Just Got Signed Up For School - Swift Transportation

you'll need to get on meds most likely

 

I got my CDL with swift in AZ.
I suggest studying the drivers handbook on your own, but that's just me.
I got enough behind the wheel time to pass the test. You'll learn a lot more when you're out training.
I find the manual in a truck to be more 'forgiving' than a car transmission, but you can still roll if you're heavy enough or on a steep enough incline. The MVD wants you to double clutch so you double clutch, but with a decent trainer you will be floating in no time.
See a doctor and get some BP medication than be ready to redo the DOT physical.
Double check the paperwork you will need. Some swift recruiters are still eating the paste.
Over all my Swift experience was OK. They are a big carrier and you will likely be a number, the pay is poop. But get your CDL stick it out the year and seek a better gig.

 

Most likely you will be training in a 9 speed. Although I haven't gone through Swift's school, I've been with Swift for a year and I've driven mostly 9's, and a 10 and a 13. Currently I'm in my 6th truck.

I CRINGE every time I'm in a truck with someone that likes to hit the throttle WHILE letting out the clutch, as they would do if driving a car. Always let out the clutch COMPLETELY before you start with the throttle. Maximum torque is at around 1100 rpm and maximum horsepower is at about 1500 rpm for most trucks. You don't have to goose the throttle to get it going.

While in driving school I believe you will always be working with an empty trailer. In a 9 speed I'd start in 3rd and go from there for a smoother start. Maybe 2nd if I'm starting on a steep hill. Remember to shift early (lower rpm) in the lower gears and then start shifting at a little higher rpm's as you go up in gears (progressive shifting).

If you are doing yard maneuvers then start in 2nd or even 1st so you don't get the "bucking bronco" effect.

It's true that Swift had a school or two shut down a few years back.

Regarding the statement that Swift "will and have pushed drivers to run illegal", I got a good chuckle about that. If that happens, then it's most likely a combination of two things: first, Swift uses a computer to generate pickup and delivery times that will often show impossible times, especially if a dispatch has been aging like a ripe cheese without getting assigned.

Second, any driver that blindly accepts such a load without questioning the times or giving a simple reply with the "Mac-9" with times that they CAN do is an idiot, or poorly trained, or has a "the-big-bad-company-is-doing-me-wrong" chip on their shoulder.

I've worked in office environments before, working on automated systems for customer service and manufacturing, and I've been in the position of booking freight. As such I "get it" in regards to what customer service, planners, and dispatchers are going through. Whenever I get a load offer with "funny" times the FIRST thing I'll do is either reply with a message regarding the ACTUAL pick up and delivery "windows" or make a phone call. The times on the load offer are usually NOT what the customer requires. The customer may have built in "fudge factor" when booking the freight (I know I certainly did when booking freight). The customer service rep (CSR) may have put in fudge factor on top of the fudge factor. The computer ALWAYS adds fudge factor. A friendly call to your driver manager (DM) aka dispatcher will get you the CSR's pickup and delivery windows.

No matter what, you can always use the "Mac-22" to let everyone know you will be running later than the schedule. The driver that blindly accepts a load "as is" and THEN fails to update their schedule with a Mac-22 is a complete idiot. I would agree that Swift will "pressure" an idiot. There's NO excuse for lack of communication. I completely disagree that Swift pressures anyone to "run illegal". That's a figment of the imagination of idiots.

 

Laugh it up. I used to happen all the time at Swift!

What you are trying to describe is the Swift "Plus one system" or what Swift calls "Targeting." For those that don't know it is simply setting the pick-up and delivery times by dividing by 60mph and giving no allowance for anything else: no time for pre-trip, pick-up, fuel, scale, etc. For example Swift will give you a load at 8:00 expect you to pick it up 60 miles away at 9:00am and deliver it at 19:00 600 miles away. As that is impossible in any truck, and just flat ridiculous in a 62mph Swift truck. It is the simplest, stupidest trip planning anyone could think of, but at Swift you will get plan after plan that looks like that. The real load will like pick up at noon and deliver at noon the next day. That is no matter for Swift. They expect you to take that load and be responsible for those times or communicate times that are appropriate. The problem is they do not listen to or respect drivers and you are likely to get same load sent back to you with the same times as you just refused. Your day is wasted trip planning and communicating instead of running freight.

The reason this system, "Plus one" or "targeting," exists is because after Swift got elogs office staff could no longer play stupid and push drivers over HOS because a driver's serviceable hours were right in front of them! If they can get a driver to accept the load the office planners could be off the hook for service failure and it can be put on the driver: blame the driver. "Plus one" is just a system of lying. It is get the driver to commit to and then push them to meet unobtainable expectations. It is dishonesty at it's heart. And what makes you think a company that would inact a company wide system of dishonesty would not push a driver over HOS. It happened all the time.

And then to top it off they blame the unrealistic times on a 'computer program.' WTF is this the 1930's. How stupid do you think drivers are? In 2010's the best computer system Swift can find can only divide miles by 60. What a crock of crap. Use a computer excuse to blame for your lying ways!

