Profile For Ginger

Thanks for the advise ! Again I appreciate your input. Have a good day Rob stay safe out there

My decision to not like swift really isnt a bus ticket has far more than that.

I can respect the decision that a certain company isnt for you. Similar to Banks I knew PAM and CRST were companies I would not want to drive for. They're both solid choices and have a long line of successful drivers, but team driving doesn't appeal to me. The reason Swift continues to be brought up is we don't want anybody having these thoughts that a company is a terrible place to work due to some knuckleheads spouting off nonsense on review sites. In one of your first posts you wrote

i worked at lowes for some time as a out door receiver. so i unloaded every truck that needed to be unloaded with a fork truck. I asked questions .. 99% of them said stay away from swift. i have seen maybe 2-3 good views about working from swift and they usually from people who are on the payroll making videos

but do these drivers have first hand knowledge of working there? Or are they just getting in on the F swift bandwagon? You just wrote off POSITIVE reviews because it doesnt fit what others want to believe. Nobody here is trying to make you change your mind but we don't want someone new to read this and base a career decision on total nonsense. For what it's worth, if I were to ever go OTR Swift would be my first call due to endless opportunities to find the perfect fit for me.

I'm done with this thread. Long story short If you have any doubt about passing a drug test hold off. If you're able to hold out until you can pass a hair test you will be in a much better position to find the perfect fit for you. I couldn't care less where you get your start. Just remember that if you do go to Windy Hill they may not currently be doing hair follicle but you could show up to orientation and be informed you're part of the first group doing so. At that point it's too late to back out. Refusal is the same, if not worse, than a positive test. Hair tests do not go down as DOT failed but it's still a failure and others will be able to see that. let us know how things work out.

Im not demanding anything friend.. i asked a question. My decision to not like swift really isnt a bus ticket has far more than that. I get the insurance aspect . I also emailed Brett to delete the thread altogether. Bc my opnion shouldnt affect what other people think. I got the answer to my question. But this whole thing has went far beyond that. I would just delete everything. But the first 2 people who replied . All my replies and everyones elses. I appreciate your input. Thanks for taking the time to reply and not being one of those guys . Have a good day. Drive safe

Nobody is trying to convince you to go with Swift. The comments defending swift are for those lurking and future readers. It's the largest carrier in the country and they hire rookies which means they'll have a good amount of accidents. They're also the largest for a reason.

And yes, you can go work for your buddy that requires 6 months experience but your buddy isn't the one requiring that experience it's the insurance company. That means that the insurance company decides who gets hired or fired.

Let's say you get your 6 months experience and you go work for your buddy. Within a year you hit a car in a parking lot, scrape a truck at a truck stop and hit a pole at a customer. It happens all the time. Your buddy's insurance company is going to say "this guy is a liability, we can't insure him". Your buddy is going to tell you that you have to go.

That's the difference between a small company and swift, prime, roehl etc. Those companies are self insured. You can do all 3 of those things and as long as you own up to them, tell them what you learned and what you'll do differently you'll still have a job.

We're not here campaigning for these companies, we're here trying to get you to understand the way you're making this decision is wrong. You're willing to decide an entire career over a 24 hour bus ride that isn't mandatory. You can rent a car or buy an airplane ticket if you want. You should want a large company with an extensive network of support for when you need it.

You're honestly too picky for somebody in your position. You have no experience, no license, a hair follicle test is tricky and you're in an area most companies have no interest in. Yet you have demands of someone in a position of experience and an excellent service history.

I never said anything about pain killers .. wrong thread homie ..

So, with no name or picture, did he quit the site or did a moderator?

I looked up side effects of Lortab (hydrocodone and acetaminophen) and was going to talk with him about that. Oh well.

Laura

I wouldn’t say you dont know and i didnt . If i knew I wouldn’t have post . I appreciate your reply because you have been kind like a few others. I got defensive when people started talking about my past employment at other places . Yes i am harsh. I am passionate about what i do. As well as what i want todo . Im not a half full half empty guy. Im an all or nothing kinda guy.. i use my choice in words poorly over the interwebs and ill be the first to admit that. Also im not a review writter .. because my experience isnt eveyone else . Im going off people i know personally and things i have read and watched .. but I appreciate your reply and i have taken everything in.. you and the gentleman who posted after you when i first posted this had answered my question. As i wish there was a way to delete threads . But there is not. I used poor wording when replying to both of you. Which caused others to come at me the way they did . But this went from HF testing to a thread about me and swift . Trust me i wont be posting any more questions. Because i see how it turns out. Part of the reason i took me this long to post it . Because i see how some of these people reply to others .. but I sincerely thank YOU for your replies.. be safe out there!

