Swift To Increase Pay Again.

Just had a fleet message sent last night swift is doing another company wide pay bump. The details will be released on Monday, i wil update the post when i get the details.

Eckoh, I'm considering SWIFT. What are your thoughts about the over the road mentor training? Have you been pleased with you choice so far? Does the company allow you to switch divisions fairly easily....I'm thinking about pulling reefer for my first year, then moving to flatbed. I really want to go flatbed right away, but I think it might be better to get a solid year of driving in before having to learn the flatbed trade.

it has its positives and negatives. its just a matter if the positives out weight the negatives for you.

Understood. Thanks.

Every mentor is different, same goes with students. Mix the two and you have a infinite amount of possibilities. My mentor was a blast, we would work our butts off and burn our clocks. Then we would party hard ;-) ... We were on the same page though. Most stories I hear is all work and no play. SWIFT has been good with me, granted I like the job and stay busy. Many truckers hate this job and it shows. IE you make your own way out here.

My mentor is the best mentor you can possibly get out of the Ohio terminal. I got him out of sheer luck but he taught me way more then i could of thought possible.

Most of my mentorship was driving in the northeast, so there was no flat straight roads. We did most petsmart dedicated so it was lots of backing and a hole lot of city driving. Every mentor is different. a good friend of mine had a garbage mentor to the point that he was terminated from being a mentor after my friend tested out.

The biggest thing is ask any and all questions you have. Do not worry about backing and things like that you will get most of them by accident. Just remember that if you show you are willing to work and willing to learn you should not have much issue.

Dear OTR , Linehaul , Shuttle Drivers, There are a lot of exciting things happening at Swift that we want to make sure you know about.

Wage Increase in May, 2015

First, we’re excited to share with you that this coming May we will be doing another Driver wage increase. On May 1, 2015, starting pay for mileage paid OTR/Linehaul/Shuttle Drivers up to one year of experience will be a minimum of $0.36 cents per mile. Mileage paid OTR/Linehaul/Shuttle Drivers that have 1+ years of experience will get an increase of $0.02 per mile. Please note that loads picked up and delivered east of the Mississippi still carry a premium.

In addition, drivers will be ranked at the time of their first solo dispatch and will receive a weekly performance payout until the beginning of the following quarter after which you will then receive a quarterly performance payout. Gold, Platinum and Diamond drivers will receive a $0.02 rate per mile performance pay increase.

This approximately 10% increase is reflective of our dedication to you and we are committed to rewarding you for the positive behaviors you exhibit that produce results.

New Smart Trucks

“Certain combination tractors – commonly known as “big rigs” or “semi-trucks” – will be required to achieve up to approximately 20% reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by model year 2018, saving up to 4 gallons of fuel for every 100 miles traveled.” – United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The next big thing that is already starting to rollout to Drivers is our new Smart Trucks. A few of you might already be driving these new trucks filled with great features like Lane Departure Warnings, Collision Mitigation, Adaptive Cruise Control, Intelligent Drivetrain and Active Break Assist. One of the most noticeable differences with these trucks is they are Automatic Transmission. Now I know many of you might have a negative reaction to this news, however, I want to make sure you understand the major benefits that automatic transmission provides to you.

· The drive train runs and pulls more efficiently than a manual transmission can.

· The engine gets optimal torque with lower RPMS which uses less fuel, and produces less wear on the transmission and gears.

· The road speed stays consistent even with the lower RPMS so the sensation of being underpowered goes away.

· They utilize engine braking and an automated manual transmission to be responsive to your input. Engine braking is powerful on downgrades and the truck will not “lose” a gear the way a human driver might while climbing a steep grade.

· With the automatic, you provide engine braking and some feathering of the foot pedal only when necessary. No danger of “starting down” a steep grade in too high of a gear – which makes you safer!

· In bad weather, these trucks allow you to lock in the differential as well as adjust the load so that the wheels do not “slip” and to make sure that most of the weight is on the wheels that provide power.

· The automatic frees that part of your mind that focuses on handling the drive train which gives your mind the ability to notice potential hazards even faster. Managing congested traffic areas creates confidence and the ability to recognize hazards because your attention is not divided.

· Automatic Trucks allow you the opportunity to be more vigilant while on the road and reduces fatigue.

Don’t take my word for it, listen to what Swift Drivers have to say about this feature:

“You’re no longer having to fight the truck. Especially in traffic. The clutch and the shifting wear down your knees and shoulders. When you take that out of the picture, you can have a longer career driving a truck.” – Lorrain Browning – Former Driver/Driver Training Specialist

“After driving yesterday I was so much less fatigued that I went for a walk instead of going right to bed. – Mark W., Swift Driver

Nice... I should be finished up training just a couple weeks before that pay increase hits.