 

Hey, I'm currently with swift; been with them almost two years now and I went through their academy in Corsicana texas. I have never once been forced to run illegal. I have never been forced to do anything that was unsafe. No one has ever made me work outside of my legal hours to drive.

The plus one system is not forcing drivers here to do anything unsafe. I tell people all the time if the times are unrealistic, do a macro 9 and put in the times you as a driver can pickup and or deliver the load. If the times you placed in the system is not within the customers time-frame the load is taken off of your truck and another sent. If it is within their time frame they resend the load to you with your times you can safely pick up the load.

If the load is late and the driver does not communicate with anyone about possibly running late; it is the drivers fault. Macro 22 is there for a reason. And if the driver does not use it; it is his or her fault.

Also a rule of thumb I live by is if my 14 has passed my 11 and it hits the 2 hour mark, I find a place to shut down for the day/night. Unless of course the shipper or receiver allows truckers to park at their facilities. This keeps me from sleeping on an interstate or trapped on a us highway with my drive time dwindling down.

Swift is what a driver makes it. I'm happy here. Most people who complain about a company have themselves to blame. 99.9% of the time.

 

Good luck to you and also make sure you find out about the having permit before you go there and make sure you have everything like 5 references and also your previous addresses and also previous job held and dmvr. It is better to be over prepared than under prepared.

 

Thats why Swift and the rest of truckload enjoy 100% turnover; 100% have themselves to blame. Everybody is wrong but Swift.

The "plus one" scam is just what I said; a system to coerce drivers to run over HOS. It is the most inefficient way to dispatch drivers and it's only effect is to coerce the stupid to take loads that are already running late. It was only instituted after Swift went to elogs; without dispatchers and planners forcing phony paperwork from drivers Swift could not get deliveries on time.

 

Who said everyone was wrong but swift?

And people not owning up to what they messed up and then trying to point their finger at a business or someone else is exactly why people feel a misguided entitlement to things that other people work hard to accomplish.
In everyone's story against someone there is always a "but", never fails. I take what people say with a grain of salt. I heard the majority of things against swift. Researched for six months before I decided to work for them. They aren't perfect they have alot of trucks and employees. Stuff happens and it's not all one companies` fault. Some are dot issues, some are regulations issues, some are the industries' fault. And some are the people who try to blame a company for their misgivings in life. That gets that particular person no where.

The plus one system doesn't coerce anyone to run outside of their legal hours. The system goes off hours that the driver puts in the system stating how many hours he or she has left. If the system sends a load the driver cannot do in the times listed they can do a mac 9 and put in their times. And they can call their driver leader and tell them what is going on and when they are available to run a load.

The load is up to the driver to decide if he or she can or should accept the load. No one can force that driver to accept the load and drive the truck. The driver is in the truck alone not the planners. And if there is a problem then put everything on the Qualcomm and talk to safety about the issue.

if you get no where with that decline the load stating why the load will not be covered by you. I have never been forced to take a load. I communicate with my terminal day or night crew and that solves all issues if any.

no matter what company you or anyone works for you are accountable for that truck. What you or they or i do is on us if some thing goes wrong.

If you have a problem with swift don't come to a swift thread it's so very easy to solve this issue.

but if you just want to complain no one can stop you. But make sure you know what kind of power or leverage an informed driver has. There is no excuse to be a driver and un-informed about how we do our jobs with the companies we work for. Again if the driver doesn't know something it is the drivers fault. 99.9%

 

By the way I'm sure before elogs ALOT if not all companies pushed drivers to run over their hours. Pointing the finger at Swift acting like they are the only company to have drivers in the past running illegal is not honest.

I hear stories all the time from "old timer" drivers bragging about having 3 or 4 log books. Major reason it was regulated that all trucks have elogs.

Was it the companies fault that these drivers saw this as the glory days of trucking or is it the drivers fault for doing so no matter the consequences of being caught.

 

I am glad you hold your fellow drivers in such high regard. With 100% trunover and drivers being wrong 99.9% of the time, how do these drivers ever find work again? How does anyone move freight with such wrong headed employee's.

I know how "plus 1" scam works. Refer to my post #24. What some of you have not considered is why Swift constructed such an inefficient system. The reason is, they want to coerce drivers into taking and running loads that they cannot complete on time and within the HOS. Swift's dispatch system was much more efficient before "plus 1" but with elogs they had a lot of loads running late and sitting out. Swift's productivity per truck dropped from horrible to pathetic because planners could not deny the hours a driver had to run.

If you want a company lying to you on a daily basis, go ahead, Swift is a good choice for you. They could be straight forward a give you the time and dates of the load in the first place. You could trip plan and approve the load and get right to work making money. However, that is not what they do. You have to waste your time and money with macro's, messages, phone calls, dispatchers, and planners. Why? Why not give the exact times and dates in the first place? The reason is they are trying to coerce you to jump on each and every load and run it is fast as you can. A driver can do better with his time then play Swifts disrespectful coercion games.