I hope I have a good plan of action here. Im sure theres holes in it though, so any input (even that Im an idiot, provided ya give me a reason) is appreciated. In another thread a few people told me not to be lazy when I wanted a way to put in one app to several companies. I appreciate the honesty. So here goes.
I am going to sign on with Swift. (problem #1 eh?). I saw a Swift driver on the way to my CDL training last week. He was doing exactly what I hope to be doing. Delivering cars. He works out of Laredo, lives in Cali, and drives with his wife as a 2 truck team.
By that I mean they take 2 trucks out of Laredo, deliver to areas near each other, then load her truck onto his and drive back to Laredo. He told me hed been there 15 years, was happy as a clam, and made about $1500/week. When his wife came out, she pretty much confirmed what he said. She was in the dealership at the time he and I started talking. That $1500 was for each, not total.
She came out, not knowing what hed said to me, and pretty much duplicated what he said.
The husband/wife drivers had nothing to do with Swift recruiting. It was a chance meeting. Ill probably never see them again. They definitely influenced me to follow up a little harder with Swift though.
I know they dont have APUs and a few other things Id like. I have to admit one other factor in signing with Swift is I can drive to orientation. I wont have to stay in a hotel if I dont want. Im thinking being close to a terminal has advantages over a company whos closest terminal is 300 miles away.
I also talked to another company. This was a recruiter. This one Id rather not name, not out of any fear or anything, but I dont want to jinx myself. Their ad indicated they hired right out of school. So I was talking to him along with a few other companies, getting information from them all.
We had a really good talk. He told me that they had tried hiring drivers straight out of school, but that it hadnt really worked out. So he wanted me to have some experience. He said 6 months would be good. I told him I was going to go with Swift then, and asked if I should check back in November or so. His reply was you dont have to wait that long.
So I talked to my Swift recruiter shortly after talking to this other one. I was upfront with her. We talked about Swift being known as a starter company, things of that nature. I mentioned that Id seen a guy on this site who got a $300 or so check, and that while I didnt have an exact number in mind, if I was going to be OTR I expected to make in the $700/800 range at least. If not I wouldnt be there very long. I wasnt a dink about it, just more explaining that I had certain expectations. She said the average 1[SUP]st[/SUP] year Swift driver makes $39,000.
I mentioned that I wanted to deliver cars, telling her about the husband/wife I met. She said she wasnt sure about that program, except that it wasnt available in Michigan. She asked if I might be interested in Intermodel. If not, I might have to relocate closer to Laredo. Id be willing to relocate, so that wouldnt be a problem.
Basically I guess I just dont want to feel like Im using Swift. I saw another post from a guy who talked about getting their training and then taking off. I didnt really respect that very much. If I can get a job like the husband/wife or something I enjoy, Ive got no problems retiring from Swift.
On the other hand, Ive also read posts where their trainers are spaced out among other things. I also dont want to spend all my time chasing trailers. One former Swift driver told me about being somewhere and there were 30 some odd drivers ahead of him looking for trailers. He told me about being in lots where hed have to open 8 trailers to see if they were empty or not on a dark night. So Im not sure what to expect.
I hope Im doing this right. I feel like Ive got Swift and a back up company. I will give Swift my very best effort.
I believe what everyone has told me and/or posted about Swift, whether it be good or bad. Im not counting on the $1500/week right out of training, but Im also not going to be around if my checks are $300 like the one guy posted.
Do I have the right idea in going with a company but having a backup in mind? Or is that like thinking in advance that Swift wont work and Im jumping ship?
I hope my thought process is right (warning, long post)
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by DannyD, Jul 18, 2014.
-
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
