That's interesting. Don't work for Swift, but I just ran from Washington to Minnesota and then Florida on my recap. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
What Mystic said Mack...communicating and being proactive. Swift breaks the country down into several "planning zones" so you never really know who is putting loads on you on a personal level. A driver has to know and understand how to work and manipulate the "system" to avoid issues and to get good loads. You have to stay on top of your game and keep everyone informed when issues arise and you'll do fine. I was never ever coerced, intimidated, threatened etc into taking a load. I accepted everything I could run legal, often using the system to adjust my pick up or delivery time. New drivers have to learn how "things" work and stay proactive very quickly when going solo or they'll sink quickly. I didn't leave Swift because of getting screwed over, or poor pay or no miles. I was doing pretty good as a Company driver and banked a LOT of cash while running OTR for them. I left to have more home time and a regular schedule. I'm now with a much smaller HOUSTON based outfit sleeping in my bed four nights a week making more money. The lessons I learned and the experience I got at Swift prepared me for what I'm doing now.