My Swift Adventures as a SUCCESSFUL L/O

Hello fellow Swifties,

I am new to this forum as I have just recently discovered it. I guess I should start off by sharing a little of my background. So, here we go. I started driving big trucks in 2000 for a friend of mine that owned a small fleet of 8 trucks mostly hauling produce out of FL and brokering loads back. This lasted until 2005, when god decided that it was my mother's time to come home. At this point, I decided that I would get out of trucking. My reasoning for this was my mother's passing really made me reevaluate my decisions. I realized that I did not get nearly enough time with her while I was OTR, and this led up to me giving up my keys. At that time, I wanted more out of life--I was missing too much. I did not want to miss anymore quality time with my loved ones.

I then enrolled, in 2006, into the University of Florida to study management and finance. I finished the program in 2010 with honors at a 3.544 GPA. With this kind of educational background, it was very easy for me to obtain a job, and I had several offers. Then came the realization that I cannot stand being cramped up in an office doing group work, presentations, crunching numbers. It was a nightmare--I definitely picked the wrong degree.

With my new found hate of office type work, I had to explore other options. Wouldn't you know, no matter what, when, or where I was contemplating, truck driving always came up as a viable option. My friend was out of business now. Thus, in mid 2010, my hunt for an excellent company to drive for began. I filled out application after application after application to some small regional companies around my area, central Florida, and too my surprise. I kept getting the excuse that my experience was not recent enough. After so many rejections, I decided to expand my search to the big national mega carriers, as I had heard they will hire nearly anyone.

I applied at Schneider, Swift, Stevens, FFE, and I am sure I missed a couple. I was filling out applications like crazy. Swift called the next day, and advised me I would have to go through their training in Tennessee. I guess my experience did not mean anything anymore. Needless to say, I was in desperate need of a job and agreed to it.

I planned to get my recent experience and get as far away from the mega carrier ASAP. However, after my training was complete, mentor and all, I found a good teammate. And wow, they kept us rolling like we were the only truck in their fleet. With the miles we posted, we were both approved to lease in 4 months. After careful consideration of the pros and cons, I went ahead and saw a recruiter who set me up in a 2012 Cascadia. We, my friend and I, split from teaming at this point because he was afraid of the commitment, and apparently heard some bad stories from other L / Os.

Since signing this lease, I have never thought about leaving. I do too well. Sure, I could probably make more somewhere else, but the company is an excellent fit for me. I know their system very well, and as long as the money rolls in, I will remain here for years to come.

Now, as for what this thread is going to be about. I am going to update it, at least weekly with my trips, mileage, and pay. I am also going to include the tips and tricks I have learned to make maximum profit on said loads. I am on home time right now so I will start from next load out of here. I hope you all enjoy.

 

Some I can think of off the top of my head:

1) Do not refuse a short load automatically. Instead, reply to planner comments and request a backup. This works for me about 75% of the time. If they do not respond to the reply decline it and use the comment "Not without a backup, THX". Also, be sure that before you decline it, the load is not intended to get you into a better freight area. If it is, it will be worth taking, possibly without a backup.

2) I do not refuse due to weight(s), I slow down to manage my fuel mileage as well as I can. For some reason a lot of L/O refuse said loads, when in some parts, heavy loads are most likely all they have. And, they are still profitable, and especially more profitable than sitting at the terminal or TS complaining.

3) Take advantage of the national accounts.

4) Do not do like many of the L/O and put $.03/mile in maintenance. I put $.15/m but was at $.20 until I hit $10k. The money can be accessed any time for any reason. Plus, you are not taxed on it until you withdraw it.

5) Just because the truck does 68, does not mean you need to do 68. I only hammer down when I am passing in the hammer lane as to not bottleneck the traffic behind me as badly.

6) More times than not, you will find cheaper fuel at local truck stops. Managing fuel is the biggest factor in making a profit.

7) I am all about preventative maintenance as well. While I do my Ultimate PMs every 30k, I get an oil change every 15k. I need my truck to last as I am in a great position to pay it off at the end of this lease.

EDIT 8) Do not sit on loads. If there is too much time between PU and Delivery set up a Tcall. If I am going near Decatur's planning area, I will set it up before I accept the load.

There are plenty more, as will be revealed in my future posts.

 

Thanks, been at their lease for 1.5 years now. Had experience coming in, but I feel like I would have had the same results if I had not. Nearly have to be brain dead to not succeed.