Swift

Although my opinion of Swift is mighty low,having had a short stint with them,I am glad to hear some of you seem to like Swift.Good luck to you in your new venture.

 

It sounds like you needto talk to your term manager.thats what i did we set down in his office and put all the cards on the table.i told him i was to old to play games.we all have seen what some of the drivers look like whan they go into a term or a shipper (flip flops,hair not combed and look like they just rolled out of bed in the same sweats they had on for 4 days)all of that sets the tone of how they think you do your job.im not saying that you are that way i dont know you at all .but i think if you look and act like pro they will treat you like a pro.well anyway sorry for the rant . Just talk to your term manger,dm man to man and good luck

 

I have had a great expierence so far with swift, I can't speak for the dry van miles but I know I am getting min of 2700 miles a week and will get up to 3200,I run all 48 states. Being on the flatbed fleet has its advantages. You will haul a van load if you can't get a flatbed and it will keep you rolling more. I am out of Greer, SC terminal. I love the terminal and the people there, have a great DM also. I haven't been to the Denver one yet, just passed by it. I have been to Gary, IN terminal and I am not to fond of that terminal, I have heard a lot of drivers complaining based out of that terminal. I don't go to terminals unless I have to either. I try and stay out and stay rolling, going out to west coast and back. I think the expiernce with swift all depends on what terminal your out of and your DM. There are some not so good terminals out there and a lot of not to good DMs.

 

BE SURE to check the weight of the load whenever you get plans for van or reefer load. 53' Box trailers are considerably heavier than 48' flatbeds, and our trucks are quite a bit heavier because of headache racks and tie down equipments.

A 53' reefer I pulled weighed 17,350 lbs empty (but with tank full). I've never weighed an empty dry van, but I'd guess it's about 15,500 lbs.

Make sure you weigh your truck with all your equipments and at least 3/4 tank of fuel. My Columbia weighs about 21,300 lbs. Any van/reefer load over 41,000 lbs is a red flag for me.

Also be aware of plans with multiple stops. The last one I got, the weight shown in the plan was not the total weight, but the weight at the final drop.

If it's live load, have the shipper spread the weight a bit more towards rear than normal. I usually end up being overweight on drive axles with van loads because of flatbed equipments.

 

i forgot about the gary terminal. i forgot because it wasn't worth remembering. i had it successfully blocked out until i read your response. that terminal is NASTY!

 

I wouldn't risk this, not with a rider. You want to sneak a pet on your truck, no big deal, though you will probably be caught when you go in the shop for anything. An unauthorized rider, though, that's big time trouble if they find out. What if you're in a wreck and your rider is injured? Because they are unauthorized, it means they are not covered under Swift's insurance policy. So then you sue Swift for money enough to cover your wife/girlfriend/child's medical bills and they have to settle and it turns into one big fiasco just because you were too cheap to pay $30 a month for insurance.

Just a hypothetical scenario. Of course, y'all are probably too good as drivers to ever have an accident, so it's a moot point.

 

i called my recruiter today and they have filled up orientation for July. I got a call from Roehl they have some van positions. I am tired of waiting. I have been waiting since mid-may. Im weary ready to work.

 

Very good point bronco, the look you are talking about makes every driver look bad. Not just the slob doing it.

 

In recent months Swift has been focusing on students and filling up those classes. The typical wait for a seat in class is about 6 weeks. Experienced drivers are not getting any attention from the recruiters at all!

 

I would go with Roehl.