Swift Vs. Knight Transportation? Who To Choose!?
Topic 5580 | Page 2
Thank you everyone for the input! I've spoken with Knight and Swift at this point, but I'm leaning towards Knight. The only issue I have is the physical required for Knight. I have an issue with my right hand wrist that has a limited range of motion, and would sure make it difficult to lift 50 pounds over my head for the physical (I'm a small guy at 5'11" and 115). Does anybody have any input about whether this would automatically disqualify me? My hand doesn't affect my driving ability, and Swift I don't believe does this kind of physical, so I may be able to squeeze by. Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Swift has something that they call the Work Well Physical but I'm not quite certain what that entails. I've tried a Google search but haven't really found anything reliable.
When I started with Swift the work well physical consisted of " here hold this pen and sign here and here. Does it work well"
I should probably add I did not go to a Swift academy. Private school, got my cdl w/ all endorsements and 3 days orientation with Swift in Denver.
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.
When I started with Swift the work well physical consisted of " here hold this pen and sign here and here. Does it work well"
LOL! I'm not in tip top shape so I'm hoping that will be my experience as well.
I should probably add I did not go to a Swift academy. Private school, got my cdl w/ all endorsements and 3 days orientation with Swift in Denver.
Does Swift allow hands-free use of a cell phone?
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.
I'm going to go with Knight, so we will find out soon enough. I'll be seeing the doctor this Thursday for the hand, but if repair/recovery is gonna be more than a month I'm going to just go do the physical and wing it, hoping I get by. If I fail, I'll just go back when my hand is normal. My recruiter is sending me the details of what the physical requirements are, so I can test myself. Fingers crossed.
No Matt. Cell phones even hands free are a big no no. So never call the dm or anyone else at swift while n driving status.
Dm:
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.
Doug, you say "I heard..." if you don't know what you're talking about from first hand experience, kindly keep your romur mongering to yourself. I have been with swift for nearly a year and have had little to no problems with money or miles. Yes they can be classified as a starter company but that is what most people on here are. Starting out! Swift gave me a shot when some others wouldn't. They have freight that goes right through my little hometown where most others don't. I became a top driver for swift making Platinum driver status in 3 months. I'll will put my miles and pay up against any body else on here with 10 mos. Otr.I'm not trying to be belligerent but if I wanted to read company bashing I will go over to the truckersreport. I also know many drivers here who have been with swift for many many years. Good drivers who could take their experience and go anywhere. Yet they remain with swift. Why do you think that is?? I anyone has any questions about swift I will give you the real deal good and bad
Thanks for letting me vent.
Bart. A happy swift driver
I've read all the bashing of Swift by drivers who probably had trouble riding a bike with training wheels let alone trying to alley dock a big truck! Truth is that Swift years back did hire anybody to fill driving jobs, they paid low CPM , and didn't care......BUT they came to realize it was costing them a lot of money.....wrecked trucks,poor performance, huge turnover, etc, ...so they made changes to correct the problems, and now they are adjusting pay scale benefits, etc to retain quality drivers.
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.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
No Matt. Cell phones even hands free are a big no no. So never call the dm or anyone else at swift while n driving status.
Ah, okay. Thank you. That will be one MISTAKE I won't make.
Dm:
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.New Reply:
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Thank you everyone for the input! I've spoken with Knight and Swift at this point, but I'm leaning towards Knight. The only issue I have is the physical required for Knight. I have an issue with my right hand wrist that has a limited range of motion, and would sure make it difficult to lift 50 pounds over my head for the physical (I'm a small guy at 5'11" and 115). Does anybody have any input about whether this would automatically disqualify me? My hand doesn't affect my driving ability, and Swift I don't believe does this kind of physical, so I may be able to squeeze by. Any input would be greatly appreciated!