All-Star Comments

We are all doing the same thing...driving from A to B safely hauling goods to customers...thats it. If someone thinks that the difference between vehicle classes is primarily driver experience then it sounds like that individual has very little experience themselves. We all know guys making good money driving a box truck who do their job and go home to the Mrs which is what we are ALL doing. I attribute two things to guys who think that a vehicle class has to do with experience; inexperience themselves or fragile egos. This is the same argument about the WNBA vs NBA. NBA brings in more money so players make more but they both require the same skills while both playing the exact same game (as for pay). When it comes to driving abilities, I fail to see the difference other than one having a kingpin and locking jaws and one doesn't. Both can bump docks, load securement, strap down flatbed loads, dump buckets, tanker, etc. Me myself, if instead of managing trucks and driving OTR chem tanker I could make the same amount of money while being home everyday driving the Oscarmayer Weiner mobile I would TOTALLY do it! It all has to do with what you're willing to accept risk wise which directly correlates to pay and lifestyle. Only people in my experience who drive Class 8 vehicles that think box truck drivers are beneath them are guys who have big egos and small.... well you know

Good luck in you endeavors and stay safe out there! -Dave

OMG the horror! Quick everyone into the bomb-shelter, Swift is on the move!!!

If I had a dollar for every time I replied to one of these, I'd be rich. Can't determine if Angelica is a one-post-wonder or if her concern is genuine. Time will tell...

I'll spare you the details unless you want to discuss further (Angelica)... if I had it to do all over again, my entry path into trucking would still go through Richmond Virginia, attending the Swift Academy. I had an awesome 9 year run with them, no regrets. If not for a quality of life decision to drive locally, I'd still be there. I stay in-touch with the majority of the friends I made there and still sincerely recommend them to anyone seeking a trucking career.

Angelica, all rookie drivers make mistakes, lots of them. And some of the mistakes are both dumb and very dangerous. Swift does not have a monopoly on internet worthy follies... they just happen to hire more entry level drivers than most of the other companies offering Paid CDL Training Programs. Simple...

Fear not Angelica...the safe Swift drivers far outnumber those earning a social visit with their safety director. Trust what this forum offers and ignore all of the internet fodder about Swift or any other TL (Mega Carrier). It's 99% BS, written by either former drivers, knot-holers (who have never driven) or former employees let-go for any number of policy and safety violations. The sources of this misleading information lack creditability and reliability.

And for the record... Swift was not purchased by Knight nor was Knight purchased by Swift. It didn't happen that way, false information. It was a merger, a merger of equals with both companies maintaining brand and operational autonomy.

Carry on.

I'm about to start at swift but now have second thought because of the horror story's and been told that other truckers don't like swift drivers and that they r the laughing stock of truckers I'm just wondering if swift academy was a good choice

One thing to remember - truck driving is a BIG TENT. Whether you just want a temporary vacation from truck driving or a permanent change of scenery you have options. There are plenty of jobs that would value your CDL and driving experience:

Airport Shuttle Bus Driver

I personally know a woman who makes $300-400 A DAY, not in wages (this job starts at $25/hr), but TIPS! Yeah, it's not a, "no touch" freight job, you do load the bags into the bus/van and unload them onto the curb, but it's not unloading 53' of half-ton pallets with a hand truck kind of thing.

Tour Bus Driver

There's not enough money to get me to be the ringmaster about the circus that is a modern Greyhound bus but tour buses are typically retirees and tourists from other countries. They tend to be well behaved and have higher than average incomes.

Incident Response Team Member

Not all CDL jobs are about hauling freight. There are plenty of government jobs with pensions, ridiculous benefits and lots of PAID downtime that require CDL's too.

Concert Tour Drivers

Whether you like the band, the pay or the groupies there of plenty of opportunities in entertainment hauling the performers and their gear. As a driver, you're part of the crew - put up in a hotel, catered food and great pay.

No matter how many experienced old timers you invent, it won't change the fact that common sense, and not experience, is all it takes to recognize the life-saving potential of monitoring a CB while you're driving down the road.

It may go unused 99% of the time, but that one time you need it can be the difference between life and death.

You don't need a seatbelt, until that one time you do.

