Question:
Hello all. I'm training to get in with Swift. I'm going to look at ven or flatbedding. I'm going to take the 3 week class room training then do my 6 weeks on the road. After I go solo i will be picking my wife up and go OTR. Both of my kids are grown and are own thier own. So getting back is not much of a issue. My wife has been out with my sister (sister is a OTR driver) and she loves it. A few years before we got married (15 years) she went out with a boyfriend and love it back then also. So being out with my wife will not be a problem. So my question is please give some advise on Swift traning class and OTR. If any Swift drivers (current) are on here i would really like to here from you. Thank you Jerry.

Answer:

Optimism at its best.

Any Dimwit can pass their training judgeing by the current Drivers I've seen.
OTR is a low paying vocation considering what is demanded.
OTR is not what you think it is. As has been suggested before spend atleast
24hrs at the nearest Truckstop before making any decisions.

The last Swiftee Driver(believed Recruiter) has not made an appearance in months.

The 'thank you' may be premature
Welcome to 'Fantasy Island' where dreams may be destroyed by the Truth
concerning Trucking in general.
Answer:
Swift is a good starting point. just get time under your belt and then you can move on if you feel the need.

Answer:

Swift is a starting point anyway.
Judging by the constant recruitment efforts 'move on'
is the norm.
Answer:
if you feel the need to set the standard low, then by all means go to swift, but this whole line of 'getting time under my belt with a crappie carrier' is a big stinky load. There are better carriers out there, and if time home is no consideration, you can make some decent money if you don't spend it all on the road. As far as having your wife with you......i'll just say I know many drivers, myself included, who love their spouse, but if they don't get out of 'MY' truck soon i'm gonna beat them. It gets very cramped in the truck, and after awhile you want your space back.....believe me.

Answer:
I am a current Swift Driver for the second time. They have always treated me well, got as many miles as I could drive legal, have never been asked to go over (lie) on my logs. The pay is okay, 26 cents for starting solo, 30 cents after 6 months, excellent benifits, stock options at a reduced rate. Detention pay. They have increased all of their pay. Just take the loads they offer and get them there on time, drive safe and you will never have a problem. Hope this helps.

Answer:

Now they seem to have entered the "80s" concerning
pay. Unfortunetly it is "2005'.
Answer:
I can't understand why most newbies gravitate towards these mega carriers. Maybe it's because they have the most adds and are easier to get hired on with.
Take the advice above and you'll be happier.

Answer:
Gamemaster thank you for replay.I'm looking forward to starting sometime around the beginning of Sept. For all the other replies that seem to be always negitive and not only with Swift. Yes threr are better companies out there but not very many where I don't have to have alot of money down. I will start out at What some of you call crappie companies as long as I can start some where. I myself always thing a job is what you make of it and what you put into it. I always try to make the best out of any job. What the H*ll 1 year is not going to kill me. After the year if I don't like Swift then I will move on the those better companies. Gamemaster how is their training and what should I expect. As for my wif I feel it will work with her OTR she has done it before and she is more thrilled them I am right now. Thanks Jerry

Answer:
Jerry,
They require you go out with your Mentor for 6 wks. You may or may not come home during this time. If you can, stay the whole 6 wks. Try not to get a mentor that runs a "dedicated run", get one that goes all 48, as you will experience a lot more of what really goes on out there, and you'll be glad you did. Remember while training, you also get to evaluate the Mentor as he does you. If you find out you don't care for that Mentor, or have a personality clash, just request another one, do this within the first week and half. Make sure you ask alot of questions. Usually a Mentor will do all the day driving and you nights, but if he is a good Mentor, he'll usually tell you to Drive until you get tired and then pull over and sleep!!! Most of the Mentor's will try to shut down at around 12:00-2:00 am. If you think about it, it is a lot nicer to drive at night, less traffic. But you will get it all. After your 6 weeks, they will give you a driving test, a written test (not hard) and then your own Truck. Within 30 days they will want you to go to your Driver finishing Class, which is 8 hours. Agin informative, and no test!!! Hope this helps you out, good luck and safe driving. Hope to see you out there. I am based out of SLC, Utah.
Terry D.

Answer:
That is very unfortunate for the trainee. Your trainer (mentor) should be in the passenger while you drive. You should not be driving like a team.
Why, will none of the better training companies take you?
I would think you would want to set your standards high from the beginning. Accepting less is a bad start. Especially if you think of it as less, apparantly you do.

Answer:

That's just plain crazy. May or may not get hometime after 6 weeks of living in a broom closet with a complete stranger? No wonder the turnover is so high over there.

So he's in the sleeper while you're driving and you're in the sleeper while he's driving. Where's the training? Typical coolie-carrier team operation, that's all that is. I put a year in the biz and I could never sleep in a moving truck. And I've talked with pros who pulled for Wal-Mart, Crown Cork & Seal, Yellow, Saia, etc and they've all said the same thing.
And I'm willing to bet the jackass "Mentor" is split-logging (and teaching you very bad habits as a solo driver) to keep them wheels rollin.

No, that's not being a good trainer. The problem is that the trainee often doesn't realize when he may be getting tired. His biological clock is going to get messed up because his body is used to sleeping at night, not piloting an 80,000 lbs rig down the road. Night driving takes some getting used to, which is why I don't think trainees right out of school should be driving extended periods of time at night. Too dangerous.
A Swift truck almost killed me in Arkansas and I'm begining to figure out why now.
Answer:

huh???Are you wanting to not only start driving but also lease a truck from swift? If you treat yourself with no respect and put yourself down like this, so will others.
I noticed in your profile that you're a firefighter/emt.....I would think that having that training but wanting a change of pace, and i'm guessing you bought the line of seeing the country and blah blah blah. With your traing, why not go see the buitiful;l parts of the country, at least in summertime, and work for dept of forestry, i'm sure they need lots of forest firefighters. I have a buddy who did it a couple seasons and he said it's great work.

Answer:
Hey jwr235 go with who you feel is going to fit you best whether it is swift or not, if you listen to everything people say here you will never start driving, get out there and talk to the swift drivers, best of luck

Answer:

.....and your driving for who again?
Must have missed your post on when you started driving, not just posting on message boards!