Finally getting to start.

At the risk of hijacking the op's thread I'm going to address gunner's assumptions on swift.

When I was looking for otr companies I intended to work for them for at least a year to build my resume anyways. Seeing as I'm prior military I don't have to pay a dime for training provided I work for them for a year. As already stated I can leave at any time I would just be responsible for paying back the remainder of my "student loan".

I have been treated fairly and immediately out of training was given a brand new truck and a dedicated account making over $1,000 a week. And when that truck had a check engine light come on they gave me an even newer truck with 16k miles to keep me rolling without any down time.

As far as the brand new trucks to it is just luck of the draw but when you run for a company that has a lot of brand new trucks it increases your chances of getting one. Needless to say I am very greatful to swift for taking someone with zero experience in this industry and given me the world so to speak. They pay me well and are quick to fix any issues I have. Are they perfect- no but what company is. If you have the means to get your own training then more power to you but if you don't you could do far worse than swift. Can you do better? I'm sure you can but it was scary how easy it was to land such a good paying job with absolutely no experience in the industry.

If you work hard then swift will take care of you. If you are lazy they will still take care of you, you just won't make as much money. I have found that they will keep you running at a pace that best suits you and there are too many people working for swift for it to be coincidente. I some how doubt I'm the only one out of 16,000 drivers that has been succesful with swift.

btw good luck Lycan. I hope you enjoy flatbed. The Greer terminal is a nice terminal as far as the attitude of the people there, however it is one of the slowest shops I've ever been to (they usually have a lot of trucks to work on).

 

Thinking about swift myself lycan56..I don't live that far from you..let me know how it goes

 

This response to Gunnar was spot on. I'm approaching a full year with Swift, and one of the things that was a pleasant surprise was meeting a large number of folks that have been with the company for years. Quite a few I've met have 10+ years. That speaks well for the company.

As others have noted, Swift certainly isn't perfect. However, as one of the largest carriers it means there are plenty of loads to pull. If you learn the system, and especially if you have a sense of humor and a clue about what it means to work in the office environment as a dispatcher or planner, then that goes a long way to helping you be more successful.

Took me six months of solo driving to land my dedicated account gig, running team coast to coast each week, and I make about $1K per week (gross). There are opportunities to move into dedicated accounts for relative newbies, but you need to get through that "boot camp" phase.

Training wise I can say that overall the company is pretty good. Now with refrigerated in addition to flatbed you have other directions to go within the company. HazMat is also there if you want it. It's all in what you want to do and how hard you work. Swift's been pretty good to me.

 

Inkeper and Bisqueak said it best...there will always be haters...and i think 16,000 is a low number as i believe its way more swift trucks on the road but i could be wrong..it is a lot though...I have been here over 3 years myself and have no desire to go anywhere else..I have had my share of issues with my truck and it is aggravating but I am still happy with swift overall..I am hoping my issues will get straightened out soon...Swift has been really good to me in the past 3 yrs and i have no complaints..

I team with my son who went to swift's school and as for the repayment of the schooling..it was done how swift said it would be done..they took out the specified amount and refunded the specified amount until it was paid for..and even when we went L/o..they remained to take it out until it was paid and it was done in the manner specified...They didnt take more than they was supposed to..

Overall, I am very happy with swift as a whole and they have been great to us...I am happy where I am and dont intend on leaving..I have had very few issues that i have had to deal with as far as the company goes..I have always been paid right and my DM is awesome at fixing things that need to be. So, i have no complaints..When my truck is doing good, i get good miles and i go home when i need to and for as long as i need to...