Swift flatbed

I went to Swift Academy in Phoenix, and I got into Flatbed div. as soon as I got off my mentor's truck. That was in Nov. 2007.

I wouldn't expect much home time. I did drive through KY on I-75 quite a bit. If you get dispatched through that route, you may be able to do 10 hours at home if the schedule allows. Most of the time I was hauling a pair of Sprinter vans out of Ladson, SC driving that route, but I'm not sure if they still have the contract with Daimler Chrysler. Occasionally I had a load of steel coil out of Great lakes area headed to Toyota in Georgetown.

Can't answer questions on veterans' programs (thank you for your service).

Good luck.

A former Swift flatbedder.

 

In my humble opinion, your experience will depend a lot on your relationship with your dispatcher (driver manager, or DM). My DM was a guy named Ray Pederson out of Phoenix. He treated me very well.

If you run hard and be on time, most DMs will treat you right. It does help to have a DM who has actual driving experience. Ray was a flatbedder himself before he started working in the office.

If for some reason you don't get along with your DM, you can talk to your recruiter and get another DM assigned to you. While you're going through school, try talking to drivers about their dispatchers. Not sure if you can request who you want, but wouldn't hurt to ask.


That said, it will ultimately depends on your attitude. You won't have much life outside of the truck if you work hard, and it will get to you sometimes. There were more times that I seriously thought about quitting than I can remember. But I was determined to become an O/O, so I sucked it up to gain experience and to save start-up capital.

 

my sister started with swift 2 weeks ago in their flat bed division..all i can say is that she is no longer with them..best of luck

 

Again, thanks for your service.

Being a capitalist, that's my favorite part of trucking. Harder/smarter you work, more you earn.

Looks like you're in the same shoe I was in when I started at Swift. I was in hole by $13k, and had to skip meals because I had no money.

Fast forward 2.5 years, I'm ready to become an O/O. It wasn't easy, but it can be done.

Good luck!

 

Nope. Sorry bud, ain't got no money for the second truck. Maybe in a few years.