keep on rollin brother.

when you roll though morganton, GA (between blairsville and blue ridge) on hwy 515 blow that horn for me one time. I willl hear ya.

damn, I have yet to get a dot inspection, and I've never had a ticket ever, but I did get a minor preventable a few weeks ago :( Stupid idiot in a pilot decided he wanted to get thru to get his cat scale ticket in a hurry, in a crowded truck stop, asked me to back up (I thought it was clear enough on his hand if he was asking me to back up), wrong, put a 1 inch paint scratch on his trailer, he got all pissy cause he owned the trailer, and called the cops to report it, over a 1 inch paint scratch! Looked like someone took a key for an inch along the trailer. He started going off, "Ohh its going to cost me $3000 to replace the panel, blah blah" I looked at him thinking, your going to replace the entire panel over some paint?! I know the reality is, he see's a swift truck, and thinks, ooo, insurance money, but ohh well, I learned my lesson, I dont move for no one unless I know its clear.

GOAL: Get out and look,

Than you will always be sure.,

HELLO guys. This is going to be a short post, not much to report here. Got some pretty nice runs lately, no serious storms to deal with or anything. No huge mountains with 45,000lbs.

Things are looking pretty good. I will tell you this my last three weekly checks have been over 800 GROSS. one over 1000. Being only 3months in, that makes me feel pretty good about the immediate future. Hopefully this recession we're in wont affect freight too much more than it is already.

:arrow: I do want to URGE everyone out there to get informed and get out there and VOTE this november. This is a verry serious time for everyone in the USA. At war in recession and with a lot of important issues at the make it or break it point, it's time to VOTE. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you who to vote for, but i will say this:

DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT ANYTHING IF YOU DONT GET OUT AND VOTE. IT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE!! AND FOR CRYING OUT LOUD VOTE ON THE ISSUES NOT BASED ON THE COLOR OR GENDER OF THE PERSON.

Ok off my soapbox.... :roll: I do want to say this. If you are reading this thinking of going to Swift, please feel free to message me if you have a private question, or i'll give you my # and would be happy to talk to you and answer questions if i can.

Later guys.....
Lead foot.

Hey guys....

Just wanted to check in here. I have started making the "big bux" a whole 30cpm. Plus my miles are going up, and i am generally planned for a load before i drop the one i am on.

I am sitting in Naperville, IL now, on my 10 hr. sitting here at Panera Bread enjoying some real food. I did just get a week at home, not by choice, but because after my 4 days at home, i went to start my truck and NADA! ended up being a short somewhere (typical Volvo) but i had to wait for the dealershio to open as TA couldnt handle it. And of course the dealer was closed on Sat and Sun and too busy to get to it on Mon! My next check is 67!!!!! OUCH! Better run real hard to make it up.

For those of you following from the start, my brother in law, ("who couldnt do this job cause he couldnt be away from his family") Re-enlisted for 3 years and will be in supply. 2 weeks away from his family must be looking pretty good right about now. NEWAYZ!

hope everyone is doing well. Keep the dirty side down and keep on trucking.

Later.

swift
 

hey southerpride ive been reading your diary from the start and just wanted to let you know that it has answered alot of my questions.me and my brother start the academy in millington march 5.we gonna be teams figured that was the way to go thay said you get paid little bit more.Well hope to hear from ya soon and ill keep you informed on our progress if i get a chance thank again

I wonder how mch diffrence there is state to state in reguards to the CDL manual ...Im trying to get on with a training company ...like pride or at the moment FFE and will have to convert the license as well

I wonder though if stdying the DE manual will help me or just corn-fuse me ? what do y'all think ...

SHawn

jeesus southern-p i gotta say you have had some crappy luck considering the short time youve been driving but you are the man you take it all in stride and dont blame anyone i said it b and ill say it again you should thank your parents they did a hell of a job raising you its hard to find someone that has had the tribulations youve had and keeps on smileing good luck dude and those are some cute kids u got

next month will be a year at swift for me no real complaints really......take it easy... ken-

your in morganton? ever heard of a girl that goes by peachic? short dark hair?

Cant say that I have, is she a driver? Shoot me a PM I don't wanna HiJack "SP's" thread

Those of you interested, i have a live webcam running in my truck, 24/7 (Internet speed permitting, computer maintenance, etc permitting), most of the time i have the sirius radio on 147 roaddog (trucker channel), or music, but sometimes I just yap on about whats going on around me or whatever.

http://mctruck.camstreams.com

Sweet cam idea MATCAT.

Thanks for the coment Rustylugz. This is my life UNBELIEVABLE highs, which unfortunatley are accompanied with lows that sometimes just make you wanna throw in the towel. But i have an awesome very supportive wife and 2 beautiful 1 year old reasons to keep going. I knew it wouldnt be easy BUT i have good news....

I threw my first fit(sorta), and got a new(er) truck. I got a 2007 volvo(dang) but it's only got 131k on it. plus had a good heart to heart w/ my DM and terminal manager and i think i understand things i didnt before and my DM understands better what i am looking ofr from him and he is making changes to make things better.

Things are looking up.... :) getting close 3000 miles a week now.

