Swift Flatbed Division... ?!

Mr @RedRover, wherever you go, people are going to bet that you're a screw up waiting to happen because you're in a Swift truck. Don't let the Swift jokes get under your skin (especially if Swift isn't your name), and do not try to defend the Swift 'honor' since they earned their reputation.

Prove that you are a capable flatbedder. Everyone will be expecting you to be an idiot, especially the deskjockeys in the Swift office. Prove them wrong. They're going to hand you a green and white bible and go over the securement regs with you. Know the regs like you know your last name. If someone asks you why you are doing something a certain way, NEVER say, "Well, this is the way that I was taught/this is the way we did it at Swift". Tell them the regs, " Well the green and white bible says this..."

Like I said, everyone is going to be waiting for you to screw up. You're going to be under a microscope. Don't get offended, just be sure to shower and have clean clothes on. Be that excellent person. When you stop for dinner, go eat in a restaurant that serves food that you have to eat with a fork. Why? Everyone will do a double take. You will meet fleet owners who are looking for quality drivers. They may just make you an offer you can't refuse.

Oh, and watch out for the kool aid drinkers.

Luck in battle.

 

We are not out here to win a popularity contest, right? People are going to talk and be negative just because it's the easiest thing to do, and Swift is one of the easiest companies to do it at. You're going to notice that many rookies who have just graduated driving school are going to have a slacker mindset. They have their CDL and now "deserve" respect.

It's like graduating kindergarten and making big demands from city hall.
They've got their license and a job and that's as far as it goes. I don't want you to be satisfied with getting a job and getting issued your own truck, I want you to be good at what you do and take pride in what you do. Every single day. Every single load. See, it's not about being popular, it's all about being good at what you do.
You will notice that some will justify being a slacker because they work at Swift. "Well, Swift is a garbage bottomfeeder and they don't pay me what I feel. Should be making, so, I am just going to do just enough to get by. When I get a better job, THEN I will do better." That's NOT how it works. If you agreed to work a job and agreed to the pay, then as a MAN, you are obligated to do your best.

See the picture threads? Heavyhauler, specialized, stick and brick haulers and steel haulers. Post a pic of bad load securement, someone will call you on it.

Word of warning: You do have heavy haulers in this forum. It is the unforgivable sin to a heavyhauler to abuse your rig. No, it doesn't matter if it's a Swift truck, DO NO DOG YOUR TRUCK.

"I thought that we were not trying to win a popularity contest, Six? Why should I care what the heavyhauler a think of me?"

Remember the goal...to be good at what you do? Next year will be 30 years driving for me. In 30 years, I have never seen a heavyhauler have to use a runaway truck ramp. They're good at what they do, which is move loads 3 times as long, twice as wide, 4 times as heavy as most rigs...we can learn a lot from those guys when it comes to the mechanics of driving. You will see the slackers with their slacker mentality reason that since it's not their truck and the bottomfeeder sell trucks off after 3 years that it's okay to dog out the truck. Well, your 430 hp trucks might be forgiving, but when you get into the bigger hp rigs, you're more likely to grenade the drivetrain. It's your truck that's going to take you to hell and back. Abuse the truck and it will leave you in hell. Baby your rig as best as you can. Even if it was a POS when you got it. Don't be one of those morons who start off in too high of a gear and the truck jerks and shudders, and the chassis twists like it's broken. Bad habits are hard to break, so don't start and you will never have to stop.

Oh, and when they issue you a truck, tell them you want a brand new mattress. You don't ever share butt sweat with another man. Period.

 

Yeah I know you will but give it your all. Others don't get that and as soon as they slack up something will happen.

@Moosetek13 is one of those good drivers to be like there.

 

I wrote these things to RedRover because I had your friend in mind. Every week, trying to find a way to get out of work, wants to refuse loads because he's tired, next week he has a tummy ache, and now he wants off road because he doesn't make any money. Say something to him about his lousy work ethic, and he swears up and down you're racist. Hate to see what he does when something difficult happens in life. Get a flat tire and suddenly, the tire manufacturer is racist.

 

Just wait. You will notice as soon as you go to orientation (where are you going BTW,,,Gary or Phoenix?). 50 people start off in a room watching Safety films. Desk jockeys come in and bombard you with pictures and videos of screw ups and tell you, "DON'T SCREW UP!". They start with 50, and start weeding out. So many get shot out the saddle that you feel like you're watching Saving Private Ryan. Everywhere you look, Screw up. Screw ups on the TV. Screw ups on the wall posters. Dehumanizing, actually. You're not a person...you're a potential screw up. I work for a big company, and I am one of those guys who they call when there's a problem. Different company, same playbook. Has to be written by JJ Keller, "How to talk to and train drivers to obey you and hold their hand." No one in the office wants to hear the truth, "The reason that you guys have so many screw ups is because of you, the management. It's bad management, pure and simple. Want a better company? Want a better safety rating? 1. Hire a better quality driver and pay him a better wage than everyone else because if you have a good driver, someone else is going to try to steal him. 2. Put the better quality driver in a better truck (you don't put a solid driver in a truck designed for a moron to drive...put him in the truck that will excel at the job you want him to do. 3. Expect better work from your better drivers. No slacking allowed. Ever. If he isn't on par, or if he cant walk and chew gum at the same time, don't ban gum, GET THAT IDIOT OUT OF YOUR TRUCK. You knew he was an idiot when you hired him, and now you're surprised when he screws up? 4. No hand holding. If a driver cant figure out the best way to maximize his drive time within a couple weeks, he shouldn't be there. If he cant preplan, he cant make the cut, so cut him.

So, instead of doing things the right way, they instead will hire a bunch of people who cant drive, and who cant think for themselves, yet believe that truckers are morons, to sit in front of a computer screen, monitor your truck like ADT, and read from the company handbook and think for you. Doesn't work. Whoever told them to do things this way made a billion dollars on a bad idea. It's kind of like Dr Benjamin Spock, who came up with the idea of not disciplining children, and then 25 years later realizes that was a terrible idea. Gee, thanks Doc! Punk son is grown and worthless and now you tell me you goofed.

Well, one good thing about doing open deck...you can see Stupid a mile away. Normally, you try to warn him before he kills himself or someone else. if he kills himself, the problem has been permanently solved. If he kills someone due to improper load securement, they should execute him on the roadside.