Profile For Chelsea P.

Thanks for the help guys! I really appreciate the answers I've gotten. It does help to clarify things in for the future.

As for the Swift trainee I had mentioned, her trainer left her at a truck stop I was in, while all her stuff was in his truck. She couldn't get in touch with him because he had her cell phone and all that. It was late so I didn't stay in the truck stop to find out what happened with her, but I should probably more chalk that up to a bad trainer like what you hear horror stories about than it being a Swift thing.

At the moment, I'm going back to Celadon to get more experience under my belt. While I've been on the forum for a year, I've actually only driven for about 3 months, 4 if you count me going out with a trainer. I had to come home for an emergency and my DM terminated me because I couldn't come back. Turns out she was very much in the wrong for doing that as I'm listed as rehireable with the company but that's one of the many things that was wrong with that woman. I had planned on talking to Knight at a later date because they had a terminal in my home state within an hour from my house so I would have secure parking. However, I still have more research to do so I'm far from making any sort of decision aside from going back to Celadon. I just wanted to see what this merger was going to change, if it was going to change anything. So again, thanks for the help and the info guys!!

Coming into this a bit late but I want to make sure I've got my info straight. I was planning on applying to Knight later this year or early next year. However, I've heard plenty about Swift (from actual drivers and even a Swift trainee) that makes me want to stay away from them. This merger won't affect day to day company driver interactions right? I get that one company isn't buying the other but I want to make sure that nothing will change as far as operations and how they treat their drivers. And what was that lawsuit I saw about Knight relating to wages? Who's wages or is that not related to company drivers?

Thanks for the suggestion Reaper!

Take it easy Brett. At this point, I am joking about the whole 'getting lost' thing. Here's the reason why I said it. One, I'm not what I would call a professional driver yet because I only have 3 months of experience under my belt. I went into training with Celadon and before then, I was used to using a GPS and not having it fail me when it came to directions. When I started using the one on the Qualcomm, it was a piece of crap a quarter of the time I used it. I asked many times for them to do something about it since it was their equipment but they told me I would have to call Qualcomm itself to have it fixed; even after doing that, they told me it was a software issue and the company hadn't updated it.

The GPS got me lost twice while I was using it. The first time was within a month of me solo driving and I wasn't expecting it to get me lost; like I said, I'm not accustomed to that and my trainer's never got him lost. Granted he was using a Rand McNalley but still. At any rate, I asked my DM three times for the correct address and each time I looked it up, the Qualcomm didn't know where to go and even my phone had no clue where it was. I had to ask for the number to the customer which took forever to get and wasn't the one they gave me initially. Once I made the call, I had to beg the guy that answered to stay on the line so he could direct me to where I needed to go. The second time it got me lost was in Sealy, TX. I'm not sure where in my driving this was but I'm pretty sure it was still early. I was supposed to drop an empty at a Walmart DC so I could go get my APU fixed. The dumb thing led me a mile past where I needed to be on a dark, two lane road and said the field next to me was my destination. I figured out that the bright spot waaay behind me was where I was supposed to be and did what I had to in order to get there. Because it was the company's equipment, I got them to pay for me to stay in a hotel while my truck got fixed for a week. If I had been using my own and had that happen, they would have been like, 'Well, you wouldn't have gotten lost if you had been using our equipment.' After that, I figured out how to check the location of a customer, using my phone GPS and my atlas, to make sure I didn't get lost. Now, I did get lost on the way to a truck stop but that one was an easy fix. However, my GPS continued to give me crazy directions like turn around on the highway, go back three exits then go back the way I was going. Or, my personal favorite, get off the highway then get right back on. Honestly, I hated that GPS system. And I usually couldn't call the customer because my DM either didn't give me a number or said I wasn't supposed to call them. Don't know why, it's just how they did it which irritated the heck out of me. So, that's why I said what I did. It's more of a joke now that I know what I'm supposed to do versus in the beginning when I didn't.

I have seen how handy dashcams can be, especially when an accident happens and there's a fatality. My trainer had a Rand McNalley GPS that also had a dashcams on it. He would turn it on whenever we parked in case someone hit him or something. So, I don't need a GPS because I use the one in the truck (that way if I get lost, I can blame it on the company equipment) but I would like to get a dashcam. What kind should I get?

Also, being a company driver, is there a way to get a wifi for while I'm on the road? I don't want to have to pay for wifi at truck stops or only have it at terminals. I have Sprint for phone coverage and AT&T for internet and I'm hoping to be able to use my laptop for more than just watching DVDs on it. Ideas?

Thanks Old School for assuring me. I'm looking forward to putting in an application with them soon. And Steve...thanks for the laugh man. That was perfect!

Wow, really? But they still have the policy listed here. Do you think they still have it going? I would be based out of the Atlanta terminal.

Seriously, bulletproof glass?! That's insane! I was looking at Knight and they say that they have an 'open door policy'. I've heard some good things about that company and they can hire me with only 3 months experience. I don't remember where else I've seen the 'open door policy' thing but I knew I wanted to find out exactly what that meant. Still though, that's pretty cool that I can go in and actually talk to my DM. Makes it a bit more personal that just talking to them over the phone or sending a message.

What exactly does it mean when a trucking company says they have an 'Open Door Policy'? I've seen it on a few pages and got curious. Does it mean they accept a wider variety of drivers or something?

When I went into training, they asked me a few questions as to what I would....sort of prefer in a trainer. Mostly, it was things like if the trainer had a pet or if they smoked or what gender they were. I didn't care about gender or pets but since I have asthma, I can't handle being with a smoker. A few days later they gave me the number and name for my trainer and I got to talk to him over the phone before I met him. He came and picked me up from the company headquarters and I started driving the next day. We did have a few issues with communication but that happens when you put two people in a smaller than usual space for long periods of time. Be that as it may, I loved my trainer and I still keep in touch with him. Just don't get frustrated right out if they do something you don't like. Remember to talk with them first and then, if it's not fixed or you feel unsafe, then talk to whomever you need. For example, I had to tell my trainer several times I hated driving at night because I can't make myself stay awake for that long. He eventually got it but that was in the first week and a half. So, just make sure to talk with your trainer as you go along.

Yeah, I looked into flatbed when I was first doing my search. Then I realized all they had to do was like, 'Nope, can't do that!' lol. I'll take a look at Prime and see what they offer and all that jazz. As for my DAC report, I used to have the link to look at it online but I've lost it. So I'm not sure what's on it to be honest. I don't have any tickets with the company. It's just that one minor accident but no police or tow service was called for it. It's actually perfectly explainable. That was submitted to their safety department and they made me watch some videos before putting me back on the road again.