Swift... Don't go there!!

I understand totally, safe roads to you driver. See you out there someday

 

And Swift is definately the bottom!!! I never thought I'd drive for Swift either , but they won the contract for the local Walmart DC, where I have been for the past ten years. I have leased on with them since I can still be home daily,BUT they are terrible. I don't understand how they have gotten to be so big. They must have had some help along the way. They treat their drivers and employees like crap.
I understand everyone has to start somewhere, but there are other companies that will train you and put you to work, AND treat you better than Swift.

 

Glad I didn't listen to "advice" like this. I wouldn't have found my wonderful job.

 

I think local pay has gone up around a buck each decade- Layover around 5 bucks a decade and detention pay I don't think that has changed since deregulation at these big OTR company's.

Starting pay has gone up like less then half a penny a year.

Guys starting now days are getting screwed big time.

The first year I did OTR I pulled in around 35k in 91, Now they got guys doing 30k? something definitely wrong and it shows out on the roads. You get what you pay for.

 

I think the big problem is, (by reading a lot of the horror stories is), that quite a few folks try getting in to this industry at a time in their life when they are used to a specific lifestyle, ie. comfort zone. This career is not a good choise for those starting out with a family and kids after being laid off from a 9 to 5 job. I worked as an instructor for a CDL mill in the late 90's, and had everyone from "rocket scientest and school teachers to hobos" as students. One thing I told all of them was, 90% of you will probabley quit before the first year out on the road. The other 10% will make a career out of it.
I wanted to drive trucks since I could remember, and started in towing after high school. One of the towing companies I drove for had a three axle heavy wrecker that I used to get my class b. I later had to attend a local R.O.P class to get a CDL. The first job I could get driving an 18 wheeler was hauling pallets for a family friend who had a couple of old retired 1960's Jersey Maid tractors that were held togeather with chewing gum and bailing wire. He thought it was good equiptment. I was 20 years old at the time and wanted to be a "big rigger" so bad I was willing to work for free, but he paid me $7.00 hr running boards out of Ontario Ca to LA and back. Eventually I earned my bones and drove for some darn good companies, mostly Mom and Pop outfits, O/O's and even did dispatch and safety for a minute.
The point is, I started when I was young and had nothing. No wife, no kids and no real responsibility, but I wouldn't trade those years for nothing. Doing it all over again at 44 yrs old would be a challenge. I've been out of trucking for 7 years now and still have my CDL and current medical card. Knowing what I know now, it would be hard to go through _______ fill in the blank "stab and steer" company to qualify for a good job in the industry, but if driving is what you really want to do, a couple of weeks with "Fat Stinky Dude" and some time with "Bottom Feeder Inc" wont kill you. Heck you just might learn something. At least where you don't want to be!

 

wow, awesome post! as a wannabe, I truly appreciate this. I know it's a hard life, and as I've said before, I would not even consider a career like this if I have a wife or kids, it's just not fair to me or them. but I've always been drawn to the lifestyle, and I realize its going to be sh.itty work (at least at first). I have no illusions about making a lot of money here, if I do get into trucking, I'm not going to have any major assets such as a house or big car payments. that way I can live life as it comes, one day at a time

 

I asked a former Walmart driver.
Swift under-cut triple crown by 20% ?
I think the company was good at one time. The new managers, to make more money have created a "bottom feeder".
The ppoblem is that the company will collapse after a while. Leaving all stock holders, including the managers richer. The long term stock holders who do not watch everything will lose everything. Also the employeees who are left.

 

Well being a gypsy is fun but will get old after a while. Most of the young single guys I would run with back in my OTR days would eventually get a case of the "love sick blues", myself included Fell in love with this little gal in Dakota City Iowa once while in a country bar waiting for an IBP load. She worked for IBP. Well, my dispatcher caught wind of it after requesting IBP runs out of Dak City and that was the end of that. I wanted to kick his fourth point of contact if you know what I mean. I loved what I did but like any other job, after the newness wares off it's just work. The only thing I miss was not having a boss looking over my right shoulder. I did my job on my terms and got it done. Seems these days that's no longer the case with computers, GPS and all. When I hung up the keys in 2005, it was getting retarded. It's probabley a lot worse now.
Good luck on your endevor, and just remember to keep it real. Just like it was when we I got into it. It is what it is.

 

I worked at Swift, and was very happy.. Just another poster, who probably didn't know what the hell he was doing in the first place... Once not happy, for whatever reason, they tend to blame it on the company.. I work with a awful lot of people at my present job.. Not happy complain, then jump ship..No wounder after 3yrs I'm senior driver on nights.. Yet I make decent money, now drive a new Pete, and am home every night..

 

I got my start with Swift and I'm thankful for the opportunity. I thought they were a decent starter company and would recomend them to anyone coming out of school. I left Swift to sign on with a local company that I ran with for close to two years till they shut down. But I have no problems with Swift and never did.