Question:
Starting orientation Monday with Swift in Salt Lake City. I hear it is one of there better terminals. Was interested if anyone knows anything about there workwell physical assesment. I am in pretty good shape I hope! Does Swift drivers touch alot frieght because of the workwell physical. Recruiter said only about 90% no touch frieght seems about average. Any info from Swift drivers would be appriecated.

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For OTR drivers 90% is a pretty fair assessment, but what freight that does require driver unloads tends to be on the nasty side. Retail loads, tires, and things of that nature.
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90% seems right. I have found that sometimes I can go for months and never look inside a trailer and other times I feel setting up an apartment because I spend too much time in the trailer. There are no guarantees. There are a lot of drop and hooks; lots of lumper unloads; and sometimes you get to do the unloading.
I think there is only one account that I have run into where the driver actually loaded the trailer. They put the back end of the trailer up in the air and I (we?) run the pallet jack of product down and load that way. After about the 4 time I was pretty good and getting the pallet where I wanted it on the first shot. There are some driver count loads. You stand there with a clipboard and count the pallets as they roll them in. Most of the loads are drop and hook.
For the most part the shipper and receiver will work with you on getting the product loaded or unloaded, unless they’re having a bad day, or ya pizz ‘em off.
Tires are interesting. If you get a good crew on the receiving end, it can be a fun. On the other hand, if things go wrong it’s a b’tch!
Had a K-Mart load, they supplied the pallet jack and it was no good. Made for a bad unload, next time I’ll close the doors and take the load back to the terminal. … oh yeah echo echo echo.. beep
I think a lot of the driver unloads were tailgate loads. Just run the freight to the end of the trailer.
In all seriousness, I would not fret too much time about the driver loads and unloads. They are not that frequent and they are not all that bad.
Welcome to Swift. Salt Lake City Terminal is a nice terminal.
-JHappy Dwellers Society
Company Driver Division

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Fun? The tire load you don't get is the fun one.
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Whats everyone have against tire loads? They seem pretty easy to me. I currently work at a tire shop and have helped unload trucks. All you do is roll the tires out of the trailer and then stack them up and roll them away on a cart/dolly. Is unloading different at other places?

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by the time you get to tire number 1004 it gets pretty old when you are the one in the trailer with no air and having to unwedge them because they are stacked floor to cilieng and side to side.
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You didn't have to be that graphic Uturn.
I'm having Flashbacks.
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Driver J-
Salt Lake is a nice terminal? Last time I was there, only one shower was working and two of the three toilets un-usable.
At this point in time, one of the crap holes is Richmond. But when they're done with construction it should be one of the best.
Codger "Stop holding me back. I'm going to clown college." Homer Simpson

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Oh, and db247 - welcome to Swift.
The work well is a series of tests given to see if you can physically do the job.
There is some lifting of weights, walking with weights, climbing some steps, etc., etc.,
This is done while you have a heart monitor on. Your age will be a factor in what your heart rate should be after you have had some exertion. Tech will advise what your rate parameters should be at rest.
If you want to know more in detail, pm me.
Some drivers have taken to calling this the "lumper test". But it is given for good reasons.
Codger "Stop holding me back. I'm going to clown college." Homer Simpson

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True but if ya gotta take one at least let it be fun.
wannabe-flatbedder:
Most of the ones I have delivered I just flung them out of the rear of the trailer. Sometimes the warehouse guys catch them, other times the stack them up to act as stops. There was one time when I just dragged them off the top and threw them on the floor and the warehouse folks (lady was present on this one) ever so carefully rolled and stacked them.
Best one was two of us unloading at once. We had a contest, who could get the tires furthest back in the warehouse (I won), who could get unloaded first (I lost, got blacked flagged for a 500lb farmers tractor tire) and there was that bowling part we agreed to never talk about. There warehouse guys can m-o-o-v-e f-a-s-t when motivated.
There was that one load that really sucked... but that's another story. Gotta visit chat for those details.
-JHappy Dwellers Society
Company Driver Division

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The only hand-load I ever did for Swift was St.Gobain out of Seattle. Wine bottles, jam jars, etc. You'd load 1/2 of the trailer, dragging and placing pallets, and then move to another warehouse, where a different product was stored, and repeat the process. The only exception to this was if you could find a high-cube trailer, they had portable ramps they'd place and load you by forklift. Rare, though.
Michelin tire out of Reno is another story. Usually it's a load of car tires, small diameter and fairly easy to handle. But when you get truck and utility tires, and you are the only one back there pullin' and throwin' cause the freakin' store (Costco) won't let their employees in the trailer, it can get to be a bear! Expecially in the summer.
Good luck at Swift...I had my issues with them but overall they are a good place to start.
If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. (flame avoidance..)
PP
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it's great to hear first hand stories,especially success..wishing you the best experience..be well and have fun

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AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Been there done that.................got the T-shirt ''


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I did a dedicated tire account for Swift(Wal-Mart and Sams Club) for about six months.Usually six to eight stops per turn and then a deadhead back for more tires unless there was something close by for a relay.
Hot trailer in the summertime will give you several short cardio-vascular workouts a day--but not bad in the cooler months.
Tires are inter-weaved together and stacked floor to ceiling.The key is to find a tire with a good stiff sidewall(like a truck tire),lay it flat on the floor and then bounce the tires off of it and they roll right out the back of the trailer.Fifteen to twenty tires per minute is a pretty good pace.Having someone on the other end who knows how to catch and stack is the main problem.
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As I think about it, I think I unloaded some like that as well: bounced the unloading tire of another tire.
What makes or break the whole unloading process is the receiver. If you get a good crew, it goes great, but if you get a bunch of smucks, it tedious.
-J got the T-shirt as well, don’t want to earn another.Happy Dwellers Society
Company Driver Division