Maybe Swift

exactly. anything you ever hear about a 'bad company' is almost always from someone who has been fired from that company, regardless who it is. You go and decide for yourself...and if you dont like them, you do what you do with any other job......QUIT, and find something you DO like.

 

Its not so much the company, but what you put into it.. I worked for them a yr, before going local, and had very few complaints..

 

TITLE 49
TRANSPORTATION CHAPTER III
FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
PART 391
QUALIFICATIONS OF DRIVERS AND LONGER COMBINATION VEHICLE (LCV) DRIVER Subpart E
Physical Qualifications and Examinations
Sec. 391.41
Physical qualifications for drivers.

(a) A person shall not drive a commercial motor vehicle unless he/ she is physically qualified to do so and, except as provided in Sec. 391.67, has on his/her person the original, or a photographic copy, of a medical examiner's certificate that he/she is physically qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The United States and Canada entered into a Reciprocity Agreement, effective March 30, 1999, recognizing that a Canadian commercial driver's license is proof of medical fitness to drive. Therefore, Canadian commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers are no longer required to have in their possession a medical examiner's certificate if the driver has been issued, and possesses, a valid commercial driver's license issued by a Canadian Province or Territory. However, Canadian drivers who are insulin-using diabetics, who have epilepsy, or who are hearing impaired as defined in Sec. 391.41(b)(11) are not qualified to drive CMVs in the United States. Furthermore, Canadian drivers who do not meet the medical fitness provisions of the Canadian National Safety Code for Motor Carriers but who have been issued a waiver by one of the Canadian Provinces or Territories are not qualified to drive CMVs in the United States. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [[Page 335]] (b) A person is physically qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle if that person-- (1) Has no loss of a foot, a leg, a hand, or an arm, or has been granted a skill performance evaluation certificate pursuant to Sec. 391.49; (2) Has no impairment of: (i) A hand or finger which interferes with prehension or power grasping; or (ii) An arm, foot, or leg which interferes with the ability to perform normal tasks associated with operating a commercial motor vehicle; or any other significant limb defect or limitation which interferes with the ability to perform normal tasks associated with operating a commercial motor vehicle; or has been granted a skill performance evaluation certificate pursuant to Sec. 391.49. (3) Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of diabetes mellitus currently requiring insulin for control; (4) Has no current clinical diagnosis of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, coronary insufficiency, thrombosis, or any other cardiovascular disease of a variety known to be accompanied by syncope, dyspnea, collapse, or congestive cardiac failure. (5) Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of a respiratory dysfunction likely to interfere with his/her ability to control and drive a commercial motor vehicle safely; (6) Has no current clinical diagnosis of high blood pressure likely to interfere with his/her ability to operate a commercial motor vehicle safely; (7) Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of rheumatic, arthritic, orthopedic, muscular, neuromuscular, or vascular disease which interferes with his/her ability to control and operate a commercial motor vehicle safely; Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition which is likely to cause loss of consciousness or any loss of ability to control a commercial motor vehicle; (9) Has no mental, nervous, organic, or functional disease or psychiatric disorder likely to interfere with his/her ability to drive a commercial motor vehicle safely; (10) Has distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in each eye without corrective lenses or visual acuity separately corrected to 20/40 (Snellen) or better with corrective lenses, distant binocular acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in both eyes with or without corrective lenses, field of vision of at least 70[deg] in the horizontal Meridian in each eye, and the ability to recognize the colors of traffic signals and devices showing standard red, green, and amber; (11) First perceives a forced whispered voice in the better ear at not less than 5 feet with or without the use of a hearing aid or, if tested by use of an audiometric device, does not have an average hearing loss in the better ear greater than 40 decibels at 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz with or without a hearing aid when the audiometric device is calibrated to American National Standard (formerly ASA Standard) Z24.5-- 1951. (12)(i) Does not use a controlled substance identified in 21 CFR 1308.11 Schedule I, an amphetamine, a narcotic, or any other habit- forming drug. (ii) Exception. A driver may use such a substance or drug, if the substance or drug is prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner who: (A) Is familiar with the driver's medical history and assigned duties; and (B) Has advised the driver that the prescribed substance or drug will not adversely affect the driver's ability to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle; and (13) Has no current clinical diagnosis of alcoholism.

 

Hey Billh, one thing you have to remember is the size of swift, i think they are pretty big ,
when you are dealing with a company of that size you are going to hear way more about them then you would, lets day, Bobs Transport, who only has 3 trucks.
swift is huge and the more trucks the more you hear about how scary and bad they are, and like said above, most the bad is by drivers who have been terminated, but if you keep reading youll actualy hear some good about swift, i have talked to a few drivers that have been driving at swift for years and love it.
you even said it yourself, you have to do whats best for you,
best of luck to you

 

I don't know if you mean the DOT physical or the workwell physical, so I'll answer both.

The DOT physical is very simple if you're in good shape. Pee in a cup for a drug test, they check blood pressure, read the little letters on a vision chart, answer a whispered question, and they check your range of movement. If you have a health issue, then it gets more complicated.

Swift's work well physical requires you to lift a heavy crate onto a table, then up onto a shelf about shoulder height. Then they add more weight, and you lift it again. You carry it a short distance and back. And they have a push/pull device (it's a stick with a handle, basically) that measures the strength of your push/pull. I'm a wimpy little female and I managed it just fine.

This is just a general idea, not very detailed, but should give you some idea what to expect.

 

I'm a 52 year old, overweight grandma and I passed the workwell only because I worked out and got ready for it.

If you wish to go van and not flatbed you'll need to do a minimum of 5 squats and then the rest of the DOT. Then for the work well you'll lift 25, 35, 50 lbs from a table to a shelf. Then 25, 50, 75 from floor to table. And then carry 75 lbs down the hall and back or across the room & back 3 times. (I think it's 70 ft but could be 80.)

Then you'll step up on what's suppose to be a 26" high platform but it's actually about 31" . People will tell you there's a bar you can pull up on but it's actually boards on the wall so it doesn't help much at all. Then you do the push & pull thingie but that's the easy part!

You must do all of this "properly" meaning with good form so not to risk back injury on the job. And you do it all while being monitored.

If you want to go flatbed you'll have to lift and carry more......I think it's up to 85.

If you're a young athletic male you'll have no problem........if you're an overweight grandma.........start lifting weights now.

Remember it's how much you WANT something that gets it for you and if I can do it so can you.

 

There's been plenty of good drivers fired from Swift and not just bad ones that screwed up. They have the advantage right now with so many new drivers coming out of school they can let you go for any reason.

What's good on what you've done is reading all the posts about that company. Now you'll have a heads up on how they operate. If it's your last choice I'd say of course go for it. You just have to remember they can really put a hurt on your driving career for the smallest of incidents. Good luck and watch your back.

 

Just from reading the posts here, if you choose to go with Swift I hope you have a thick skin. Your company will be the butt of jokes... and each and every mistake you make will be magnified a hundred-fold by the letters on your truck.

Don't let it get to ya'.