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Originally Posted by Crackaces: "Who you jivin' with that Cosmic Debris?" sang Frank Zappa. 0800 drop in Fort Worth went swimmingly. The trip down I-45 to Houston; a marvel. The trip through Houston and out to I-10 east? Excruciating. So many cars, so little time. As I have no hair on my head, I could only say that I sprouted a few more gray chest hairs while going around Houston and out to the east. Oy; as they say in New York and Flahhrida. Next time, we'll do that one late at night. I-10 east out by Beaumont was no picnic either. Lots of construction necking down into one lane at times... Yeah Buddy. Plenty of stand up, umm sit down comedians out there on channel 1 Niner. BUT, I made my drop in Sulfur, LA @ 1600, just like I said I would. I had to flip the bird to the Petro in Beaumont as I sped past it. It was the home to several days of nothing while awaiting dispatch from Arr, ahh, never mind. So: Sitting here in southern LA right next to my first drop of the day (Tuesday). I can't wait to head back up to my 2nd drop in New Orleans just so I can see where the heck I am. Oh yes. Another $1300.00 paycheck hit my account today. Looks like I might actually punch right on through $50k in my first year with Swift. I plan on spending some of my hard-earned dollars on a bicycle which I can ride once a day and keep myself and my blood sugars in check. And thanks for the reminder about heart rate, Sir. You can bet I will be getting a heart rate monitor just so I can "keep it real". So it will be off to New Orleans in the morning after this drop, then two in Alabama. That will conclude a 3300 mile run. Gee; ...wonder what's next?? :roll: |
Now you know that Petro is really Arr under cover terminal in TX 8) 8)
tootie |
Originally Posted by tootie04: Yours truly delivered right smack at 0800 in Thibodaux, LA to some extremely nice people and some fantastic freshly brewed java. I think that one of the things I am seeing in flatbed is that most of the people whom I come in contact with are real coffee-a-holics. I have yet to be disappointed at any of the drops I make in the wee hours of sunrise. Generally, my first prerequisite of making any overnight stay is that coffee must be within easy walking distance of where Ms. B tossed her air valves. A morning without coffee is like triple Mercury-in-Retrograde. It's just askin' for trouble. I've thought about having a French press or some other java-rendering device on board, but it kills the fun of seeing who else is hovering around the life-giving dispenser. So be it. One more source of mess to clean up, which I can do without. I got out of Thibodaux and made the New Orleans drop in a scat one hour and change. Another very nice crew. The forklift guy at this one was likely that fastest gun I have seen yet. When I complimented him on his expeditious work, he informed me that he had a late one the night before and was dying to get out of there. <hehe> By the looks of the sweat rolling off of his face, my estimation of 100 proof desperation was well within reason. I remember those days.... 8) I was doin' my best to make the Birmingham drop before they closed. I was running with my foot down for most of the way, but the body reminded me that I had not yet had anything to eat. So, with sugar levels crashing, we stopped for a spot of lunch. Back on the highway, I called ahead to inform them of my arrival only to find out that these folks close at 1630 sharp. Dang. I figured on 1700. La te da..... Just means that I get to catch up on some extra rest. My GPS had me pulling off on Derby Parkway, which looked rather suspicious for an equipment rental/retail establishment. Emily, are you sure??? Yup, she says. I look down the narrow tree-lined road, which she insists is where we need to go. Uhhh, no sweetie. See that "no truck" sign over there? Ooops. Of course you can't. But look! There's an empty lot with lots of room to park, surrounded by trees. Cool. We need a nap. And nap we did. For like 3 hours. Bo always seems to call when I am sleeping. Too bad he doesn't sound more like a Veronica or a Roxanne. I shunned his first attempt, but caved to the second. Musta been something "marine" in nature, so off we went. Boats. Ahh, boats....... I really think we should get a crew together from this thread and find someplace salty and blue and just friggin' tie one on. • Birmingham tomorrow morning, as soon as I figure out where Miss Em went wrong, then a tiny 75-mile sprint to Boaz, AL and this trip will be finished. 3400 miles, almost to the tenth thereof. Can't wait to see what this one's worth! Yummy....... :P |
It was another long day on the highways.
