My Current Swift Experience

your b/p has to be under 140/90 to continue without delays.

 

If it is borderline you will be told to get checked out by our doctor. I suggest that to beat the bb test don''t smoke for at least a day and stay away from carbonated stuff, coffee and sugar. It will help to lower you bb for the test. If you need bb medication, you will get only a 1yr dot card and have to repeat it every yr for as long as you drive, I know I have high bb..

 

I just completed my training at the Lewiston School and it was the complete opposite of what I read online it to be. Everything I read said they falsify test results and put unhealthy people on the road, didn't happen most people that left was on the first day because they didn't meet Swift health standards or DOT health standards, We had a class of 18 with 1 Classroom instructor, 2 range instructors and no more then 4 per truck for our road week. They work hard to help you get the skills to pass, they won't give you the pass you have to earn it. We stayed at the Super 8 Motel, had a breakfast well nothing like a Ramada but can't complain, the room was double occupancy don't really care. There were complaints that they didn't emphasize safety and that was the complete opposite, we were told many times that if we didn't like our mentor, bad hygiene, unsafe driving, or what ever to get a new one asap and report him/her.

Karnaj

 

Another piece of truth about a company whose main detractors are people who never drove for them.

 

I'm looking around for these detractors you're talking about, Paw. Where are they? These guys who have never driven for our beloved Swifty who also rant against them even more than that company's former drivers do.

The far majority of posts I have read here were put up by former Swifty drivers. Please point me in the right direction to these guys who hate Swifty, yet have never driven for that outfit. I'd like to welcome these phantom Swift haters into the fold.

 

I used to be a mentor out of fontana and the first thing I told all my "co-drivers" the number one thing that we both needed to do is to get each other home safely. Safety was very important for me and was stressed in mentor class. As for getting a new mentor that is very true I had a few who had issues with prior mentors. From bad hygiene, asking trainee to falsify logs to just personality conflicts. The only draw back is you may have to wait a little for an available mentor.

 

PawPaw and Tip don't do that arguing stuff on here...I read you guys arguing in another post....you 2 need to message each other or something...I am a new guy on here...but its getting old to me already...I'm here for advice and feedback...seriously...anyways Karnaj how far along are you...I go to San Antonio August 6th...you should start a blog so people like me who are even newer than you can follow along....thanks

 

Welcome to the forum. I don't try to argue with Tip. It is useless anyway. What I try to do is counter the negative (and often times false) information for guys like you that come here looking for answers. Unfortunately, Tip does not want anyone to post anything positive on here and so he wants to stir things up. I admit that sometimes I get drawn into an argument but that is not my intent.

Anyway, Swift is a good company to work for. You may find you decide to start there and then go somewhere else. Many do. Or you may be like thousands who go there, like it and remain. Just remember that you are the "captain of your ship". You run it legal and in compliance and all will go well and you won't have to be looking over your shoulder. If someone tries to get you to do something illegal (I actually think this is a test to see if you are a person of integrity) mentioning safety usually takes care of the problem. Ask lots of questions of your mentor and even other mentors you will meet. Also ask other drivers if you are not sure about something. If they are still doing it, take the Road Ready Seminar as it will save you time on the road. It is a course on how to make repairs along the road so that you don't have to run to a shop every time something happens. There were several times I used the information I learned to fix a problem, like one time where it was going to be a couple of hours before the shop could rewire a trailer light. I did it myself and got on the way.

Good luck to you and keep us posted on how you are doing.

 

A friend of mine and I were taking some drilling equipment from Texas to Fort MacMurray, Alberta in December of 93. We stopped in Minot, N.D. and picked up some fittings for the rig shack and crossed the border at North Portal. We were going to run up to Moose Jaw and pick up 2 and 11 into Saskatoon and then 16. There was such a blizzard going on you couldn't see a thing. We missed the turnoff at Moose Jaw and ended up in Swift Current. We were going to cut up north but all the roads were closed. We parked on a frontage road and walked over to the bar where we stayed until closing time. When we came out we could hardly see our trucks for snow. We spent 6 months sitting there from Friday night to Sunday night waiting for the roads to open. Thought I would freeze to death before I got out of there.

I just realized this thread was about current Swift experiences and not Swift Current experiences. I have no Swift experience and this is my only experience in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Sorry about the confusion. I'll try harder to keep up in the future.

 

I have a little over 20 years driving with another 5 years in operations management. I left driving for 7 years, and the only company that would give a chance and carryover my experience was Swift. After several months, I became a mentor, I liked the extra pay for the miles. I only had one person who I couldn't work with. My point of this reply is this: I have some issues with Swift, but they are mine and not open for public scorn. I work Wal-Mart dedicated. My DM's never asked or told me to run illegal. I worked for them for 2.5 years, and loved the dedicated routine. I made very good money, and I averaged 2500+ miles per week solo, with a student around 4000. Many things have changed for the good in the last few months. The mentor program has been upgraded, but they still promote new drivers to mentors (but from what I have seen, many of these newby's are very good)
I have read many posts about Swift, many bad. I'm sorry for their failures. There is no great company for every person. I spent many years with Pepsi, I loved it. I have met many people who have been with Swift for 15 to 25 years. They are not super people, just average Joe's. I would still be with Swift, but found a Job local to where I lived.
When I trained students, I told them to explore all avenues of training, like other mentors, owner ops., dm's, or any other person working with you. Believe only 40% of the gossup! Swift is a training company, which means, when you go thru the scales, you will probably inspected. Just expect it. Swift is cleaning up its act, and YOU WILL BE TERMINATED for LOG Book violations if you continue to make mistakes. Speeding could get you fired. I am not a Swift preacher, but I enjoyed working for Swift, and I get tired of people hosing them in public.
Swift has over twenty thousand people working for them. They are 42 years old, and was started by a man with a dream. Many people dislike him. I don't know him, but I respect him.
I hope that this helps you with your decision.
klfair