Yet another Swift recruit

Seems like I've spent too much of my life that I will never get back running a triangle- Texas to New York/New Jersey, back down to Georgia, and then back to Texas. I've been back and forth on that route for about three weeks now. I've got a dentist appointment in a week back in Mississippi so I know something will change soon. Got to get a new coat of wax on my chompers so I can smile pretty for all the ladies.

So what's your status? Are you with a trainer yet? If you are going to be running out of Richmond I would imagine we will run into one another somewhere down the road. I spend a lot of time running up and down I-95. I'm actually in Florence SC headed to Newark as we speak.

 

There's always weird things going on at truckstops. You just have to keep your eyes and ears open and you will be entertained all day and night. Take today for instance. You can set a clock on my morning ritual. Exactly 90 minutes after my jimmy dean sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit that I have every morning, I'm walking into any random truck stop I happen to be at in order to take care of my "driver's daily log". This morning's ritual went on without incident. On the way back to the truck, I'm walking past a Swift truck backed in a spot right next to me. Just out of habit, I look up as I pass Swifty and I see something that burned my retinas out. You have to visualize the scene- average truck driver, strolling through the lot, recently 4 pounds lighter,whistling a happy tune, minding his own business. Goes past a truck, just happens to look up and sees why truck stop buffets are not good for you. Some old gal that weighed every bit of 400 pounds bending over in nothing but her drawers inside the cab. I looked up and thought the moon was rising at 7 am. I'm sure she wasn't wearing a thong intentially, but her crack was eating the back part of her drawers to where it looked like she was. Because it was Swift, the first people I thought of were you and Doc thinking y'all had some company in your truck. Right after I climb into my truck, I see a guy about 5ft-0 in a and weighing about 130 climbing out of the swift truck with biggun' right behind him. The thought of those two going at it will be what I think about from now on everytime I see a Swift truck parked at a truck stop. The lesson here would be to make sure your curtain is closed if your old lady weighs more than you do.

You did exactly what courteousy called for- back off of it when a slow truck is having trouble passing you. I think most companies govern their trucks, but there is nothing uniform about it. Swift seems to be one of the slower ones, along with USA, Prime, and KLLM. I'm lucky in that I'm governed at 66 on he throttle lock and 69.5 on the pedal. That extra 5 or 6 mph makes a huge difference when trying to avoid a drag race with swift or KLLM. I feel for you dude. But as a driver who has the luxury of being able to go a few mph more than a lot, thanks for the courteousy!

while I'm thinking about it, what is swift's policy on idling? Does swift have any trucks with APU's? I think I've heard that they don't allow inverters which means you'll have to get by with the little 300 watt models you can hide if needed. LOL m

 

Jakaby, only a few trucks with APUs, some sort of testing for possible future use. I have only seen one on a company truck. Inverters allowed in company trucks only when the driver has to use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea. The inverter must be installed by swift personnel. They say not to use the ones that plug into the lighter, but we all do. I've never had a problem with the shop about it at all.

 

I figured folks used the ones that plug into the cigarette lighters. It's hard enough living on the road without modern conveniences. Being able to plug in something simple like a coffee pot makes a huge difference. Most companies allow inverters as long as their mechanics install them, which is understandable.

Truck driving is like jail without the structured days. When you sit there going down the road for hours and hours, you tend to get mad at the little things. When you get mad at the little things, you start thinking of ways to get around them. I would imagine that if you inspected a random swift truck, you would find that someone has been creative in adding convenience to his life on the road.

One thing it does it make me appreciate my gig a little more. LOL.

 

Companies get real particular about their equipment sometimes. I'm waiting for the day when they put cameras in the cab. When that happens, I will drive wearing only my boots and a company hat, smiling all day long.

 

My goodness Jakaby! The "moon" will never look the same, nor even romantic thanks to you!
LOL LOL
God bless and be safe out there.

Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2