I made my final in Boaz, had a nice breakfast at the local Huddle House and was greeted by a blinking QC upon returning to my truck. Deadhead to the Greer, SC terminal and pick up a T-Call load of chassis heading to Wakarusa, IN. OK. 280 miles to the terminal and 680 or so to the drop. Best get moving… I’ll be heading straight through Atlanta, but fortunately, I’ll be a couple of hours ahead of the evening rush. And good thing too, because even though I went through the city during off-peak, the traffic was rather dense. Got into Greer last night, and sure enough, there was my pre-loaded trailer. The driver who picked up the load was kind enough to leave all the securement in place, so I didn’t have to chain it all down again. But the weird thing was, my load assignment came with a tarp-pay notification. These usually indicate that the load requires tarping, and that my DM has issued payment for it. I’ve never seen chassis tarped before. We tarp frame rails, which is for certain. So what to do? It’s well past my DM’s hours and I planned to leave early. So in the interest of erring to the cautious side, I went ahead and tarped the load. It sure took a while to cover it all. Lots of bungees too. Completely shagged from the exercise and the ridicule from the door-slammers, I took a long, hot shower and went immediately to sleep. The next morning, I QC’d my DM to ask if I was in fact supposed to tarp. My heart sank when he replied with a “no” and that the extra pay was for securing the load. Oh well. Chalk one up to experience. At least they arrived clean. On the way to Wakarusa, my DM QC’d me again to tell me that the consignee would be closed for Good Friday and that the load would be T-Called at the Gary terminal. Oh, goody. Much less work, but it puts me back for getting on Quick Pay. Just for your information: Swift has an accelerated pay program. After a new hire successfully delivers a certain amount of freight, (excluding T-Calls) they will calculate your mileage pay at the time your dispatch has been accepted and add that to your weekly pay period. This makes getting your trip envelopes turned in a little less critical. A very nice benefit, but it takes a while to earn the privilege. I will probably get there in another month or so. So I made the Gary terminal this evening, and I am one step closer to some time off. I’ve been out on the road for six weeks now. I am really ready to let my truck-brain take a breather. These past few trips have been long and complicated. Made more tedious by the timeframes required to meet the demand for service. Do not misread this as complaint. I asked for this kind of pressure because I like it. But I have to be honest with myself in saying that I need some rest. I have earned six days off. The first three will be spent in Neosho. I’m moving out of my nifty little house as I never get see it. It just seems like my time is better spent working in the interest of a foreseeable retirement. That house was about Bob and myself. Bob lives on as an energetic component of my psyche and will always be a part of my heart. But the emptiness and the expense of a home no longer suit my purposes. So there it goes. The yard crew are coming to do some spring cleaning and the Goodwill truck will take away most everything else, save for my desktop rig and all its ancillary bits, my stereo, studio lighting, remodeling tools and a few keepsake books on the Black Arts. The rest is history. The second three days, hopefully, will be spent down in Laredo, from which I will go look at Corpus Christy and Brownsville, TX. I’ve not been to either, however the thought of seeing Gulf waterfront is very appealing to me at this juncture. It is freezing cold and windy up here in Gary: A rather sharp contrast to the balmy climes of the south. This is the first night in which I’ve idled my truck in quite some time. It will be nice to see my DM in person in the morning. There are a few other folks I am looking forward to seeing as well within the terminal offices. And certainly I am looking forward to seeing Kelly, my trainer. All in all, it’s been a great few weeks of running. I’ve been from Iowa to Seattle, down to Texas and Alabama, up to South Carolina and now, Gary IN. This country just doesn’t seem to be that big any more. The only part I haven’t seen so far is New England. But I am sure that that is somewhere in the cards…….. |
That's cool Swift is doing that pay thing for drivers. JB Hunt did the same thing, although from the first day. If you made your delivery macro before 11:59 Monday night, you got paid Friday. I never screwed around with dropping off trip paks, but it was a nice thing for them to do. May Trucking did not do that, but I wanted more control over the trip paks anyway. The longer LOH at May made juggling the time I dropped necessary.
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Yeah, Colin.
