I know I've never seen a Swift company truck that was a 900 KW. An owner-operator? Perhaps. But who in the hell would want to do that for Swift, of all outfits?

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

When I drove for swift the OO contract was totaly fouled up, Including a requirment that the truck turned down to 65 and turning off the cruise. No truck owner in his/her right mind would agree to these conditions..

Your definition of "whining" means nothing in the real scheme of things. I for one have thoroughly researched this company, and there is more than enough to negate a thing you may have to offer on Swift.

If that's the case, then I am very happy for you. I know not how you came to work for Swift in this capacity, nor does it really matter. The fact of the matter IS that the vast amount of objections to Swift, stems from their rampant abuse of newbies that are recruited to staff OTR trucks.

That being the case, it may be very possible for someone with driving experience or who may reside in a prime location for a dedicated position, to find themselves able to work into a job that may be worthwhile at Swift, but outside of those two circumstances, most do not find their experience at Swift to be pleasurable or that which can be determined to be positive in nature.

If history is any indication of a thing, whenever I read sentences of this nature, I usually discover that the person who writes it, is not what they claim to be. Are you a driver or a Swift company plant?

I fail to understand why a person, seeking a decent job for decent pay, and discovering that they are have found something completely contrary to this, is to be considered a "whiner".

Swift is WELL known for completely misrepresenting their working conditions, their lack of proper training, their horrible attention to safety standards that other carriers ARE addressing, and their abject lack of support for their employees in just about every category that can be brought up.

In addition to this, newbies have been exploited for profit potential for YEARS by Swift, and forced to violate numerous laws with the threat of their jobs hanging over their heads by idiot dispatchers, who themselves have no business in this industry, because they have no concept of what this job is all about.

Call it what you wish, but there are some things that SHOULD be "whined" about.

Hhhmmm....something doesn't wash. Unless you can prove me to be incorrect, those W-900's are not issued as company trucks, and certainly not "brand new". Those trucks are exclusively issued as incentives for people to enter into Swift's wonderfully income depriving lease purchase plan, the details of which have been digested at the following link:

[LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

You're credibility factor just took a nosedive.

What exactly do you have? So far, I'm less than impressed with your testimony, and will invoke my ability to transfer this to the proper forum...where it belongs.

Okay, I have read all the responses... wow...

No, I am not a company plant. Yes, I drive a new (now 2005 W900L, and now it has 160,000 miles that I put there). I mentioned that I drove for IELC, a division of Swift. Those that challenge this are obviously outsiders that prefer to pass around half truths and statistics (not comparative analysis, I noted). IELC (Interstate Equipment Leasing Co) is the division of Swift that leases owner/op trucks to those that want to go down that road. They also have a about 160 company drivers that get to drive these trucks when they are not leased (over purchased) or repossessed. I am one of those drivers. We are also known as "Jerry's Kids". You know where to put your challenge of my integrity. Regardless of what you claim is an "overwhelming" number of incidents of poor treatment, there are a hell of a lot of us (besides the 160 IELC drivers, just plain old Swifties) out there that have been working for the company for years and are satisfied with our jobs. I offered a different opinion from what I DO SEE AS WHINING here, and because it doesn't fit your obvious "Anit-Swift" agenda, you crap all over it. I am sorry it took me so long to get back, but some of us WORK for a living and can't sit around reading stuff on the Internet all day. All that being said, I am VERY disappointed in the quality of response and general lack of knowledge about the company you claim to be expert on. I therefore request that MR. ANTI-SWIFT himself/herself TURBOTRUCKER just remove this post and all responses, since it doesn't 'fit the reality of the world as you see it'. You can also remove my login name/data, as I have no intention of ever returning to this WHINING SITE. You sir/madam, disgust me. In this country, all opinions have merit, except where those that would choose to censor/limit opinions that don't fit their agenda.

Now just a damn minute...!!!

TurboTrucker is a very fair-minded and intelligent man, who will welcome any and all opinions. Go look at an argument him and I had in the political section and you'll see that.

But if that's too much work for you, then do the rest of us a favor and GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

Mack he already said he wasn't coming back.

I can't speak for Turbo but this thread is staying.

The last post from Madman would go as a good example as the potential quality of the drivers of some companies. From what I have read on this thread there had been little sniveling except from a small minorety in the area of being defensive and not willing to discuss the company he works for other then in two posts.

That's too bad...

Fair enough. It's an explanation that I accept, and a minor sticking point otherwise to the rest of what makes Swift a bad egg. It's your story, and please...by all means...stick to it. A pretty truck is a poor substitution for an offer of a fine job, and I'll insert here for your benefit a further comment. I think it's fair to offer the fact that anyone hired by Swift will have about a one in an 18,708 chance of getting one of those trucks...unless they live in Albuquerque, New Mexico and/or are hired to work out of that particular terminal...eh?

