Profile For Jim S.

I've had issues from day one with the antenna set up on my '18 cascadia. I tried many different 4 or 5 footers but could never get the SWRs down to acceptable levels. Something about the truck just isn't good for reception. Bad ground plane. I finally took someone's recommendation and ordered a 7' SkipShooter for a little more height. That did the trick for me.

Was your original antenna the one molded into the roof? I hear that those are crappy.

I've had issues from day one with the antenna set up on my '18 cascadia. I tried many different 4 or 5 footers but could never get the SWRs down to acceptable levels. Something about the truck just isn't good for reception. Bad ground plane. I finally took someone's recommendation and ordered a 7' SkipShooter for a little more height. That did the trick for me.

I read in one forum that some guy took the roof liner off and stuck copper foil squares up against the inside of the roof in order to create a ground plane. It's amazing what some people will do for cb performance.

Do you guys use a standard 4wt cb, or do you go with the big gun exports.

Mounted where Turtle?

On a bird perch on my mirror. You're gonna laugh, it's kind of a redneck setup, but functional.

Because of the antenna length, it's more susceptible to the wind. So I have a piece of 1/4" lexan vice gripped to the mirror, and the antenna runs through a grommet in the lexan, providing some support.

Yeah Yeah I know. But it works!

I have heard of people sleeving a 2-3 inch piece of pvc over the antenna at the base to help against flexing. Did you have to reroute coax to the perch? If so, did you have to remove panels?

What about an inverter to go along with a fridge? TV hook up?

If so, what size inverter? So many questions. Just curious.

My longest wait times have all been drop and hooks. All Tyson related facilities. Beef and chicken. Worst offenders, Noel Missouri (over 24hrs) and Amarillo Texas (20 something hrs). Easiest/fastest D & H is Cargil/Excel in Dodge City Kansas. It's just about as fast as my fastest live unload at Costco (under 30 minutes from gate to gate!)

Going from a shiny new trailer to an older trailer always makes me sad. Had one trailer for about 6 weeks. One of the newer ones. Lost it to a d&h 2 weeks ago. I'll always miss you 200288.

Thanks Dave, I am really enjoying 200288. I am glad that someone took that old trailer off of my hands 2 weeks ago. Just kidding. I hope you get one of those shiny new ones soon.

It's a gray one. The sun is reflecting off of it.

I got to move in to a 2020 Freightliner. It doesn't have a trolley break, but other than that it seems pretty decent. More space inside compared to my international.

That must be one of the new colors for Swift. I know that they are getting some grey ones, but I haven't seen the golden colored ones. Must be some of the first issued. Any other colors in the making?

At least I know that my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. Does it come with a fridge?

Marc, NICE AFRO!!!!!!!!

Boot Camp Graduation Photo - '79

I''l show you an Afro - '92 - Otiel Burbridge (ARU, Allman Brothers, Dead & Company).

Rick

Is that Bob Ross?

I got to move in to a 2020 Freightliner. It doesn't have a trolley break, but other than that it seems pretty decent. More space inside compared to my international.

That must be one of the new colors for Swift. I know that they are getting some grey ones, but I haven't seen the golden colored ones. Must be some of the first issued. Any other colors in the making?

I personally like the Counter button. Someone has already mentioned it. Of course, I'm probably a little more picky than some people. I'll counter until I get one that I feel comfortable with. I've rejected a few too. I usually never hear anything about it. You have to remember that the times you're originally given are computer generated, and they usually do not include enough *actual* time to pick up and deliver. So, yeh, you really need to use your own good judgment.

A good preplan will save you a lot of heartache in the long run.

I'll get out a pen and pad and sit there and right down everything if I have to. This will include time to fuel, scale, take a 30 minute break, traffic (California can sometimes mean adding an extra 2 hours), and so forth and so on. Anything you need, write it down, figure it up, and then counter a load with your own times. Forget the computer generated times.

Getting in a hurry, or thinking that you *have to* will only get you into trouble.