It is a cool thing and nice of JB to get it going right from the start. I guess with Swift, the turnover rate at the bottom of the food chain is so high. Also, the "dependability factor" might contribute to the delay as well. I certainly haven't given anyone cause for concern, but policy is policy and technically, they don't really know me yet in the corporate offices. I'm doing alright anyway. We have 38 terminals, so it's not too difficult to hit one and drop the envelopes. I was hoping for a little slack in the schedule today, but no such luck. I woke up @ the Gary terminal, sent in my daily check call (Macro 10) and before I could even put the dern box down, my pre-plan for Laredo starts beeping at me. Which is what I wanted anyway, but it could have waited long enough for me to get my morning fix. Actually, it all came together perfectly. I got a 35,000 lb. coil and twisted my DM's arm to let me run it on a step so I could load my car and take it with me. Whoops, better go clear it with the terminal manager first. Sure enough, Carol approved it with no hesitency. Most companies would have said no. W/S told my friend that they would charge him $400-$500 to move some of his stuff once. Swift? Nothing.... So after all the obligatory hi-how are ya's?, I headed out to have some quiet time and breakfast at the Kennedy Cafe in Hammond. Perfect way to get the day going. I went back to the yard, untarped my load, clipped to a step and ran to Sawyer, MI to snatch my coil. No one was there. 13 bays and I was the only guy getting loaded. Lucky me; no waiting. A quick dash back to the yard and off in my car I went. I have a great massage therapist nearby and I almost collapsed on her table. The hour went by way too quickly. But, I still had work to do. I grabbed a quick bite along the way to the yard and headed in to deck my car. Having decked and un-decked Sprinters, the car was a piece of cake. I kept the ramps so I could use my car when I hit Neosho and un-deck when I hit Laredo. Fortunately, the coil is in no great hurry. I just need to have it down there by Tuesday afternoon. Fine by me, I have all the house stuff to do over the weekend. If I leave by 1500 on Monday, I'll have plenty of time to make the journey and deliver on time. And that will be when I get a few days away from Betty. Can't wait. Now for some Zzzzzzz's..... |
Glad to hear that Swift is also treating you good. I was hating it,in the slow season,only averaging 2000m on a good week,now if i dont hit 2800+,its a slow week for me.I'm not getting the dollars you are getting,but my take home pay is between 600-900 a week. Whatever you do,dont get a B-service in Gary,IN.It took them a day to do it,they have no dedicated lanes like Atlanta. If you ever are at a terminal and see a golden looking cocker spaniel,and myself laughing at her,that will be me, stop by and let her do her happy pee(damn dog).
In fact i have a drop in Houston,TX on monday,usually from there it will be Larado or dallas they'll send me. I havent named my truck,but those dang Freightliners are like the Energizer bunny,they keep going and going.Swift is having so much problems with Volvo's, i'm so glad i have a freightliner.If i think about it,when i graduated from my trainer,i so badly wanted one. I like your column,usually when i get done for the day,first thing i do is look to see if you have any new entries,good reading. Stay safe out there everyone,and Happy Easter. To those tailgaters out there,I one finger salute you....I know the dang truck is slow,but come on now,if you see a Swift Freightliner truck,get in the passing lane. |
Get out of my way you Swift drivers, I gotz me some freight to deliver ...echo...echo... *beep* Be careful down there in Laredo Clint.
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Hey clint....Arrow charged us 1,000 dollars to move our little 10x10 box from OR to OK. We even had "full loads" on the trailer and they STILL charged us!! Oh well....
We are in Grand Island now.....me and my injured knee :cry: Not sure how I did that one!! I just know it HURTS!! :cry: tootie |
Swift used to charge for use of company equipment, so I'm suspicious of this. Not saying you're lying Clint, just makes me raise my eyebrow is all.
Just make sure you keep tabs of your trips (when you send them in and when they are paid). Payroll will lose a few through the cracks from time to time. Keep copies of all your receipts as well. |
Hey zexersix!
Nice to have you chime in from “lurker-mode”. I didn’t think that there were any other Swifty’s on this thing. Only pissed-off non-Swifty’s. Do you pull a flat? Glad to hear that your mileage is back up! It sucks when it’s slow. Things get very expensive for me when I’m stopped. I start looking for good restaurants and other fun things to do. Would I be correct in assuming (given your handle) that you have a Kawasaki Ninja stashed somewhere? I L-O-V-E motorcycles!!!! I wouldn’t take my Betty in for so much as a light bulb to the Gary shop. I love seeing the people in the office though, and I always take time to catch up with Kelly, one of the local flatbed haulers. And don’t be afraid of that nit-wit CB JR. I’ll be sure to cut off an OD driver in his honor, next time one goes to pass me (Nyah!) Beep beep Echo… hiss, good buddy. What’s your vector, Victor? Over….. Yeah Tootie. I always seem to pass gas whenever I go by Elwood Ave in Tulsa. It just feels like the right thing to do. It was an