Looking at FFE, SWIFT, DeBoer.

I realise on my first year I will only gross around 30-45K, but for me thats better than nothing. I have friends and family all over and they are willing to let me take hometime in their cities. That could work in my favor.

However, is it worth going to mid florida tech for their week course? Is it worth going to a company school and being in debt to them? What do you all think?

Hunter

 

There are always guys like this who make the whole training process sound bad and the company even worse.

You should really put a disclaimer on your post to say "this is accurate for my situation, and for my school location."

I went to a Swift Academy up in Idaho. Same process as explained, instructor told you in a group how something is done, and then were split up into stations for an hour at a time, and 3-4 per truck. But it is unique to your school, not to every Swift school out there. My instructors were just great. As long as you put forth an efford to LEARN something. If you couldnt get it after being told and shown several times, then you were on your own. But if you need help after being shown 3-4 times how to straight-line back, then i think one had better take a second look at doing this for a living.

My school was great. Ed, the range instructor was great. "Junior"- my road instructor was even better. Now as far as tuition goes, the school costs $3900. You pay them $70 a week for 13 months then it is paid off. In those same 13 months, they will also repay you $35 a week (so they only actually take out $35/week). Once your 13 months are up, you dont owe them a dime...school is paid. HOWEVER, should you continue employment with them, they will continue to pay you $35/week for another 13 months, then schooling will be totally free. Also, should you choose to go Owner/Op, your tuition reimbursement ends.

As for the miles? i have never EVER had a check lower than $200. Lowest check i had was $350. yeah that sucks, but then again it would have been worse if my DM wasnt looking out for me, getting me layover pay, etc. Freight is slow, and you cant sit and wait to accept preplans. I have kinda learned how it works. You sometimes get a direct PP just for you. You also sometimes get a planner who has a bunch of trucks in the same area (like a terminal) and everyone gets the same preplan. the first to accept it...gets it. Kinda like the 'fastest fingers' question on "Millionaire". That is why i dont sit in terminals other than waiting for a shower. I'm in my truck. i got things there to keep me busy. i dont need to watch TV in the lounge with 30 other drivers who all smell.

The freight is down this time of year. I was on the 910 comfort zone, but i got sick of sitting for a day sometimes a day and a half for a load. I dont care how many miles a load is. I've told my DM, "...ill take 5-100 mile loads, they pay the same as 1-500 mile load."

But i've learned too, dont be a whiner on the QC. you start doing that, then you will end up with $150-200 paychecks, and only running 400-500 miles a week. I average 1900 miles a week. I just dropped a load 540 miles before christmas and after christmas i've got a 820 mile run to Colorado. 1300+ miles on a week i took 4 days off. not bad.

there is good and bad in every company. i've complained about swift before. dont mean the company sucks and is the worst one to work for. But then again it is a job. I dont plan to stay with swift for more than 2 years. I want to go O/O, but i will do so with a lease outside the company. i dont want any strings attached to Swift when i do that.

 

i do the same with my friends and family. makes it pretty nice...and your DM dont have to struggle to find loads getting you back to the same 'home' everytime.

as far as your 2nd question, "...is it worth going to a company school and being in debt to them?" It really dont do you much good to think of it like that. Sets a 'negitive' undertone with employment with them. I like to think of it as, "they let me attend their school without doing a credit check, got me a contractors license (my Class A CDL) to work anywhere pulling 18-wheelers, and i am returning the favor by staying with them a year (minimum) to pay for school."

Now i dont feel 'in debt' to them at all. i can leave at anytime i so choose. now i will still owe $2900 in tuition if i do that, but as long as i get the miles, and can bring home $500-600 a week during the slow months, i'm happy with that. I dont pay rent, or utilities, so that saves me $700+ a month.....but i'm spendind that right now getting stuff in my truck...

 

From what I've learned on this site and others is to have a good attitude and you can make it work but, a lot of these "training" co's seem to push guys out the door and starve them after 6 month's or so. It's not hard to believe that a company with 15000+ trucks could actually care about all their drivers. All they want is to move freight and there is 50 guys waiting to replace you if you pitch a fit. I've been told by some co's that the best way to get a good job is to get your own training and keep your record clean with no dui's or any marks on your driving record.They are starting to get real picky about who they hire now. Just my 2 cents.

 

macho52
I feel what you're saying.If I wasn't still working I would just go to someones school too.Then again I could lose my job any day now....Swift can't be all that bad cause after all they need drivers to drive for them and there are a lot of trucks out there.

 

Hi Kevin.... just wondering if things have gotten any better for you yet??

 

No. For the month of January I only took home $854 and some change.

I don't think an explanation could even come close to how I feel about this.

6 months of solo experience will be 2/28/09.... will start looking for something else then.

btw... my brother made over $1,000 takehome pay working at McDonalds.

At this point I could care less about my continued employment at Swift.

BUT

I'm hangin in till I get something else!