How the hell can somebody screw up that badly on a DMV test? That trainee crossed the median and hit an Explorer? I HOPE this truck was a normal rig with a bunk in the sleeper and not one of those training trucks that has benches. If it had benches, there were probably several passengers back there watching this guy cross the median and hit a car. Can you imagine sitting on one of those benches when that happened? I'd have probably needed my trousers changed afterwards, assuming the people in the car were okay. I bet anyone in the Explorer was hurting after that hit, though. Afterwards I would have taken a long look in the mirror and considered leaving trucking behind in a cloud of dust. I might have done just that, too.

Oh well. There's always the lawsuit. One may be a vegetable sitting in a wheelchair after being cold-cocked by a rig, but there is always that to fall back on, right?

Swift should be shut down. 'Nuff said.

__________________
--Paved Dudley--

Yeah I drive a Swift truck
And that means one thing
It means she's slow
It's a typical company truck
It's just all show and no go

I'm gettin' passed by Yella
And even Overnite
I'm gettin' passed by ever' body in sight
46 days on the road
And I'm not gettin' home tonight

No, my hometown's nowhere in sight
And if you think I'm pissed off
You're right
46 days on the road
And I'm not gettin' home tonight


Love pissing off those trucking company insiders.

You and many others...

__________________
Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

This will depend on what state you are in. Here in MD, you have to have been licensed for three years before you can let someone with a learners' permit drive.

__________________
Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

I wonder who would be the defendant in that lawsuit?

__________________
Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

Good greief!!! Some people shouldn't drive a truck.

__________________
Peace, with lots of beer and mustard grease.

Hey driver thanks for that enlightening comment....but as a Swift driver manager I have to dissagree with your comment. My co-worker and I (we are the only 2 on the night shift) do our absolute best to ensure our fleets are well maintained and well cared for. Now to some other comments made on this thread......I will not deny that Swift has issues....yes our training program leaves a lot to be desired..do I believe a mentor should be someone who has only been on the road for 6 months....no...Its kinda funny when you stop at think about all the people who bad mouth Swift, especially those who used to work for us....I know of quite a few drvrs who make an outstanding living working here...they are the guys that have half a brain....the ones that can do their log book properly...who know how to run hard...and the ones who are not ignorant...It is a sad story indeed, those of you who used to work here...who quit because "they didn't make enough" or "didn't get home when I was promised" Working nights I see it all the time...a driver has an RDO (remaining days out) of 4 is in VA and lives in NY....drvr then commits to a load going to OK....and then whines because he is not home when he was "promised"...whos fault is that? We are a national trucking company...not your local mom and pop trucking outfit..if you are looking to be treated like more than a number, might wanna look else where....yes thats a harsh statement...but when a company gets so big it is an undenyable truth...The majority of the bad press that Swift gets is do to our lax hiring policy....do you have a pulse? yes, a clean driving record? yes, a Class A CDL? yes, OK your in. When you make a habit of hiring the greenest of the green you get men and women who enter the trucking industry and have no idea what they are getting themselves into....the open road....getting paid while seeing the good ole USA....it can be...once you realize there are lags in freight...some freight lanes are busier than others...and that if you are smart with the time in your log book..you will be available to run when a load presents itself....Swift, JB Hunt, Schenider...all of our trucks have break downs....we all have days where freight sucks....we all have people in the office that are just as green and stupid as some of the people behind the wheel....pick your poison and know what you are getting yourself into....and remember....we all had to start off somewhere....and if it wasn't for Swift hiring people right out of school....some of you would still be looking for a job...

After reading all these posts....the only word I can come up with is Ignorance....Tip you worked for Swift for what 3 months???? So sorry to see things just didn't work out...but whos to say the problems were not caused on your end?? Not sure how someone who worked for a company for 3 months years ago can possibly think they have enough inside knowledge to possibly give a carrier recomendation to another driver...for all you know they guy asking the question will work out great..become a mentor and stick with the company for years to come....

Krush have you ever stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, Swift is the number one complained about company because they are the biggest and most well known trucking company out there? Kinda like the power of advertising....some one says sports drink, you say gatorade....some disgruntled trucker is blowing off steam and you think Swift???

