Anyone With Swift Understand Their Layover Pay

Well finally with my best friend and co driver now. We got dispatched out of florida after being told to be there 12/31/14 at 8am. Got our newer, more suitable team truck assigned to us and then the waiting began. Got to spend new years in a terminal. Then we got a preplan the next morning. So we promptly accepted. Got going and realized we were gonna be a day early for a live load. I called and got in early. Then come to find out it was a solo run. So we sat 2 days all together for 2 stops. Then we finally do our empty call and get preplaned for our next drop and hook in Kentucky to denver. A mile away and cant pick up for 24 hours. Soooo once again, sitting. Wtf. So back to my point. Does anyone understand swifts layover plan because ironically the 200 pages of the handbook explain everything that you cant do, who you cant have sex with, and that they can fire you fir any reason but only mention detenion pay with 50 reasons you wont get it. Thanks

Well finally with my best friend and co driver now. We got dispatched out of florida after being told to be there 12/31/14 at 8am. Got our newer, more suitable team truck assigned to us and then the waiting began. Got to spend new years in a terminal. Then we got a preplan the next morning. So we promptly accepted. Got going and realized we were gonna be a day early for a live load. I called and got in early. Then come to find out it was a solo run. So we sat 2 days all together for 2 stops. Then we finally do our empty call and get preplaned for our next drop and hook in Kentucky to denver. A mile away and cant pick up for 24 hours. Soooo once again, sitting. Wtf. So back to my point. Does anyone understand swifts layover plan because ironically the 200 pages of the handbook explain everything that you cant do, who you cant have sex with, and that they can fire you fir any reason but only mention detenion pay with 50 reasons you wont get it. Thanks

when I was was with them in 2012 it was 24hrs of sitting and they paid 50$ per day. Honestly breakdown paid more at 75$ they may have changed since I was with them as it's been 2 1/2 years.

Ricky, I don't know their policies but I'll tell you my thoughts on layover pay - forget about it. It's not worth worrying about. Yeah, you can try getting it and you might get something. But like you said, companies have a ton of criteria that has to be met before they'll pay you layover pay and most of the time they'll wiggle out of it.

For instance, I would guess you won't get layover pay if you're dispatched on a load even if it doesn't pick up for another day. And you're not going to get layover pay if they give you three days to deliver a one day run. You're just going to sit on it. That's life.

The way I approached trucking was simple - you make your money when the wheels are turning, you enjoy your free time when they're not. Trust me...you'll have more than your fair share of miles if you guys prove yourselves to be safe, hard working, reliable drivers. In fact, you'll be begging for a break once freight picks up a bit. But don't worry yourself about layover pay. If you get it - great. If not - don't sweat it. It doesn't add up to a hill of beans anyhow. I can't tell you how many drivers I spoke with over the years that were just furious they weren't getting their $20 or $50 layover pay from three days ago. It's like, "Man, are you kidding? You're stewing for days over $50??? Let it go! Life's too short!"

It's going to be slow for a month or two so find some good books to read and do some sightseeing. Once you guys start running hard you won't get many opportunities to stop.

Thank you for your input. After all the money out to get here. The ******* trainers. The many of nights trying to convince my wife i still love her. I just get a little bitter when i gotta sit. Lol. I am a hustler and i do not want to stop the wheels from turning.

Thank you for your input. After all the money out to get here. The ******* trainers. The many of nights trying to convince my wife i still love her. I just get a little bitter when i gotta sit. Lol. I am a hustler and i do not want to stop the wheels from turning.

Oh I totally get that. I'm a worker the same way. I always pushed hard. I figured if I was going to be out there and they're going to pay me for the work I do then I'll do a lot of it! So I always wanted to run.

But in the long run it works out. There are huge swings in pay from week to week, and smaller ones month to month. But in the end you'll make what you should each year if you keep working hard. There will be breakdowns, holidays, screw-ups, snowstorms, and a million other things that will cause you to sit from time to time. But then you'll get stretches where you're running so hard you can't remember your name or what month it is anymore. So it all works out in the end. That's about the only solace you can take right now unfortunately.

Like always, trucking really boils down to keeping your sanity. You can find 100 reasons everyday to be miserable if you want to. But if you can keep your mind focused on everything that's going well and you keep looking forward instead of dwelling on the past you can have a lot of fun out there. But every so often it gets to ya, I don't care who you are. It's normal to get aggravated with things from time to time but the key is to let it go and move on as quickly as possible. If you let that kind of thing distract you when you're driving, a bad day can become a seriously bad day in an instant.

The fact that things work out in the end when it comes to salary is why I never worried about layover pay. I figured:

1) I'm going to drive myself insane worrying about $30 and then go to Walmart and buy something stupid anyways

2) Why would I expect to get paid when I'm in the bunk sleeping anyhow? I mean, money for nothing is nice, but....

3) I know what I expect to make this year and that's going to happen as long as I run hard when I get the chance. A few bucks layover here and there isn't going to make any difference worth worrying about in the end anyhow.

Life on the road, especially if you're away from your family, is always super challenging and sometimes just brutal. You really have to work at it to keep your sanity and enjoy yourself out there.

Thank you for your input. After all the money out to get here. The ******* trainers. The many of nights trying to convince my wife i still love her. I just get a little bitter when i gotta sit. Lol. I am a hustler and i do not want to stop the wheels from turning.

