Must start another GOOD SWIFT thread...

[polk salit]

Hi everybody, thanks 6pack4-two for all your insight to my questions and also to everybody else. Your advice and suggestions are appreciated. Also thanks guys/gals who responded to the 15% layoff question. I thought it would be more along these lines, which makes me more confident in my decision to go with Swift. I know no company is perfect, so I'm going to stand on my decision. And as far as why the wait, for me I have prior committments to fulfill before I can start school. I'll be starting in July. I suppose I could second-guess myself all day long, so I'm just jumping in feet first and go for it. Thanks everybody and best of luck!

[ic40oz]

It would be illegal for a company to participate in a financial situation with a student and then terminate them for other than unsatisfactory conditions. I am positive that this will be stated in the contract when you sign on for Swift. They are basically loaning you money to attend their training facility and you pay them back monthly for their service. If you are let go for hostile or unsafe actions, that is a different story. But as for just letting you go because they want to take a truck off the road, that is a very easy court case to win. As many drivers as Swift has, I assume that a few have been in this situation and could relate. I wouldn't worry about termination during your time as a student and under contract. You are paying them money. They want that.

[ic40oz]

One more thing, It's all about Business. Money is money to companies. I don't care how big or small the company. If there is money to be made off of any means, 99% of people are going to take it. Swift will no achieve anything good, if they spend money to train, and receive more money because you are a new driver from the government. There is a standard plan to the madness. Much of it has to do with something that is WAY over our heads. This is any business in general. A guy can tell you straight up that he is 100% for the customers..driver.. associates.. etc.. BUT when he knows there is money to make, those customers, drivers, associates, etc. don't matter as much as you may think.

[6pak4-two]

Originally Posted by polk salit

Hi everybody, thanks 6pack4-two for all your insight to my questions and also to everybody else. Your advice and suggestions are appreciated. Also thanks guys/gals who responded to the 15% layoff question. I thought it would be more along these lines, which makes me more confident in my decision to go with Swift. I know no company is perfect, so I'm going to stand on my decision. And as far as why the wait, for me I have prior committments to fulfill before I can start school. I'll be starting in July. I suppose I could second-guess myself all day long, so I'm just jumping in feet first and go for it. Thanks everybody and best of luck!

Glad to hear you made your choice I'm sure things will work well four you try to keep up with some post as to how things are.

Best of luck 6pak

[desert_son]

Originally Posted by Quexos

I am debt free other than the Truck School bill that I will have to repeat again given my time away from the job. My concern is not so much the awful 24-27 cpm, but if I will be able to keep moving to maximize that. Last time I was with Swift, all they wanted me to do was run these little short runs back and forth from Phoenix, LA, Sacramento, Las Vegas. That would not be so bad if it was mostly drop and hook, but it was not. It was usually a run all night to get there for an ALL DAY offload/reload affair and then run all night (everything was a "hot load") to make on time delivery 400 miles away and repeat. Notice there was no mention of sleep in there? Swift tried to straight up kill me out there last time, and for peanuts.

When I drove OTR with Swift I'd get those So Cal to Phx runs and back, after a couple I would speak with my DM and he would get me a good run. I did run out of Fontana so I'd get a few of those Phx runs.

If I told them I needed to sleep, they went nuts, threatening me with everything from "service failure" (drivers fault late load) to refusing a load, and asking why I didn't sleep during one of the 8 hour load/offloads. Duh! Because it was driver unload or one of those deals where you have to stay awake and wait for a dock assignment over the CB? Because he (dispatcher) had me calling him back every half hour while he looked for my next load? Because I was in a line of other trucks waiting to get unloaded and a 1 sec delay pulling forward in line means you get cut in front of by 3 trucks behind you? Because I was in LA traffic for 4 of it trying to get to the next drop/load/whatever?

