Profile For Josh Hacker

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. It was a tough decision to leave swift but I figured with Crete they’ll start me at .50/mile then after 6 months I’ll be at .53/mile. That’s my ten cent raise. And yes I have that pay info in writing from the recruiter. I did the math and over a 6 month period the difference from .43/mile and my new pay at .50/mile will cover what’s left from my school fees at swift. Then I’ll be school debt free and getting a raise to .53/mile. If I would of stayed at swift for a year then I’d still be making just .43/mile. Also I have 5 kids at home and the health benefits are great with Crete and it’s cheaper than swift too. I’ll be giving myself a $200-300/month raise just with the cost difference of the health insurance plans.

So in summary my options were stay at swift for 12 months at .43/mile and pay over $220/week for health insurance or switch to Crete for starting pay of .50/mile with a raise to .53/mile at 6 months and $140/week for better insurance Oh and forgot to mention with Crete I’m already listed on an account that stays close to TX and is home weekly so I’ll actually be able to be a husband and a dad again lol

Packrat I didn’t sign a contract. I’m a veteran so the academy would’ve been free if I would’ve stayed only 12 months. Now I’ll just pay the pro rated balance of what’s left

Auggie69. Yep that’s what I was told. They said since I got the military bonus pay at the beginning it was equivalent to them hiring a 4 year driver. So no base pay raises for 54 months once you go solo

There is no annual raise, I was told I wouldn’t see a pay raise for 54 months after I’ve been solo. Also all the incentive pay for miles over 2k and 3k miles will end next week as well

I’ve enjoyed my 6 months at swift. But it’s time to move on to better pay and benefits. I was told by the payroll office that since I started at .43/mile as a military veteran that I wasn’t eligible for another raise until 54 months after I upgraded to solo!! So long story short I looked around and did a lot of research and found the best pay/ benefits package possible that would take me with my 6 months experience and that was CRETE. As a husband and father of 5 kids, I think If I’m going to be stuck away from home then I might as well max out my worth. I have nothing bad to say about swift. I will recommend them to anyone, especially people wanting to get their cdl. I just can’t make the same pay for the next 3-4 years when I can give myself a .10/mile raise at a different company, right at the start.

So does anyone have any info on their experience with CRETE? It would be nice to hear some different perspectives and experiences. Thanks a lot, stay safe!!

I’m a little over halfway done with my mentor and was curious how it works with getting your own truck after you upgrade. Can you pick the make of the truck, if you prefer a certain make over others? In the cdl academy we were in freightliner and now in the mentor phase I’m in a KW. Definitely would prefer a freightliner or Volvo just because of the better turning radius. Just didn’t know if I could ask for a certain make/color or anything like that. Or if I would just be at the mercy of what they assign me

Rob T. I don’t think it will, I provided all the info they asked for concerning the medicine I was on and even faxed them my full prescription list for this year, which both meds that popped up on the follicle test were On that list. So it’s not the meds on the follicle test that they weren’t hiring me for, it was the lifting/pulling restriction that did me in. They said they can’t hire with any kind of restriction like that. But my dr faxed them an updated form with zero restrictions so they are working on hiring me again. I technically was never hired while in the academy, they don’t hire until you pass your cdl test and graduate the academy

G-town: yea I told them about the surgery and that I was good to go and pain free. I never even thought about telling them about painkillers, I thought that was just common knowledge that after a surgery you were on meds for pain for a week or so. I’ve never done any kind of drug either so I’ve never worried about a urine test or hair follicle test before, if I would’ve known that was going to pop up then I definitely would of told them just to be crystal clear.

But actually I think we are getting things cleared up and they are working on hiring me now. My doctor was able to fax them a proper medical release with no restrictions. Just up to the safety dept at SWIFT to sign off on everything and I’ll get hired on, again lol. But regardless of what happens SWIFT has been first class about all of this and they are doing everything possible to help me out and get me on board. Looking forward to starting my driving career very soon

Just graduated the SWIFT driving academy in Corsicana, TX. upon graduating I was informed that they would not be hiring me. I had back surgery this past september and another procedure in january of this year. My medical release form had a lifting/pulling restriction so they won't hire me with that. So now I have a cdl school loan to pay back, which stings a little, I was on the veteran scholarship program, so the academy would have been free for me as long as I stayed at swift for at least 9 months. So going forward I just need to find a company that doesn't do hair follicle testing, that's what started this whole mess. the painkillers I was on after surgery popped up on the hair follicle test.

But on a positive note, I finally have my CDL. The swift academy I went to was great, I had a really good time. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to get their CDL.

Harvest how long did it take to go back to normal? I had mine taken out in November and am still dealing with issues. So it’s been about 5 months. I’m usually running to the bathroom 2-3 times a day minimum.

I’m in the SWIFT academy right now, and was just curious if there are any SWIFT flatbed drivers or mentors on here. The instructor we have only ran dry van and I’m the only one in my class doing flatbed, so getting any kind of info on what I’ll be doing is kind of scarce lol. Supposed to go to the Laredo terminal after the academy for securement training but that’s about all the info I know as of now. Any info is appreciated!

Thanks for all the info Moe. I did have a pretty bad diet, fast food and pizza were regulars since we have a family of 7, much easier and cheaper to feed the small army haha. I have noticed when I eat fish like tilapia, salmon it is a little better. But a burger or pizza and it’s almost straight to the bathroom.

Once I get out on the road I’m planning on eating real light, especially during the day. So hopefully I can get this under control and can enjoy my new career. Thanks for your info, I appreciate it