Toby, as you can see a majority of our experienced members have given up or chosen not to jump in with advice because you are coming across as already knowing it all. If you get into trucking with this attitude I can assure you that you're just going to be another statistic and flooding forums and review sites about how abc trucking is a terrible place to work. We welcome EVERYBODY regardless of past mistakes, drug/alcohol use etc to jump in these discussions. Even if we disagree with past choices we still offer the same help. All of us donate our time to help newcomers get started in this industry. For anybody lurking please don't be discouraged and think we're being harsh. We've seen this before where people ask a question and use that as a platform to push some agenda or tell us we don't know what we're talking about. Our community here is full of drivers from all walks of life with different experiences and pulling different freight. What brings us all together is our willingness and enjoyment to help others get a successful start to this career. I'm off today so I have some extra time, but a majority of us are only off for 10 hours a day. Why waste our time on somebody that isnt going to appreciate it when there's countless others that would.

What were they teaching me? other than talking about SWIFT? i asked a question and it was answered in the first 2 comments. people left Snide comments so i replied.. just the kinda person i am .. i also emailed you to ask you to delete the the thread. never once did i say i knew everything as nothing on this thread at all is about driving or safety and everything is about 1 company.. this whole thing got so far off topic. but it is what it is ...

Folks, our friend here "Mr Ginger" has 5 posts pending approval. I can sum up each one of them like this:

"I'm new to trucking, but I have it all figured out. Here are the reasons I'm the smartest guy in the room and you guys know nothing."

He says things like, "People who would come late and leave early, leave for break early and come back late, and do half the work get treated like kings. People like me who kept their heads down and worked our asses off [get treated like crap]."

If you want me to approve his posts so you can argue until the end of time with someone who believes that makes sense and has no interest in listening, I'm happy to do it. Many others will learn from your advice, even though he won't. But I'm warning you, this guy is a professional know-it-all and makes up whatever he wants to believe, so be careful what you wish for!

i just dont get how me asking about HF turned into a Thread about swift.. i actually Can get a job with one of the guys who use to work with Swift. but they require i have 6 months Exp.. which is normal. Another guy isnt in the industry any more as his wife came down with stage 4 Breast cancer . but he said if he ever got back into it he wouldnt go with swift again.. i just look at it as if a 95% of the people i talk to ( who dont know each other at all ) have the same things to say i take that into consideration . i personally have nothing against the company. i just dont think it would be a fit for me . But i would come in contact with 10x drivers a day for a year i asked them all the same questions . how long have you been driving , where did you do school, how do you like it , what company did you start with. would you go back to the company you started with. thats what im saying they're not the company for me yet people keep trying to sell me on it or argue with what i said about it ,, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. that is mine.. No i dont want to work for a company that puts me on a bus , no i dont want to work for a company that has 40+ people in orientation. 1500 accidents in 2 years doesnt seem appealing to me , granted its not the companies fault and im sure some if people who dont listen but also im gonna go out and say partly due to training. it may be for some people to work there but not for me . Thanks for the reply.

I understand saying no to companies for some reason or another. I said no to PAM because they required me to team with another rookie for 6 months. I said no to CRST because teaming isn't for me. The wall you're hitting here with swift is that the only reason you say it's not for you is because of what other people said.

I have a question. If you know so many people that moved on from swift and have been happy at their current companies for years, why don't you try one of those companies?

Yes they do require a drug test all trucking companies do.. or they wouldnt have insurance , they use the DOT and do their own. but that company isnt the one im 100% going with they're just at the top of my list . still researching and finding more companies each day. i want to be happy where i go . maybe not happy for you or other people but happy for me .. because out there i have to deal with it no you.

Does the school you are going to attend require a drug test?

So my only Concern about when i first get into the industry. i have been an avid weed smoker for most of my life i do not believe in taking pills because they just create a more problems . i do not Drink , weed was my only thing , now 2 weeks about i decided to get into the trucking industry and Quite smoking . i have 0 problem doing that because Money and jobs are more important than smoking . i start trucking school in a month from today , by time i get out of school and get a job for a company i will be about 2.5 months with Nothing in my system so a urine test will be no problem. but i do not want to apply to a company and get a hair follicle test and be denied a job for something i did before i was in the industry. Do companies denied you the job because they seen Marijuana in your system 2 months before you started working for them or in the industry? i get why they do the testing because they're hard to bypass unlike Urine and Mouth Swabs . how does it work . are they looking to see how recent it was before you last used or they looking to say hey you used in general so we dont want you? i cant really find any clarification on it . would suck for me to spend 7k on school get a job than be denied and have it go on my DOT that i failed a drug screening. for something i did before i was in the industry! i know ill probably get those people on here who will give the " should make better life choices" but i know for a fact there are plenty of Truckers who drink in there down time , wake up and get on the road when im sure the booze are still lingering in there system. that is there business not mine.

Thanks for any information in advance!

Toby

The DC i was at was like that , people who Transferred there said was bad , they had a high turn over rate , people who production was at 110% with max incentives each paycheck were leaving because of the BS. The Pay and Benefits were great . the Work was each IMO , but the way the shift leaders treated people was horrible .

Yeah PRIME was the one i really liked which was a shock they dont hire out of FL seeing as i see there trucks every day.. But yea i know there is a bunch that dont hire out of here . Fl slots fill up fast as its one of the easiest states to get a CDL in .

