I decided to keep a low profile after having left Arrow. I knew I would continue as a flat-bedder, but I did not know for whom. During the duress in my final days with Arrow, I had been working with two recruiters at Melton. I went and visited them and the company while hanging around in Tulsa.
Most fortunate to have met these people. Norma and Jason at Melton are wonderful. Melton, like CFI, is a first-rate operation. The same, I suspect, would be true at TMC.
I had the privilege of getting to know these folks at Melton as I had so badly wanted to go there from Arrow. I got the full tour of their facilities from John, head of securement. What an outfit. But, they couldn't hire me right away due to lack of enough current OTR experience. They said it was because of insurability. And given all the good treatment I had already received from everyone, I had no reason to doubt what they said.
Faced with the "now what" dilemma, Norma suggested that I go run for Swift for a few months until Melton's requirements were met. After having read the piles of posts regarding Swift here on this board, I almost hung up the phone on her. However, she went on to tell me about the flatbed division. She also had a solid rapport with Ms. Dempsy Hunter, one of the Swift recruiters in PHX.
Despite the angst at Arrow, I came away from the experience with some wisdom.
First and foremost: I need to like and trust the people who I am to work with. This is paramount to almost anything else.
Second: I need to like the equipment. As we all know, our tractor is our office, our home and our money-maker. Call me fussy, but if I don't have a ride that is up to my standards, then I will be unhappy.
Third: I need to like the work that I am expected to do. Moving flatbed freight is by far and large, the coolest thing on the planet, in terms of trucking work. Very similar to yachting with the securement and such. I am very comfortable hauling coils, chassis, pipe, etc.
Fourth: As a bone fide rookie, I know I am at the bottom of the money-chain. But reasonable pay and benefits are important.
Enter Dempsy Hunter @ Swift. Very professional, very courteous, great sense of humor, and knows her stuff when it comes to giving information about company policies and practices. "Refreshingly understated" would be how I would describe her presentation of the position over the phone. She is very sharp indeed and a delight to speak with. She knew that I would be calling her to follow up on Norma's referral. Norma called her while we were sitting together in Melton's recruiting office.
I was out of Arrow for no less than one week before my butt was parked in the classroom at Swift's Gary Indiana terminal. Everything I had been told sounded so "real" that I just made up my mind to *go with the flow* and see what would come. All I wanted was to get back to work and continue with my financial plans.
What a shocker. The hotel is very nice that they use. The lunches served in the classroom are chosen from a menu, as in "you have a choice". The classes are designed with all the customary and obligatory rules, reg's, shoulds and shouldn'ts. Noobs fresh out of school will be doing 42 days with a mentor, for certain. Because I was working prior to coming aboard with Swift, they decided to put me with a local flatbed runner for two weeks (good thing, too). Kelly was an awesome trainer and has since become a good friend.
Upon completing the three-day general orientation, I had another two days of class (with only three other flatbed peeps) having to do with securement and FMCSA 393.100 stuff. Chuck, the guy who teaches the class is a very well-informed veteran flatbed guy. We didn't go out to the yard to do much in the way of hands-on, because likely, the hands would have simply froze off. It's freaking cold up there! So we watched a bunch of videos instead. Chuck figured we'd get plenty of hands-on with our respective mentors.
Speaking of which; they put me on with Kelly, a local flatbed runner at the Gary terminal. This also included another two-ish weeks of hotel accommodations. Swift spent bucks to keep me around. For certain, this has not gone under-appreciated by me. Anywho.... My time with Kelly was extremely informative and lots of fun. Running a double axle day cab is certainly different than driving a 72" condo. We decked coils, we undecked several different types of truck chassis, and we slogged through some of Gary's worst weather. I was doing so well that he tried to get me out solo by the end of the first week, but to no avail. They wanted a bit more time with him "just to be sure" I could handle the task. No problem, thinks I. My room is very cozy.
During my training period, I got to meet with the terminal manager, the flatbed fleet manager and of course, my new DM. Joel, the DM, is in charge of the owner/op flatbedders. How they came to put me on with him remains a mystery. But, I am glad they did. I ran 2900 in my first week, and it looks like I'll hit it again this week. He is very quick to drop a pre-plan on me when I am within striking distance of my finals. Lovin' it..... Very business-like. The flatbed fleet manager, Adam is very cool too. He really took an interest in what I had wished to accomplish and also, what I wanted to drive.
He made me a deal too good to pass up. He told me that he had a Volvo tractor that needed to go back to the Greer terminal to get turned back in. It was a mess, but so what. He said that he had a clean '04 Volvo waiting there for me. So, I cheerfully agreed to get it there. I was promptly given my first load assignment; a 42,000 lb. coil, heading for Pendergrass, GA. I ran down to the Greer, SC terminal, swapped out of the yuk-mobile and right into my current ride. Ides of Betty. The girl came with 248,000 on the odo and was very well taken care of. Yesssss! I got a good one :-) I have yet to sit still, save for a nice restart in Laredo, TX.
I am parked here in Baltimore, MD after making two drops in Fredericksburg, VA and Harrisonburg, VA. I'm at 2100 for the week and will be heading to Forest City, IA, thus making this a 3100 mile week. Yummie.
Everything about my experiences with Swift have been utterly fantastic. Everyone I have come in contact with has been so accommodating and so genuinely interested in me. Not only that, but they have seen the potential that I innately have, and responded to me accordingly. Such has not been the case with my past two trucking jobs.
The flatbed division of Swift is like an island oasis amidst a great sea of 53's. The profitability of the flatbed division is so great, I am told, that they really go out of their way with the flatbed drivers. And, get this.... If flatbed freight is slow, the f/b haulers can pull dry vans during the slump. But I have yet to experience anything like a freight shortage.
The last leg of my haul in Virginia was spectacular. Perfectly clear skies. I was routed through Shenandoah National Park, along route 33 into Harrisonburg. What beautiful country. What a cool trip.
They say that the third time's the charm. And that is where I am at with Swift. My third employer. There has been no abrasion or conflict either in coming through the door, or heading out on my own. Everything has worked out so exceedingly well, that I find I need to pinch myself occasionally just to be sure it's real. Yes, I got to see a cross-section of the people who come to hire on with Swift. Our orientation class whittled down pretty quickly. I've been to the Laredo and Greer terminals along with the Gary terminal. Surprisingly, everyone I've met is very happy running with Swift. They get their miles, they make good money and they have fun doing it. Hmmm. How nice. That's just what I've wanted ever since getting into the business.
I am learning a lot as I go, and everywhere I show up, there's help for the asking. The steel mills are a maze of infrastucture, but the other drivers I've met have been happy to give advice and directions. It's like the world has become available recently. And this is a perfect manifestation of what My Will is all about: To be involved with great people, drive a rig I can be proud of and be comfortable in, and make bucks happen for the company and myself.
Abra cadabra: The Delicate Sound of Thunder....