Be a good and safe driver. Keep a strong head on your shoulders

And remember, no one knows everything. Don't be afraid to ask questions or for help.

Greg, is it true that the practical miles that most companies use to estimate trips and pay is about 10% less than actual miles? If so, do you add about 10% to the mileage of a run when planning?

Got to my home terminal and I see multiple pallets 10 or so, of chef boyardees spaghetti and meatballs, take as much as we want. I got me six cases in my tractor, 12 cans per case.

Was told it came from one of our trailers that caught 🔥, have no idea how, but free food😁😁😁😁😁😁

2 weeks from now, he'll never touch another chef boyardees spaghetti and meatball can again.

Or, come up with some creative ways of eating it. Heck, he might even be able to barter with some.

Considering a job which runs 90% I-5. Lots of LA, some SanFran. Portland & Seattle. Never been there.

How bad is LA? How bad is SF?

* What are the challenges? * What are the bad times? (2pm-10pm?) * What are the difficult areas? * Why are they difficult? (Traffic, crime, earthquakes, crazy drivers, etc.) * Does I-5 get bad in the winter? Which section? Why? * Is there DOT weigh stations all over the place? * Is truck parking extremely limited? *Is it really gridlock? I Gooogled Santa Monica to Anaheim @6:20pm Thursday, May 20, 2019 local time. Results are 44 miles taking 1.5 hours. That would suck, but that's not stopped traffic. (Estimated 30 mph?).

Thank you

Basically, the traffic flow is into LA in the morning, and out of LA in the afternoon. The a.m. rush runs from about 6:00 until 9:00. The afternoon rush starts at about 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. If you are traveling to and from the central LA warehouse area , the traffic gridlock will be for about 50 - 60 miles in either direction on the I 5. Those 50-60 miles might take 2-3 hours to commute. Travel at night is usually much better. There is one area about 50 miles north of downtown LA, known as the Grapevine that occasionally gets snow and ice in the winter. Crime shouldn't be bad if you stay on the main roads while not on the freeway, and keeps your doors locked. There are some crazy drivers, but they mostly stay in the left lanes. Parking can be very bad in the central LA area, but once out of the central area, maybe 15 - 20 miles and into the suburban areas it's not so bad. Earthquakes, really don't feel them while driving. Most of them are minor. Hey, I guess that's what airride is for. Some of the freeway signs can be tricky or misleading. It seems that when they make freeway upgrades, they forget to change the signs. Hope that helps.

Another thing to keep in mind when sitting for long periods of time is the risk of blood clots. Blood that pools, as in the feet, has a tendency to clot. It's a good idea to do leg exercises while you are driving every once in awhile.

If the Coca Cola account is really that good, I will have to jump on it before it's not available anymore.

If the Coca Cola account was that good they wouldn't be offering it to students still in school. You'd better find out more about that account from some drivers who are on it before you take it. I don't know anything about it, but it may entail doing quite a bit of manual labor yourself.

The recruiter said d&h, regional, CA, AZ, NV, home weekly. Sounds too good to be true.

If the Coca Cola account is really that good, I will have to jump on it before it's not available anymore.

If the Coca Cola account was that good they wouldn't be offering it to students still in school. You'd better find out more about that account from some drivers who are on it before you take it. I don't know anything about it, but it may entail doing quite a bit of manual labor yourself.

That's is what I was thinking. And, they would have filled it by now. It just sounds too good to be true. That is why I am asking.

About your shower credit concern, if you fuel 1k gallons in a month at pilot they give you shower power for the current and next month. This means free showers any time you want them. Something to consider for your shower needs. Although as previously mentioned for live load/unloads you'll wan to stage as close to customer as possible to try and not start your clock until they are done.

That's definitely a consideration. Do you move your truck a very short distance, very slowly off the clock. Seems like a gray area, and also dependent on company policy.