interesting couple of days clearing out of my place in Neosho. I almost didn’t do it. But in allowing myself to go through with the process, I felt I put several years of unnecessary bulk behind me. I gave away thousands of dollars worth of furnishings and such. I resigned myself to eliminating anything and everything, which would not fit in my old Dodge van. This left me with my computer gear, my beautiful custom-built tube stereo and all my remodeling tools. Everything else went bye-bye. This severance gave some closure to much of my past. I think I finally let go of any residual suffering over the loss of Bob. It also confirmed in my mind that I am 100% confident in my position with Swift. As my home was in a major shipping lane, it almost guaranteed that I would be under a load in order to get home. The clock would always be ticking, and therefore, I wouldn’t be able to relax. Call it an over-developed sense of responsibility, whatever. Energetically, it just wouldn’t work. So now, I am as Joni Mitchell sang, “a prisoner of a white line on the freeway”. Good for me. So now, I have no home-related expenses. Just my cost of living on the road. Packing up and moving out was made much easier with the thought of finding a boat somewhere on the Gulf near to the Laredo terminal. I am such a homebody that I know I will long for a place to call my own. But in the meantime, I can settle all my debts incurred when I was hideously ill this past fall. Once that gets done, I plan to start banking some serious cash as I move towards my oceanfront property, as Geomon so aptly put it. Yup. I kept all the little trappings of home, which would make dear Betty even cozier. I have my down comforter and pillows and a few other feel-good things to make my crib even more delightful to be in. I love my truck anyway. I got a good one, and so far, she’s been very dependable. So here I sit, in Itasca, TX with nothing behind me, and everything in front of me. No safety net of home to fall back on and sheer determination to run on. I’ll hit Laredo a few hours ahead of my ETA, un-deck my car and then it’s off to see the Gulf Coast for a couple of days. And yes, CB JR, I’ll be sure to be careful in Laredo. Thank you for your thoughtful words of caution! More good pics coming soon! __________________________________________________ __ Well, that was yesterday anyway. I made the Laredo yard this afternoon and had to hold the cummulative exhaustion at bay while I finished up my paperwork for this trip, strip all the securement off my trailer, un-deck my car, etc. By the time I was all done with everything neatly stowed, I was nearly delerious. I found the Executive Inn; a very nice small two-story hotel way past all the busier cheap hotels. King size bed, pool, and my favorite.... in-room coffee. The down-time is much needed. More later..... |
Originally Posted by tndieselgrl: I knew you wrote something to this thread today. I could feel it as I was driving. Funny how the vibe-thing works. I hadn't thought about you in quite some time.... Originally Posted by tndieselgrl: Thank you for sharing your concerns. |
Well im in Memphis,Tn....t-called a load here.I am a door slammer, i tried when i was in school to go flatbed,but they said,they dont take people from Florida.Which im glad,i dont even like making my bed,let alone tarp a load.
I sold my zx6r after i came back from Afghanistan,just didn't have the thrill for riding anymore.I might get the zx10r in a couple of years,i still have my endorsement. This week i have 3100 miles, my hours are real low, debating on taking a 34hr restart, or get the hell out of Memphis. Be safe out there,so many retarded 4 wheelers out there. |
Originally Posted by zexersix: Originally Posted by zexersix: One thing on my "gotta do" list is own a Ducati. The Paul Smart Special is the one for me. It beckons the days of the old bevel drives, in terms of styling. The thing really does it for me.... Originally Posted by zexersix: It was a very nice chill day down here in Laredo. I stayed in bed in my hotel room until 10:45. I had just enough time to get clean before check out time. I went back to the yard, got Ms. B to the truck wash and got my insurance application handled while waiting in line. I'll have coverage on May 1st. Good thing too, because my Diabetes meds run about $250.00/month. And I managed to fracture a filling while down here, so a trip to the dentist will be coming soon. I got my pre-plan this evening as well. A nice, light chassis run back up to Elmhurst, IL. 1350 miles. Nothin' to it..... I had fun hanging around the outdoor tables at the driver area here at the yard tonight. There were some cool people to talk with. It was fun hearing their stories about sliding tandems, heavy loads etc. I gotta say that I don't miss dry van, like, at all. The waiting, the lumpers, the high-value load scrutiny, all of it. In so many ways, flatbedding is so much simpler to deal with. There's none of the dicking around that the box people gripe about. And the "extra work" associated with tarping and securement, to me, is such a small price to pay for a more efficient load/unload scenario. So it's back to work tomorrow after a few good days off. I'm ready to hit it again anyway. Funny how addicting movement can be..... |
We did very nicely today. The weather down in Laredo was perfect. Last night, I went to dinner at Johnny Carino’s and then went to see Grindhouse. Both were excellent.
