Hi again, as far as Swift is concerned... I know Swift to a degree, having gone out with a former female trainer for Swift for a bit.
Swift has their trucks governed at 68, slow by most people standards within the truckin' industry. They're VERY safety concious about their drivers. They have good equipment, and every driver has a DM or Driver Manager, and that person works with you as you travel, they're kinda like your personal dispatcher. Co.'s like PII (Panther II) will give you multiple people on the QC (Qualcomm) to deal with on runs, which can get a little hectic - esp. when you have to explain the issues your having over and over again to new people. Imagine getting a new supervisor almost every time you have a question or assignment, it's sorta the same scenario. PII though is safety consious though for the most part.
Anyways, Swift does have strict rules...
a driver I know is no longer with them because he had his g/f on the truck without permission and went to a drop point with a restricted area within it that the truck had to go into... Well, the co. notified Swift that there was 2 people on the truck and to their knowledge that truck was only supposed to have one person in it. Upon finding out there was another person onboard the truck not given permission by Swift to be onboard that driver was told to take the truck to the nearest Swift terminal and drop the trailer so another driver could deliver the load. That driver was told to remove his gear from the rig and he no longer will be employed by Swift. He had to find his own way home.
If you plan on taking somebody onboard, get permission from your co. that you drive for. If you drive for an O/O leased to a co., get permission not only from the truck owner, but also the co. he/she is leased on with. Just because the owner says it's OK doesn't mean the trucking co. will say it's ok. Sometimes there's "rider programs", where you pay $25 up front for insurance for that person to the co. and then it may only be $2 to $4 per month there after. Sometimes they will just have you sign paperwork and have the rider sign paperwork as well so it's on record who is on that particular truck.
Weapons, most women I've come accross in trucking have weapons besides tire thumpers or big flashlights. They're generally packin' stuff like air pistols (revolver type gun that shoots compressed air out and can knock a person off their feet from 6 feet away), or stun guns, or pepper spray. Some carry small pistols or guns of some sort in their purses. Sometimes they'll have a small gun strapped to their ankle under their pants leg. Stun guns and pepper spray are the most common. Knives are next, various shapes and sizes. I personally am all for women packin', I think it's smart. Whether it's legal is another issue, but that legallity issue goes out the door if it saves her life or saves her from any kind of harm.
Dogs are good to have, so are cats, I personally though am a dog person. Dogs can bark and ward off people near the rig. Dogs will bark, growl, and/or whine to let you know somethin's wrong too, like water leaks or an open door or if they're leary of somebody or something. Cats sleep alot. just my opinion. I want a bark, a growl, not a meow. Animals like dogs and cats shed though, so bare in mind that you'll have to vaccuum more. and you have to empty litter boxes, or stop to let them out to walk and do their thing outside. 72" sleepers (the norm most of the time - for now) get small real quick.
I'm all for havin' pets onboard though, I think it's great.
Teams will almost always make more money than a solo on every run.
The truck can go farther in a shorter amount of time. A solo has to stop after a certain point.
Team driving though is all about trust, you have to be able to trust that person - your life is in their hands when you back there sleepin'.
As far as the KW and Pete thing, thats a choice only you can make, they're both good trucks. Do you want a semi or a straight truck (Box truck)? Do you want a class 8 based straight truck (a semi with a stretched frame and a cargo box)? Check out the photo gallery on EO (nickname for ExpeditersOnline.com), see all the different kinds of trucks and body styles. There's more than just Pete and KW's, there's Freightliner, Mack, Volvo, Sterling, Western Star, International... so there's plenty of styles to choose from. On the homepage of EO there's a list of dealers on the top left, click on them and browse thru them to see what you like. Check out the dealer web sites and browse their online inventory.
I'm rollin' out, but keep goin', we'll help you the best we can.
Later, Big Bus'
heres some questions if you would be so kind to answer them for me: