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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.