Settling In At Swift
Topic 1162 | Page 2
I've been talking to a Swift recruiter, they say they are 90% drop and hook , and have excellent miles and home time. They are number 2 on my list
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
I've been talking to a Swift recruiter, they say they are 90% drop and hook , and have excellent miles and home time. They are number 2 on my list
I like Swift because of majority drop and hook, plus, they run nationwide and have over thirty terminals. I want to see as much of the country while I am OTR as possible. They can run me wherever they want, short and long, just keep me going and I can put up with the day to day problems. Their training program seems to be pretty good too. Obviously for me at this point, Swift is number one since they have already extended an invitation to me for their training program. I am still waiting to hear from Millis, Prime, Knight, Celadon, Raider Express and FFE. I plan on calling all of them tomorrow, talking to their recruiters, and letting them know I applied last week and I am really wanting to work for them. I am going to take Brett's advice and show initiative. All of them have pluses and minuses, but I want to have a variety to choose from to get the best fit for me.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Hey Mick, how about some pics of you and your rig..if you want, you can send them to me in an email and I will post them for you...
Sheffield Mick, did you go to the company sponsored training academy?
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
Hey Mick, how about some pics of you and your rig..if you want, you can send them to me in an email and I will post them for you...
I will try and get a pick sorted out. I like my little Volvo even though its and old and battered piece of truck LOL. If you give me your email address I can post one to you....not sure how you post a pic onto here.
Thanks for posting all of this info. Sheffield Mick, I am getting very close to testing for my CDL and Swift is one of the companies I am deciding on. Hope you don't mind if I hit you up with some questions soon. I know you're on the road so if you can't reply right away that is fine also. Mark.
No problem Mark......I will try and answer you when I can.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Sheffield Mick, did you go to the company sponsored training academy?
Hi Kevin, I paid for my CDL privately as I wanted to choose the company I wanted to go with....and not have the cost of my schooling hanging over me if things go wrong. I hear some bad stories about guys having to pay back when things don't work out. I'm not totally against it....and if people don't have the money to pay upfront its certainly the best way too go.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Oh man I remember starting out with swift. Phoenix academy graduate. Company solo at .25 CPM. Yes it was rough at first, really rough. Guys there is light at the end though. I'm almost two years in now and I was just given the keys to a brand new 2014 Casciadia in flatbed division making .38 CPM now. Stick it out, work hard and learn learn learn. Good luck gentlemen and be safe out there
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Oh man I remember starting out with swift. Phoenix academy graduate. Company solo at .25 CPM. Yes it was rough at first, really rough. Guys there is light at the end though. I'm almost two years in now and I was just given the keys to a brand new 2014 Casciadia in flatbed division making .38 CPM now. Stick it out, work hard and learn learn learn. Good luck gentlemen and be safe out there
Thank you Daniel, I'm ok at the moment, believe me the job has its moments, but its not that bad. The .25 cents a mile sucks, but I've been given plenty of miles to do. I also get the impression that I get the jobs nobody else wants.....if you could enlighten me on that one I would appreciate it. The reason I say this is that if I do refuse a job, it keeps coming back at me until I accept it. Usually the short distance ones with no miles and no money attached to them ;-)
Having said that I'm getting roughly 2,000 to 2,500 a week so I can't complain. They have made me a gold driver....which means I'm in for bonus cash. If I'm honest I still don't understand how they do things at Swift but like you say.....you got keep learning. Could you also please tell me while I'm on here....what does my driver manager do? If planners do the planing of the trips what is their role?
Driver Manager:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
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Swift Transport Dealing With The Boss Dispatcher Issues First Solo Months On The Road Life On The Road Reports From CDL Training Truck Driver Salary
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Thanks for posting all of this info. Sheffield Mick, I am getting very close to testing for my CDL and Swift is one of the companies I am deciding on. Hope you don't mind if I hit you up with some questions soon. I know you're on the road so if you can't reply right away that is fine also. Mark.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: