Coca-Cola pulling Swift trailer?

Discussion in 'Swift' started by blazblu82, Oct 16, 2014.

  1. born&raisedintheusa

    born&raisedintheusa Road Train Member

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    I spoke to a driver who works for Coca-Cola. The company does not have any of their own 53' trailers. They only have the older trailers that are 45', maybe 48' long.

    Per the Coca-Cola driver, it is less expensive for Coca-Cola to purchase 53' trailers from Swift thatn to have 53' trailers made up with their own names on them.

    Also, according to the Coca-Cola driver, he, along with some of the other Coca-Cola drivers, INTENSELY DISLIKE pulling Swift trailers. A few actually find it quite embarrassing.

    Personally, I feel this way:
    What difference does it make? If you have freight to haul, are getting paid (HOPEFULLY) decently for it, getting home every night (OR DAY) depending upon which shift you are working, what does it matter what the label on the trailer is? It really does NOT matter.
     
    pattyj Thanks this.
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  3. RoadCall

    RoadCall Road Train Member

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    Coca Cola drivers have bigger problems, at least in the SE anyway. They work 55-60 hrs a week and get paid straight time. On top of that their hourly wage is nothing to brag about. Once they told me the hourly wage I told them no thanks!
     
  4. FLATBED

    FLATBED Road Train Member

    I saw a red Coca-Cola Day Cab pulling a Swift Trailer through Wichita, KS. Any reason why?:biggrin_2558: Gee 12 posts and not 1 that COKE bought out SWIFT , what's happening to the truck drivers rumor mill
     
  5. Dna Mach

    Dna Mach Road Train Member

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    Not to mention every beverage distributor I ever delivered too left me with the desire to ram a pencil into my eye socket. Miserable people at those places.
     
  6. born&raisedintheusa

    born&raisedintheusa Road Train Member

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    The wage and hour laws need to be amended for the "exempt" groups, 2 of them being restaurant workers and the LTL truck drivers.

    If a person earns $10.00 an hour, that is $400.00 a week. Time and one half for every hour over 40 hours would be $15.00 an hour. A person working an extra 20 hours per week would earn an extra $300.00, ($15.00 an hour X 20 hours).
    That would be a total of $700.00 for that 60 hour workweek, ($400.00 + $300.00 = $700.00).

    If a person is earning $10.00 an hour and works 60 hours that week at straight time, that would be $600.00 for that 60 work week.

    That is a difference of $100.00 a week that the company does NOT have to pay out if they are legally exempt from overtime laws.
     
  7. Grumppy

    Grumppy Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    Just another insight...

    My brother drove a transport truck (not route truck) for Coke for 38 years in Monroe, La. They were a bottling plant for like 100 years. Then they decided to shut the bottling lines down & just make it a warehouse for local distribution to stores etc. When they did that, they had no need for transport (regional) drivers. Now, everything in the region is bottled & comes out of Dallas (I think) which is about 4 1/2 hours away. So, they use common carriers like Swift etc to transport product from Dallas to Monroe (& other areas). Sometimes, the common carriers drop their trailers there & move on to something else. So, its not uncommon here in Monroe, La to have a lot full of Swift etc trailers on their lot. So, it wouldn't be surprising to see a Coke truck pulling something else like a Swift trailer here.


    Just a thought ...
     
  8. blazblu82

    blazblu82 Light Load Member

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    Well, this is all interesting. I drove for Swift a couple years and don't believe I ever saw anyone else pulling our trailers.
     
  9. scottied67

    scottied67 Road Train Member

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    That was my issue for about a year and half before I left Swift. Intensely embarrassed and ashamed to be hauling trailers around that read Swift down the side.
     
    FLATBED Thanks this.
  10. Joschmotrucker

    Joschmotrucker Light Load Member

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    I wish I could find a Swift trailer to pull. Apparently everyone else has all our trailers and we have none left to haul our freight with. Maybe Swift ought to just get out of the freight business and go into trailer rental.
     
    Kindle and HousTank Thank this.
  11. MysticHZ

    MysticHZ Road Train Member

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    It's that time of the year ...
     
    HousTank Thanks this.
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