Swift

So I just got off the phone with a recruiter at swift. I'm looking to get CDL training & she gave me some info about the school & training.when asked about starting pay she told me between 35-37 cents per mile to start. I was just wondering if anyone here knows this to be truth? Or do you think she just told me this in order to get me in their school? Also she stated that after the 3 weeks of schooling then you get your CDL. Once you have your CDL you go out with a trainer for 200 hours. My question on that is about how long is 200 hours? How long can it take to complete that training with the trainer? & lastly I asked about home time & she told me 2 weeks out then 2 days of home time. Anyone know this to be true? I know Errol drives for swift so maybe you have some input? Thanks in Advance Everyone!

Theron I can't speak for home time. But the pay is correct. The 200 hours really depend on you, your trainer. And the freight. I have had students take 7 weeks and one did it in 3.5 weeks we were running like there was a rabid dog chasing us. On average I would say 4 to 5 weeks for me to train a student to 200 hours. Any thing else you need help with ask and I will give it a shot.

Theron I can't speak for home time. But the pay is correct. The 200 hours really depend on you, your trainer. And the freight. I have had students take 7 weeks and one did it in 3.5 weeks we were running like there was a rabid dog chasing us. On average I would say 4 to 5 weeks for me to train a student to 200 hours. Any thing else you need help with ask and I will give it a shot.

That was a big help thanks for that info! I'm considering getting my CDL through them & driving for them

Theron says the incantation:

I know Errol drives for swift

The recruiter can't fib about the starting pay. It's correct. But if she goes on that all drivers get 3,000 miles a week, that's stretching things.

The 200 hours is your seat time, driving the truck. At times my mentor would just have me drive around, burning those hours. Ball park calculating: 200 divided by 10 hours per day is 20 days. That's not exact at all, but you're talking 3 weeks, give or take.

The home time does work out to 1 day home for 1 week driving, 2 weeks minimum. So after two weeks, you get to see your significant others for two days, then back in the box.

Other than the separation, it's really not that bad a deal.

Theron says the incantation:

I know Errol drives for swift

The recruiter can't fib about the starting pay. It's correct. But if she goes on that all drivers get 3,000 miles a week, that's stretching things.

The 200 hours is your seat time, driving the truck. At times my mentor would just have me drive around, burning those hours. Ball park calculating: 200 divided by 10 hours per day is 20 days. That's not exact at all, but you're talking 3 weeks, give or take.

The home time does work out to 1 day home for 1 week driving, 2 weeks minimum. So after two weeks, you get to see your significant others for two days, then back in the box.

Other than the separation, it's really not that bad a deal.

How do you like Driving for Swift since its been a Year for you? & about how many miles a week do you average since you've been employed by Swift?

Theron asks:

How do you like Driving for Swift since its been a Year for you? & about how many miles a week do you average since you've been employed by Swift?

The short answer is driving is an enjoyable job, I've seen some sweet parts of the USA. (Like Georgia Highway 26) But being a job, even you're doing it there's work and some time pressure. Not once has anyone pushed me to break any rules, such as weight or HOS.

Once I was about 100 miles from my destination, and ran out of hours. (I had already told my DM this, but she said just go.) I stopped at a truck stop so I wouldn't go over time. My DM dispatched a bobtail to get the load and complete delivery. I never heard "boo" about it afterwards, and I got paid the miles to the truck stop.

My miles average hovers just above 2,000 a week. I've bumped 2900 a few times.

Swift is a big company, and most of the people I run across, from fleet management to mechanics working on my truck have been professional and easy to talk to

My next door neighbor works for swift. He comes back home about every 3 weeks.

Theron asks:

How do you like Driving for Swift since its been a Year for you? & about how many miles a week do you average since you've been employed by Swift?

The short answer is driving is an enjoyable job, I've seen some sweet parts of the USA. (Like Georgia Highway 26) But being a job, even you're doing it there's work and some time pressure. Not once has anyone pushed me to break any rules, such as weight or HOS.

Once I was about 100 miles from my destination, and ran out of hours. (I had already told my DM this, but she said just go.) I stopped at a truck stop so I wouldn't go over time. My DM dispatched a bobtail to get the load and complete delivery. I never heard "boo" about it afterwards, and I got paid the miles to the truck stop.

My miles average hovers just above 2,000 a week. I've bumped 2900 a few times.

Swift is a big company, and most of the people I run across, from fleet management to mechanics working on my truck have been professional and easy to talk to

Thanks for the info!

I've been with Swift about 4 yrs now. Average about 2,500 mi per week and I push pretty hard. As a lease-operator I can go home anytime I want and spend all the time I want there, just have to pay for it (about $120 per day in lease payments on the tractor) so, I tend to stay out for 3 months at a time. Before starting, recruiter said company drivers can stay out 2 wks then have 2 days home. But after getting in, it was more like 4 wks out, 4 days back. And note that they may or may not be able to get you back on a particular day. It's dependent on setting you up with loads that will eventually route you there. If they're short on freight going to where you want to go, then no-go...

After swift training with the trainer, when you upgrade to your own truck how soon can you go home?? I mean between getting the CDL (3weeks) then being with a trainer for like 4-6 weeks can I go home for a few days after that??