My time with Swift

Not take the loads I know I cant get there on time or double check times and scale the load myself......Just what I would I do...Hope things get better for you. hang in there...

 

Do not quit...........

Regroup..............THINK...........

You will do it !!!!!!!!

 

Yes and dont quit hang in there, things will get better as you gain experience. Just use this as a learning experience.....Trust me , you dont want to jump companies so early.

 

Always scale your load.

 

Not every load feels "heavy". I had a load that was close, if not over 50K and it went up hills with barely a problem. Guess it was loaded just right. Wound up with a $312 fine in Missouri.

Word of advice driver...anything over 30K you should probably scale just to ensure the tandems are legal.

 

I agree about getting your loads scaled before you get too far with them.

You are given all the information you need in the pre-plan to know if you can do the load legally. It tells you the pick up time and whether you have a specific window of time or a certain appointment time, as well as live load or pre-loaded trailer. If you can't make that pick up on time, either do not accept the pre-plan or do a Mac 22 when you get your dispatch. Same goes with the delivery time. If you can't do it legally, don't accept it. If you havve any questions about it, call your dm.

The pre-plan will also tell you the weight of the load-sometimes. I have gotten some pre-plans that didn't give any weight, but the weight will (usually) be in the dispatch. Like was said before, if it's over 30,000, get it scaled. I just had a load that the dispatch said was 7000 lbs. I thought, cool, I won't have to scale. When I picked up the load, the shipping papers indicated that the load was 45,000 lbs. I thought that was odd, being so much heavier than the dispatch, but I took it anyway and headed straight for a scale. Turned out the load was only 7100 lbs.

Things will get better. These are the kind of problems that come with inexperience and will follow you to any other company you go to, so just stick it out and ASK QUESTIONS!

 

This was all completely your fault.

But this is (unfortunately) how you learn...or at least one way to learn. Don't give up just yet, though. If this is your first foray into trucking, then you will feel like the world is crumbling beneath your 18 wheels. My first journey into trucking started with Swift and I was overwhelmed by all that trucking entails. I couldn't believe it.

Three years later, I'm still there and they'll have to fire me before I quit. Just hang in there, dude.

 

Just curious Winger, but where were the tandems when you hooked?