Swift is a good company

My son just went through the Memphis Academy, and is now with his mentor (they've not gotten too far yet, loads keep getting held up) and I think they are paying my son like 450 per week. I'm not 100% on that, as he's not seen his first check yet.
As for the terminal thing, I'm not too sure WHY they chose it to be Ocala, Fl. for my son, but I do know you have to be in your own state to take your CDL test, and I'm guessing that's why then you end up at whatever terminal, in your state.
Hope I've not confused you, and BEST WISHES to you in Millington! Keep us informed!

 

Trainees get $65 a day for the first four weeks ... then $71 a day for the next two weeks. Hope that helps

 

I really have had no bad experiences with the two companies that I have driven for... Except swift, but that wasn't the company's fault. I had a mentor that was, well lets just say that he wasn't what I would consider a model employee. He was an O/O, didn't really like driving I think. Good friend, but every week, he seemed to find a way to keep from driving. Then he complained about not getting enough miles, never showed me how to do the Qualcomm right, first night made me drive cause he was drunk, constantly left me in the truck for days on end while he visited with friends and family without returning to check on me. I picked up a lot of bad habits from him that I am afraid to say I still haven't broken just yet. I rarely keep my log book up to date, almost alway trying to catch up with myself because of it. (my qualcomm and LB almost never match) never really showed my how to plan my own fuel route.

The company it's self, however, I had the best DM there could be. I was stuck in Loredo, TX, with no lds on the board, and somehow managed to find one that passed through TN to get me home for a funeral. They always keep good conversation with their drivers, allow you to take 100 personal advance every monday, and up to 200 company advance for a total of 300, but don't be surprised when your check is only like 400 or less each week if you do. Best bet on that one is to use your own money, and get reimbursted. They are a great company to get started with cause they have kind of an accident forgivness due to student drivers. I would go back to them if I could get home every weekend, but I wouldn't make much. Students start out at around 26 cpm, but you average around 1000 before taxes and deductions. They do all 48, but they usually keep you where the miles are. My home term was Memphis, TN and most of their terms were clean, and comfortable. The other drivers are really great and helpful. If you aren't making at least 1000 before taxes, they call you in for a log class, and a qualcomm class to find out why you aren't makeing much money. Don't let all the negative hype fool you. They have the most accidents because they have the one of the best schools. they help so many get started and if you stick one extra year past your contract they actually pay you to get your cdl. 3000 for school and licenses, and an additional 3000 for staying 2 years. Some of the best benifits, and rarely ask questions about minor things, like "Did you pay your pet deposit? Did you turn in forms for your rider?"

I love this company, and If I am ever single again, I think I will drive for them again. Hope that this helps out the new drivers looking for a start and thinking about swift. Definatly worth the 3 weeks of school. I had a ball getting my CDL because of the great instructors and the friends that I made along the way. WTG Swift Trans. I miss you!

E. B. Jones

 

Right there, you should have stopped, and got a new one. I dont expect mentors to be 'model employees', but start bad mouthin your DM or showing someone you are to be training bad habbits, then its time to turn him/her in, and request a new one.

I would have reported him to the company and not ever stepped into the truck. Company policy is 'no alcohol in the truck in any way shape or form.' that goes for alcohol in your belly (or his in this case). whos to say, you're driving down the road, and he decides in his drunk state to jump up and try to scare you for the fun of it...then you lose control of the truck? Or whos to say you get pulled around at a scale, and a DOT guy comes up and starts asking you questions, and he smells alcohol. BANG.....there is an Out of Serivce on the spot...not to mention how many from the company get involved, and both of you would probably get canned.

again, see my first statement. I had one who did the same thing, refused to put me in a hotel room. I got a new one soon after that.

that is your fault, not your mentor's. Yeah, he was suposed to show you the way to do things, but you're an adult, you know whats 'right and wrong', yeah? You were taught in school to 'log it like you drive it', yeah? Just because he didnt, dont mean you should have stooped to his level, and not logged change of duty whenever you got in or out of the drivers seat. It is a habbit YOU picked up, dont pass the blame onto your mentor. You've got 30 days from the time you turn in a log, that Swift can go back and audit you. They will spot check everybody from time to time, but should they find an error in one day, they will look at them more frequently. And if they keep seeing a 'bad habbit' of your QC and LB not matching up....expect to be 500 miles away, and asked to turn in your keys to the truck. I'm not 100% accurate on mine, and at times are 15 min. off from time to time. But if you wait till the end of the day to log when you stop for a break, or more importantly your fuel stops, i guarentee you will be more than 15min off.

100 + 200 = 300 i thought. LOL. just messin'. I found out that if you take a company advance for say anti-gel additive or a truck wash, you better turn in a receipt, cause if you dont, it comes out of your paycheck. Advances are DUMB, cause it just puts you in a hole. Like those 'payday loan' places...once you start, it is hard to stop.

i do that for scales and what not. its kinda like putting money into a piggy bank, you see $9 here and there, and you end up getting $50 more in your next check. I also have a plastic container, and all the change or bills in my pocket at the end of the day goes in there. I probably have $150 in change since the start of the year. comes in handy when you end up with a 700-1000 mi work week.

agreed, and i am there only till I find something better. I am sure there is 'better' just waiting for me, but i am comfortable with things right now. I dont want to change companies, and end up having to take 1-2 weeks of training on a mentor's truck again.

