Swift Drivers Pay.

I'm not sure about Swift but here's what I do know..basically if the freight is there and you get 2000 miles a week it's not that bad. Every company has different pay scales and mine was .30/mile...that's $600 gross...I usually had over 2000 miles easily. It all depends on your freight and if you can drop a load and get one quickly. I'm pretty sure that Swift doesn't pay .30 but I've heard they have a bunch of pay raises the 1st year. A good thing about swift is that they have a lot of different accounts to keep freight moving....If you work for a co. that hauls only certain types of freight, then when it's slow you have nothing to fall back on. Plus you get other pay too...unloading,fuel bonuses,layover,detainment...etc..I had 1 check that was under $300 but I was also home a few days that week...Just go in with a good attitude and you will be on the good side of your DM..you'll get miles.Once you get rolling you just drive and for every mile you make money.

 

I was flatbed with SWIFT. Prior to SWIFT I had a professional career making good money.

If you are going to start trucking you are starting over...you are starting from the bottom and the pay sucks. I averaged about 2700 dollars a month running an average of 9000 miles per month. Only average 9k per month because of frieght. Flatbedders at swift actually have it better than new van drivers because we get more miles.

From my experience trucking is about niches and experience. If you do your time you can run team or train and make good money....but in the end it's blood money. If you want to make enough money in the beginning to pay bills plan on staying out a minimum of 4 weeks at a time.

there are guys grossing 94 k a year but they are road warriors...if you lease a truck, which I don't suggest, you better know somebody in dispatch or you be losing that truck in a couple of months. I've talked to several lease drivers that actually owe money on there paycheck...

you can make money starting out but you better have a really solid constitution and the work ethic of a farmer.

just my two cents.

 

I made over $50000 a year b4 I pretty much got shoved into trucking...The economy sucks so bad in vegas that it seemed likea good choice...they say that over 70% of people leave trucking b4 the end of their 1st year...I quit thinking I could be home and make what I did on the road....wrong, so I'm getting back on the road...oh well at least I'll peace and quiet not being around 3 females....oh yeah..

 

I know there are several ways to make money in this business...but, what is the average income for newbies over the first year?

 

i've been recommanded to get hazmat endorsement so i would get more runs and more mileage... it's in my plan but first i need to get more experience in a truck

 

before getting a hazmat endorsement you have to go to hazprints.com and apply for hazmat background check. you then have to go to an approved site to get fingerprints done. it can take up to 30 days for the background check to come back. this costs $89.25. you cannot have a hazmat endorsement put on your license before this is completed. TSA will notify you DMV when background check is done.