New Swift Academy graduate, ok to take a job elsewhere?

Rocky taylor,

I was a construction worker making over 100,000 dollars a year. Then the economy went to ####. Now I make nothing.

So, now I'm off to a new trucking company myself to make crap wages again. I tried it at swift and it didn't work out. The moral of the story is look at me. I did swift and now regret not sticking it out with them.

Now I'm going back out otr for the experience. Mostly the 100,000 miles.

Anyway my point is, if half of the trucking industry can make it on 2600 a month. You can too. Trust me.

 

Maybe after 6 months at Swift with great performance and no accidents or violations or tickets at all, you may get a good dedicated account there. Stay with your first company for at least one yr not 6 months. All the best to you. Take it easy and be safe.

 

While you're with Swift, work on those endorsements, if you haven't already. That tanker/hazmat and TWIC will put you on the road to some excellent pay with a tanker company. You being from Texas, that's a good state for tanker jobs. Good flatbed companies with terminals there also where a hard worker can knock down $50K + per year. Stick with Swift, get that good OTR training and school debt paid, then it's a whole new trucking world out there.

 

my brother is a engineer for doctor pepper and he tells me the drivers are all union and start pay is about $18.00 an hour, if you work for the company and not a contractor.

 

You will owe $300 a month for your training if you don't work for Swift. If you do, you pay $150 and they pay $150 per month for 13 months. After that, loan is paid and your transcripts are released. Month 14-25, Swift pays ypu $150 per month to reimburse what you paid in year 1. So if you work there two years, training comes out to be free.

With a good mentor you'll learn a lot. Just don't be like these guys who go into it like know-it-alls - they don't learn anything and aggravate their mdntors.

Lots of good resources available, but you'll need to be ready to pursue it - they don't coddle you. They have good support if you're willing to ask and work hard. They foster independence, which is essential for a good driver.

 

$2600 a month times 12 months = $31,200 a year. $31,200 divided by 52 weeks = $600.00 a week.

For me personally, that would be EXCELLENT money. I currently get $9.30 an hour which is $372.00 a week, $1612.00 a month, $19,344.00 a year, plus any overtime or commissions that may come my way. I work as a retail clerk. I have 6 years with my current employer.

I am in my 39th. year in the workforce, since 1974. I will be 57 this year. Once my health and weight stabilizes, and I get my MVR cleaned up, I will be able to, (hopefully), go to a truck driving school and, (hopefully), get an OTR job driving SOLO.

God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!