New Folks, Listen Up!

Wow! We are getting so many new people on board it's hard to follow everybody. This is awesome! Welcome, each and every one of you, to my team. I may not meet alll of you, but you are going to be my team members. I think it's great!

So here's what I'd like to tell you. No, I'm not going to be all preachy. I want you to have the most positive experience possible with Swift and I want to assist you in making it so. It is up to you. I can not and will not intervene in any circumstance but the most severe. But, you have the power to control conditions inside the truck you are assigned to train in.

Training is very psychologically taxing. You are being shoved into a space the size of your average bathroom 24/7 for a period of roughly six weeks with a complete stranger. In most cases, there are minor personality differences that can be worked through. In some cases, a mentor comes across as "bossy" or "pushy" and can seem to get upset about things you might not think are big deals. My advice here is smile sweetly as you plot under the surface things you will never carry out, but are fun to think about. Remember, you will not be on your mentor's truck forever and the time really does go by before you know it. Try to get off your mentor's truck on good terms...as much as you would love to punch him or her right square in the nose. You will be off that truck for a couple of months and wish you had that trainer's phone number. Because you will still have a ton of questions.

If things get severe: Your mentor tries to claim power over your future with Swift. Your mentor denies you humane treatment: access to a bathroom or food. Your mentor demands you do something grossly unsafe or illegal. Your mentor chases you out of the truck in order to play with the local entertainment. Your mentor demands you do all of the night driving. There are mice and ####roaches residing in your mentor's truck. Your mentor demands you sleep in the top bunk while the truck is in motion. Your mentor sexually harasses you. (Yes, it can happen to guys, too.) Your mentor verbally abuses you. Your mentor turns out to be Charles Manson in disguise. Your mentor threatens you in any way, shape or form overtly or with inuendo. Swift needs to know about it either so the behavior can be stopped or you can be safely removed from the truck.

One of your most important phone numbers will be that of your Driver Services contact. As soon as that number is given, enter it into your phone. That contact person is your first line of defense in these severe situations. If you need to, call him or her in the middle of the night from the bathroom. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for you to remain in a bad situation. If you feel your situation is severe, including but not limited to the above, do not be afraid to report it. Swift can't fix what they don't know about. Do not allow your mentor to convince you it will count against you for speaking up.

I have been personally involved in two situations in recent months. One was a very threatening situation wherein the trainee was afraid to do anything at all. With a kick in the pants from several sources, he removed himself from the truck, got a new mentor and hasn't looked back. The second was a denial of human decency. That individual stood up for himself, got himself out of the immediate situation, but left some very important medication on the truck. It took an intervention to get his medication to him, but he did get it. He opted to return to his mentor's truck and successfully completed his training. Neither of these individuals' careers were hurt in any way. These are two good examples of Swift acting when the problem was made clear.

Do not be afraid, regardless of what you hear, to speak up if things are going sideways. I want all of you to have the best possible experience as members of my team. If you have any issues you just aren't sure about, PM me. I'll be happy to answer any questions I can or refer you to someone who can. No, I do not intervene except in rare occasions when there is no other way. Longshot64 can attest to that. This training period will be difficult. Please keep in mind it is only for a short time. We all had to do it. Try to overlook the minor irritations, stay in touch with family and friends...and people who you can vent to who understand...


And, as I always tell every new person:

Don't forget to have fun.

 

I don't need to be in charge of anything. People don't like working for me. But thanks for the vote of confidence.