swift

I'm in the process of checking out schools, companies, etc. and one of the schools -- local here in NC -- was telling me they got grads jobs with Swift. Also said, I could be come a TRAINER after only six months for Swift! I'm thinking, what, trained by a mere rookie?

 

Sounds like you got it covered. However, no matter which school you're going to, if the tuition is more than about 700, it's a rip. Go cheap and/or get a grant for training. Don't be paying big mulla out of your own pocket.

I went to a training mill in Virginia that ran about 5 thousand. With the opportunity cost added in, the total was more like 9200. Add in the remaining costs, such as rent, food, and transport, and my CDL cost me a cool 10K.

Many of my fellow grads went to SwiftQuit, and none lasted more than about 6 months. When I quit SwiftQuit, I was back at the same point I was before going to training school, only I was a lot poorer. Being as I quit my first job so soon, I had a tough time getting another driving job. It was like 5 months before I found another one, and those guys paid only like 22 a mile in 1996.

After about a year, I was back to the level of savings I had before going to training school. Sure, I made it back, but I went through a lot of crap to get it back. Should have spent that 5,000 on a college degree program. Should have never even dreamed of driving rigs.

 

You know, I see this far too often, and it really bugs me.

Why should everyone be directed at getting grants to pay for their training?

I put myself through truck driving school a long time ago, and I later put myself through a college degree.

and yes, I came from a family with no money.

If you can afford to pay your own way, you need to pay your own way. Don't look for things that require everyone else to do it for you.

 

I, too, put myself through trucking school. And four years of college. Anything I've gotten has been earned through my own effort. But I see there is a better way now. There are certain 'games', if you want to call them that, we in the lower classes can play to get where we want to go while keeping our hard-earned money right where it is. The key is to know which door to open and when to sound like a squeaky wheel when necessary.

It took an awful long time for me to save the wad I ended up spending on trucking school. After backing away from the trees and seeing the forest, I discovered I should have kept that hard-won green for myself instead of dropping it on training that was worth maybe a tenth of what I paid. It was too expensive, yes. But this is because of all the grants the government has already paid out to any Tom, Dick, and Harry who asked for one in the past. These grants have driven up the cost of training that guys like me have to pay when we go to training on our own dimes. Yeap, thanks to the government and its welfare, anyone going to a training school today is almost forced to get a grant, it's so expensive. I myself would play the game today and get the grant. No way would I pay for over-priced training out of my own pocket.

Ditto for a college degree. I'd get a grant for it, as my educational investment wouldn't pay off for most majors I'd choose. This is why student loans are guaranteed, by the way. Lenders are smart enough to know what I also know--that most college degrees won't land one a job that pays enough of an income to justify the necessary tuition. One would be better off investing the tuition money in a bond to retire on later.

I know lots of folks will ##### and moan when I get a grant either to attend a driving school or a university. But when I get my diploma or degree, and then get a good job (maybe), I contribute to the tax base, not to mention pay into the social security fund the whiners will live on sooner or later.

It bugs me to have to pay over-inflated prices for things like driving school tution, so I'll get the grants today, yeap.

 

Swift was one of the companies this local, small school said it placed drivers to. The school, Future Truckers of America in Asheboro, NC, has small classes of about 15-20 per sesssion. So it's not a "driver mill" and only a 30 minute drive from my home!

Swift would pay the school to train me.

I didn't ask if there were other companies I could hook up with, I will deffinately ask next time I speak with him.

I liked the guy I talked to -- he's been in the industry for over 15 years.

 

Traveler, it's up to you, of course, where you go with this. However, knowing what I know now, Swiftquit would get my driving services only the day after doomsday. These are guys who're willing to turn drivers with 6 months' experience into trainers. That should tell you something, like 'turn tail and run, run, run'.

A trainer should be a guy/gal with a minimum 3 years' experience. I know it. You know it. Everybody knows it, save for the DOT and Congress. Six months' experience is not nearly enough to be qualified to train.

Good luck.

 

I agree, I dont think an trainer should be with any less then a few years under there belt.

as for swift, I would not recommend working for swift, they will screw you every chance they get, they will try to not pay you for detention, breakdowns, layover, or even anything else they can try to not pay you for. if they cant find a reason to not pay you for something, they will just simply put you on safety hold so they dont have to, trust me they will find something to put you on hold to. they did it to me.

my first week of driving for swift, I got maybe 400 miles, and was on detention for over 22hr's, and then was imediatly on hold for not taking a test I took before I even got into my own truck. I took the test 3 more times, and then had to sit for another 24hr's while I waited for the memphis terminal (I was out of the detriot terminal) to say I was off safety hold. my check was $72, when I should have gotten $360 just for the hold plus my 4hr bread down, and then for the miles i have driven... they faxed me papers talking about detention pay, saying drivers can only collect up to 6hr's of detention pay no matter how long they sit, and it is up to the customer to approve or denie the pay. (I got the whole 'customer is more important then you" vibe) I unpacked my truck and went home after that. not to mention my driver manager got an attitude with me when I was calling it a night about 200 miles from the final on my last load, because I couldnt drive with my eye's shut.

Im sure not every driver goes through this, but I am very sure I wasnt the first, and I wont be the last this has happened to. If you want to try them out, by all means that is up to you, but be warned they are the bigest fly by night companys out there, as well as the lowest paying carrier out there, I was making less then my grandpa was making driving 35yrs ago when he first started... think about that.

there are many other good company's to work for out there, but I dont think swift is one of them. Good Luck on your decision.

 

I just don't understand why some people have such incredibly horrible experiences at swift and others don't have that bad a time at all.
I don't think it boils down to 'well some people are just whiners'. Some of you sound like you have very legitimate complaints.
This doesn't make any sense.

 

Sexy, Witty, Intelligent, Female, Trucker. I heard this 1 from a lady Swift driver. I thought it was cute (so was she in fact!) lol

 

If you're a sheep and say "yes" to your dispatcher each and every time, you'll probably have a fighting chance at Swiftquit. Sometimes saying yes means you'll get the shaft and/or do something unethical. Some of us have a big problem with this, so we don't last there. If you arrive at Swiftquit with an independent attitude, you'll be busted back to the status of lower life-form quick.

SwiftQuit wants people who don't ask questions when given a directive. Drivers who are sheep and do what they are told each time, every time, will probably be fine there. Some of us decide early on that there are better outifts around that pay more which also allow us to be ourselves.

Such is life at the typical NASDAQ company.