Swift Transportation Company, Inc. - Phoenix, Az.?

Gecko, I WAS in your shoes once, and did I make the mistakes. Yeah, I was "stupid" once, too. New drivers like you aren't really "stupid". You just don't have enough information at your disposal to avoid the mine-fields and liars in trucking. I know I didn't when I started driving in 95. This was before blogging. You can do better.

I went to a "mill" that I had to pay five THOUSAND bucks for. And remember this was 1995. It's probably 30% more now. That program was five weeks long, so add in the opportunity cost of the mill. For me this was probably another two thousand bucks-- the money I missed because I was at the mill and not working.

While at the mill I didn't learn much. I didn't learn enough to justify the cost, anyway. That stint was worth at most 10% of what I paid--500 bucks. During the two-week driving phase, my class of 20 was divided in half each morning. One half the class went to a dirt lot and practiced backing and such, while the other half went to the road trucks and practiced driving on the highways. My mill used two cabover Petercars and an anteater KW. Three trucks in all for ten drivers. Three per in two, four in one. This meant I drove 45 minutes a pop when I WAS driving those days and sat in the sleeper and watched somebody else drive the majority of the time the wheels were turning.

I didn't see it then, as I was "stupid", but this was a colossal rip-off. But I don't need to tell you that. You know better thanks to this site and can avoid this kind of scam.

Yeap. My training cost me 5,000 in cash, 2,000 in opportunity cost, and probably 500 in rent, meals, and gasoline to go to and fro. 7500 for a CDL, boy. Yeah, I was stupid. On top of all this crap, my mill was in the pocket of some of the big companies like Swift. After graduation, I went with their "recommendation"--I got a job driving one of Jerry Moyes's trucks. Big mistake, man. I bet Swift jipped me out of 1500 bucks on rip-offs in the four months I was there. Who knows how much money I missed out on because I spent time sitting around. I'll throw out the figure 3,000. That's probably ball-park.

So. How much did my schooling REALLY cost me? Let's run the numbers:
7500 for the school + 1500 in ripoffs + 3000 in lost mileage = about 12,000.

Now let's factor in the "quit early" variable. I quit Swift after 4 months, and I didn't go back to work for like 5 months. Part of this was my own choice, sure. I COULD have stayed on with Swift, but I chose not to put up with their garbage. After quitting, I found couldn't get hired on anywhere half-decent. I had only 5 months in, I was a newbie, and I had a couple minor backing wrecks while at Swift, which of course they busted my DAC for. Assuming I would have been taking home 2,000 a month with Swift if I would have stayed on, this means I ended up "losing" 10,000 in income because I chose a rotten company first instead of a good one. Sure, this was completely avoidable, but it's good to throw this into the analysis to scare you.

I'll scare you even more by telling you that I used various jobs, one of which was pizza delivery, to pay for the mill training. I was working at a Domino's Pizza the day before I went to training, and on my last day of work before heading to the mill, I spent the evening running my ********* off and washing dishes there. I had over 6,000 bucks in the bank and I was ready to go. Five months later, I had just quit Swift, I had maybe 500 bucks in my pocket, and I was back at the Domino's washing dishes and delivering pizzas.

Thanks, Jerry!

Instead of going the "correct" route, the route I'm going to detail for you in a moment, I ended up costing myself about 22,000 bucks in six months. This is money I would have had in my pocket if I would have only gone a better route when first starting out.

That route would have been:

1. Go to a cheap school. I shouldn't have paid more than about 750 for training. Driving trucks isn't flying the shuttle. One shouldn't pay through the nose for training. I DID and STILL regret it everyday of the world.

2. Get a job with a good outfit, preferably a privately-held company like Crete. NASDAQ companies are to be avoided if you are a newbie. Hell, most NASDAQ outfits are to be avoided by anyone with a pulse.

3. Work for said good outfit for a year or two and save, save, save.

I can't emphasize enough how much better off I would have been if I would have gone this path myself. I can only ask you to avoid doing what I did, which was pretty much the opposite of what a knowledgeable person should do when getting into trucking.

That's why I'm here at this website, really. I want to make sure guys like YOU have that 22,000 in your pocket six months from now and aren't job-hopping from one rotten carrier to another or sitting for weeks or months unemployed between jobs because you made bad decisions on which carriers to work for when starting out.

You have plenty of time before you jump into training. Do your homework thoroughly to ensure you make the best decision at every step when getting into trucking. One mistep can cost you thousands and may leave you with a scarred DAC report, not mention piss you off to high-hell.

