Shuttle/Local

Has anyone on here had or has experience with doing shuttle or local with Swift and how did/do you like it? Starting to look ahead at other options as time goes on. To be honest I am not enjoying the otr lifestyle as much as I thought I would. I miss normal things that I thought I wouldn't miss just like sleeping in my own bed and having a kitchen to cook in. I like driving but not as a full lifestyle. I will continue to truck along and get my experience however!

Charlie Mac is doing shuttle near Indy but he's not around much.

Errol did shuttle work for awhile I think.

My second mentor was almost a shuttle driver haha. He was in Costco dedicated and just went back and forth from Salt Lake to Denver. He could have been a shuttle driver on that account but declined because he didn't want to have to rely on another driver to meet him with his load. We always picked up from the Costco yard in West Valley and delivered to local stores in the Denver area or Colorado Springs. The loads were always preloaded and live unload, but the unload took all of about 20-30 minutes. Then he would either get a back haul from one of the stores, an otr load back, or just deadhead back to Salt Lake. He said when he doesn't have a student, he gets home every other day. He said he liked it because he got guaranteed miles (a solid 3000 a week) and he got home regularly.

He also knew the route like the back of his hand. He had done that route for roughly 3 years and knew every curve and bump on the road. If he had a student, he would go home every other day during the first 50 hours and every week during the last 150. And as a trainer, he made damn good money.

I did shuttle for about three months. Two big advantages: home every day, and usually your trip makes around 500 miles each day, depending on the lane you're assigned. Also, no waiting for a dispatch. Expect to use 12 hours each work day for the shuttle. The other twelve hours you can go home, take a shower, eat, say "hi" to the family, get some sleep and go back to work.

The basic schedule is four days driving and two days off. So your "weekend" rotates through each week. That also means two paychecks are less than the rest as your workweek "crosses" the paycheck cutoff day (Thursday). On the account I was on, if there's a cancellation, you go home but you get $100 cancellation pay.

I met people who have driven shuttle for eight years and they enjoy every day. You do get to know the people you work with, something I can't do on this dedicated route.

My downside is the sameness of every day. But others don't mind. You will slipseat in daycabs mostly.

That enough detail for ya?

Thanks for the replies everyone, it sounds like something I may want to do in the future. I do enjoy driving, but I don't know if I want to to be otr for ever. To be honest I posted this because I been having a bad month, but I will not make an emotional decision!

Devan, We have all seen your peaks and valleys. You always post exactly what is on your mind. Try to level your emotions a bit........I know, easier said than done. You have gone from wanting to quit school to loving school, loving solo to wanting to team, the list goes on. Truthfully I was anticipating this post after your long overdue hometime. Do us all a favor....stick this out SOLO for 1 year. Ride out the highs and lows, and by all means, share them with us. I really think you owe it to yourself. Trust me, I have them too, we all do. I am not capable of being as up front about them as you are. I made a 2 year commitment to myself with this job. I don't think I will fully have a handle on it til then. I will re evaluate then. I will either love it and continue for another 10 years, or be comfortable with the decision that it is not the job for me. It is solely a decision that you need to make for yourself. There is no shame in realizing this is not the job for you. If it were that easy, everybody would be doing it!

Devan, We have all seen your peaks and valleys. You always post exactly what is on your mind. Try to level your emotions a bit........I know, easier said than done. You have gone from wanting to quit school to loving school, loving solo to wanting to team, the list goes on. Truthfully I was anticipating this post after your long overdue hometime. Do us all a favor....stick this out SOLO for 1 year. Ride out the highs and lows, and by all means, share them with us. I really think you owe it to yourself. Trust me, I have them too, we all do. I am not capable of being as up front about them as you are. I made a 2 year commitment to myself with this job. I don't think I will fully have a handle on it til then. I will re evaluate then. I will either love it and continue for another 10 years, or be comfortable with the decision that it is not the job for me. It is solely a decision that you need to make for yourself. There is no shame in realizing this is not the job for you. If it were that easy, everybody would be doing it!

Thanks tractor man. Yeah I have always been big on sharing how I actually feel that people tend to not ask "how are you" haha. That is very true. I get ahead of myself thinking I know it all when I know nothing. I'll just stay quiet and do what they need me to do. Already put in for hometime. 24 days out this time, learned my lesson big time haha.

You have to request home time at swift?

You have to request home time at swift?

It's just a macro we put in 14 days in advance that way the dispatch and planner will know, but in my case I have to be extra annoying to an extent or it will take longer to get home.

Oh ok. I'm regional flatbed so mine is a little different lol