May I start my Diary

I would not think you will just run the NE. I have been all over in my little over a month being solo. I run short runs,long runs whatever the heck they send me and I get all over the place. Currently up in Oregon after going from San Antonio to salt lake to Sumner WA.

I guess it just depends on where your at. Personally I prefer everything west of Oklahoma but will take what ever they give me. I have been averaging 2900 miles a week and I had time off during the past month.

Just message your DM and ask if they got something where you wanna go.

 

Thats good news. I am still trying to get everything together for my orientation. I would hate to think I am going to stay in the east. I've seen enough of that. If I am going to run I want a change of pace. I was stationed at Yuma Proving Grounds in the early 80's and would really like to go out west for a while for a change of pace. My buddy who is going to be my mentor is based out of Texas so I know for at lesat a while I will get to be back out west.

 

Bl I apologize for jumping in on this thread to ask a few questions. I hope you don't mind if I ask a question now and then. Please keep updating I am learning alot from you all.

 

We learned in orientation that with as little as 6 months experience and a good record of running lots of miles a new driver could sign up for a lease truck if they so chose. Look, I sent messages to John and another guy when I had 5 or 6 months in but never heard from him either. Talking to my mentor, he said I couldn't qualify to purchase one of their trucks anyway, a Swift driver has to complete a lease deal first. Long story short, he also said I couldn't do it because of 2 service failures, that I would have to join him in a team operation to pump up my miles and then take over his lease with his help and kick him back 10 % of my profits for the privilege of his help. After I got off his truck and tried to come back as a company driver, they said 2 weeks to wait for a truck-- I called Swift O/O recruiting and told them the whole schpiel and she said I qualified on my own 2 months prior, no need to buy someone elses tires and kick back 10% that's silly. (8 months in when I finally called her).

Anyway, try to call the lease recruiting department and see what they offer from that end. You already talked to your TM and FM, I gotta tell ya my FM was Po'd that I didn't come to here first about leasing a truck. I believe right now would be a good time to pull the trigger-- 23 days no payments (gives you a head start to bank up some miles and money) and 30 days anything you find wrong on the truck Swift pays 100% to fix it. Spring is coming with supposedly good freight so worst case scenario the truck sits in the shop a lot getting fixed up but so what, freight is slow now, and the truck will be in tip top shape to run hard when the freight hits hard. In my first 30 days, I only ran 5700 miles and the truck broke down twice on the road, was in the shop for 11 days. No big deal, no payments, truck is running cherry now, I'm just ready for lots of 3000 mile weeks like I'm reading from some of you fine fellows.

 

haha...I was there about a week ago....dude couldn't get all the paper out so he let it down and i had to go over to the dock and get a fork lift guy to move things around in the trailer ..then back up on that ramp again for another shake down......lol...while he wasw shaking the #### out of my sled...I turned around and on the wall was a sign that said "do not shake tractors" Dude said he had only been doing this for 7 months...I was looking for an exscape route if things went wrong.

 

Think I'd be asking to drop the triler and let 'em shake away. Can't see having all my %&#$ scattered all over the truck.

 

Don't go to the Houston terminal unless you want to lose your trailer. better have a pre-plan when you get to the guard shack! Go right up the road to the Pilot or Loves. Houston has no showers and so on.

better to stay away from there if you plan on bringing an empty with you.