My load out of Laredo was running late, so I spent a good chunk of Thursday hanging around the terminal waiting to hook, chain and go. But as the afternoon wore on, I decided on dinner and a movie. No matter. Just a little more R&R to make things even better. Sure enough, when I got back to the yard, my pre-loaded trailer was just sitting there. There was another guy chaining the same load as mine. He got out last night, but I figured another good night’s sleep wouldn’t kill me. So I decided to wait until morning to get busy with this one. Had the load arrived from Mexico on Thursday morning, I would have made the Elmhurst, IL drop by closing on Friday. But such was not the case. Once secured and under way with my three street sweeper chassis, I called ahead to my DM to see about T-calling the load at the Gary yard and picking up something else in the interest of keeping moving through the weekend. It didn’t look as though it would happen, based on his initial reply. Oh well. It’s a pretty gentle run from Laredo to Elmhurst. Later on in the day, the QC starts beeping. Sho’ ‘nuff, Joel got me T-Called and had a load out of Gary heading for Natchogales, AZ. So, 1350 miles to Gary and 1850 miles down to AZ. Not too shabby for just getting rolling again. Another epic week in the making. Gotta love it :P New photos here: http://web.mac.com/samael9/iWeb/SwiftBetty/041307.html |
Hah...I would imagine you would get a few "reactions" to your travelling companion. "Yes officer, I swear it was a body in that truck...I saw it with my own eyes....poor girl had a cracked cranium".
Quite creative there Clint. |
Originally Posted by geomon: I shot most of my girls in LA and San Diego. But when I moved to Joplin, I started working with an antique dealer doing his Ebay listings. On the third and forth floors of his building on Main St., he had several hundred old mannequinns and pieces/parts. See: http://www.pbase.com/ckapp/women_of_silence&page=all Before he cleaned out the place and put it on the market, I got to shoot a bunch of them. As part of my compensation for doing all his listings, I got to keep a few of them. Naturally, I was quite pleased to have them. So when I moved out of my home in Neosho, I wanted to keep one of them with me. I love the crack, BTW. She also has glass eyes and fake eye lashes!! I thought she added some personality to an otherwise benign white tractor. Everything was fine until I left her on the yard in Laredo. I should have known better, but I cannot escape me being me sometimes. Oh well. Sally is up on the top bunk and out of the view of the roving eye..... :oops: Last week's total came to a tad over $1700.00. And I am getting creamed with income taxes. My net was $950.00. I dumped my sweeper chassis load last night in Gary. The terminal yard was jammed. Trucks and trailers were parked where ever there was room. It was so busy in there that I just wanted to chain my next load and get out of there. And that is exactly what I did. There were a bunch of other flat rats there. I spoke to a couple of them and we are all running extremely well. I am not the only example of a successful company driver. Both of them are running 3000+ miles per week. There is a lot of freight running around the country and we all have the saddle sores to prove it. I left the yard and parked at the Lincoln Oasis on I-80 last night. It is a great place to wake up in. Lots of good food and coffee up there. I think I slept for 10 hours straight. The ride down I-55 into St. Louis was picture-perfect. In fact, the whole cruise down to Joplin was stunning. 600 and change went by without any effort to speak of. The coil on my deck only weighs 26,600 lb., so Betty has little to grunt and wheeze about. Tomorrow, I'm going to unhook and roll into the licensing office and get my CDL switched to MO along with my car tags. Shouldn't take too long. My ETA into Nogales, AZ is 20:00 on Tuesday. At the rate I've been going on this trip, it should be easily accomplished. Wonder what's next? |
Clint I have been enjoying your thread since you started it and just wanted to let you know that I am glad things are working out for you so well.
It's hard to believe we worked for the same company, but at least they are treating you right. I hope all continues to go well and I look forward to reading your next post. |
Hey clint...sorry we didnt get to call you back the other day. We got unloaded then beat feet up to Lacrosse WI and promtly lost signal out in the boonies....we seem to spend alot of time there lately :wink:
tootie |
Originally Posted by jegzus: Ya know, for all the bad-raps and bum steers that Swift gets on these boards, I have not had one bad experience with these people. Not one. And, as you know, I would be the first one to say something. Sorry that I haven’t written in a few days, but I have been hard at work. And when I shut down, I’ve been going straight to sleep, with out passing go or collecting the $200.00. I just finished this week’s work (sort of). I ran from Laredo to Gary to Nogales to Los Angeles and on up to Stockton. I have yet to do the math, but it feels like a 3800-ish mile week. The funny part is that my Stockton drop, for which I had a 0800 appointment today, said that someone called and cancelled my delivery and changed it to Tuesday of next week. (Eek!) Something went weird somewhere. It’s getting worked out as we speak. Fortunately, we have a yard nearby. Hey Geo!!!!! Is my coupon for an all-you-can-eat Uni-Fest still in force????? I might take you up on it… It’s been a wild week. Managing hours and fatigue has been a challenge, but I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment I get with this job. Plus, in the short time that I’ve been with Swift, I’ve seen almost the entire country, save for New York and New England. And Betty is 4000 miles away from her B service, which puts us at 26,000 miles since they cut me loose. Dang. Time and miles fly by… When I hit my 3-month anniversary in May, I will try to post a break down of my earnings and accurate mileage so that all who aspire to a flatbed position will know how much this job is worth. And as I have said on numerous occasions, it rules. |
Hey Clint...I PM'd ya.