-Lead Foot-

SP; I talked to my acquaintance, Don Kellogg, who has been with Swift 3+ years now. He was going thru Iowa, and said this month, even though it is short, he is going to most likely crack the 11,000 mile level, which gets him a $250.00 bonus for the month. Do you have something similar in flatbed division? He says they treat him well, he sqwaked too, and after about a year, they got him into a new Volvo. The one he's driving now has about 45,000 on the odo. I think he said he's at .42 cpm.


Safe travels, and glad you are enjoying the jobs ups and downs.

Started to wonder if you would last much more

These diaries all start the same. Anyone want to bet on how it ends?

Not a very encouraging first day


There is no i in TEAM :P :P

Rough start shake it off



All in all you seem to be a pretty tough kid hanging in there. This site is a hoot and keeps me going sometimes. Hope everything works out good for you .

Ron

Little inside info on the warhorse front ...thats a pretty common misconception actually ...To anyone whos been to hell ?...most things arent any longer worth gettin riled about ...theres always exceptions to the rule ...but if your attentive and dont cop an attitude ...most GI's by the nature of the military have had to "raise up " cherries ...so they are used to it ...also ...any day no ones shootin at ya or tryna blow your @ss off with an IED ...is a good day ...and if his MOS is transport ? them beans and bullets boys are catching alot of the flack over there ...


thanks for this as well budd ...great info to know ...

what's the rumor about swift shutting down
 

hear a rumor that swift is shutting down cause they got busted by the feds somehting about there cdl school or something like that
does anybody know what's going on

Re: what's the rumor about swift shutting down
 

Yep.... They need to liquidate all of their trucks and trailers. Everyone is going to lose their jobs.

Re: what's the rumor about swift shutting down
 

Re: what's the rumor about swift shutting down
 

werent there rumors like this ...for JB hunt ...like 8-10 years ago ...I seem to remember something like that ?

Here, read this and get your facts strait!

http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/most...9-4ff6220c24c8

Well crap on crackers ! Im really thinking someones trying to tell me something ... not so much for "swifts" sake but for all of ours I hope this turns out to be false .... but with that much rucus ...I doubt it


Damn! :evil:

"Hello boys..... I'm back" (from the crazy alcoholic in independance day) yeah yeah i know kinda cheezy oh well, DEAL!

Just a quick update as well as a RUMOR KILLER. I am doing the best i've been doing. (yes still with SWIFT) but i FIRED my DM, after i just couldnt take his BS anymore. my new DM is running the you know what out of me. 3600miles last week, and already at 2900 this week with 2 days left in my week. WHEW! I'm beat, but loving it. My new Volvo is Wondeful (if i tell you the truth i know something else will break)

ANYWAY.... The rumors: ARE NOT TRUE! CONFRIMED!

The whole thing in Memphis was all about the school, i kept in touch with my instructor and he told all.... ALL that is currently being looked into, is the third party testing, and how some are being passed that shouldnt. VERY true in my opinion, but they are also looking into the way bonuses are paid based on the number of students that pass. Swift acadmey and Swift trans are 2 seperate corporations, so this will not affect Swift trans. Also, the VP of the company was on Sirius the other day explaining that all the rumors ARE NOT TRUE. the only other thing going on at swift is the down from 64 to 62. Which (to me is not a big deal) i'll make the time up. and i'm sorry if you cant find a way to make up 20 miles a day and i can being a rookie and running hella miles, then um you have other issues.

So basically it is business as usual. No major malfunctions to repprt, other than all the electrical problems w/ my truck, of and the steer that blewout the other day, oh and the guy that forgot the forklift in my truck and greenlighted me to pull out and seal, luckily i looked! Yes that really happened, i wont say where, but i will say that wally world almost lost a fork lift..... other than that, everything else is going well.

OH...... wait wait wait. UPDATE: Swift finally decided not to hold my speeding ticket from school against me (it got thrown out of court) BUT they are penalizing me for that STUPID warning i got... The nerve. So i'm back up to level 3 ! And in other news, my ,mentor is going through some crap with swift, he got 5 warning tickets and they are threatening to fire him and took his mentor status away... i think he may be leaving.

Ok thats all for now, gotta head to Syracuse (sp?) now.

-Laterz-
Lead Foot.

I've worked for companies that have declared bankruptcy.


The rumors were flying fast and furious, and yes they were denied repeatedly. About a month later they filed for bankruptcy.

Companies are going to deny they are filing to prevent the wolves from attacking and the sheep from running. By this I mean that they want to prevent customers (sheep) from leaving and the creditors (wolves) pushing for payments.

If there is any discussions of bankruptcy at Swift, it's taking place right now in the upper echelons - board of directors, Pres, V.Pres. They probably would not be using for right now internal legal staff - but external ones. If one had any good contacts there - the IT staff would be receiving unusual requests for reporting.

Hey Southernpride,

Thanks for the diary. Very good read...

I'm actually thinking about going with Swift's lease program. I know that lease/owner ops get first choice for loads and have talked to MANY of them before seriously thinking about it. And no, I'm not a newb. Been with my current company for over 2 years...

