Swift and Experienced Drivers

i know brand new trucks run $100k+....you going to tell me that swift dont get SOME discount? Sure, might not be tens of thousands....but those $100k trucks jow blow has to fork out on a dealer lot, has quite a few more 'options' than the stripped down trucks swift gets. The less options, the less the truck costs.

And i know Aarow and Lone Mountain are used truck dealers.....why? cause i looked.

 

why always so much hostility....

 

Could anyone tell me how long orientation is and then how long you are out with a trainer? I am going to school and have limited time on a computer so I can't research it like I normally would. Also do they have regional drivers. I live close the Edwardsville, KS terminal if that matters.

 

Orientation is generally 3 days. Special events (holidays etc) may make it longer.

Mentor time (you have a CDL) about 6 weeks. Side note: I've heard they've gone to an "hours driving" instead of "days on truck" style of training but about 6 weeks.

Regional Drivers: Yes. Swift has a wide varity of driving jobs. OTR, Flatbed, Dedicated, Heavy Haul, and Intermodal. Normally, you are required to have 6 months exp before going into the specialized fleets, but this can vary due to your skills and needs of the company.

 

Now 240 hrs wheel time instead of 42 days with trainer. I was in one of the first groups to have the 240 hrs deal....took me about 5.5 weeks to hit the 240 but ended up on the trainer's truck for 6 weeks anyway. Once you finish the 240 you've still got to be routed back to your terminal. I think I ended up with 260+hrs before all was said and done.

 

so if you ended up getting a mentor who just wanted to run yo AZ, 26 days, and you're done. 3 and a half weeks. Thats one thing i dont like about the new 'hours' format. Heck, even told my DM that, and maybe that being part of the reason our terminal was having such an issue with crashes everyday. Dunno how long they've been doing it, but it cannot be conductive to safe and productive driving. getting students thru a mentors truck in 4 weeks rather than 6-7....THEN giving them the keys to a truck with very limited experience with the chance to murder someone. Still think mentors should have a couple years in before being a mentor, not 6-9 months. Heck....even with me coming close to my 2 yr., i still wouldn't feel comfortable teaching a new student anything....i'm still learning myself.

 

Well DickJones! I can say I am finally in full agreement with everything you've said in a post.....

 

In my opinion, (which actually doesn't mean that much as I am not Swift anymore)...it really doesn't matter which "program" is used...6 weeks or 240 hours...it comes down to the fact that the Mentor needs to TEACH, not be taught or just wants the student for a second log and to get miles.

It takes someone who is concerned about the student learning everything available to be taught, to be sure the student comprehends the information, and actually care about what he/she is passing on to a student for the student and the motoring public's safety...not to mention being honest about the ups and downs of this industry, the company, and it doesn't really matter which company the student will be driving for.

Safety, general knowledge, and specific skills should be taught and re-taught...and after the time with the Mentor...practice, practice, and more practice. Actually, when you look at it...it's as simple as that!

 

no way....say it aint so!!!!!!

 

this is sound advice for any company not just swift