 

Thanks again for the reply. I mean it. Without guys like you out there willing to set prospective drivers straight, #### near everyone entering the field would just go with the recruiters suggestions, not knowing they are probably getting a commision for sending us there.
I will take your advice and check out Crete.
My biggest early concern was what Truckin Juggalo and I were talking about. I thought I would have to drive across the country if I went with a carrier that wasn't "local" and leave my personal vehicle in some parking lot. Or have to hitch a ride home when the time came or take a freakin bus.........
Do you think it would be a good idea to write to the recruiters for companies like Crete and ask for their job offering list that I saw posted here somewhere a couple days ago?
Luckily I have plenty of time to do my homework. I have a real good paying steady job with bennies now, so I am working towards paying off as many bills as possible and getting my self ready for this. My wife is even going to change jobs so she can get health insurance for herself and I. Then I won't have to worry about that either.
Thanks again........

 

Gecko, I'm glad to help. If not for blogging, the same cycle that sucked me into trucking would be sucking you in today. But luckily, that's not the case. Learn from our mistakes and the bad treatment we've received. History is a valuable guide in life, and it's especially a good guide in trucking. Use it. Don't go in blindfolded or with blinders on.

I don't know if you can get on with Crete right off. I think you'll need six months experience. These guys used to have a relationship with a community college in Lincoln (their headquarters) that provided training for their newbies, but I think that relationship has been severed. If it has, this is a huge blow to newbie drivers. There are other avenues if CCC no longer trains drivers from the ground up, though.

I've heard both good an bad about Schneider. I'm sure you have as well. This company may be worth checking into if you need to get trained. Sure, you'll have to sign a contract that leashes you to that company for a year, but you'll get free training. That year will be easy to complete if Schneider is good. Check into them. Check with Crete, too. See if their newbie training is still available. If it is, GO WITH CRETE.

Keep us posted on what you find out and what your plans are.

 

IF i'm not mistaken i think Crete has a Requirment of a year or 2 driving experience on there website
heres the section for the new driver at crete

http://www.cretecarrier.com/drive/company-index.cfm

 

This is from Crete's actual website? The section states they'll hire qualified student drivers, meaning they'll hire those right out of (approved) training schools. Approved schools are those that are accredited, I'm sure.

I'd give 'em a call and find out if they're still training students. If they are, that is the best way out there for a student to get trained, indentured servitude or not. Can you please let me know what you find out, G?

 

Here we go again.....

You've been with Swift for two years, and you almost have your truck paid for? Ding, Ding, Ding!!!!

I don't buy it....not with Swift.....I've written about those figures.

I'm more of the opinion that if a company is known to have issues and problems, and a list of complaints ten miles long, you don't go near them.

I think it goes a little deeper than that. Swift has a fine record of low pay, a lease/purchase program that is a sure way into bankruptcy, and a history of blackballing drivers who decide to leave them.

I'm sorry, but it was at THIS point, that I decided to respond to this post. This simply cannot be true.

First of all, there are millions of truckers that would LOVE in the month of August, and in the year 2006, to have operating costs of ONLY $1,100 per week. Swift's lowest truck payment and the cost of fuel alone would exceed this amount.

Really? I don't think so....

Please...anyone considering the info offered by the above poster, take a look at the reality of the situation...

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...mpany-here/6299-think-swift-worth-second.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr.../6307-worst-lease-purchase-agreement-ive.html

 

Tip, I will definately. Thanks

 

I did check out the web site for the college in Nebraska that Crete works with. Their tuition is under $800.00! The United States Truck Driving School charges almost $4000.00!
Hell, I could drive to the college, pay the tuition, and a motel and meals, and still be getting off cheaper than if I stayed home and went to this local school. (Since we don't seem to have a local community college here that trains truck drivers)
Since I would be paying cash, this seems like a much better way to go.
I am going to write to Crete and have them send me all the information they can. I will also ask about home time and their training programs.
I'll let you guys know when I get a responce.
Thanks

 

Sounds good. I can see only one problem with this, and maybe you should go ahead and make a phone call to CCC and see what the scoop is:

That community college is a state school, meaning out-of-state students may pay more for tuition. This will affect you if CCC gives you "free" training through this community college. It may be advertised as 800, but you may have to pay the out-of-state rate if you just happen to fall through the cracks and not complete your indentured servitude.

You should find out about this as well, G. And again, please let me know what you find out, brother.

Good luck.

 

Thanks Tip.
I just finished writing Crete a letter giving them my situation and asking for any information they can offer. It goes out in tomorrow's mail.
I would think I should be a decent candidate for most any company that takes student graduates. What with my 22 uninterupted years with the same glass company, never had a DUI or DWAI, one moving violation in 2002 (the only one since before I started working where I am now in 1984), and better then excellent credit.
What do you think?