Oh I totally get that. I'm a worker the same way. I always pushed hard. I figured if I was going to be out there and they're going to pay me for the work I do then I'll do a lot of it! So I always wanted to run.

But in the long run it works out. There are huge swings in pay from week to week, and smaller ones month to month. But in the end you'll make what you should each year if you keep working hard. There will be breakdowns, holidays, screw-ups, snowstorms, and a million other things that will cause you to sit from time to time. But then you'll get stretches where you're running so hard you can't remember your name or what month it is anymore. So it all works out in the end. That's about the only solace you can take right now unfortunately.

Like always, trucking really boils down to keeping your sanity. You can find 100 reasons everyday to be miserable if you want to. But if you can keep your mind focused on everything that's going well and you keep looking forward instead of dwelling on the past you can have a lot of fun out there. But every so often it gets to ya, I don't care who you are. It's normal to get aggravated with things from time to time but the key is to let it go and move on as quickly as possible. If you let that kind of thing distract you when you're driving, a bad day can become a seriously bad day in an instant.

The fact that things work out in the end when it comes to salary is why I never worried about layover pay. I figured:

1) I'm going to drive myself insane worrying about $30 and then go to Walmart and buy something stupid anyways

2) Why would I expect to get paid when I'm in the bunk sleeping anyhow? I mean, money for nothing is nice, but....

3) I know what I expect to make this year and that's going to happen as long as I run hard when I get the chance. A few bucks layover here and there isn't going to make any difference worth worrying about in the end anyhow.

Life on the road, especially if you're away from your family, is always super challenging and sometimes just brutal. You really have to work at it to keep your sanity and enjoy yourself out there.

Ricky, I completely agree with Brett on this. I see drivers all the time fretting about not getting their layover pay. Honestly, I don't ever even think about layover pay. I realize how frustrating it can be to just sit, but you guys are new to this arena of teaming together and you just don't have yourself established yet. Not only that, but this is a slow time for freight anyway. Just keep doing a great job when you are rolling and you will see that what Brett is saying will be true - you will start forgetting what day or month it is because you will be pushing so hard.

One of the keys to success in this business is to remain flexible while you are pushing for all you can get. It is somewhat of a balancing act, but if you are going to keep your sanity you've just got to be able to roll with the punches. There will be days when you can't even stop to pee, and there will be days when you are praying for someone to give you a load. In the end, when you can take the liberty to look at the big picture, it all worked out so that you made the kind of money you were expecting to. The key is to be able to deal with those down times in a positive way that can make them enjoyable to you. I enjoy taking a nice long walk on a day when I'm waiting. I'll try and see any local sights that I find interesting, or maybe I'll treat myself to a nice meal at an interesting local restaurant. Find your own way to deal with the inevitable delays that are associated with this job. The last thing you want to do is start taking the attitude that there is something wrong with the trucking company you are working for. This is so prevalent among most drivers that it drives some of them crazy. They are constantly hopping from one carrier to the next frantically searching for some sort of non-existent Trucking Nirvana. They remind me of an old coon hound turning circles all day just hoping he can finally get hold of the end of his tail to scratch that irritating itch that is always out there just beyond his reach.

I completely understand your frustration, but want you to realize that you can't let the little frustrating things about this job eat you up. I tell people all the time about how hard this job is on their spouses, but few ever realize the reality of what I'm talking about until they get knee deep into the thick of it. Hang in there and I hope your marriage can endure the painful beginnings of this career. You have got to realize that you have taken on a lot of things that require some big adjustments on many peoples parts. Not only did you start a new career, but you started one that requires lengthy separations from people you love, a lengthy learning curve just to get to where you feel like you are getting the hang of things, and on top of all that you started teaming with someone. I don't care if they are your closest friend ever, that business of teaming with someone has it's own set of problems that comes along with it.

Hang in there Ricky, I think you sound like you have the personality to make this work - the problem is that there are others who are affected by your new choice of career - everyone is going to have to get on the same page to make it all work smoothly. It is tough breaking into this job no matter how you do it. I wish you the best!

WOW!!! Thank you Brett and Old school for your input. I appreciate the time and the thought that you put into your responses. We have been preplaned on our next load and have not even picked up this one yet. So its looking good. Again, thank you.

Ask for it through the QC and wait for the response. I have got mine every time but once. 2 DM's called in sick and my DM was working overtime, she simply forgot.

I'll probably end up sorry for chiming in here... but I disagree with Brett and Old School on this. I understand very well what they are saying, but I think they were/are in a situation where they were/are able to be more philosophical about sitting and waiting than, say, a guy with a young family that is depending on every cent he can bring home, in addition to him getting home for a decent amount of time. Every day that this guy sits without making any money is another day he's gotta stay out, to make up for it. Now, if you're young, with no dependents, then it's not a problem to have a day off to go exploring or read a book... likewise, but maybe to a lesser extent, if your kids at home are grown.

If a company that is recruiting me tells me that they are going to pay me breakdown or layover or detention pay after a certain number of hours waiting, (which happen by no fault of my own), when I am ready to work... then they ought to pay it without hesitation. And I shouldn't be made to feel that they are doing me a favor by doing so...

From what I understand from some drivers, there are companies out there that are very good about paying all of these types of "accessory" pay, without endless strings attached and without even having to remind them...