Swift Transportation Company, Inc. - Phoenix, Az.

Leave these Swifties alone. I need them. I follow them into the truck stops so that I can get a parking space. They always seem to clear the O/O's out when they enter the lot.

 

The driver can inspect it all he wants, but it is ultimately the responsibility of the motor carrier to make sure that the repairs are done. That is the law.

It is the drivers responsibility to do their pre-trip and post-trip inspections as well as to report what they find to the company.

After that it is the responsibility of the company to make sure that the proper repairs are done as it is their equipment and their ultimate responsibility.

We are not mechanics. We are drivers and we get paid to drive the truck. We do not get paid to play the role of mechanic for the company. If the company wanted us to be mechanics, then they would have hired us to be mechanics instead of drivers.

If you want to be a mechanic, then stop driving and be a mechanic. If you want to drive, then act like a driver and do what the FMCSR expects of you as a driver.

If the company does not like what the FMCSR says, then let that be their problem and let them be the ones to get in trouble for not following the FMCSR. Don't follow the lead of the company. Always go by what the FMCSR says first, then go by what the compay says.

If what the company says is not inline with the FMCSR, then let take appropriate action even if that means quitting the company and going somewhere else.

 

Take this for what its worth. I am an older driver with 15 years experience,now retired.I have done a little of everything from railroad freight,over the road truckin,and local truckin. I did do a short stint with Swift,four months worth. To me Swift is the bottom of the barrel. In my four months with them it seems like every day was a bad experience. I would not reccomend them to my worst enemy. I realize that there are some Swift drivers who have been there a long time and enjoy what they are doing.I would imagine they have never driven for a good company,so they have nothing to compare Swift with. I have driven for some good companies,and some bad ones,but in all fairness Swift was the worst.Oh yeah and being retired and always busy,I have much better things to do than just sit at the computer and run down a truckin company.Its just that some info is worth passing on.

 

Problem I found is most drivers did not want to inspect the trailer and thus left the problem for someone else. More than I care to count I picked up t-called trailers with tires that were so bad that I lost time getting them repaired. It was obvious the previous driver(s) didn't care enough to report the problem. Yes, it is the shop's job to fix trailers when they are made aware of the problem. However, the way Swift runs freight a trailer may not see a terminal in many months. Thus it IS the driver's responsibility to take the trailer to the nearest shop when they find a problem. Most drivers though do not really do a pre- or post-trip and there in lies the problem.

 

No the law is that IS the drivers responsibility to make sure that all OOS repairs have been done before using the equipment. The driver doesn't have to make the repairs personally but they do have to make sure they have been done before driving off. Notice the three signature lines at the bottom of vehicle reports, Signature of driver making report, Signature of mechanic making repairs, and lastly Signature of driver reviewing repairs.

 

He is correct its the drivers responsibility to make sure the trailer he is pulling is up to snuff, if repairs are needed to make the trailer safe, he has an avenue with the company to get those repairs taken care of. It is no more the carriers place to do this than it is to make sure my log book is legal.

 

Congratulations on the win. Maybe some other drivers who've been burned by those guys will follow in your footsteps and do the right thing.

 

my experiece the last 2 weeks with the dm i have has been horrible. i totally cannot stand this guy.im going to try to switch to a new dm. but my first 2 weeks solo has made me get a bad attitude towards the whole swift thing.like i said im going to try for a new dm (because this one is a friggin jerk all the way). he is a dm out of lewiston terminal. wont say his name but most people will know who i am talking about. my luck i drew the jerk that the other drivers warned me to stay away from.i hope it gets better but hey swift get a clue. driver managers that are ######## make for poor performance. please get rid of this dm. he has no buisness in the position.

 

Montana, sorry to hear about the dm issues. You probably got him because they assign dm's based on the number of drivers they have on their board. Since he appears to be one of the "winners" that most ask to leave, unfortunately, he will probably be the first dm new drivers in Lewiston will have to deal with.

Remember, though, he has tenure and the way you go about asking for a new dm can affect the outcome. Go about it diplomatically. Just tell them that you two are not compatible. Don't talk about him the way you have here (we understand but company management will look at it differently). At the right time (after you get a new dm and it appears to be working) take time to talk with the terminal manager about this dm. Do it calmly and professionally and the terminal manager, if he is worth his salt, will take action to correct the situation.

 

Be careful, RoadDog. Some people here will claim that the bad experience you had at Swifty was YOUR fault. But we both know....

I agree with you. There are better things to do than sit at a computer bashing trucking companies. And I agree that some info is worth passing on, even to those who are ungrateful. But the sheer volume of good info that is worth passing on means we have to sit at a computer bashing trucking companies if that info is to be passed on. Life's a #####, I guess.

To those I've helped I say "You're welcome."