What is it like to work for Swift?

Keep reading, you've already found out about Engalnd you must have missed all the wonderful threads about Swift... I'd avoid both and start somewhere else... Plenty of information on this site to tell help out.

 

Anyone with a clean record who goes to swift is a dim bulb indeed...

 

2 words...It Sucks.

 

So what turned you off about CR England? And why do you think it will be different a Swift?

 

Bugabusek, while you are attending school they will put you up in a hotel, double occupancy. Shuttle provided to class every day.

Once you have graduated school you will go through orientation for an additional three days. Orientation is paid at minimum wage and you will remain in the hotel.

After you finish orientation you will be assigned a mentor/trainer and will need to complete 200 hours behind the wheel, log a variety of 40 backs (straight back, driver's side, blind side, both day and night), and be evaluated after every 50 hours BTW. During training you will also keep paper logs for training purposes only so you are familiar with the process in the event the Qualcomm system goes down.

The first 50 hours BTW the trainer will be in the passenger seat. Generally you will do all the driving during this phase, unless a load requires the trainer to log some hours in order to get you in position to make a delivery. After 50 hours you will be running team for the rest of the 200 hours. However, I always let my trainees know this is a "weaning" process. I was frequently up to help them through difficult backs, over mountain passes, winter conditions, etc. Then it progressed to closing the curtain and listening to the sound of the shifts, maybe feigning need for a smoke to check on things up front. By the end of 200 hours you should be running pretty well and the mentor can get better sleep.

During your training you will live out of the truck. There's an excellent thread about what to bring in the essential information sticky at the top of this forum.

After finishing training your mentor will drop you at the nearest available terminal and you will "test out". You take a written test and a drive test. If you fail either the written or drive test you will be reassigned to another trainer for an additional 50 hours BTW.

Once you pass those you will be assigned a truck and go solo, or if you prefer to team you can elect to do that.

Based on your description of your circumstances and preferences there's no reason to spend money on an apartment, car, or other such expenses. You can easily live out of the truck. Generally you will run 3-6 weeks at a time before taking "home time". I put home time in quotation marks because you can request home time to any zip code you want.

Swift is a good company to start with if you make the most of the opportunity. I started with Swift two years ago after getting back into the industry, based on my visit to the Fontana terminal (which has now consolidated to the Jurupa Valley terminal). I visited four companies that day and Swift by far stood out as being very open and receptive, letting me talk with drivers in the lounge, walk the yard and look at the equipment, walk through the dispatch and planning area, and talk with the local recruiter.

Talk to your recruiter about their program for veterans. I believe you will ultimately have schooling for free, but I'm not sure how the program works. If you stay with Swift two years you will have schooling for free.

I worked two years with Swift and last week left on good terms to take a job running flatbed loads to oil rigs out of OKC.

Have a Plan. Work the Plan.

 

I can't speak for the company environment or how they treat their drivers, but to answer your question about training with a mentor, you will be living in a truck with a bunkmate for a month...maybe more depending how they manage to get you in your own truck at the end of training...probably going to be running as a team, even though you're supposed to be driving under supervision from your mentor....as for who you get, luck of the draw. You might get someone who is clean, intelligent, and professional, or could end up with a dirty, foul mouthed,short tempered a-hole. Hopefully you will read more posts about SWIFT training from other SWIFT drivers and make your own decision. No matter what you decide I wish you good luck and hope you find a company that you are happy with.

 

Im not trying to offend. But you have a clean record, and if you havent done any drugs in the past year why not try some other companies that will pay you more? people in this industry with clean records are a hot commodity and when they go to companies like swift it shows they really have no clue what they are worth..