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Bout time you updated! Echo, beep. Over & Out. 10-4, com'oooon
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Originally Posted by CB JR.: OK. Game time (ugh) again. Out of the Lathrop yard, back down to LA and out to Chicago. Likely, I'll get loaded with another coil and head for (Uhuh) Laredo (like, some more). I have one final pass to make through Neosho. Seems as though the State of Ore-gone didn't post a payment I made on an over-weight citation from my First Trip with Watkins Shepard!!! OMG. So, when I was through the last time, they held up my application to transfer my CDL to MO. I sent certified funds via certified mail in order to certify my payment this time. All went through and my good name (and CDL) is now cleared of the blemish. I guess that now is as good a time as any to announce that I am going to go into Swift's leasing program. I know, I know..... I can hear the groans and the negativity machine just starting to churn as I write this, but their program is very sane and solid. Not the best ownership scenario, but not the worst, either. It's right smack-dab in the middle, which equates to *very good*. I'm looking at getting either an '05 or an '06 W900L with an ISX and a 9 speed convertible E/F box. $200.00 worth of parts and an hour or so out in the parking lot, and Butch will be a 13 speed. They have three red ones getting ready for dispatch, and I'm eye-ing one of them. The current market value on these units are listed in the low $80k's with roughly 240-290k miles. After researching equally equipped units on truckpaper.com, they valued the tractors very fairly. It's the usual $490-ish/week payment and with all the insurance, plates, etc., it comes out to around $700/week total. With fuel added into the picture for the week, I'll need to run 1600 miles to cover operating costs. After that, the rest is mine. And I'm consistently running 3200+ per week, so I'll do very well with this. After studying the figures and speaking with now numerous rental-ops, this is not the turn-and-burn situation which many of the scam-i-er (scummier) companies offer. All told, the lease op's all say about the same thing. $120-140/year gross, $75-76k net/pre-tax. The lease payment is 100% deductable as is everything else associated with cost of business. Toss in the $52.00/day standard trucker deduction and the tax liabilty picture looks rather rosy, according to my CPA. Due to my illness this past fall, my credit scores fell. Add to that my short time in the business, and I would not qualify for conventional financing on an out-right purchace. So, this is the way to go for me at this juncture. All told, I'll go from 30CPM to 46CPM(net). And I can feel good about that very easily. Flatbed gets an additional 2CPM over the door-slammers, totaling 94CPM loaded and 82CPM dead-head. Currently, the fuel surcharge is at 27.8¢ and it fluctuates with the price of fuel every Monday. Tarp pay goes up from $23 to $40. Detention and layover increases as well. The residuals, on average, for these tractors are fixed at approximately $40k. I've been told that Interstate Equipment Leasing has been known to finance the balloon at 11% for those boys and girls who have been good during the leasing period. On the aforementioned units, the remaining leasing period is approximately 20 months. At which time, I will have the option of either purchasing my Dub9 or turning it in on a new unit. Presently, Swift is only leasing new T-2's and the f*ck-bucket Columbias. Neither of which hold any appeal for me. And in speaking with a few drivers of new smog-enhanced tractors, I don't think I want an '07 motored ride any way. The power is down, despite the ratings. With Swift, if you keep a power unit in service with the company, they waive the 5 year old age requirement. So I can run my DubYah9 until I croak or retire, or both. I have no issue in making this large of a commitment with Swift. I am so thoroughly and existentially pleased with all of my dealings with the company and its people. They are fantastic. Given my mileage figures and income levels to date, coupled with the pleasing relationships and inroads which I have worked to establish, I have no reason to think that I will be anything less than successful in the lease/op division. A $25k bump in income suits me just fine. And given the cost of a J44 (Geo), the extra change will come in handy 8) I will continue to keep my readers updated here until I figure out who Butch is. Then, I'll move the thread over to the O/O board, where I am certain to be greeted by a whole host of new skeptics and nay-sayers. However, given the intelligent design of Swift's program, I think that more than a few minds will change as I move forward. Tally Ho. :twisted: |
Gawd Damn, my jaw just dropped. heh heh.. What kind of trouble are you getting into next? Look forward to hearing the adventures of a Swift business man.
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Well I wish you the best of luck and hope that you are successful in this new endeavor.
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Good luck clint....Put your hard hat on when ya go over to the O/O board!!
