Comments By Deonte M.

Deonte, welcome to the Swift club! They aren't all that bad. Are you sure about a two week school? In January I had to do four weeks to get through, then the mentor ride.

Your recruiter's 25k/30k is a bit high for a newbie. But summer is on & Christmas (25% of annual retail sales in 6 weeks) is coming.

Where you taking your school?

Theu are sending me to salt Lake city Utah... And I hope it is longer than 2 weeks. But that's what he told me it would be. So I'm just playing by ear. And well thanks for the welcome! How's it been going for you for Swift? Home time etc. They keep you moving? (I'd rather drive than be home)

Hey guys just an update from me. I have applied to prime , Roehl , and a host of other companies on my list. so far it has been about a month and I have heard back from only 1 carrier. Swift Transportation ( smiles at Brett Aquila , insider thing lol) . Being that swift has been adamant about pursuing ,me and getting me in a truck I have decided to roll with them even though they were not number one on my list (hence the humbled part) I have gotten my dot physical (btw do you know they made me pay for this out of pocket!! ) and my ship out date is the 28th. School is going to cost me 3600 + 500 (room ) paid for by 37.50 a week deductions. for a year. School makes me nervous because its supposed to be 2 weeks (which I think is short) then after that im out 6 weeks with a trainer. The only thing that makes me at ease is the school is ptdi certified . But a 2 weeks I know im going to have to be on the ball and make every rep count!! Starting pay my recruiter told me is 36.-.37 c ( he said no more sliding payscale) and ill average 25-3000 miles weekly. Now I know the situation is less than ideal with the deductions and shorter schooling , but this is my chance and I have to take it! My goal is to make the most out of whats given to me here , make my money , drive safe and stay with them for a year and then go into a better situation. any advice ,comments etc etc is appreciated!!

I've been watching a lot of you tube videos about trucking lately (video crack) and there seems to be an overwhelming disdain for flip flops.

Why? Is it unsafe to drive a truck in them? Less safe then wearing them to drive a car? Is it somehow seen as unprofessional? I can see putting on shoes or boots when I get to a customer, but if I'm just driving (and it's not cold) I'd like my toes to breathe.

Or is it just a Trucker thing?

I've lived in a desert for the last 20 some years and wear flip flops anytime I can. It's soo hot, shoes just make it feel hotter.

I can't wear them to work now for safety and Heath department reasons, so I guess if I can't wear them to drive I'll survive, but I'm really curious as to why all the hatred.

Poor flippity floppities getting no love.

Just curious, thanks.

Well in my experience , I loved to wear flip flops while riding as a passenger or going into the stores and showers. But when my dad made me mount the trailers or back into a receiver I would have to wear sneakers because I could not control the clutch as finely as I could with sneakers , same with the gas pedal. In my sneakers I can just about pull off as smooth as a car. but in my flip flops the truck would be doing plenty of "show boating " ask around if you don't know what that means ;)

You should look into the tech school programs in ga. I attended altamaha tech n baxley and it only costs 1500 for a 6.5 week 220 hour course. this included all the costs including dmv and medical and drug test fees. A state grant (available to anyone regardless of income) covered 1000 so I was only out of pocket 500. Then about a month after I graduated the state sent me another check for 500. 6.5 weeks of my time and having to front 500 for a shiny new cdl. thats a no-brainer! This will keep you from being tied to an employment contract or being in debt for school. Just make sure the program is listed as an approved school in the companies your looking at. Good luck!

That's a good idea and glad it worked out great for you. ill heavily consider it. and look into it... and thanks brett and josh!

Finally of age! 21 and ready to roll out! have been putting in applications vigorously!!

I will be interested to see some of the comments .. i know there are some threads about this already too. i am about to start my training and be on the road soon so am researching some different ways to workout myself.. im guessing a lot of bodyweight stuff will work and those resistantance bands maybe...

Yes and i was thinking of using power blocks. 2 dumbells ranging from 5-80lbs. Small and compact. Similar to bowflex select techs if you remember them

Anyone workout while otr? Ik there is alot of down time and when i was otr with my dad while we were waiting at recievers to unload or down time id have time to,workout. Anyone else do anything similar? If so what do you do? ....i,saw one guy had an bench press bench on the back of his truck once.

Hey really appreciate you guys' feed back!

Dont let anyone run you off the road , got it!

and to the fellow about gps quick tip they make gps for trucks that shows truck routes only!

Recently in upstate New York I was traveling on a truck route and came up to a spot where I was going to have to pass under an overpass that was marked as 12'-8" high. Well, my truck is 13' tall.

What to do?

I had a C.R. England driver riding right on my tail for the past thirty minutes. We were on a two lane state highway and he just couldn't get a break to pass me, but he sure was keeping right on me. So in a quick decision making process on how to deal with this low clearance ahead I pulled over to the shoulder and let the other driver get past me. His truck had a condo sleeper like mine, and I figured if he tore his truck up while going under that overpass I would know to turn it around and take a different route. I watched him sail right through that thing with just enough clearance to make it, so I figured I was good to go. I figured that as hard as he was pushing on my back side, he must have been familiar with the road and knew that it was okay. It was a new route for me to travel.

In New York often times the bridge heights are not correct, because they are designed to be more accurate when there is some snow pack on the road. I figured it's better to let someone else go through that thing first, and then I'd have a much better idea of what that height actually was.

Excellent idea! Better to watch someone else make the mistake huh? Thats kind of the point of this thread! Ill remember this one for sure!

Hey guys ive searched and i have seen nothing like this topic so here it goes. I want ALL you guys to share your most challenging experiences as a trucker and what you did to make it. These experiences can be anything from your most horrible thing that happened to you while driving or your difficulty adjusting to the road etc. If its on your mind and you have some advice, say it! My hope is that someone who reads this thread will see a situation that pertains to them , or may happen to them in the future (driving experiences etc.) and they remember the advice on this thread or can come back and read it at anytime. Thanks guys ! Please share. Keep on trucking, keep on posting !