Swift Refrigerated
Topic 25434 | Page 6
I would definitely agree with what G-Town says. We were governed at 63 and as a rookie I felt comfortable with that. I did, however, wish we had that Safe Pass feature Swift has. That would have been cool.
How are you liking the International so far? Mine had a creaking noise that my wife described as "driving an Igloo cooler" when going down the road. I was told that it was the sound of the rubber hood latches, but I didn't keep it long enough to find out for sure.
I really like it. Heard a lot of bad things and so far I can't say anything being it's still new and no problems have arrived.
How's the OTR reefer life treating you Gladhand? Hope all is well so far. I'd like to know what kind of solo miles you are doing there as OTR.
Good so far. Compared to dry van I am pre-planned before I finished each of the few loads I have done. Also my dm checks in with me weekly and I like that reefer has a main set of planners so it is easier to "prove" one's self. It is also helpful that I have a more proactive dm now.
Can't say too much yet being I am still getting back in the otr groove, but here is the miles I have seen so far.
Load #1. Local load, Phoenix to Phoenix. Load #2 Phoenix, AZ to Denver, CO 852. Load #3 Greeley, Co to San Jose, CA 1288. Load #4 Watsonville, CA to (load has 5 stops) Riverdale, UT being the last stop. 894.
Is it true that Swift increased their governed speed to 69?
I wish! We're at 63 on the pedal and 65 on the cruise, with a pass smart option of 67. The pass smart can only be used for 30 minutes in a 24 hour period. This info is for company drivers, but lease ops are different. They have passed me doing 70, but I don't know the actual governed speed.
Lol, the Swift recruiter came to my CDL school. He said 69. I guess he was trying to make Swift look more attractive for recruits. How does their bonus program, and the silver and gold program work?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
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.
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.Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Please make a new thread to ask all those questions Jim. I made this thread to just give my experiences with Reefer at swift.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Gladhand one thing I really admire about you is how you're willing to do different things to find what fits you best. Instead of being unhappy you're switching divisions within the company to get different experiences. You're one of the many drivers I enjoy reading posts from.
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.
Gladhand one thing I really admire about you is how you're willing to do different things to find what fits you best. Instead of being unhappy you're switching divisions within the company to get different experiences. You're one of the many drivers I enjoy reading posts from.
Thanks Rob. Life is too short to do stuff you don't like. Needed the experiences of being home more and barely having a 34 a week to change my point of view.
Looking to break my apartment lease and go back to living in the truck. With Swift's new creature comforts, the truck is a lot more comfortable than it used to be. Even though it was comfortable then too haha.
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.
That's the great thing about Swift, is there are more opportunities than you can shake your finger at. My wife and I enjoyed doing OTR reefer for Prime when we were there. Things happened, and we ended up here at Swift. Our original plan was to go back to OTR reefer, then we got offered a position doing dedicated dry van across country. I have been following this thread for the reason that I'm interested in seeing real life numbers on OTR as opposed to what the terminal leader and recruiters have said.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
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.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
That's the great thing about Swift, is there are more opportunities than you can shake your finger at. My wife and I enjoyed doing OTR reefer for Prime when we were there. Things happened, and we ended up here at Swift. Our original plan was to go back to OTR reefer, then we got offered a position doing dedicated dry van across country. I have been following this thread for the reason that I'm interested in seeing real life numbers on OTR as opposed to what the terminal leader and recruiters have said.
You can definitely get great miles in dry van too. It's a matter of efficiency and your driver leader. This new driver leader I have out of Rochelle is good. He calls me daily and gives me attaboys for doing my job right haha. I don't need them, but they definitely are appreciated. My Walmart dedicated experience has given me a lot of great skills. Went to a Lowe's yesterday that had a tough dock like one of the neighborhood markets I used to go to. So I knew how to approach it. I did those 5 stops no problem, so I am definitely grateful for the grocery experience.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
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.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
That's the great thing about Swift, is there are more opportunities than you can shake your finger at. My wife and I enjoyed doing OTR reefer for Prime when we were there. Things happened, and we ended up here at Swift. Our original plan was to go back to OTR reefer, then we got offered a position doing dedicated dry van across country. I have been following this thread for the reason that I'm interested in seeing real life numbers on OTR as opposed to what the terminal leader and recruiters have said.
Same here. Recruiters have been known to bend the truth sometimes.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
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.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Jim wrote:
Same here. Recruiters have been known to bend the truth sometimes.
Jim this is the second such statement you’ve made about a recruiter. It’s not necessary. Your compensation is based purely on performance and your ability to grasp what is necessary to Become a Top Performer.
As a rookie driver expect to earn about 45k average and think of it more as a well paid apprenticeship. It will take most of your rookie year to absorb the very steep and often unforgiving learning curve.
Not sure if you read or studied any of the following links:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
The above is time well invested and far more valuable than whining about recruiters.
As suggested earlier, start a new thread about Swift and I’m sure we can address and answer any question you can think of.
Good luck.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
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Swift Transport Choosing A Trucking Company Dedicated Jobs Refrigerated Trailers
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You guys are going to hate me for saying this; a driver in training should not be able to drive more than 62mph until they can prove consistent lane control and space management.