Starting Swift orientation On Monday Wee!!

I will definitely check out the train, Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Well still have not got in to a truck. Was called wed 17th to get to the PHX term. Got a bus ticket from Las Vegas, NV to PHX. Got there on Thursday 18th, was told the truck was in the shop. Got a room for the night. Called in 8am the next day asked if truck was ready, was told to come on in.

Got to PHX term by 8:30 am on Friday and was told to wait 4 more hours because My DM’s had meetings to go to. (Even thou I just asked the same guy if my truck was ready and he just told me to come on in 30 minutes ago) waited the 4 hours truck still in shop. By 3:30pm on Friday 19th I was told now there were no trucks avail in the PHX term was giving a bus ticket for 3am the next day to head to Denver, Colorado and no trucks were headed that away so I have to take the bus. So the last shuttle left for the bus term at 4:30pm. So I sit at the Phoenix bus station that has no ac from 4:45pm to 3am the next day get on a bus that gets me to Denver at 11:45pm Saturday 20th local time. All the while being assured that the keys would be at the window you have a truck ready, the emails have been sent.

I did not believe them tried to get a truck number. Was unable to get a truck number from 2 people, I knew at that time I was being sent randomly to a random place that might or might not have a truck. I did not argue the point what can I do? So I got to Denver term Sunday 21st just after midnight as I expected was told no trucks available. Shop has not released any available trucks. Was told to go to hotel and wait till Monday and talk to yet again another person who has no idea who I am or what my trouble is.

So that is were I set ATM in a hotel waiting for a truck. Swift has wasted over 1 thousand dollars on busses and hotels throwing me around like a tennis ball since I tested out, simply because they have no communication between one term or another and one dept from another. I would have been much happier and better off if they would just let me set at home the past week, But I would told to come down they have a truck and that is what I did and this is what it has gotten me. The guy at the dispatch window in the Denver term assured me I will have a truck on Monday but at this point I have no reason to believe him.

 

Well here is an update for you all. I got my rig. Nothing special just a Volvo 630 single bunk. Not much room but it runs well and has cold ac. I am able to out power a lot of other rigs going up a hill while under heavy load, but of course they pass me once the road levels out since I am only able to drive at 62 max. Then I pass them again once we get to another hill LOL.



As far of the trucking experience. Looking back at what others have said about OTR truck driving is very true and anybody reading this should take to heart what others say about OTR truck driving. If I had the chance to go back and make a different choice, well at this time I would not have chosen truck driving. But as time keeps on ticking ticking in to the future I have no choice but to keep going the path I have chosen. Spent too much money and too much effort to get where I am now. Going to stick with this truck driving at least till my school tuition has been reimbursed back to me. I am single no wife no kids, I had no life to speak of before I started driving, But even at that I still get lonely out there and it is depressing as well. I cannot imagine how guys with families make it. I thought I would be able to take the OTR lifestyle with no problems but I was wrong and it is very difficult at times. Not the work part of it that is no problem it is the mental aspect of the OTR lifestyle that I am having a hard time with. Nobody you can talk with face to face. Being around people you do not know for an extended amount of time. Wakening up confused wondering where you're at, felling of being lost, how did my truck get here, were am I? Is my truck running thought I turned it off? Who the hell is in my truck I panic and sit up, it's just the cb that I forgot to turn off. Messed up dreams of wrecking my rig running things over delivering to the wrong place. Or just very weird dreams in general.

Getting in to a TS after a long day of driving you make a mistake you try to correct a backing path to much right no enough right, people steering at you like get the hell out the the way noob.. I am just tried and am doing my best to get in that dam tight spot without hitting anything so I can lie down and rest. Dealing with 5 dm's since I am in a POD I talk to one dm he leaves I have to explain the issue all over again to another DM that for some reason has no clue about what is going on. Abandoned domestic animals starving to death at TS. Why do drivers even take pets with them if there just going to abandon them to die? Stuff like that. It wears you out mentally.



The work aspect of the job is fairly easy. You have short periods of hard work getting in and out of your rig dealing with tatems that will not slide, cleaning out an mt trl just to bring the dam thing back were you picked it up and pick up a preloaded trl. Scaling 3, 4 times to get your rig legal on all axles at 79.920.00 pounds. And then you get to rexlax and drive. That is the easy part just to be able to sit back turn on your serous radio and drive. On a good day with no deliveries I am able to drive between 480 and 570 miles a day depending on how hard I need to burn the miles. On a heavy get in and out day I drive between 80 and 380 miles.



The pay is what I expected just keep on top of your money make sure they pay you what is owned to you. It is very easy not to get paid for a local runs, scale tickets, tolls, ect. I have see some sites that are just beautiful and have got lots of pictures so that is a good thing. I have gained some weight due to the nature of the job plus all of the temping truck stop food they have at places were truck drivers frequent. But the weight thing is my fault, very hard not to eat when sitting board or sad, depressed. Need to get a TV and dvd player on my rig I believe that will help some. Maybe some books.


And one more thing, For some reason swift like to pick and and make delivers is some very backwoods nowhere places. Got to one stop called BBQ flavor which is a wood chipping factory for bbq wood chips. Took the paved 1920s road did not know about the wider dirt road till I left the place that in itself was scary only to get in to a crowed pot hole filled lot my Honda Civic could not navigate.


LOL Speaking of my car plan to relearn how to drive your car after spending a month driving your rig.. haha I am finding myself now backing in into parking spaces while driving my car and I get mixed up on reverse since I drive a standard. While that is all I can think of for now thanks for reading and God bless.