You don't need a fire extinguisher, until that one time you do.

As a professional driver, it shouldn't be a matter of need.

Schneider hires on 100 new drivers a week knowing that the majority will quit, but its cheaper than giving good wages

Quick question here from a business owner. Why would I pay someone a high wage if they're brand new to trucking? I know they will not be productive for quite a while because they're just learning their trade. I know they're the riskiest drivers on the road, they're completely unproven, and there's a huge chance they'll quit soon, anyway.

Wouldn't it make more sense from a business standpoint to let the good ones prove themselves first and then pay them a good wage based on their level of productivity?

If I paid everyone good wages from day one, would I be able to afford consistent raises to keep my best drivers around, or would I lose many of them because I can't afford consistent raises?

I know in today's world they teach young people to expect rewards all the time just for breathing, but as a business owner, if you reward unproven and unproductive people, you'll take away any incentive they have to become more productive and you'll go broke in a month because you're overpaying their level of productivity.

You need productivity to survive, and brand new drivers can't produce at a high level. So in the beginning you earn less and work your way up the pay scale as you become more productive. I know that's probably a foreign concept to younger people, but they'll understand why it's so critical if they ever decide to run a business.

I don't mean to trash UPS because there's nothing wrong with them other than being a mega carrier

This thinking has been pervasive in the industry for decades. Large, successful carriers are no good even though they have:

• beautiful equipment
• a wide variety of opportunities
• a huge support staff
• nationwide services at the push of a button
• tons of money behind them
• contracts with the largest manufacturers in the country
• nearly infinite amounts of freight
• great pay and benefits

To many folks, the nation's most successful and elite carriers are no good. That always cracked me up. The small companies all want to be big companies, but they just haven't figured out how to operate at that level. So they struggle and bounce along the bottom, hoping to survive.

I think a lot of people struggled their entire lives with money and have developed an inherent mistrust and bitterness toward anyone who is highly successful. Anyone that has that much money must be terrible. They couldn't have earned it the old-fashioned way by outperforming their competition. They must have lied, cheated, and stolen to get it.

You see this even toward the very largest carriers. Way back in the day, Schneider and JB Hunt were the two biggies, and everyone detested them. Now it's Swift, and everyone detests them.

I spent the last 6 years of my OTR career with US Xpress, even though I could have had any job in the country. The mega carriers have the best of just about everything. I worked at my share of mom-n-pop companies over the years, which is how I discovered that the mega carriers are most often the best jobs you'll find out there.

Honestly, I'd be concerned about your safety habits as a PT driver, and picking up very important needed information that only comes from experience.

I may be still considered a newbie (5/6/21-NOW) but I know for a fact that I would not feel even close to minimally competent without the full time daily grind of OTR. Splitting your attention between two different endeavors is also seriously problematic.

Trucking is one of those industries that you just have to jump in, with both feet, no hesitation. Anything less will set yourself up for an unpleasant and failing experience. That's if you don't kill someone when you mess up too.

I know how he feels!!!

I have seen too many to keep count that drive their equipment into the ground, and don’t put money back. They get good money and think they got it made, for that day.

These days will come at some point. I hate having to get work done on the road. My mechanic does a great job, and I have been very lucky to generally nurse it home. However I keep it up and fix little things before they become big things. At some point we all breakdown.

This has to be one of the “truest”statements ever made on Trucking Truth.

If you are changing jobs to keep a MACK ... instead of a solid company & income.... you might want to rethink things!

~ Anne ~

Ok I am considering a new job. Nothing is official but I pulled into a truck stop a saw 4 red classic trucks 3 of them were Mack anthems! I already got told that I won't get my anthem back at UPS my new truck the Freightliner is a permanent truck. And I honestly prefer my anthem. Even when I was driving the anthem with UPS I never seen anyone else driving a anthem for UPS. UPS doesn't have a lot of anthems and I really want back into a anthem. So my question is do you guys/gals think it would be worth switching jobs over a truck? I honestly loves Mack so much that I really am considering it. Do anyone know anything about red classic?

If you are changing jobs to keep a MACK ... instead of a solid company & income.... you might want to rethink things!

~ Anne ~