Thinking of Joining Swift

Um...ya sure that is the way to go? I would do a little more research.

 

Blind leading the blind, I swear. Recurring thing out here.

Get the answer straight from the horse's mouth - 1-800-800-2200
Ask to speak to someone in recruiting.

 

Here's the answer you were looking for.......wait.......just a lil bit longer.......almost..ok.....NOW RUN THE OTHER WAY!!!!!!!

Swift isn't the way to go and the forum will provide more than enough reasons, now don't disappoint me and go anyway. You'll be sorry!!!!

 

Hey look sure we're busting your chops a little bit, however you have to trust the info we place on these forums. We dont just put this stuff on here because we have nothing else better to do. We put info on here because we've went through or watched other people get screwed. We're trying to save you the headache but again in certain instances if you wanna jump off the cliff, we wont stop you. Best of luck and drive safe!

 

There are lots of drivers happy with their choice to drive for Swift. Call the number in witchinghour's post. Find out from recruiting what they will require of you.

 

Most likely, they will require you to redo your schooling since you say it's been 15 months with no experience (Feb 2010).

Either way, you'll have to go with a mentor for 6 weeks (xx hours).

Swift is fine. Let the clowns have their fun and really, they mean it in fun. They're like big brothers teasing a kid bro. Swift may be a good place for you to find a home, or just a good foundation for you to build on. Really it's gonna be you attitude that determines which.

 

Do what you think is right and shine on the hecklers.

You will have to complete at least a refresher. If you can't get someone from recruiting by requesting the general department, request Valerie specifically. She will give you the real "skinny" on it.

Prayers the Grandfathers are watching over your dad.

 

If you plan on going with Swift and you have 0 experience you better be prepared to work hard if you want to make some money.. You are going to start out at the bottom of the pay scale therefor your going to have to run your@##$## off to get as many miles as you can possibly get a week.


You better bring plenty of pee bottles because you are not going to want to stop because every time you stop there goes another 75 cents you could have made by not stopping running that extra 3 miles.

Stock up on Spam,Smoked oysters,pigs feet, Vienna sausages and eat out of cans. Get you some koolaid and find an empty gallon milk jug. You can find these laying around the parking lot at almost any truck stop. Fill it with water at the fuel islands and mix ya some koolaid for drinks that you can pour while going down the road.


Stay away from the porn movies as they cost way too much! You can get a cheap Lot Lizard at some truck stops for under five bucks! That's a lot cheaper than the movies.

When you are parked at night for your ten hour break find ya some cardboard and write on it "Trucker Just Lost Job" and head out to the front of the truck stop near the fuel islands. Truckers will throw money at you and this will make up the money they take from your pay for schooling.

Try to wear the same clothes for up to five days maybe longer if you have no dirt on them. You can wash them in the shower room and they supply a nice big box of soap that you can use for free. Take some bungees that you get from the shop and run them together from one end of your bunk to the other and hang your clothes up to dry.

When it's a 130 inside your truck while your trying to get some rest with that free fan they give you your clothes will dry real fast plus you can maybe kill two birds with one stone and lose a little weight as well by having your very own personal sauna..



Also if you ever stop at a truck stop after 10PM and they have a Popeye's fried chicken you can get some free chicken around 10:30PM. Just hang out by the dumpsters and you will see them come out and dump all the chicken they did not sell. This must be done on your ten hour break!!


You have to keep them wheels a rolling down the highway!


Take a shower about every seven days this will guarantee you to get loaded and UN Loaded real fast!! You don't have time to wait!! Just hang out by the back of the trailer while they are loading you or UN loading you. Every time the fork lift driver comes by you,you will notice each time he moves much faster. This also works with the slow moving office people in the shipping and receiving areas. At Loves you can get you a dollars worth of change and head on back to the mens restroom and try out all the cologne. I usually try them all out at the same time. If you don't have money you can always go up to the those quarter games where you put a quarter in and try to knock the quarters off the platform. Just give it a SWIFT kick and you will have your change. You will smell real good and not need to take as many showers a month.

There are plenty of ways to save a huge amount of money and you will need to do this in order to survive your first year at Swift or any other company with zero experience as a greenhorn. Remember what ever you can do to keep that Sled rolling then do it!

These are just a few tricks that I have used and I have plenty more if you need them.

Your main goal after getting off the mentor's truck is too find ways to save money and keep that truck rolling as much as you can.Does not matter what training company you go to your going to have to start off at rock bottom my friend and it aint easy to make it now days with what you are going to get paid in the beginning.


Do your self a favor and make sure you can survive the first year at Swift as far as money goes. If you cannot afford to be broke for awhile then you cannot afford to be taking a chance and going into debt.

Swift has the freight to keep you rolling but you are gonna have to pay your dues for the first year and a lot of people do not understand this and quit within three months.

Don't make the mistake an try to lease a truck in the first year! make it through that year first then decide. I could not tell you how many trucks a friend of mine has went and repoed already this year.


Good luck and just remember there are other drivers out here that are here to help..

Especially Injun!! Listen to her she knows and will help you any way she can...And she can afford to take a shower everyday!!!