Questions for swift veterans

Well for those of you who might be interested, I know its been six months since I posted this post. I figured no one would really even reply to it other then those wanting to bash swift and as such forgot about this posting until a message popped up in my spam folder.

I'm still with swift.

I have not had any problems other then the typical crap that anyone will have with any company.

The pay has been good so far. It fluctuates as with any company depending on the loads, unless you're on something dedicated of course.

About the only thing I have to complain about is this truck they gave me. It's a 2008 Volvo, it has 398K miles on it as of today. I have put about 60k on it in the last 6 months since I have been working for swift. It had about 340K miles on it when I got it.

The production date for it was in August of 2008. That means the truck was only about a year and a half old when I got it. It use to be a trainer truck and as such it's wore out. They drove the hell out of this truck.

It keeps breaking down. I can go about 3 weeks and then it ends up at either a terminal or a TA for repairs. It's been in the shop for a whole host of issues ranging from mechanical to electrical. The valve cover gasket seal keeps going out on it. It's been in the shop three times for it. The shop also told me it had been in once before I got the truck. It's also been in the shop because some kind of computer control module went out and I lost all dash board instruments. The truck would still move, I just had no idea what my speed was, rpms, oil pressure, air pressure and etc and etc. The main air compressor also went. The shop told me the air compressor is common once the trucks get around 350k miles. They also told me the computer control module may have been caused by the oil leaks from the valve cover gasket seal leaking oil onto the computer module. Two days ago the glad handle broke to my service airline. Well it did not really break, it separated from the coupling that held it to the hose.

I've also been reading a lot of stuff on the internet as well as hearing a lot from drivers that Volvo's are extremely prone to problems, so this truck may just simply be a lemon and not necessarily anything on the companies end. Perhaps they should ask Volvo for a refund?

It has not really been effecting my pay though because they have been really good about the break down pay. Its just extremely aggravating. Like I said, I have also been doing really good on mileage even with the break downs.

My on time delivery is 100 per cent. I have been told that the on time delivery is critical with the planners because if you have a really poor on time delivery record, they can't trust you and will give you crap loads that have a 3 or 4 day delivery window and are only 400 miles. I have been having some issues with the logs but I'm going to blame that on Werner and their paperless logs .

The beginning took me a little bit to get use to the old style logging system. Of course now I keep hearing rumors from everyone at swift that within a year they will be going electronic.

Other then that, I really don't have anything bad to say. I've had some minor problems but they have resolved them. So far so good.

One of the main issues that I think is going on with this company as well as most start up companies as to why they get the kind of reputations they get is because these trucking schools are the blame for it. they promise the pie in the sky to everyone and have you believing you're going to make 50k you're first year as a driver. That's not true at all. Swift, Werner, U.S Express, TMC and etc and etc are just like any other company in any other industry. You have to put you're time in, in order to earn any real money. I don't know what they pay rate is now at Werner, but when I was with them I was only earning 22 cents a mile. At 2,000 miles a week that's only 440 dollars a week. Out of that comes taxes, benefits and you're student loan payments. This I feel is the reason why so many people have such issues with these larger companies. I don't even think it's so much the company as much as it is these schools pumping you into thinking you're going to be earning you're first year what an experienced driver earns with two or more years.