Thank you Drivers!

I want to thank all of the drivers that post here in the Swift DAC forum. I've been reading the post for about a 3 weeks now under a different user name while I'm trying to make decision who to drive for when I'm out of driving school. As I was expecting there a little bit of negativity. Most of you seem to be happy with having signed on with Swift. Like any company Swift will have problems. No company is perfect. I changed my user name to that of the handle I used on the CB many years ago.

I just started driving school this past Monday. I've been in touch with Kris, a recruiter out of Columbus about 3 weeks ago. I have a pre hire letter with Swift and 5 other companies. Right now Swift is the top of my list. I like the size of the company and different opportunities a driver has with Swift.

Believe it or not, I want to run team 48 state. I quit driving 22 years ago to help raise children. I ended up with a total of 6 kids and was a single parent 13 of the past 16 years. I logged about 500,000 team miles as a mentor running 48 states with Circle Van Express out of Lebanon IN, Which is no longer in business and then 200,000 solo mile running Northeast regional for a company about 25 miles from my home. There still in business and because I want to write some old trucker stories from when I was with them I won't mention there name.

I loved driving long haul and if my wife didn't insist I get home more often I would never had left running 48 state. When I ran regional I was home every weekend and once or twice in the middle of the week. But to do it I had to run non stop from the time I left home until I returned sometimes 48 hours later. I don't want to put my body through that again. With team driving there plenty of time to stay rested. Running solo in order to make money and get home all the time you have to push you luck to much. Those days are long gone and I will never let happen again. Having elogs will help keep me honest as well.

In addition to loving long haul I need a break from all these kids and grand kids. When I stop to visit it will be quick, spoil them and leave. Three of my adult children and 2 grand children live in Columbus, Oh. With Swift having a terminal there I'll get to visit plenty.

 

Thank you inkeper!

I read my original post only to realize I didn't tell all you driver's posting in the forum why I thanked you, Duh!

Swift has been at the top of my list of companies to go to work for after school. I have prehires from 6 companies and all of them are well know national companies and represented in Driver Report Forum DAC's. Besides talking to the recruiter, following post here on the forum I've also been looking into Swifts safety records at FMCSA and Swifts' financial records and I like what I see.

I've spent at least 20 hours checking out and analysing about a dozen companies CSA safety records and financial records I could find that were public. Swift is doing a great job for a big company. Some of 20 hours was spent doing research to see what CSA was and how it would effect me. One can learn a lot from the data CSA makes public. Overall what CSA is doing will make the roads must safer for all of us by taking unsafe drivers off the road. Those that are doing there jobs and being safe won't have any problems. I found the data a great source for determining what companies may be in trouble over the next few years as CSA take hold and which ones should be OK. I want to stay away from unsafe companies or those who don't have a handle on the safety of there drivers.

Again I want to thank all the Swift drivers posting in the Swift forum. I've learn quite a bit from you about Swift. Of course there are whiners. But the good out ways the the negative.

I hope one day I can meet some of you on the road. I'll be ready for orientation as early as the 27Th of September if I can get scheduled.

 

Thank you Ken. Heading down to Columbus tomorrow with Stan from the class before us. We start orientation Monday morning. I'm looking forward to getting on the road again after a 22 year absence.

Keep in touch. I have Pete's phone number. He's heading to Trans Am on Monday.

 

It was thought my back ground check would be completed by now but it wasn't. I took my physical and passed with no problem. I'll have to return next Monday to complete orientation. Kris tried to squeeze me through the system and make it work so I could try to get started right away. No body to blame just not enough time.

I'm back home already. One of my adult children that live in Columbus doesn't start work until 5. He picked me up at the hotel near the terminal at noon and I was home by 2:15.


I'm flipping a coin to see which one of gets to find a way to keep in touch. End over end and its tails. You Win! LOL Let me know how you want to do it.

 

@ denalidad I agree with you 100%. Kris also did every thing she could to try to help me this morning. Including calling corporate when they open. She was to go to Michigan early this morning but stopped at the terminal and stayed to try to clear up the problem I wrote about in previous post.