If you can not make your delivery because the shipper took to long to load you and caused you to run out of hours just do a macro 22 the fault should go to the shipper and not fall on you. I have had to do this more then a few times. When you refuse a load and dispatch still tries to force you to take it and you don't have the hours mention safety that usually changes their tune (at least it did for me).

[desert_son]

Originally Posted by pawpaw

My experience (2 years ago) with Swift was out of the Albuquerque terminal. I hated CA because we were usually 3:1 Inbound:Outbound. Tha always meant a wait in CA. I knew guys from the PHX terminal that were running all 48. I think a lot of it has to do with your relationship with your DM. I know mine pretty much did everything he could to run me where I wanted to go. In that he kept me out of CA is much as possible.

Your right it has to do a lot with your realationship with your DM, you work with him/her they will work with you.

As for forcing you to drive illegal, there are those who say they do that. I never had them push me beyond my hours except on a couple of deliveries want to me to back in after hours. Each time the issue was resolved without me violating HOS.

I have turned down load because of HOS rules each time they either took it off me or they worked it into my schedule.

I do know you will have to go with a mentor for 42 dispatched days. If you are available for dispatch the day counts. If you are at home the day does not count.

If your more then 50 miles from your home you will still be paid just won't get credit for training (at least that was the way it was last year when I was a mentor).

As for doubles, Swift does very little doubles hauling.

Most of the doubles are with dedicated routes, like rite aid, best buy.

[desert_son]

Originally Posted by Ohnoo

I assure you that you where not "fired" because of cutbacks.

The so called cutback was actually 10% of the fleet which all of the big companies agreed to take off of the road to try and prevent a fright war. 1700 trucks in Swifts case. There was no driver layoff the people who where let go was simply from screwing up and getting fired. A normal everyday thing.

As for me I had been on a leave of absent from an auto accident. By the time I was released by the doctor Swift had terminated me (they had told in the beginning how long I had before they would terminate me. It turned out to be a month longer then they said.) I am rehireable but not at this time so guess I am part of the down sizing.

[pawpaw]

Originally Posted by desert_son

As for me I had been on a leave of absent from an auto accident. By the time I was released by the doctor Swift had terminated me (they had told in the beginning how long I had before they would terminate me. It turned out to be a month longer then they said.) I am rehireable but not at this time so guess I am part of the down sizing.

The recruiter I talked to yesterday said they hope to be able to take rehires and experienced drivers by the end of July. The problem is availability of trucks during this downsize. They can take new students and trainees due to the lead time before they need a truck.

[Zaroj]

I have a question for Paw and DesertSon:

I have an application in with Swift and was accepted and have a recruiter. But I am not going to the Phoenix Academy until September by my request. My biggest concern is will they still be taking new recruits at that time?

Also my recruiter said I will go to the Albuquerque Terminal once done with training. Can I count on this? I am concerned with DesertSon mentioning that the Fontana Terminal wasn't hiring anymore. It is important to me since I live in Las Vegas (no not Nevada).

How can I find out if the Albuquerque Terminal is hiring?

Thanks for your help guys!

[desert_son]

Originally Posted by Zaroj

I have a question for Paw and DesertSon:

I have an application in with Swift and was accepted and have a recruiter. But I am not going to the Phoenix Academy until September by my request. My biggest concern is will they still be taking new recruits at that time?

Also my recruiter said I will go to the Albuquerque Terminal once done with training. Can I count on this? I am concerned with DesertSon mentioning that the Fontana Terminal wasn't hiring anymore. It is important to me since I live in Las Vegas (no not Nevada).

How can I find out if the Albuquerque Terminal is hiring?

Thanks for your help guys!

Well each terminal have different hiring needs, but I am sure that you should be able to get on with Albuquerque. I was told the same as Paw hiring will begin again soon. I have known drivers whose "home" terminal was not the nearest terminal. My trainer though he lived here in So Cal his home terminal was Albuquerque. As a side note I know where LV is my nephew played football there at highland last year and I believe he will be coaching one of the local High Schools.