Why is Swift the "whipping boy" of the industry?

I believe it is the sheer size of the company, coupled with their (non)training practices.

I can't be too hard on Swift though. They did me a great favor several years ago. I walked into the Swift terminal in Pueblo, CO in answer to a driver ad. I wasn't treated too rudely, just ignored. Finally, I got pissed and walked out. I've never regretted it!

 

I went to a recruiting meeting when construction got slow in the early '90's.....Even back then....Swift seemed like a "bait and switch" type operation....

 

Makes no difference to me Rick.

Oldnew in my own little opinion : Swift is a very large carrier, they hire inexperienced drivers and train them. Because of their sheer size they have a higher number of problems. Because of hiring inexperienced drivers they have a higher percentage of problems.

Swift has had other incidents such as the school in Tennesee. But don't kid yourself, Swift was being bashed LONG before that.

Some of the bashing stems from actual problems, some is done because of Swift's size (we're more noticable) and some is just done because it's easy and the other drivers laugh.

To quote notarps "if you're gonna work for Swift you need a thicker skin". I grew a thicker skin. I work for a company that treats me well, they treat me like a family member, I've got a fleet manager that worries when I had to get a biopsy, a DM that offers to drive me to the dr, a trip planner that works to get me off for my anniversary even though we've already had our days off. I get miles, I get paid, I'm not sitting in a truck stop praying for a run. I know the reason for the trouble at Tennesee and it wasn't inadequate training BUT the truth isn't what people want to hear nor will they listen to it. So, I work for Swift and ignore the bashing. I pay attention to the truth. And I've never seen a Swift driver urinate in the fuel line....but I did throw a bucket of windhield water at an independent driver urinating and I threatened one with werner. (he zipped back up)

I've seen other companies jackknifed, rolled over, on fire and I've been on the road less than a year. I've seen a swift rolled too.

yep that swiftie was new to swift.....had been with Schneider for 12 years.

There's crappy drivers at Swift.....and good ones too.

Anyway......some of the bashing is deserved some isn't.

 

But Swift is the most visible Nana....Even the 4-wheelers know about Swift.......That's the price it pays for becoming one of the largest carriers....

 

Business Agent.......
They are the union officers who enforce union policies on the job sites, organize the rank and file for strikes....etc...

The Teamsters used to send the BA's into my step-dad's office to harass him...he always threw them out....

 

It is not just 4 wheelers. Swifts rep includes shippers and receivers. When I was at mav a few years back a new mav driver messed up bad. Forgot to set his brakes and had a big coil. Stopped on top of a hill and ran down to check in at the cons. Truck passed him and gained a lot of speed. Took out a lot of stuff including a brick wall, concrete barriers. telephone poles, etc. Ended up stopped with the tractor almost straight up in the air and totaled. Hit a big metal pole in concrete and bent the pole over and rode up it.

As I was unloading. The cons said a maverick did that? No way... I would expect swift to do that, not a maverick. That is what the cons told me.

 

That was part of my point.

If a company has one truck and that driver is an idiot how many people notice? If a company has 1200 trucks and 100 are idiots how many people notice?

The fact is.....Swift will always be noticed more because they're more visable, because they hire newbies, because of actual problems and frankly because it's easier to make a joke about Swift than to think of a more original one.

I'm not arguing with you WCP I'm just giving MY opinion. And frankly since I work for Swift I think I get to express my opinion on the subject.


I get a lot of ...oh heck I'm just using the tacky word......I get a lot of crap about Swift on this board. I get teasing and most the time I don't mind the jokes unless someone has to do it every single time they post to me (not talking about notarps, if he stopped teasing me I'd fear for his health). I also get pms and I get insults. No one on this forum knows how I drive. They don't know what I do in fuel lines, truck stops, how my docking is, yet they feel free to ASSUME I drive like crap and can't dock simply because of the name on my tractor.

guess what......it's not me that's an idiot it's the joke doing the assuming.

Like I said

And as far as 4 wheelers and dock workers.................like I care? LOL You think I care what some pimply faced boy in a toyota thinks? Do you care? I'm just trying not to hit him when he pulls in front of me and hits his brakes.

 

I would rather have a thousand Swift rigs on the road than one NAFTA truck....No matter what our government claims that they are "Safer" and the trucks are "Better maintained than American trucks".....We know that is a lie.....At least Swift runs legal......

 

Now your gonna have people believing I give you a hard time.... Talk about character assassination....