Turbo you crack me up....you start off this thread with 26 "reasons why swift is not a good place to work".....so a National company with approx 16,325 (as of this morning) and 60 thousand trailers +/- who hires the greenest of the green drivers running god only knows how many miles a day.....and you can only come up with 26 negative points....I must say...I am dissapointed...I would have expected more from a Swift sucks thread....and incase you have not figured it out yet...I do work for swift...I am a driver manager with a B.S. in Logistics and a B.S. in Managment....do I think Swift suffers from some fatal flaws in their management structure...you know it...do I think our driver training has a lot to be desired...absolutely...but do I think Swift deserves the kind of bashing it gets....no way......I can say with certainty that I am under paid, and that any driver who has half a brain in their head and any kind of work ethic will be able to make more in their first year than I did...all the claims that are made that drivers get no respect is a crock...the old adage that respect is earned...not given...comes into effect here...DM's are people too...you treat them well they will treat you well...we have over 600 trucks that run out of my terminal and I can tell you this...I usually know what truck I have on the phone based on the voice of the driver...for one of two reasons...they are that good of a driver (easy to mange, willing to work), or that bad of a driver ( all ways calling in, getting lost, trying to get bogus company advances) its that simple.
Bottom line...some people work out...some don't...those of you that bad mouth...obviously did not have a good experience with swift...may have been your fault...may have been ours...thats the way of the world....things can't be all bad though..seems as though any time a veteran driver leaves Swift thinking the grass is greener on the other side, finds themselves right back in a Swift truck kicking themselves for ever leaving. and I hope this helps settles an earlier argument....Swift had a 108% turnover rate this past year....

so you know for a fact that ALL drivers are treated as newbies...and you can validate EVERY bad thing said about swift...sorry but not only is that impossible...but just plain [edited]....on a side note...O/O...talk about whiney people...lemme guess you got mad over the lack of fuel surcharges and left???

yup thats wrong too...as a matter of fact since jerry left we have bought mostly volvos....and were buying freightliners when he was here...

You know, Swift goes through a LOT of drivers, and the statistics don't seem to bear out your assertions. Out of 63,139 roadside inspections that have been performed in the last 24 months, only 6.78% of the drivers were found to have logbook errors.

What this tells me, is that if all these people that are hitting the revolving doors that Swift, were "ignorant", and "brainless", it would seem to me that the statistics would bear out a little more evidence of your assertions.

The only thing that I consider "ignorant" about people that traditionally offer negative insight about Swift, is the fact that they were not aware of just how bad it can be, to work for a trucking company.

Of course. Far be it to expect that the driver manager who sent him the load, to overlook the fact that he should be sending him a load that would take him to the house on time. It's the driver's fault for knowing that the only thing worse than not getting a load that takes him home, is to turn one down that goes anywhere, because he will sit AND not make money, AND not get home.

Thank you for that confirmation. I've been telling people this for years. Who wants to be a number?

Of course, it's important to note at this point, that there is a reason WHY Swift is forced to hire so recklessly. They are unable to draw a substantial workforce from the pool of experienced drivers out there who are seeking employment.

Let's put this into terms that even YOU can understand. When an 18 year old graduates from high school, and enters the workforce, the fast food industry is generally where they start out. It's the bottom rung of the ladder. Those jobs do not offer conditions such that they are likely to make it a permanent place of employment. There are various reason why they wind up there, but as a career? Not very likely.

I had no idea that the Swift's intentions were running an employment service, to provide opportunities to fresh, smiling faces. I thought they were running a trucking company.

Those are not 26 reasons. Those are links that do or did offer testimony to just how bad that company is. They are not MY reasons. They are those of people who have went through the place.

Well, let's be fair. Of those 16,325 drivers on staff, as of this morning, the chances are that one year from to day, they will all have been replaced several times over. I think that's an important distinction to note when you begin talking about Swift.

Really? I don't usually point out flaws in how people write, but for a man that claims to hold two Batchelor Degrees, you have thought that he would have learned to spell and how to structure a sentence or two.

I, on the other hand have only a high school education, and do my level best to avoid the "BS".

Oh, I'm so sorry. You're under their spell.

As I read this, I am reminded of a time when I was conversing with a Swift driver at a paper mill in Mahrt, Alabama, and he showed me the electronic exchange of such "respect". It was one of the worst cases of attempting to force a driver to drive in violation, that I had ever seen. This driver showed me his logbook, and the fact that he had basically just finished covering 1,000 miles straight through, and was not going to be allowed to rest until he had dropped and hooked at this location, and drive another 250 miles.

He was being threatened with his job, if he did not complete that run. I gave him a throwaway camera I had to document the words printed, and advised him of a few other things to do, and also put him in touch with a better job, which he did take. Oh, and this was going on at around 03:00. Were you that guy on the other end of that qual-com?

You're no different that any other person who sits behind those desks in that place. It's ALWAYS the driver's fault, problem, lack of understanding, etc.. We all know the translations to those terms you keep repeating.

I will bet that the actual figure was more like 180%, and that you transposed a figure, but let's go with your figure just for kicks....

Today there are 16,325 drivers on staff. By this time next year, those that will actually make it through the hiring process, and replaced drivers that have terminated their employment, will be around 17,631 drivers.

That kind of turnover is not anything to brag about. It's a statement of complete failure to retain a workforce because of horrible working conditions...period.

People don't quit decent jobs. They quit lousy ones. It's a simple fact of life.

Winter is still some weeks away, but there is no lack of snow in a couple of posts, that just graced the perimeters of TTR today....