Fixing to head to swift cdl school soon.

Less than 2000 to start with until you get off their newbie board, or less if your dm doesn't like you.

Don't think so, but i haven't been there in a couple years.

 

I'd suggest staying as a team, they'll give you a nice bonus and you'll make at least twice as much as a solo driver for them. Stay busy and the time will fly

 

The miles you get will be entirely dependent on your performance and that will be based on available freight and your willingness to move that freight. As long as you have the HOS hours you can run seven days a week. If you average a piddly 400 miles a day you'll be at 2800 miles a week. The key is to accept the preplans you're sent, keep the door closed and the wheels turning.

There is no "newbie board" and there never has been. Ridiculous answer. When you solo you'll be assigned to a driver manager who specifically works with rookie drivers to help you acclimate to Swift's systems. They can be invaluable but if there's a personality clash you can request a different DM. Planners send you load preplans based on your projected time available and your remaining HOS; driver managers have no control nor influence in determining your loads or your miles. Prove to be a runner, drive safely, don't tear up Swift's equipment, be on time and Swift will take care of you.

Team driving might work for you but I couldn't stand having to share a truck with ANYONE 24/7. I still vividly recall the 240 hours of misery I spent in my mentor's truck and the constant lack of sleep. I doubt the money is better over the long term as well.

Swift's equipment for the most part is excellent and they are installing inverters now. They are also steadily replacing the worn out trailers with new ones.

Feel free to ask questions here on TTR but be willing to dig through a mountain of crap to find the truth. I first drove a combination (Brockway beast pulling a milk trailer) when I was still in high school in 1967 and still had to go through the entire Swift rookie driver process. Many talk trash about Swift but I've done very well with them and THEY NEVER LIED TO ME.

Frank

 

Only to a point.

(To the OP...)
Never blindly accept a pplan.
Plan it out first so you are sure you can make the delivery on time - and safely and practically.

I requested a load offer yesterday and the only offer was a load from Victorville, CA to the Phoenix area.
Pick up at 1600 at the very end of my 14 and deliver at 2115 the next day for a live unload. 380 miles.
Nowhere to park on either end at those times. The Phoenix terminal is not a good option, in my opinion.
So I ignored it.

It isn't only about if you can do it in the time allotted, it is also about where you need to find parking at the end of it all.
I know, Swift would not agree. But I have myself to consider as well... not just a load - especially if the load has a firm unload time.


And taking everything as it is offered to you will soon burn you out, if you run the strict times in those pplans.
It will leave you with no leisure time, or even time for decent breaks when driving. It will be flat out all the time.
Always inquire about pick up and delivery windows to see how much time you really have to work with, because they are no longer included in the pplans.

You can make good miles and money, but do it wisely.
Do not let them push you and your time to the limits. Plan your loads to do them as you wish, with enough time to relax along the way.

I have Platinum status, which means pretty good miles.
But I never burn myself out, and am in fact fairly lazy. I run my truck as I see fit, as I have done for the past 7 years with Swift.
That means I am always rested in the morning to run good miles, and I always plan my time wisely to allow me the time off that I need/want.


And in all this time, with all the loads I have refused because of the times...
I have never felt like I have been penalized for doing so.
Usually a better load will soon be offered.

 

Minor correction- they are not buying new trailers right now. We are selling anything 2001 and older- most of these are already gone- and sometimes a newer trailer will be sold as scrap if the repair cost is higher than the value of the trailer. But Swift wants to streamline the company a bit- become a leaner meaner version of themselves. The current trailer pool is larger than they want to maintain. Thus, we are selling trailers but no new ones are currently being ordered.

 

You must only drive in the land of the 5xxxxx series trailers. Most of the trailers I pull in the southeast are 2016 and newer. I enjoy the improved fuel mileage I get with the Meritor automatic tire inflation system and those started appearing with the 134xxx trailers in 2015. The last trailer I pulled out of Laredo was a 18xxxx that was registered a month ago.

Frank

 

Most of the 50x series trailers are pretty good. It's those 54x and the like that are the problem.

 

Will Swift be installing APU's, or buying new trucks with APU's on them?

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

 

Not that I am aware of, but as I've said before- I'm a trailer tech, not a truck tech. There's a lot about the truck side that I don't know. They seem pretty happy with just the bunk heaters, though. They've gone that route instead of the APU route for many years now.