If anyone can make it work you can. You seem to have the ambition and drive to make it work. What did you forcast the fuel milage to be on that W900?? tootie |
Originally Posted by CB JR.: By now I would think you know me well enough to know that my middle name is spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. If you would be referring to the newest level of trouble, it hasn't quite happened yet. Although I will be paying into my initial down-pay ($2500.00) in the time before signing up on a unit. FYI: IEL (the leasing company) requires a $500.00 initial payment to initiate the lease. The total down payment is $2500.00, which they will carry at $100.00/week until paid in full. I would like to think that I will have it covered before I select a tractor. Another FYI: I will be buying a headache rack and all my securement. Swift does furnish the tarps, as we tend to leave things tarped from time to time when we do T-Calls and drop&hooks. I've already checked out Pro-Tech's web site for headache racks. I might elect to buy a used one from Swift to begin with (just to save some bux) and then go with a cabinet set-up later on down the road. These people: dldtruckstraps.com/ are in Phoenix and they have all kinds of securement goodies. They even custom-make tarps. As the W9's are red, I thought it might be really Gucci to get matching red tarps (Jeez, Clint). Oh, shut up. Hmmm. Trouble indeed. C'mown..... |
Originally Posted by devildice: Meanwhile, I'll keep you all posted as things progress. |
Originally Posted by tootie04: Originally Posted by tootie04: Originally Posted by tootie04: Oh yes. I almost forgot to mention. O/O's with Swift get 68 mph on cruise! Oh, the joy.... |
Originally Posted by samael9: Originally Posted by devildice: Meanwhile, I'll keep you all posted as things progress. You're welcome........... I know just the mention of "Lease" is taboo....but I am siding with tootie04 in that I bet you can pull it off. |
I wish you luck in this new endeavor, i too will also be an O/O,but that wont be until next year. My plan is to try and get a small business loan, buy a used truck, 3yrs old around 300000 miles on it,pay it off in the first year, after the first year,its money in the bank. The first year will be with Swift,gaging them on how they treat there O/O,if its not up too my goals,then i'll go somewhere else that can offer me,what i need. Right now im saving as much as i can,so i can put a hefty downpayment,i also have my dad,that was a car salesman,now he is a morgage broker,to help with talking them down on the price.
Last week sucked nuts on miles,got stuck on a shitty run over the weekend,door came off the trailer after i delivered on monday,had to wait all day for them to fix it....so monday was wasted,still idid make 400 take home pay,right now im stuck in OK,waiting on a PP,prob wont get one until tomorrow,so looks like another short week on miles. |
Originally Posted by ColdFrostyMug: Originally Posted by Splitter: Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch of folks! :D Hope you aren't talking about all the swift drivers in this post. Just be careful when you group us all together. Many ppl have stepped out of swift and wish they could come back. Not your newbies or unskilled drivers, but ppl that let the preasure other drivers out side of swift put them under. All companies have thier bad points, the big one with swift is that they give the new person a chance to learn. I'm not trying to start a swift war just realize we have plenty of 20+ year veterans that were sucessful at thier other driving jobs but the new person is going to make thier mistakes. |
Originally Posted by zexersix: A sub-300k mile tractor now will then be a 550k mile unit at the end of the lease. Sure, I'll throw some money at the truck by then, but that is to be expected. Hopefully, I'll get warantee work done ahead of the cut-off. Originally Posted by zexersix: Originally Posted by zexersix: |
Hey GeeShock.
Didn't you know that Swift sucks??? Just read all the clamour written by the idiots that failed their pee tests and didn't get hired. Surely, they must be right! Surely, they are in the know. Gosh. I sure wish I finished training. Golly. And I bet Cold Frosty has the skinny on just about everything "inside". The post was pretty funny, I'll give him that. And poor Swift. What a loser of a company. Only 20,000 trucks, give or take a few. Sheesh. They must not know what they are doing. Yeah. My LEASE. They'll rent it to me just long enough to make me go broke so they can reposess it and sue me for the remaining balance. THAT'S how they make their money!!!!! Boy, am I a fool. I bet everyone who ever leased a truck NEVER did anything wrong, NEVER pissed away all their dough on chrome, and NEVER sat around and slacked in the video rooms at the F/J. Nope. It's just criminal what these large companies do to poor unsuspecting drivers. Let's all get together and start a class-action suit. Shall we? |
Originally Posted by samael9: But what you said in your post is absolutely true as well, there are plenty of people that have never worked there that have tons of things to say. All I am saying is don't forget about those of us who did work there and did get bent over by the company. And btw I wish you the best of luck as an O/O with swift, a good friend of mine does really well in his W9 with swift. |