They will send you whever they have a load going. Doesn't always mean thats 'where the miles are at'. I was in memphis last weekend, and i sat for 2 days. was that cause thats where the miles were?? there was little freight in the area, but yet thats where my load delivered.

MOST of them are. But you will run into some that you just cannot believe how dirty the drivers let it get. Buddy of mine sat in Columbus for a couple days, and he asked 'where are the trash bags at'? he kept himself busy by cleaning the grounds of the terminal. first day he made 7 bags of trash, just from the yard. 2nd day 9 bags from the terminal out toward the Phillipi Rd.

LOL !!! no they dont. my first months were spent making $500-600 a week, and after my school, taxes and insurance was taken out, i was down to $200-350. And they WONT 'call you in' and make you take log classes and QC classes unless you're really screwing things up. But think about that logic. "you arent making enough" so they are going to call you in off the streets into a terminal, make you sit for a day or two while you take two classes, THEN you'll sit another day for a load getting out. How are you to make $1000 a week sitting for 3 days?? It wont happen. Besides, you WONT be getting 2500-3000 miles. And if you are a new student, making .26cpm, and grossing $1000 a week, you'd have to drive 3846 miles a week to gross $1000 at .26cpm. Really see that happening? The only bottom line they look after is their own, they could care less about yours. Its just business. Nothing personal. Just look at their 'short term lease program' they offered at the start of the year. Why do you think they did this? To put drivers on the hook for the overhead for trucks just sitting in their yards not being leased. They put you on the hook for $900/wk overhead, and dont have to guarentee you miles, so you go from a company driver making $500/wk to a L/O making $300....makes sense from a business standpoint. Heaven for bid the truck breaks down, and you're out a weeks worth of miles...but guess what....that ball keeps bouncin'. You still gotta come up with the $900 overhead for that truck that week.

dont let misleading 'figures' fool you.

HUH?? if it was a "GOOD" school, there shouldnt be any accidents. Would kinda like saying "Skip Barber is the best racing school, because 9 out of 10 drivers they've graduated has been in a serious crash during a race within a month of leaving the school." LOL...if the school is good, there shouldnt be ANY crashes. The reason the 'stats' show Swift has the most accidents, is because they have more trucks, they have more students in company trucks than anybody else. But if you look at 'accidents per million miles', swift isnt on the top of the list.

NO....WRONG. Your schooling is $3900, period. They will take out $75 a week (once you go solo) then reimburse half that back the same week, so they only actually take out $37.50 per week for schooling. Stay a year, and schooling is paid for. (actually 13 months) Stay with them 2 years (actually 26 mo) and schooling is free because that 2nd year, they still pay you that $37.50/wk. It is NOT a swing of $6000. Once you reach your year, the schooling is paid for, and you're off the hook. Its that 2nd year where you get your half of the money back. But i dont see myself staying. getting a $40 bonus in my check a week wont keep me here if something comes along paying $.60+cpm.

and if you get caught with a pet in the truck, and not pay depoisit, AND/OR get caught with a rider and heaven for bid have an accident....kiss your job goodbye.

The first few months is all about "CYA". Most drivers who have been termed from the company have been let go out of nobodys fault but their own. Look thru this board....alot of people who complain about companies, are ones who have been fired. And the ones who havent, if they are in such a bad situation, then quit and find something else.

i would not say 'i love this company', but the school i went to, they did take the time and answer questions from a guy who didnt have the first #### clue how to drive a big truck. Instructors i had WERE great, and would hate to think how i would have turned out or where i'd have been had i not had instructors who didnt help or did nothing but yell at me or not take the time to explain how something was done.

 

I have only missed home time 2x in 4 years and only by a couple of days.

 

How often do you go home? Every 2 weeks? 3 maybe?

 

Yeah, I heard SWIFT is a good company, and the school too. But the negative side I've heard is about it's mentors. Are they really that bad?
Well, I guess where ever you go these days, 'there are no bad crew, only bad leaders.'

Vale

 

$1,000 a week?......where do I sign up?

 

Some mentor are bad and some are good, I had a good mentor we drove about 20k miles in 6 weeks all 48. With a few days with out a load in the 6 weeks.

 

Agree with Macho-Man Randy Savage on this one. OOOOOoooooooh Yeeeaaahhhhhh!!!....

Mentors are only as 'bad' as you let them be. What i mean by that is, if they start showing you 'bad habits', or making you drive because they're wasted, going over the check list of things they are to be training you on, and only just talking about items once, and then letting them check that off as 'trained'....then its time to look for a new one. There are some mentors out there who actually do care about what you learn.

I have no problem with mentor and student driver running the truck like a 'team truck', but only during hte last week to 10 days of the 6 weeks you're out there. If your mentor goes into the sleeper for ANY reason during the first week you're on the road....its time to start asking for a new one. and if YOU dont, the only one at fault for not being trained is you.