Questions for current Swift drivers

Until very recently I was a Swift driver and will be one again this week as a driver for an o/o who is 100% leased onto Swift.

The Good:
My 2007 Volvo was pretty decent and good condition. All issues were promptly handled at various Swift terminals around the country.
They have a lot of terminals, so showers are pretty accessible.
They have a lot of ongoing training available. I took the extra backing class in Mira Loma just to sharpen my skills and the Road Ready class in PHX to keep your truck running safely. I got $175 worth of tools after the class.
I felt pretty confident with the 6 week training to go solo and succeeded with the training I received. All depends on the individual to be sure..

The Bad:
I turned in my truck because I was starving to death. I only had one paycheck over $500 net and maybe two in the $300's. The rest were terrible.
I sat in terminals all over (CA,WA,AZ,OK,IL).
They are taking benefits away (co paid showers, towels, coffee) and I just heard .01 cpm from co drivers.
Trucks are slow (62mph) and the Qualcom rats you out all day for over speed and over taching (not even that many rpm's to boot).
No inverters allowed, most guys have the small ones but Swift will take them away except the real small cig lighter units. Volvos have thin wiring and they have had issues.

The only reason I'm going back is I drove with an o/o driver as a trainee (3 weeks) and he is pretty happy with the pay (been with his o/o for about 3 years) and the o/o told me that I wouldn't starve to death. I'm going to give it a shot.

If Swift is all you have, I say take it and make the best of it. Most drivers told me to get my year in and see about leaving. Freight is slow, so I know everyone is suffering, look at Swift as a training co the same way they are looking at you as cheap labor.. Just my 2 cents

 

I can tell you this about Swift. They are struggling to stay afloat. The economy has hit them really hard and they are about to be involved in a multi-million dollar law suit concerning the use to be Memphis school. Could be the thing that puts Swift under.

 

kinda like skating on thin ice, real thin ice and one blade has gone thru...

 

Yea i heard about the law suit, they deserve everything from the law suit to going under in my book. There is no sense in poor training then sending young rookies out there to run there cheap freight, an end up killing them or somebody else, just my 2 cent's on it

 

agreed, HOWEVER, they are self insured with a $1 mil. deductible per driver. They've got millions in the bank, and it will make a dent, but it wont put them under.

they've got the freight....just look at how many of their trucks you see on the road and compare that to JB Hunt or Willis. When was the last time you saw a Watkins Shepard truck?

 

BUT...to answer the OP questions....

1) Do you feel the training was sufficient to let you out solo? BARELY. 3 weeks taught me just enough to go out with a mentor for 6 weeks. after that...i felt somewhat comfortable. Now a year later? i'm getting the idea of things. STILL a newbie....and will be for the next few years....

2) How many miles are you averaging per week? I was doing 2200/wk there for a while. Started out about 1300, but now back around 1800.

3) What are your net take home pays averaging per week? i'm taking home $400-500....just enough to keep me out here. Told my DM many months ago, i cannot stay out there on $250 paychecks a week....just cant do it. it dont pay the bills.

4) How long are you usually out before heading home? I really dont care. My DM/planner finds me loads that get me back thru the house once every other week for 2 days. Seeing how your paycheck depends on how many miles you run, if you want to make any money, you had better stay out 10-12 days straight. if you CANT....better find another job.

5) Have they been cooperative in getting you home when you want? Dont really ask for home time. See the above answer. HOWEVER, i have asked for memorial day weekend off in a certian spot of the country...namely Indianapolis to attend the race. If i NEED, ill drop the truck off at my home terminal and drive my personal car there, and when my DM asks why i'm not accepting preplans...ill tell him. I've just spent $500 on tickets for the race...........i'm going.

6) What do you like about the company? If you get in good with a few of the right people, the job is easy.

7) What do you hate about the company? I didnt like when i first got into my truck, it was dirty, they didnt bother cleaning it, just stuck me in it and said 'be on your way'. I just dropped $4k on their school. the least they could do is give the truck a wash and a detail. I dont like all the little threats. "keep your idle low, or else..."...etc.

8> Are you happy with the equipment and how well do they take care of the equipment? I got a brand new 2009 Volvo a few months ago. Working the bugs out of it, but its a nice truck. I am taking care of it like it was my own, my own little training for when i become an O/O (maybe with swift, probably not tho).

9) Do they let you install an inverter? No inverters...which sucks. If you are caught with an inverter that is hooked up to your batteries....its automatic termination (from what i've heard) You can have anything on the truck that can plug into a cigarette lighter.

10) How long have you been driving for them? 1 year

 

They are accurate on the miles you agree to run for the load. I mean granted, you'll drive 500 miles actual, and only see 440 in your pay and on the load, but i've only had 2 loads i've turned in where i had to ask about why they wernt on my pay, and my DM will say "oh its on 'pay hold' ". whatever that means, but it is always on the next weeks check.

As far as getting detention pay or layover pay, detention pay you have to pull teeth for. Layover pay, you always have to ask or remind them. I've caught my DM b/s ing me saying 'i processed your layover pay', but i dont see the message on my QC saying "layover pay in the amount of $100 has been processed..." So i ask him about it again if i dont see it in the next day or two.

kinda sucks when you bust your tail and drive your @ZZ off, that they cant keep you rollin'. I'm one of the best on my DMs board.....probably in the whole terminal. I dont dilly dally, i dont turn down loads because its only a 200 mile run, and i want a 2000 mile run, or its not going a certian direction, or not taking me thru 'home'. I take what they give me.

Another thing that sucks....is you sit in a terminal with 10000 other drivers, and then you get a preplan that has been 'mass-planned' meaning you and about 20 other drivers have got the same plan...and the first to comit to it...gets the load. I call that having to play the "Fastest Fingers Game". If you think back to Who Wants to be a Millionare when it first game out, and that 'fastest fingers question'? thats what it is like. kinda lame the dont reward good safe drivers with miles who know they will earn them money, and not make them spend theirs by paying lawsuits or paying to repair a power pole a driver took out because they didnt check to see if their trailer was properly hooked up.