Jim, all I can speak to is Schneider Operating Centers (aka 'terminals') and drop yards. I prefer these to truck stops because I have always found super easy parking at these. The chance of the dreaded Truck Stop fender bender is also pretty much non-existent. This option will vary from company to company. Truck stops do serve a very important purpose. Personally, I will not try to park at a truck stop after dark, being a rookie, because parking will usually be tight and I am still honing my backing skills. After dark backing is the most difficult for me and I don't want to risk an incident.

This is the type of information that is helpful. I hear so much about truck stops, but not terminals. Also, parking at shippers or receivers seems like a good idea, or even outside of their facilities, paralleled on the street. Do most terminals have fuel? If so, saving your company fuel cost might put you in their graces.

OMG...

Jim...honestly man, your interest in the Swift bonus structure is way too premature. Step 30+ in your process. (Reread Old School’s reply to you)

Consider getting your permit as step 1.

If you must know, Swift bonus is progressive; from silver, to gold, to platinum to diamond. It’s totally performance based and requires 100% on time delivery, no preventables and no citations. Diamond also carries a certain time on the road between hone time.

I’ve been Platinum for 5 years; translates to 60 consecutive months of the above performance parameters. You must be with Swift a minimum of 1 Year as a 1st seat driver to be eligible for Platinum. As a Walmart Dedicated driver, since I am effectively local dispatched, same day or next day return to the DC is SOP, Platinum is the highest level available.

When I was about to enter school the bonus structure at Swift was the furthest thought from my mind. You must focus on the immediate when doing this, otherwise you’ll be overwhelmed with information and quickly lose focus. Go to school, pass your CDL and complete the 200 hours (or whatever it is now) of mentoring. Then worry about stuff like this.

I just finished my CDL school, and will take my test next week. I am hoping to choose a company very soon after passing my test and want to be informed. The Swift recruiter said that I may choose the Coca Cola route at orientation time, even before I start my OTR mentoring. That I why I am looking for information now. If the CC account is really that good, I will have to jump on it before it's not available anymore. Your explanation of the bonus program is helpful. Since it is progressive and will take time to accomplish, that makes the CC look more attractive, since it starts at a pretty high pay.

The Coca Cola account doesn't pay bonuses, but the pay is considerably more.

What do you mean pays more? More CPM? Usually if a certain account pays quite a bit more it's due to lower miles.

Also, I know you keep bringing up the coca cola account. Was that an account that had been offered by a recruiter? The longer you take to get going the less likely it will be available once you get going. I understand this is a big decision but you just gotta jump in if you want this. There are a few of us here that kept putting it off. It took me 3 YEARS hanging around this forum before I finally took the leap and I kick myself in the ass all the time for waiting. Are you currently in school? Paid school or private?

Yes, it pays more CPM, but no bonus pay. It was offered a few weeks ago by recruiter that came to my school. I spoke again over the phone with the recruiter, and she said route was still available. She said it would pay between $900-1200 per week and home weekly. That is what has me concerned. A route that sounds that good should be easy for them to fulfill. Sounds too good to be true. She also said all d&h. I just finished private CDL school. My test is next week. Schiff has tuition reimbursement.

My bad, should be Swift.

The Coca Cola account doesn't pay bonuses, but the pay is considerably more.

What do you mean pays more? More CPM? Usually if a certain account pays quite a bit more it's due to lower miles.

Also, I know you keep bringing up the coca cola account. Was that an account that had been offered by a recruiter? The longer you take to get going the less likely it will be available once you get going. I understand this is a big decision but you just gotta jump in if you want this. There are a few of us here that kept putting it off. It took me 3 YEARS hanging around this forum before I finally took the leap and I kick myself in the ass all the time for waiting. Are you currently in school? Paid school or private?

Yes, it pays more CPM, but no bonus pay. It was offered a few weeks ago by recruiter that came to my school. I spoke again over the phone with the recruiter, and she said route was still available. She said it would pay between $900-1200 per week and home weekly. That is what has me concerned. A route that sounds that good should be easy for them to fulfill. Sounds too good to be true. She also said all d&h. I just finished private CDL school. My test is next week. Schiff has tuition reimbursement.