Trying To Choose Between Swift And CT Transport

Christopher wrote:

I do not have any experience working for swift but i know of their reputation

Are you kidding me? You just presented the perfect contradiction and the very reason so many of us are challenging the credibility and validity of your post. YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT SWIFT, thus only know what you have heard about their reputation from unreliable sources who likely failed due to their own doing, not their company. I am always on the fence which is worse; giving bad information or accepting it as truth. You did both in the same post. The guys who are happy at Swift (like me and many other in this forum); obviously you haven't read anything we have written or, you possibly don't believe it. Not sure... Your other paragraph, this here, is something we can take a bit more seriously, and attempt to truthfully address:

However since you do work there im assuming, what do you recommend about your company and why would it be ideal for someone new starting out in this industry? whats their stance on weather? average haul length? freight lanes? gps navigation equipped trucks? - if equipped how are the gps units configured? fastest route or shortest route ? - example fastest route traveling on interstate mainly for a longer distance vs cutting through towns on highways for a shorter distance haul apu/inverter? customers they deliver to? who unloads the truck ? driver unload, no touch, lumper unload ? where are the operation centers located? are they forced dispatch ? what do you dislike about your company ? what could management do better ? do you see yourself being there for an extended period of time ? how safe is your company as a whole? are you regional , local, dedicated, or otr and can you change between them easily if you lifestyle changes? what happens if you get sick on the road and does that count against you ?

I chose Swift for basic two reasons: their schooling and road training is very good and the myriad of opportunities available to a driver. This is due to the scope and variety of their business mix; mainly dedicated account opportunities. I also had two phone calls with a million mile driver/mentor (trainer) with Swift before I made my final decision. Beyond that I subscribe to the basic philosophy of a good, hardworking, communicative, safety conscience driver can be successful at most any trucking company. Swift supported me through my first year struggles and continues to focus on driver improvement by providing me all of the tools necessary to be safe and successful. Are they perfect? No. Is there room for improvement? Always. But you see Christopher, for the most part they listen to their drivers. I have yet to have a problem or request that wasn't addressed professionally and fairly. My relationships with my DMs and planners is professional and highly effective, emphasis on "me" because I worked hard to initially build those relationships and continue working on them, never ends. Every driver knows this is usually where the relationship with your company begins and ends; with the 3 or 4 people you interact with, day in and day out.

Safety is Swift's primary focus, weather issues are taken seriously and never have I or any of my fellow drivers on the Walmart account been forced to run in unsafe weather conditions. Never! That includes ice, snow, high wind and the Pocono PeaSoup, DENSE FOG.

Swift runs Qualcomm hardware for their touch point interface with the OmniTrac software and telemetry systems. NaviGo is the integrated GPS/Dispatch interface system and is fairly reliable as GPS systems go. They are configured based on safest, most efficient, cost effective route. Does it take you through towns on occasion? Yes. But with everything trucking, it's up to the driver to exercise common sense and inject their experience when it comes to effective trip planning and not sole reliance on the GPS.

Since I am Walmart Dedicated, I never need to worry about lumpers, mileage, home time, or finding empties. I have been there for over four years and have no reason to look elsewhere. Christopher, you are eight months in, my suggestion to you is sit down and talk with the key contact at your current "nameless" employer. Do this at or near your one year anniversary date; review your performance history with them, see what they can do to adjust, and offer you something more in line with what you think you want or are lacking. Until you have been with them for a year or more, you don't really know what they could offer you. The 13th month changes everything, don't leave them (whoever they are) for greener pastures before you first consider your future options with them. It might just surprise you.

Regional:

Regional Route

Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

Qualcomm:

Omnitracs (a.k.a. Qualcomm) is a satellite-based messaging system with built-in GPS capabilities built by Qualcomm. It has a small computer screen and keyboard and is tied into the truck’s computer. It allows trucking companies to track where the driver is at, monitor the truck, and send and receive messages with the driver – similar to email.

Interstate:

Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).

Dm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

EPU:

Electric Auxiliary Power Units

Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices

Just throwing this out there, I work for CT transportation, and have been here for 5 years. Ask me anything you want and I will try to help as much as I am able.

Just throwing this out there, I work for CT transportation, and have been here for 5 years. Ask me anything you want and I will try to help as much as I am able.

Any reason you keep on replying to old threads? They have basically been resolved seeing no one has posted for 10 months.

The reason why I bring up old thread is people actually ask me from time to time about comments I have made. Just because a topic has been dead for ten months doesnt mean that there arent people out there that are curious about the same topic.

Just throwing this out there, I work for CT transportation, and have been here for 5 years. Ask me anything you want and I will try to help as much as I am able.

Any reason you keep on replying to old threads? They have basically been resolved seeing no one has posted for 10 months.