Swift Mentor program out of Lewiston

Another day down. I've got over 100 hours of driving now. We dropped our load in Reno and have two more waiting. In a few days I'll be in GA.

Pay is something all of new guys worry about. I saw my first pay stub today. I made $678 for my first week. I don't know if that is typical or not. I know another guy from my class who isn't getting many hours of driving. I've been fortunate to get the loads and have a mentor that lets me drive as much as I can.

 

As a student you get paid a flat rate per day, for every day you send in that macro. It should be around $450 per week for the first month. Your check was likely larger because it included the few days you had driven the previous week.

 

Swift recently changed the way students are paid. We get minimum wage per hour for any "On Duty" time and and additional $1 per hour for "Driving" hours.

 

Not much else to report. Another 8 hours of driving today. A rather light day compared to what I have been getting. Got a hot shower and a shave and ready to go again. We'll be headed for another pick up in a few hours.

It seems there is a trick to getting loads and getting one right after another. It's kind of like a game of chess. My mentor is very good at it and I hope I can pick up a few tricks.

 

Judging from your screen name you were a sheriff.So why did you choose trucking?Those drivers you seen with bad hygiene probably had real good hygiene when they first started trucking now yrs go by and many drivers just don't care.About businesses not hiring a company because of how the driver looks well businesses are'nt so much concerned about the drivers hygiene as they are who offers the best price to deliver their product.Most drivers sit in their trk waiting to get loaded and unloaded anyway so they don't care how a driver looks.

 

I got into this business because I was interested in it. I think it compliments another business that my wife and I own.

I'm sure there are reasons some truckers look the way they do. As a small business owner, I would have no idea the history of a driver, only the impression made upon our first meeting.

 

Many drivers look the way they do because they're just plain lazy to clean up while on brk.They'd rather sit in the brk room and talk shop.Trucking is not a hard profession,it's one of the most easiest jobs there is which makes for lazy drivers.At least I think it's easy and rather boring at times as to why it is also one of the lowest paying job.Once upon a time I called trucking a carreer move but now it's just another job.

 

Wow, better than the flat rate of $450 or whatever it was. I'm guessing that amount you made was the gross amount? Still better than a gross of $450/wk. Nice.

This is what I thought as well according to the website.

Interesting. I'm guessing this could be good or bad. Definitely good in your case. I'm curious if the mentor allows you to drive more often does that mean he will lose money himself? I"m curious because I can see how a mentor might not want you to drive so much if they are getting paid cpm for their own drive time. I guess either way, it is what it is.

 

The hourly rate is to give student more incentive to drive and get done sooner. The mentor gets paid his cpm for all dispatched miles regardless if he drives or not. He also gets 1 cpm for all the miles the student drives for six months after the student goes solo. Residual income, kind of like selling insurance.

In TX right now. Drove 10.75 hours today. Got some bad water in CA and had a miserable day driving. Don't drink the water in CA at the Fontana terminal.

 

I'm out of hours again and have to reset. I'm halfway through my mentor training.

Things to think about.

Bring some quality food with you. High protein, low fat. The best way to eat well is to stay out of the truck stops unless you need fuel or shower. It's going to take some planning. I'm going to look at it as if I was going to deploy again.

Don't forget to brush your teeth. I haven't and that's all I'm going to say about that.

Get your personal life in order before you hit the road. I realize things come up, but, you have to keep your head about you. Again, think about it as if you were going to deploy for a short time. If you are having problems at home before you leave, they will just multiply while you're gone.

Audio books are a fantastic way to learn something new.