Comments By The Little Trucker

Are you freezing because The Grey Dog ate your luggage? Did I read that other thread right? How frustrating. I'm sorry.

That was a hilarious way to put it. But no its not that. I took my sleeping bag as a carry on thank God. I also was wearing sweats when I boarded the bus (insert another thank God). We have been in places where it's been raining and sleeting. I've been cold without the truck running the heat. I guess if I had my clothes I could double up but ultimately the Greyhound situation is completely separate.

LittleTrucker, I don't want to hijack this thread any more than it is, so look for a new thread posting from me. "Swift: fighting for idling time"

OK got it. thank you.

Here's the short version. I completed CDL school and attended Swift's 3 day orientation. On Christmas morning, Swift bused me from Denver, CO to Fort Wayne, IN on the greyhound. I arrived in Fort Wayne on the 26th of December. My luggage did not. My trainer picked me up and told me we had a high priority load and we had to go pick it up and could not stop. I began driving that night and we had to leave Indiana. I had no clothes, no towels, no nothing. Greyhound found my bag five days later (about 2 days ago) and Swift said they don't think they can route us there any time soon. They don't have any loads going in that direction and we can't drive there. I don't have money to grab anything. How do I convey to Swift how urgent this is? I know it's not what you say it's how you say it but maybe I'm not getting it across to my DL the right way.

Find a way to politely inject the word "safe" into the conversation. If you can get your trainer to be an advocate for you that might help.

Maybe say something like; I'm willing to work hard and be flexible, but how long does Swift expect me to go without clean clothes or the ability to properly clean my body?

If you're only gonna be out a week you can probably make do, but if you're going to be out for weeks ask him/her (Dispatch) if they'd go for weeks without clothes and toiletries without prior notice.

I'm sure there's a solution and if you stay positive, you will be successful.

Good luck.

My trainer has been talking to them too. How do you insert safety into this topic? We're going to be out until I test into my own truck. So about 6 weeks or so.

Here's the short version. I completed CDL school and attended Swift's 3 day orientation. On Christmas morning, Swift bused me from Denver, CO to Fort Wayne, IN on the greyhound. I arrived in Fort Wayne on the 26th of December. My luggage did not. My trainer picked me up and told me we had a high priority load and we had to go pick it up and could not stop. I began driving that night and we had to leave Indiana. I had no clothes, no towels, no nothing. Greyhound found my bag five days later (about 2 days ago) and Swift said they don't think they can route us there any time soon. They don't have any loads going in that direction and we can't drive there. I don't have money to grab anything. How do I convey to Swift how urgent this is? I know it's not what you say it's how you say it but maybe I'm not getting it across to my DL the right way.

LittleTrucker shivers:

As a result, some nights we lay there freezing. I am not meaning to sound like I am complaining about the company, but I don't think that's right.

No, that's not right! First, if your trainer is driving and you're (trying to) sleep, you have your own heat and A/C controls. You might have to ask the driver to turn on/enable the rear controls (It's a button or switch on the front heater controls), then behind the privacy curtain you can have your own tropical paradise.

If you're both sleeping, that's the usual "I'm hot!"/"I'm cold" debate. Rock/paper/scissors, arm wrestle, flip a coin/R.H.I.P decides.

On you're own, use the bunk heater. I drive for Swift (solo) and I know your truck has one. Look on the bunk controls for a strange looking thermostat, there are a few different ones. That heater will toast marshmallows. I really do use mine to heat cans of soup & chili.

     Possible thermostat

He said it doesn't work now and that it used to but that even then it didn't work well. And we're still in the first 50 hrs so I'm doing all the driving. Which is why I said drive all day and freeze all night. On the nights he lets the truck idle I sleep well.

