Swift O/O and L/O - How much do they make?

Don't forget the mandatory GOAL message along with the trailer tag number.....even if you say you pulled through they get whiney

 

As in you have to send a Qualcomm message that says "goal" and the trailers license plate number every time you back.......even if its in an empty lot. Its to "ensure you got out and looked"

 

My girlfriend and I are both with mentors right now, and both are L/O with very different stories. Mine eats out all the time, I'm talking REFUSES to eat on the truck because he wants a steak dinner everynight. He constantly takes advances and his most recent "paycheck" was -900 (when I got on he was at -2200). He doesn't run very hard and I have to push him to try to get hours in. In just under 3 weeks, I only have 80 hours even though I drive at least 10 hours when we have the miles. We sit a lot though because he turns downs loads left and right, and he had us do 2 34 hour resets already. Obviously, he is struggling to pay the bills.

Now my girlfriends mentor eats on the truck the majority of the time, stays out of the terminals, never turns down a load, and has had 6 students straight without home time. His take home pay is approaching 90k, and it's only July. He owns almost 200 acres he bought for a retirement property and has a healthy saving account.

You can see how much of a difference there is. On a side note, I did HEAR that the .09/mile they deduct for going over the 11k monthly limit actually goes toward the final balloon payment if you buy the truck at the end of your lease. That's what my mentor said, but I don't have any sources beyond that. If its true, it wouldn't be so bad if you were planning to buy your lease out.

 

lol,they started that crap when my wife and I where teaming with them,they where having too many backing accidents so they came up with that brilliant idea,never sent one myself.When DM asked why I never sent one I told him I was too busy looking behind me while backing to send a stupid QC message.

 

The new thing now is when you send your Arrived At Shipper or Arrived At Final, you will receive an automated message reminding you to send in GOAL, actually get out and do it to make certain your backing path is clear.

 

Good Lord!

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

 

It really depends on your terminal, I believe. I have never sent a GOAL message since I soloed and have never been told I had to. I have also never received an automated message after sending arrival messages.

My method is, as I'm pulling past the hole/dock I will be backing to I slap on the hazards (telling other drivers with an IQ above 3 I am about to back), grind into reverse as quickly as possible after I set up (the clutch brake was stolen off my truck by the first driver) and start backing. I have already looked as I did the above; if I get out and look again I'm giving Billy Big Rigger time to get behind me while I'm walking back to the steering wheel. I've already checked for obstructions so I don't need to refresh my memory even though I'm old enough to be suffering the effects of Alzheimer's.

I believe the requirement to stop after getting out to look but before backing is begging for more accidents. Pull in, set up and back are all one coordinated exercise. To stop and add typing a message disrupts that smooth one-two-three.

That said there are a few caveats that make actually getting out and looking imperative but still, skip the message:
1. Blindside backs obviously but you will blindside maybe once for every 100 sight sides. If you aren't driving a Prostar you have no way of verifying your right side is clear especially if there is not sufficient room to set up where you can see both sides of the trailer.
2. Where there is not enough room to get both tractor and trailer lined up at no less than 45* to the target. If you get unlucky enough to deliver to HEB in San Antonio you will have to set up at about 15* to your dock and bend in from there without taking your front bumper off on the bollards at the curb or the hood off the two trucks on either side of your very narrow spot.

On the other hand and there's always the other hand, if you have not sent your GOAL message and squash someones poodle or Peterbuilt you will be in a lot deeper doo than if you had sent a GOAL message!

Frank

 

So how did this thread go from O/Os at Swift making a buck to GOAL messages?