Is swift a good company?

I have never heard that ranking had anything to do with keeping your truck. How would it work for silver and platinum? It seems it is strictly a terminal by terminal policy being enforced differently by DLs within each terminal.

 

After I became solo and was assigned a training DM she advised me that until I "graduated" from the training DM system I would be required to clear out the truck if I took more than 2 days home time (although I had a lenient home time from Friday night until Monday morning the first time back home). After I was assigned my permanent DM I was advised I now had up to 3 days home time before they would request I clear out the truck.

 

I'm planning on 4 full days this time, after 11 weeks out.
If I'm given grief about it, I'll just start putting in for home time much more often.

I've had 4 days off before, a couple times. It was never a problem. I just ask my DM for an extra day, and he resets my PTA for me.

But some terminals are not as easy about it.
And to those working from those I would say - everyone should fight back by taking home time more often.
2 days every 12 days out, and stick to your guns. Don't accept pplans that don't let you get home.
If everyone did it Swift would see much more money and planning problems, and the trucks would be down much longer in the long run - because I doubt many of us actually take 1 day off for every 6 worked.

There are ways to fight back. But, you have to use the system to your own advantage.
If enough would actually do it, results in our favor might be seen in a very short time.

 

sometimes I take my full days I have earned, the DM im working with right now is actually sending me home every couple weeks to do a 34 and I usually take 3 days or so, this last time I got home on Friday and he asked me if I wanted to return Monday or Tuesday and I said it didnt matter, he got me a preplan for today and told me to take an extra day off so I said sure dont twist my arm about it.

Before I never took home time unless I was out for a month but a lot of times it was due to not making enough money to be off, right now I can take 3 days off and still see a $700+ check for the week being busy with the current projects. I have been off every single weekend lately due to xtra lease being closed but he gets me home for it at least every 2.

As for taking the truck home the other DM wouldnt let me, this one does. He agrees with me that its a joke they put Tehachapi into the SOcal high theft area, we have 6k people and crime is extremely low in that community.

Eventually I will get my own truck and do whatever I want but it wont be with Swift most likely.

 

Right after hubby finished his 6 weeks training with them he took his truck home for 5 days and they didn't say anything at all. He's out 4 weeks so he takes the 4 days home and does not count the drive home as his home time day. That drive home should NOT be considered "home time". His DM asked him why he does it like that and he told her. After that she didn't say anything and his home terminal is memphis. They are pretty good.

 

I never count the day im driving home either since normally I just delivered a load so technically I worked that day, when I get through my front door and go to bed then wake up the next morning then thats when mine starts.

 

Well, I'll be getting home on the 24th.

I got a message that my PTA had been set to 10/28 0800.
Technically, that is 4 days - almost. I won't get home until around noon.

But, I had actually planned to be back on the 28th anyway, even though I will have worked several hours on the 24th.
Now all I have to do is contact my DM and ask that the time be pushed out to 1200, because I don't ever like to get up early when I am on home time.
And this time I am putting my truck in the shop to try and locate/fix a bad vibration problem, so I'll need someone to both pick me up and drop me off at the terminal. 0800 is not good for that.

He is easy going, though, so it won't be a problem. There are just as many loads that can pick up at 1300 as 0900.


And he did me a big favor, without any prompting.
He set up a deadhead from my drop to Inver Grove, which is over 100 miles away.
A bit outside normal for bobtailing home.

 

Anyone know anything about Dedicated work out of the NC area? Dollar General, etc....How is the pay and miles looking? home daily? Any word would be appreciated...thanks!

 

I'll be getting home tomorrow, after 7 weeks on the road and 4 months into my solo stint. My DM was very cool about letting me drop the trailer in the yard (for a Monday delivery) and bobtailing home from there for the weekend. I may run and gun starting Monday after making that delivery, but he said if I need more time just let him know Monday morning.

I think the fact that I'm one of his top 5 for average miles per week helps. I try to maximize use of my available 11 each day. It seems that some drivers that have a delivery the next day will stop short on day 1, then run the hours on day 2... then after delivery they don't have a lot of available hours to run again. I try to run as close to delivery location as I can on day 1, then have a short haul to delivery day 2, then have a lot of hours to run right after I'm dispatched again. My DM has been "Johnny-On-The-Spot" with new dispatches, often stacking them on me when I'm close to delivery.

 

Your DM has everything to do with... everything.
Keep on good terms and you are good to go every time.
He/she will fight for you and make it happen.