I'm glad you asked this question because I've been having an internal battle. I am currently in training at Swift. We do not have APU'S and if we try to idle the truck shuts off. My trainer showed me a trick where you can turn on cruise control which will stop the truck from shutting off but we have gotten idle warnings, which my trainer would ignore, but then his dispatcher will call every now and then and the two of them will have an argument about it for a while. He basically ends up telling her to fire him if it's that big of a deal. They've reached a compromise where he agreed to do it a little less. As a result, some nights we lay there freezing. I am not meaning to sound like I am complaining about the company, but I don't think that's right. Drive all day and freeze at night. And because of certain circumstances, I plan to be out on the road for months, maybe even never go home for the first year or so. That means I literally will be LIVING in my truck. I'd like to be comfortable. After all, when you are on the road, the truck IS your home. You wouldn't freeze at night in your home, so why do it on the truck?

Anyhoo, this and a couple of other things have me debating whether or not I should go with a different company. May trucking has said they would take over the balance I owe Swift for school and they have APU'S and nice trucks. I am tempted to take them up on their offer or go with Prime. I'm wondering if that's not a good idea?

As for the microwaveable stuff I haven't been in a truck stop yet that didn't have a microwave. Cup of noodles is easier than ramen since its self contained. I ate a lot of Bologna since my trainer had a fridge. Also tuna fish. You can go in the truck stop and get the little cardboard hotdog tray and fill it with onions, relish, mustard, mayo and mix with your tuna fish. There's also Vienna sausage, potty meat, spam and such. Find one of those glass storage bowls with the lid. Then you can buy cans of soup to microwave. Old trick, if you don't have access to microwave take the can of soup and put on the exhaust manifold when you leave in the morning. By lunchtime it will be piping hot. You can also wrap some foods in tinfoil and cook this way. Works kinda like a slow cooker.

Good ideas. Thanks!

Is there any way to contact your mentor and ask? You will be basically living in their truck, and I would think they'd appreciate you asking them personally. Just my $.02

Not yet there's not. Swift said probably Wednesday they can get me some contact info. And I don't want to wait until the last minute to try to grab everything because I no longer have a car so I would need a ride which means I would be running on someone else's time and they might not be able to help me if I need help at the last minute.

Little trucker, glad you asked. This is more a "great unknown" than even what life as a team is like. It all depends on what the trainer has set up. I doubt he/she will have any food arrangement for you. But, usually you can use whatever appliances he has. My trainer had a broken cooler which meant no refrigerated food storage. Be ready to eat in the truck as opposed to stopping all the time to grab fast food. My trainer gave me plenty of opportunities to shop at Walmarts on the way.

Here's an answer to washing dishes: Bring some paper towels to wipe down your utensils. (Secret known but to few: peanut butter can simply wipe off, and leaves a thin film of peanut oil on your knife, a good thing.). Since my food was mine, I drank milk products right from the bottle, and my coffee cup got rinsed out each day. (note: most truck stops have a little sink near the coffee counter, don't need to go to the restroom for this.) Same with a spoon and/or fork - it's only you, so wipe it down with a paper towel.

You will have storage space in a cabinet or two. I'm a big guy (6-2") and had a few boxes laying on my bunk and still slept easily.

Going into training, I assumed I would not be able to cook anything.

Well I'm allergic to nuts so the peanut butter trick won't help me unfortunately. But thanks for your help. I'll bring paper plates and plastic bowls and real silverware and just wipe them down. If you assumed you wouldn't be able to cook anything what did you bring? I was thinking like ravioli and ramen and instant oatmeal but I realized all of those require a microwave, which I don't have and my trainer may not have. I'm allergic to nuts like I said so I can't bring PB&J. What did you take to eat?

This may or may not have been answered before on the site but I can't find anything in the search bar. I'll be going on the road soon (probably this Thursday according to Swift) with my mentor for the 6 to 8 weeks of on the road training. How does the food set up work? Will my mentor have a fridge or cabinet I can use? How often do you stop to wash dishes or should I just bring paper plates an plastic silverware? Will they have a microwave? How will we be cooking food?

Once again, sorry if it's been answered before but I'm trying to plan now for what kind of food and dishes to buy.