Originally Posted by jegzus: When I read all these Oh do not go with Swift, or any other companies. it based on what a few Drivers opinion of them. But every company out there would not stay in business if they did not have Drivers that did stay with them. So they must be doing something right. Clint, Good Luck with the O/O side. I have enjoyed reading your eventures. You seem to be a smart Guy and able to make it work for yourself. |
Originally Posted by jegzuz: Thank you for the BOL! I keep looking at the mileage I'm getting and I keep feeling good about my decision. It Will work. And very nicely at that. As I said before, all I really need to do is keep working the way I am now. And BOOM! I get a 25-ish percent increase in income and drop from 37% down to about 15% in income taxes. It's a beautiful thing... I spoke with my CPA today. She submitted my application for a business name, so I will set up a DBA account with my bank as soon as I hit Neosho on Thursday. Everything appears to be lining up perfectly for the early part of May. The tractor I think I want is still available (checked up on it today). The body shop at the Greer terminal has several used headache racks to choose from, along with a couple of tarp shelves. They are priced really well too. I have to take the Success 101 class before I can sign any papers. I am really looking forward to it, as I am sure that there is a lot to learn. Knowledge is Good according to the statue at Farber University in Animal House... It was a slog from LA to Gary. 2000 miles from Sunday to this evening. Brain-dead, I rolled into the terminal. I will get loaded out of here for either Laredo or San Antonio in the morning, so I can run through Neosho and finish up with my CDL and set things up at the bank. (Psyched!!!!) I'm just dyin' to see this '06 Viper Red W900L. I mean DYIN' |
Looks like i wont be part of Swift,when they get me back to my terminal,gonna be cleaning it out and returning them there keys. I've asked for 2 days now,if i could t-call this load,kept on blowing me off,with the same old,we have msged everyone,waiting on reply bullcrap.Load P/U on monday,does not delv till friday night,i'll have it there thurs morning,so you see why i want to T-call it.
Iv'e been out 7+ weeks,im ready for some hometime, i'm not gonna play around,iv'e been making this company money every week,then they turn around and low ball alot of drivers,by cutting down our mileage.This week i'll be lucky to have $100 paycheck,and im not the only driver, this has been going on for the last 2 weeks,looks like you have it made on the flatbed side,because they dik us over on the van. Kinda reminds me of an old saying "dont count your chickens,until they hatch" ,i guess i counted mine too early. Going to take a week off,and see who will hire me. I'll either drive for CFI or Central Refridgerated,i would go with crete,but they want you to get haz-mat after 2mo. i dont think i'll be able to get a Haz-mat endorsement,not a U.S citizen. I wish you luck with being a O/O,and with Swift. |
Hey Zexersix,
Sorry to hear of the dilemma. I know what it feels like, believe me. I've been there. Check out CFI. I was about two seconds away from hiring on with them. From what I could see, it is a first-class operation. Everything about the place speaks of longevity. Everything about the place is focused on driver retention. The driver lounge in Joplin is like a castle. Everything you could ever want, and then some, is available to you when you stop through. The shop is as clean as an operating room, and Lance the service manager is a very pleasant and informed fellow. I wish you some quality home-time and the opportunity to find your niche. It isn't easy. I'm on my third go-around in a year, but as you can see, it's working. You too will find your place, just don't give up trying and don't be afraid to move again until you find balance in your work. It just seems like there is so much competition in dry van. For freight and for seats. Drivers can and often do get treated like commodities, because of the numbers. If you won't sit and wait, maybe Joe will. And if Joe won't, then Dan will, and so on. If I might suggest: Should you happen to raise your sights a little bit higher and find yourself in a trucking job a tad more specialized, you as an individual might find yourself as being a bit more valuable to whom ever you hire on with next. I mean, if there are 19,499 others doing the same thing you are, your personal needs become less of a factor to the company. Should you find yourself a position which requires more skill and higher credentials (such as hazmat) then perhaps you will be treated more like a person with a life than a replacable "token". I've always made myself into something better than "average". But, that's me. I think the frustration comes from lack of concern for the individual, when the "whole" can take care of itself. But that's dry-box for you. A jillion others who can do the same job, in a time when the national spend-a-thon suffers a jolt to the system. From what I've read in your posts, I see a thinker who wishes for better. Make it work for yourself. Better is out there, you just have to rise to the Task. Keep us posted with what you find! There's always room for a "good news" hijack on this thread. :D Meanwhile, yours truly deadheaded out of Gary yesterday and went down to Quincy, IL. I picked up 43,000 lb of industrial shelving and I'm headed back to good ol' LA. Seems like I am in a west coast cycle in my Swift adventure. Can't complain.... I left LA on Saturday, made Gary on Tuesday evening, loaded this morning and I'll drop @ 10:00 in Ontario on Monday. 4000 miles, round trip. Dang.... Ka-Ching. |
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