Swift - switching from van to flatbed?

I can not add anymore to plant's comments other than as a flat-bedder, DM want to keep your wheels moving which counts to making money. If no flatbed loads available your DM can put you under a van load, that can get you closer to a flatbed load in another area for pickup. Also if based out of Phoenix, a flatbed driver will make 2 cents more a mile if working east of the Mississippi River. If you want continuous work it is best to get in the triangle, Gary,Laredo and Greer! And being single is good, you can stay out as long as you want. 1 draw back flatbed driver do not use full size sleeper truck like what you are currently driving, cut about 18-24 inches off to make room for your headache rack,dun-age,tarps and other supplies for flatbed driving and loading.

 

It's been a while since I last posted here. Let me start off by saying, the o/o comments is a opinion. I started with swift as a company flatbedder and after 6 months I got myself a 2014 freightliner cascadia and I've been doing well. From my observations, there would not be so many o/o within the flatbed division if people wasn't making money. I already know of 2 people that are o/o that left flatbed for van, they are both right back into flatbed.

Now to my knowledge, there is 3 terminals doing flatbed securement training...Gary Indiana. Phoenix Arizona and Greer South Carolina. Granted, someone told me that Mike is not doing the class in Greer any more, but haven't been able to confirm.

As for switching from van to flatbed. Last I was told. 6 months solo with good risk analyses points low if not any service failures. You should see the pattern. Run hard and safe. As for the training. New hire with no experience will take phase 1 class, go out with mentor for 240 hours then get dropped of at one of the terminals that does securement to test out for driving skills then take phase 2 securement classes. Then pray that a truck is there so you can get your equipment, otherwise you might be catching a ride to a another terminal for a truck and will have to pull van untill you get to a terminal(one of the 3 listed above) that has equipment. Experienced van drivers should be getting a load to a flatbed terminal for phase 1. There is a good chance that you may have to go with a mentor for 120hr(been a while since I've asked). They do this so that you can get some hands on experience with a trainers help(all we need is a new guys trying to throw 4 chains on a 4by chassis load). Then goto phase 2. Lastly, the guys who have flatbed experience, they will take phase 1 and 2 all in the same week. This is so swift can train on how they want their loads done.
In short. If you have any desire at all for flatbed as a new guy to trucking, go strait into it from the start. I rather just spend 240hr with a mentor then 360hr. Get through the training, if you don't like it, you can just ask to transfer to vans.

As for some odds and ends items I read. Flatbedding is like any other job, it what you make of it. Is it hard work, at times yes it can be but I consider myself to be lazy for the most part. Just work smarter not harder. It was said that flatbed only has the cascadias, not true. Swift still has a good amount of the columbias sitting around. Let us not forget, there is always a slim chance that a o/o could not complete his lease and the truck was sitting for so long that swift decides to make it a company truck. On the o/o side of though, it's mostly the kw 660, freightliner cascadias and some columbias. There is only a handful of any other truck that swift uses in the flatbed division.

Keep the rubber side down. Cyco

 

Cyo what is your 30 day fuel milage and what is your total expense per mile?

 

Mike is still running phase I and II in Greer unless something has changed since the beginning of February. I did phase one the first week of Feb. and hopefully will be back for II in about a week and a half.