New soon to be swift trainee!

Good Luck! Learn all you can before you get there, be prepared to learn more and work hard, stay focused and don't give up. It's way worth it. You get out of it what you are willing to put in. Don't let anyone down you. Swift is a good enough company, people make jokes but it's not about them it's about you and your career choice. It's a lifestyle completely. Learn all you can, study study study and then study some more. Keep your head down, and be aware at what's around you at all times! Keep me posted. Again good luck!!

 

Hey, doc how's it going? How did training go?

 

Congrats on platinum!! Ways that I get loads is keep my Marco 10 current. my logs up to date and I usually just take the 10 hour breaks and start again. I'm still with swift and everything is still great. my DL is still awesome, and my planner gets me auto dispatched on loads regularly. As long as you can keep your logs and macro 10 current and take 10 hour breaks and start moving again. You'll get the miles. I know its "supposed" to be slow but I haven't experienced that yet. Really fortunate. On march 1st I make 6 months out here. Pay is up there as well. Completely still loving it! Hope everyone is still doing good as well.

 

Currently I am in Laredo Texas at a shipper, waiting for them to call me to tell me I can pull into the dock. Going to Houston Texas for a delivery at 4 am in the morning. I just bought a ton load of books from ebay and sent them to a terminal. I am truly blessed, in 9 more days I will have 6 months I am excited. Stay safe guys, I will do my best to stay in touch!!

 

Made it to Houston last night and parked at shipper. Slept in the parking area. I thought about parking at a truck stop and then starting early in the morning but decided against it. Traffic in Houston is bad. Didn't want to risk being late for delivery because of traffic or construction somewhere. The final had a 25.00 cash up front late fee, though it's not much I was not paying that for something I had no control over.

This final had lumpers it was 144.00 dollars total. I made sure I got that receipt back so that I could scan it with my trip sheet!! Next I am on my way to Kansas if I can get my paperwork from them soon. Spent an extra hour or so here because I wasn't told loading was finished. No biggie though I got some reading an gaming done while I waited. looks like a rainy day today. Y'all stay safe!

 

Hey guys just another update: got a new truck a 2013 prostar international truck, my DM takes good care of me! She was working for me to get a day cab local job in Texas but since I live in Louisiana I couldnt do it. But no biggie, I like OTR. I really do, I get alot of miles and my paychecks are showing it, I love it. Also she wants me to be a mentor, says I would do a good job training.. I am really thinking about it. I will keep yall posted on what i decide! Later be safe!!

 

I will be applying for mentor training tomorrow when I get to a terminal and see what happens from there. I am not doing it for money. I make enough solo to take care of the bills I have left over to take care of. After I get rid of those, Ill start saving for the future and maybe a l/o truck, I dont have a desire to do that right now but you never know when that desire will come. I like being a company driver, I do what I am told to do, I dont complain and my dm and planners take care of me.

Other people who are new to swift and hear the horror stories need to know its not all bad if you do what you are supposed to do. I hear people saying swift is bad and then they always have a but I refused this or that load or I knew I would be OTR but I wanted to go on hometime to see my family, knowing full well they are signing to be away from home a few weeks at a time. If they were running a business they wuld understand they need their trucks to run to make money not sit at home all the time or terminals complaining about the loads that they arent getting but refuse to run in certain places. It makes no sense to me at all this is a driving job... if you dont drive you dont make any money... Every company is the same, if you drive you make money, if you dont, unless its salary or whatnot then you dont, simple. I am thankful that a company took a shot with me when I had not a lick of experience driving a 18 wheeler down the highways and up and down mountains in rain and snow and everything else. I for one will never forget where I came from. Its your american right to complain, but dont forget that its a business, and business is sometimes ruthless and heartbreaking. No one complains when they drive into walmart when they need food, but think of all the companies that walmart put out of business when it comes to mom and pop joints. trucking as a whole is just that trucking. I dont know everything but what I do know is for myself regardless of what I like or dont like I will do my job because I could not have this job and I could be broke and my family could be broke and go without and get kicked out of their homes and have nothing to eat or nothing to wear. So no, you will never hear me complain about a job that does this or that. It pays me to do a job and when I do it I get money and when I dont I dont get money, simple.

Everyone is out here to make money and if you are honest, those that dont take the loads that are given cannot turn around and blame the company for lack of miles because you were the one who refused the load its not the companies fault. By the way, in court if there is a judgement against you and the judge sees you signed the paper guess what no matter what you say you are guilty cause you signed a legal document. And regardless of how you feel you were cheated, its yourself to blame not anyone else. Do your research, do your homework and work your butt off to succeed and do it right the first time. IF you get "cheated" then, grit your teeth and do what you have to do even if you dont like it. We are not more entitled to anything, We work, we get paid. We dont work, then we dont get paid. Or I should say we shouldnt get paid. My motto from the beggining was to research, prepare before you get out here and work your butt off to make it. If you fail, get back up and try again, dont quit, do more research, study and work hard to make it again.

The grass is not always greener, the money is not always better and the people are not always what they seem. There are tons of stories where people were told they would fail and have become the greatest in sports, music and every other avenue and genre. We all have to put on our big man boots and big women boots, strap up and do our best for us and our families. Complaining has never gotten anyone anywhere. There are people who are dying all over the world for what they believe in but if given the chance to deny it they would still die for that belief. That is what we have to do. When we lose the entitlement attitude then that is when we truly start making it. That is my two cents, agree or disagree, it doesnt matter. Just tired of all the complaining about what swift does and what swift doesnt. Maybe a time in retail will straighten out some peoples entitlement attitudes. :} Later Signed: A guy who loves his driving job at swift regardless of the good and or bad. Its better than where I came from. Thanks