Swift Travel Lanes

I was born and raised outside Rochester and spent most of my life here and there in Central and Wqestern NY. In all those years I spent one day in Manhattan and made the mistake of driving there. I figured what the hell I've driven in numerous major cities..Well NOTHING compares with driving into, out of, and around that cesspool. I am living about 25 miles north of Syracuse now. :)

I see on your bio you are from NY. What part? I'm from Suffolk county, Long Island, but ooooh I love upstate. Swift would probably love it if you were a city boy.

Me, I'm from upstate. Just over an hour north of Albany in Washington county.

When most folks hear I'm from NY, one of the first questions is often " what's it like living around all those people in the city?" In fact I'm way out in the sticks on a dirt road. Nothing but maple trees in cow farms in my hood haha

Yeah G, I'm not very close to Johnstown, but when the time comes, I'll be looking into all kinds of options for dedicated

Same here lol. As soon as you say NY everyone assumes the city. I live in an ocean of maple trees and have one traffic light in about a 12 mile radius

Me, I'm from upstate. Just over an hour north of Albany in Washington county.

When most folks hear I'm from NY, one of the first questions is often " what's it like living around all those people in the city?" In fact I'm way out in the sticks on a dirt road. Nothing but maple trees in cow farms in my hood haha

Yeah G, I'm not very close to Johnstown, but when the time comes, I'll be looking into all kinds of options for dedicated

Me, I'm from upstate. Just over an hour north of Albany in Washington county.

When most folks hear I'm from NY, one of the first questions is often " what's it like living around all those people in the city?" In fact I'm way out in the sticks on a dirt road. Nothing but maple trees in cow farms in my hood haha

Yeah G, I'm not very close to Johnstown, but when the time comes, I'll be looking into all kinds of options for dedicated

You must be near the Eastern shore of Lake Champlain. Beautiful country. My favorite run is from exit 8A of the NJ TP (from Sunny Delight or Ready-Pac) up to the WM DC in Johnstown. The drive north through the Hudson River Valley is a treat (at least for me).

Ditto, beautiful country. And the the people too. Loved that little town of Fonda. It's on my list of where i want to live when i grow up.

I am going to give you my personal experience with Swift. I started Solo on or about June 1. I run Dry Van , OTR. I have been from Coast to Coast and from Texas as far north as Minnesota. My average miles hover at around 1800 per week, yup..... THAT'S IT!!! I have a 100% Driver Ranking. NEVER had a late Pick Up or Delivery. No tickets, accidents, bumps, scrapes, or bruises. I am POLITE with everyone. I NEVER Scream or Holler at my DL. I exhibit Professional behavior.My most miles on one check was 2800+. My worst was around 1100. I am very underwhelmed by Swift at this point. My DL compliments my on my abilities and always says She will get me more miles.......rarely does it happen. I honestly do not understand the lack of miles. My speculation is that Swift is TOO BIG to keep all of their OTR Drivers busy. The constant influx of New Drivers and Turnover creates a constant CHURN that they simply can not manage. It is my understanding that their Dedicated Fleets operate much differently and much more efficently. They all have their own Load Planners and Driver Leaders. I am going to push to get on a Dedicated account and see how that works out. I would really like to stay with Swift for the long haul. I'm 56 years old and would like to work for 8-10 more years. Others may have a very different experience with OTR for Swift. Maybe my DL isn't very good at her job. (She is very nice). At this point in time I would expect 2500+- miles per week. Never really come close to that. Please do not read this as Bashing, Whining, or Complaining. I'm just stating the facts of MY OWN experience. It seems there are Rookies on this Forum that are getting much better miles with Companies other than Swift. I would recommend that you keep your options open. There are Companies that offer weekly MINIMUM PAY. One that comes to mind is West Side Transportation, Sue D's Company. Not trying to talk you out or or into anything. Good Luck!

Interesting. Thanks Tman for your input. That's certainly something to consider. I've watched your progress here since before you left for school even.

It's disheartening to see such sad miles for someone who seems to be doing everything right. Any chance freight is just slow right now?

I'm in the same boat as you, although somewhat younger at 47. Ideally I would like to stay long term with whichever company I choose. Slow times are to be expected. But I need way more than 1800 miles per week. That's scary

Tractor, it's difficult for me to comment on your mileage because as you know 1800 miles on the Walmart 7030 account is like 2500 OTR without the other compensation elements like trip and dispatch fees. 7030 us all I have known for almost 4 years.

My only suggestion is to get more assertive with your DM , professionally holding her accountable for the unfulfilled promises. Remind her of your performance thus far and ask her repeatedly what you must do to earn better mileage. Be consistent with your message...share with her how you ran your wheels off at 7030. Make it so she has a difficult time forgetting about you. Set up a face to face meeting with her during you home time.

Beyond that not sure what else to suggest. It's definitely not freight levels, this is one of the busiest times for freight traffic.

Hopefully some of our other Swift OTR drivers can add something else. You have heard my suggestion and ultimately I really think a dedicated account is in your best interest.

Peace.

I am sitting in Jackson, TN. Made my delivery today at 1200. Have talked to my DL, have sent a Mac 10. Still no pre plan. I have HT scheduled for Tuesday 11/22. I am 1500 miles from home. Have serious doubts I will get home as scheduled......again. VERY FRUSTRATING!!!

T-man. Im too new here to be commenting, but doesnt having just 5 months have something to do with it?