nearby. In every town in America, on every US highway, there is a local based trucking company. At best, they are regional and all the trucks are usually parked for the weekend. They haul primarily for whatever local manufacturing there is in the area. There's less handholding and less stupidity in these types of companies.

"But Six, they require experience."

How do you know? Did you talk to someone?

"Well their insurance won't normally allow them to hire an inexperienced driver."

True, but they CAN hire a warehouse hand or a yard man and train him. Same thing as the megas but no circus.

I got my first tractor trailer gig starting off in the warehouse of a beer distributor. I already had my A permit before starting and the owner knew i came there to drive. Hey, it got my foot in the door. I was in the warehouse less than two weeks.

I got my first flatbed gig by starting off as a yard guy. Yad to because i had no flat experience. Was in the yard for a week.

"But Six, that was decades ago. You can't do stuff like that nowadays."

Who told you that? Someone on the internet? 2 years ago my sis went to the community college to go to school and took a job loading planes for FedEx. When FedEx found out she was in school, they offered her a driving job. $800/week and she makes 2 trips between Amazon and the airport. Home every day, no touch freight.

MJ wasn't bashing. He's just pointing out that there are more alternatives when you think outside the box.

"But Six, OP has some difficulties getting a job..."

...at the megas. Chewy rolled a truck and the mega doorslammers wouldn't touch him. He went outside the box and found a better job.

That being said, I hope that OP does well at Swift. But I also hope that OP remembers that they're just a beginning, not the end. They view you as disposable and you should view them as just a toehold.

Luck in battle.

 

Basically how I got my license. Got a job with a tire scrapper, first day I realized that I could not do the job he was asking me to do. Just plain too old and out of shape. Well later that night I called him up and told him why he could not keep help and that I had a solution. Long story short, 2 years later I am rolling in a big rig hauling oversized loads.

 

We all start somewhere, me I was working in a gas station then moved up to truck shop. Fixing trks trls. Doing road calls in the middle of the night. This was late 70's No impact gun on the wrecker. Then riding with grain haulers
Next thing you know I'm hauling grain
Later I got into steel hauling, then machinery. Then I got offered a heavy haul ld.. I turned it down. The other guys who I had been hauling their fall off said do it kid.. I was 29 at the time. Then that was young for heavy hauling driver. Now the rest is history
Have I made mistakes, yes but I learned from them and moved on. Lesson in life
We all need a start somewhere

 

Sounds like barrels of fun.

 

During a test a tester should always let you know about a turn early enough too safely make the turn.

If you can't safely make the turn just tell him so.

 

Just don't get stressed about it @RedRover over, just stay focused. And take @ChaoSS advice.


I finally got my first flatbed run. So the FB trucks here are either in the body shop or on assigned. And the newest ones are on hold.

So my first load is already tarped, and secured, local guy dropped it with his stuff on it. Gonna take to Laredo with my Van truck. And some spare equipment. Get a real FB truck.

 

He may have been seeing if you would/could judge the turn last min. If you don't think you can make it, say so. Had it been a car, you just misjudged a preventable... that may have been his intent. Or i could be giving him to much credit....