Diary of a current Swift flatbed driver

You've got to get routed to a terminal that has an empty flatbed trailer, or a load waiting to go. Best chances are Gary, IN, Phoenix, AZ, Greer, SC, Lancaster, TX (dallas), and Laredo, TX. I'm down in Kansas City waiting on a load...they offered the possibility of a van load, but since I'm dedicated I didn't want to give up my flatbed without a plan so I opted to wait until Monday.

 

From listening to drivers from (strictly) FB companies, it seems a lot of flatbed is done M-F with not much happening on weekends. I guess FB company drivers do their 34 hour restarts at home. If I get with Swift in FB, I can't say I will hate doing 34 hours restarts away from home, as long as I get good miles and runs M-F, along with seeing all regions of the USA. No reasons for me to have to be home on "weekends", so no issues about that. I won't mind. Besides, I can always mind later. My only concern about Swift is their low pay (.26 [flatbed] cpm beginning; .34 cpm after 1 year?)

 

Starts at .27

 

Geez, AZ, I see conflicting pay scales r/t what Swifts current start pay is. Someone who just started for Swift stated that FB'ers starts at .26 cpm. .26-.27; some may say "what's the difference?" Well, every penny helps. BTW, how are things going at Swift? What is going well; what isn't? What you recommend to others considering Swift FB? Feel free to PM me if you like.

 

Thought for sure its. 27. Sucks they don't really broadcast these things. Ill see what I can find out. Buckeye I'm still with my mentor but starting the downhill side of my time left with him. Ill think about what I like and dislike. I will pm you. There is defisnitely more like than dislike.

 

I love the Weyerhaeuser dedicated, I run as hard as I want (which hasn't been that hard lately because I pulled a muscle in my arm throwing chains on a coil), my planner knows me by name, not truck number, and I love running sticks (go figure, I used to hate lumber loads!). I'm always home on time too, so I have zero complaints...well, ok, tarp pay sucks, but we have to have something to ##### about