Why do drivers with 3-4-5 mill. miles continue driving for Swift?

Why?

because everyone is different and for some drivers fit into one company while they can’t fit into another


It is that simple.

 

They stay because they like the culture of the company. It's somewhat laid back and allows them to be themselves.

 

One of the things that kept me at Swift was, I never felt like I had a boss.
No one ever treated me like a subordinate or a lesser than.
I had co-workers, each with different levels of responsibility, and each working together to get the job done in the best way possible for all concerned.

And that lasted for 14 years through Fontana, Otay Mesa, Inver Grove Heights and Menasha terminals.
That is an environment hard to leave.

 

Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't know

 

After a few years of good driving they can get you on a dedicated account, then you work 5-6 days a week and with multiple drops and unloading such as Family Dollar, Dolar General even if you work for Swift or Werner. You can take home over 100 Gs. You have your own routes. You get to know with store managers. Things become a routine. You can plan ahead with the stable pay. You have stability. It takes time and patience to get there. You need to sell yourself too. Doesn't mean kiss someone's ### but if you say nothing you'll be OTR forever.

 

Friday was my 8th anniversary at my carrier. I got an email from them saying "Dear driver #134528, congratulations on 'fill in years here'!"

Seriously, they sent me a nice email and gave me a nice gift.

 

It might not be that they love Swift specifically. They may just be the kind of drivers who like working for a mega, and Swift is where they found their groove. If it ain't broke, right? Megas can offer stability, solid benefits, newer trucks, not to mention a lot of routes and accounts. We all have different things that are important to us, and not all of them can be assigned dollar values.

If I posted what the company I drive for pays per hour, the reactions would probably range from laughter to disgust. For me, though, I make what I need with OT, the job's easy, I get home every night, and I can take off any time I want, no questions asked. If I get up in the morning and I'm just not feelin' it, I send my boss a text that I'm not coming in, he says okay, and that's the end of it.

I could definitely go somewhere else and make more, but how much more, and would it really be worth it? Not for me, especially when you consider that Uncle Sam would just take a bigger bite out of my check when he sees my "improved" circumstances.

 

I know a lot (not personally) of older Hispanic drivers stick to their jobs for 10 or 20 years making 14.00 an hour the entire time, it’s not so much the language barrier for them but I guess the old timers just don’t like change

 

And they probably have 20 people sharing a house at 14$ and hour

 

Something I've noticed over the past few weeks is there are several 'road train members' that have gone from a mega to a smaller company, lauded it for a couple of years, then moved on to another small company, and are now back at a mega. From my perspective, they haven't gained anything by moving around and probably lost ground compared to staying put.