Swift team drivers and mentor pay.

Sometimes with my present company we need teams to get a long distance load delivered on time. I have seen competitors that run teams to and from our customers.

I don't know about Swift flatbed customer requirements, but I think it is possible they will need a team to get the load delivered on time.

That being said, it's far better to drive solo if you pull flatbed. You need some space and privacy to clean up after tarping a load in Laredo or warm up after securing a load in a Wyoming blizzard. Perhaps that's why there are so few mentor/trainers available for Swift's flatbed division.

 

Are the flatbed trainers still team after 50 hours of student seat time?

 

The mentor/trainer has the option to qualify a trainee for team driving after the trainee has 50 hours behind the wheel. When I was a trainer I never felt the need to not qualify a trainee for running team, BUT the first week or so of running team was exhausting. I slept fully clothed with the curtains open, ready to jump into the passenger seat at a moment's notice. If we were coming up on a difficulty, like going over Dinner Pass, I set my alarm to get up and feign a smoke break to be in the passenger seat and talk them through the ride.

 

Ok, so teaming is not required then

 

How have you been

 

Been better been worse

How bout you?

 

Same

 

There were people talking about being unhappy with the freight earlier in the year. No idea how they feel now. Several people left to other companies or went back to van etc. one guy went to van in Lancaster because he was there for a week.

There is no shortage of van freight if you follow the very advice @Lepton1 gives about getting the miles. Works for teams and solo. On a dedicated account was running 7000 miles as a team. Worst week was 5700.

 

Not a requirement. BUT, if a trainee isn't ready to team after 50 hours to 100 hours behind the wheel, then there is a serious problem. If I were ever in a position to not be able to upgrade a trainee to team status after 100 hours I would have requested to get the trainee off my truck at the next available terminal with a recommendation to wash them out.

By far the worst trainee I had was close to that standard. Almost two months to get his slow ### off my truck. He failed his upgrade test after training. I hope he isn't driving a big rig today. God help us all if he slipped through the cracks.

 

So swifts cool if mentors and students don't team?