And if you can find where I have ever stated that Swift has not had long term employees, then you might have some point, but the fact is, I gave you that point in my last post without it being asked for.

If Swift were not able to retain SOME number of long term employees, then they would have folded long ago. The fact is though, that their overall turnover rates are horrible, and not without good reason.

If you desire to get into specifics, I'd be more than happy to oblige you. That will not be necessary however, because this drama can be ended with little effort, which leaves little doubt as to just how bad it really is over there for the AVERAGE driver, outside of your little arena in Albuquerque.

Google 'em....that's all anyone has to do. From that point, you can spend DAYS on end discovering the in's and out's of that company. There is no other trucking company on this planet, that is mired in the abject crap that Swift refuses to clean up behind themselves.

When you offer an insult to people right out of the box by using an inflammitory word to describe someone that is not on the same page as yourself, you expected....what? I would have left your post completely alone had you simply offered your praise of Swift. I can't say what others would have done, but you HAVE to know the reputation of that company.

My assessments are completely unbiased in nature, because I have never had one minute's association with them, but I've certainly spoken to more than one representative of that company on various issues over the years to try and get them to respond to charges. I've read and spoken to MANY people who have or WERE currently working for them, and have read hundreds of credible testimonials, which has formed a great deal of my opinion of Swift. Further, I have delved into the financial aspects of that company, their management techniques, perused their filings with the SEC, and read their well timed press releases to find the utter bull you know what that surrounds them.

And friend, I work for a living as well, and probably as hard or harder than you ever have, but I MAKE the time to involve myself in other aspects of improving this industry. I don't have any "anti-Swift agenda". I do have agendas that include guiding people to companies that are worth working for. Due to the fact that Swift is not a company that is currently offering criteria worthy of consideration, I DO steer people in other directions, and that will remain the case, until a point that Swift takes a serious look at the way they operate their company, and takes steps to improve the odor of their self-created cesspool.

What can I say? Your disappointment is your burden to bear. I sleep at night because I am doing a service to this industry, by informing others of the good and bad that is found within the ranks of this industry.

Your opinion most certainly has as much merit as anyone else's, including my own. But you have to understand something. No one is guaranteed that your opinion will not be trounced upon. You proved that very point by claiming your disgust for me, based on my own opinion. Thank you for that. I LOVE it when people contradict themselves with no assistance whatsoever from another to persuade them to do so.

My Mama always told me that if the heat was too hot, to get out of the kitchen....but the heat has never been that hot for me. I'm a teflon coated so and so....Apparently you are made of wax....

Another plant bites the dust....

I wouldn't DARE kill it, even upon his request. It is a tree that bears too many fruit to just let them go to ruin. He is free to remove whatever he posted, but I quoted everything he did write, so the message would not be lost in the event that he did.

I apologize for the tone of my responses, but he drew blood first, so I didn't feel that I had to be totally polite in my responses.

I want it completely understood that all opinions are welcome in here. That's rule number one. The only agenda we have, despite Madman's charge, is to arrive at the truth, even if I happen to be on the wrong side of that truth. I am hardly perfect, and anytime I am proven to be wrong, everyone will certainly know it, because I will readily admit my mistakes and ignorance, if that is evident.

Rule number two? If someone desires to come in here and insult participants in the manner that this "gentleman" did, I for one, am not going to sit still for it. I don't expect anyone else to tolerate it either.

Healthy discussions bring about understanding the facts as they may be, and mutual respect for each others opinions will help others arrive at their own conclusions by weighing each side of an issue, and then arriving at their own conclusions.

One undeniable fact is that most often than not, when people run out of ways to debate a position, or when someone lacks the social skills to discuss an issue with reason and intellect, they resort to attacking the messenger, rather than the message itself.

I have no doubt whatsoever that Swift has some very happy people. I'd love to see some of them post whatever they wish in response to the negative that exists out there about the company they work for, as long as they do it with respect and honesty.

I've posted the following many times, and it bears repeating here again...

When you read one negative thing, you can overlook it. You can overlook even a few negative remarks IF there are enough positive ones to contrast them to. When you read repeated postings of the same type of complaint about a company, and have virtually NOTHING to contrast them to, only a fool would ignore it and consider these testimonials to be frivolous and off-base. Smoke is an indication of fire. It always has been, and it always will be.

I'll admit I am guilty of this BUT have learned to keep my ears and eyes open. What I have seen is that when the talking points are exhausted the name calling and insults begin...