My best friend moved over to swift from USA truck. Other than them constantly losing his logs that he turns in at the terminals, he likes the company.

According to him, he's reimbursed for a lot of things that most companies won't reimburse for... Like when you have to pay to park, showers, and truck washes.... Hard to believe that a company with so many trucks will pay for a truck wash once a month...

Anyway, thanks for the read and keep the dirty side down...

Chip

Where have(nt) i been?!?!?!
 

Hello all. I have returned from the depths of exhaustion! Since my last post i have not run under 3000 miles a week. I actually hit 4100 and am on track to do the same this week. i feel like :moose: With all that said i am so happy that things are going well for me in this time of uncertainty, but i am also concerned for my fellow drivers out there barely making it.

I have a couple freinds, who also work for swift, out here and they are having a touh time with freight. like around 2000 miles a week and thats it.

I wanted to give everyone a recap or and final overall view of my first 6 months after school. (can you believe it's been that long already?)

I heard all the advice before i started, and tried to listen to as much as i could, but only now do i realize how valuable it all was. So my first big pointer to anyone looking to get into this industry, listen to the vets when they give you advise. Here's my advise, from a rookie standpoint:

1. Choose carefully, look at all of your options, TALK to people (with opposing views) on good/bad points of schools and companies.
--I am happy here, but i can see why some people wouldnt be. I'n my cae i think i did the right thing for me, may be different for you---

2. School is to get you ready for a test, Mentorship/Training on the road is where you need to make sure you have someone who knows what the hell they are doing, or YOU will pay the price.

3. BE WILLING TO WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, HURRY UP, and then..... WAIT
---Patience is a big issue for me, still learning it. but doing better than i was.

4. When you get on your own, dont get cocky, i think i could get drivers who've been driving for 30 years to agree, you learn something new everyday, and the more attention you pay to things around you, they faster you'll learn.

5. Courtesy, in my experience, is not only appreciated, but respected.

6. dispatcher/ driver manager - Find your ideal fit. everyone is different. I was ready to call it quits :roll: untill i changed driver managers, i am happy now. i get what i need to keep me moving and the support i need when there are issues. it makes a huge difference when you're in a situation and it takes someone 5 minutes to correct a mistake rather than 3 hours.

7. Learn how to manage your time, and keep that left door shut. You're doing this to make money right? sitting in a truck stop while you have hours to run wont make you any money. (unless its one of those casino stops.... lol.)

8. Dont be afraid :nervous: to ask questions, most times you'll get a stupid rookie response or 2 (hundred) but 99% of the time someone will realise that at least you asked instead of just screwed up by guessing.

OH and for a final point in this message (there could be 1009 good ones)

9. Protect your CDL, its a lot easier to get one than to protect one. Anyone can get one and be out here running for a while, But can you drive smart enough to keep out of trouble, and keep you CDL/JOB. 4 people i graduated with have been fired for accidents, or excessive violations. in 6 months. i know this for a fact!

Anyway. thanks to all for reading this post, i know it's a long read if your just starting to read it now. But i really i hope it helps people thinking about going to swift.

As far as what i'm doing..... i'm thinking about the lease program, but if i do it wont be till january. The other thing i'm thinking of is the mentor program... it hard to convince myself though that i have enough experience to teach someone else.

Hope everyone out there is doing well, i am about to enjoy an ENTIRE DAY of racing tomorrow. Monaco, Indy 500, Coke 600.... what an AWESOME day! laterz :D

~Leadfoot~

Hello all. Back from Daytona vacation and got great news. I got the spot on the deicated acount i was wanting and have been running it for the last week and guess what?!?!!? I LOVE IT!

Guaranteed Pay regardless of break down, miles, blah blah blah, 850/wk.
weekends and a couple nites a week at home. I got to keep my truck, which is only good cause it would take me a day to move my stuff from truck to truck. open fuel, i can fuel anywhere, no computer telling me where to fuel. The best part, i'll run like 1800-2100 miles a week and thats it. plus while my paycheck still come from swift, and the truck says swift, i now deal directly with the customer not with a swift dispatcher (the swift drivers who couldnt do it, nuff said )

So after only 7 months of driving solo. i have run 81,000 miles! no preventable accidents (knock on wood) and am already home every weekend with guaranteed pay. plus my vacation just went up by a week too!

I'm lovin it right now. Hope eveyone is doing well. laterz.

Lead Foot.

When I ran for JBHunt on their Wal-Mart account, I had a much better experience. No JBH dispatchers, open fuel plan, easy runs. Good stuff.

Good for you and don't get kicked off of it. :P

Good to hear that everything is going well for ya, man. I drive for Swift as well and in 2 weeks I will have completed my 1st year as a solo driver. If you don't mind me asking, is that $850. you're making before or after taxes?

SoutherPride
 

Thanks for all your insite with Swift. I have read your whole blog and it has motivated me to take on my training. I do have a question for you or the other truckers out here.

How is driving in bad weather conditions, Rain, snow, winds?

I start my training on Tuesday the 16th with the academy and I am just worried about some things that are on my mind...

Hey guys here is my email [email protected] send me your if you dont mind answering a few questions that a green pea might have...

Thanks guys