I worked at a Walmart DC before going to FedEx Freight and I think Walmart is a great company. I wasn't part of any clique and I didn't get any special treatment, I just went in met production goals and went home.

Prime isn't hiring out of Florida and they're not the only ones. Few companies hire out of Florida, that's why paid training would've been your best bet. You pay all this money and put in all this effort to find out that you have no options because of your location. It happens all the time.

As for being a number, I prefer it. Give me my assignments and make sure my check is right. We'll get along golden.

Entitled? Stretch Limo?LMAO!! pretty laughable! no im not asking for any of that, i get why they do it , but that isnt for me ..... Sounds like you think im going to fail every aspect .... good thing for me is i have been studying for Months , i take the practice test 3x a day regardless Because i want to be prepared . im not some person that thinks because i paid for school im going to pass it ... but i am dam sure i will go in and give it my all .the way your talking about the drug screening is like im some addict who cant stop using drugs .. i guess reading comprehension isnt really your thing. i asked a question about HF testing .. if i were to wait a extra month i would pass a HF .. but its cool you're entitled to your own opinion ill never say other wise. People keep bringing swift up like all of a sudden im going to be like OMG i want to work for them .... NO.. again i have done my research and formed my opinion. its not the place for me .. pretty simple to understand .. not all companies are the same . if you think im the guy who listens to 1 or 2 people and based my opinion You're wrong... i have spent HOURS on this page read and reading and reading ! Hours on Youtube , hours on GlassDoor and indeed as well as other Forums ..

In one post you, you are complaining about two things you don't like:

1.Not enough tuition reimbursement. 2. Having to take a Greyhound bus.

You haven't even finished school, yet, you are complaining about what companies do or do not offer? How about you actually complete school, pass your CDL test, apply to a company and actually pass their drug tests before you grumble about what that company does or does not offer.

I can tell you horror stories about my multiple experiences with Greyhound. They were absolutely ridiculous. But, I survived. Even so, What do you expect? A company isn't going to provide you a stretch limousine service to school or orientation. Your cutting out a company for consideration because they "don't care for their drivers" if you travel by bus to orientation warns me that you are going to be an "entitled" employee who is constantly complaining about the company you work for.

You had better get use to the fact that at first, you will be nothing but a number to a company, especially large ones. It will be up to YOU, and not them, to become more than that.

My only problem with them is you can not take the Truck home during home time and the FL office is 2h20m from my house so that is about 5 hours it takes away from family and i would pass by my house on the way to the yard to park the truck. Windy Hill is the company and i like everything about them .. well i wish they gave a little more in Tuition reimbursement. but .40cpm and $25 every time i open my doors after my first stop.. if you know of any decent companies in North Florida that do not HF .please let me know .. Waiting Longer isnt really an option. Definitely dont want to work for a company that is going to put me on a Grey Hound . because to me paying for a Bus tickets does not show you care and only means i am not a number and just a name ..

Do not go to a company if you could come back positive. We have a list of whether a company does Hair or urine testing. Typically its recommended to wait 90 days for urine, 6 months for hair depending on how heavy of a user you are. It's possible these companies have changed to hair or will change just before you go so proceed with caution if you choose not to wait. I'd highly recommend you hold off on school for now. A possible test will make it all but impossible to get started. Have you considered a Paid CDL Training Programs? Most of these companies will buy you a bus ticket (or reimburse rental car due to the 'rona), put you up in a hotel, possibly feed you and a couple even pay you to attend school. If you're accepted into their program you're guaranteed a job with them upon successful completion of your state exams and as long as you were honest on your application.

Who said it was my only option? i just said the one that i like right right now.. i can pass a urine test with out a problem.. seems a lot of people are asking the same questions about HF test.. dating back to 7 years on this Forum. self inflicted success? so people i know who started with swift hated it and are now with a different company who they have been with for 6 years and love it and have 0 problems? im not taking one person word .. idk how well you read.. maybe its just selective.. but i have done extensive research on a TON of companies.. pretty much everything i read says to stay away from swift... not saying there isnt people who dont like it .. just saying it doesnt sound like the company for me .... im sure there are companies you wouldnt work for because you have heard other people talk about them. to each there own

So you went to a private training school to have the freedom of choosing who you work for and the best option you have is a company who’s closest yard is over two hours away from you? Swift doesn’t meet your standards based on someone else’s opinion yet at this point you’re not even sure you can pass a drug test? This approach isn’t going to be very conducive to your growth. As others have said, yes you are just a number until you’ve proven yourself. That in itself should motivate you to be open to any opportunity to succeed with any company willing to give you a shot. It seems like you’re just making a stance instead of looking to align yourself with a purpose in this industry. Swift treated me, my classmates and fellow drivers very well. They accommodated us as much as possible and held us to a very high standard.

Stern, but fair. It was a great environment for us that wanted to do nothing but be the best at what we do. Do not apply anywhere until you know for sure you can pass a drug test. Once you get to that point, focus on making your own success instead of listening to other people’s self-inflicted failures and worrying about following in their footsteps. Focus on what you want and not what you don’t want. Best of luck to you man, I’ll be rooting for ya!