Swift drivers, sound off

Speaking of not being compensated for sweeping trailers, or changing light bulbs, there are other ways we are compensated the value of which could be used to indirectly cover those things which one would believe their labor is being robbed. Per diem being approximately $59 a day is one. Sure one could eat through $100 a day pretty easily but my contention is that most don't. One could eat a can of soup and a sandwich made on the truck and a $5 dollar foot long from Subway and the balance of that $59 dollar write-off becomes a sort of profit from which sweeping trailers, attending mandatory classes and routine easy fixes to the truck would be fair compensation.

Sometimes at a terminal you'll smell that unmistakeable rich BBQ aroma wafting through the air. Stand around there like a hungry dog and someone will throw you a bone lol. There's a free meal boom. Put 50 gallons in your diesel tanks and get a free $10 dollar shower. Continue to accumulate points on the fuel rewards cards at the participating truck stops and use the points to get free food and drink. This saves you from dipping into that per diem. If your truck for some reason needs to go into the T/A for a tire repair or something else, make sure to use the reward card because you'll get more points again for the service they are doing which often times can run into the hundreds of dollars.

On very rare occasions there might be an overage of damage on the cargo you are carrying and the shipper/receiver offers you some. There's some more value there.

As a lease operator I have to provide the load locks. As you know sometimes you'll put a couple of load locks in a trailer then drop and hook it at the final and lose your load locks. Whenever I find loose load locks lying around I grab them and strap them to my truck. I will carry around eight of those dang things if I can to avoid buying them.

You can go to practically any Swift terminal and get a free shower, free electrical power, and free internet access. Not to mention a relaxing lounge to swap stories (aka lies lol) with other drivers to see who can come up with the tallest tales. Just the value in that is priceless.

I'd still like a hot tub.

 

No, Otter. Act 6629 covered it. He's a dumbarse. I listened to his nonsense for over an hour. He's mentoring to make the truck payment. In other words, he's a steering-wheel holder, training more steering-wheel holders. He's not making drivers.

 

You know........If I can get my old, fat behind out of the truck, drag chains to the wheels and throw those babies on.......then so can anyone else. The chains get me out of a problem that occurs before I can park it. But I'm going to park it once I'm safe.

 

This is not the first time someone has mentioned a truly incompetent trainer. I don't care if they are the Michael Schumacher or Jimmy Johnson of Big Rigs and can drive 70MPH in a blizzard with no chains all while getting 9mpg.

If they choose to mentor (and it is their choice) and they train the student in a half-### way, then they are incompetent. Frankly, they should be fired. They took an oath of sorts, maybe not literally, but it is implied. And they have the student's life in their hands. If not actually with safety, then figuratively with their livelihood.

My question is why don't people say anything to somebody who can fix the problem?

Who cares if somebody calls you a "narc" or whatever? This ain't kindergarten, peoples' lives and livelihood are at stake! It effects everyone at the company and even potentially innocent people in other vehicles.


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That's WHY he's a dumbash!

 

I was taught how to chain by my mentor. He used to plow snow for the city of Minneapolis. I forgot how to do it.

In Colorado they have a 30min limit on parking on the side of the road in the chain up area.

Back on topic!

Now here is something that sux. I called Volvo to see if they finished my truck. They didn't get an estimate together yet for Swift. Told me to check with Swift. I called break down. They called the "back office" to check on the status. I was told Volvo has been authorized to fix it. I asked for the direct number to the "back office." "I can't give you that number." He was apologetic because he could give me the number. I told him not to sweat it, and I understood. Life's too short to sweat it.

I called Volvo and they didn't have an estimate done. If they didn't have to order parts it would be late tonight. They also still need to get the OK from Swift.

 

Actually I do believe that the discussion about mentor's not teaching how to chain is on topic.

 

I was referring to everyone's romantical life.

 

Herein lies the problem! When a student...most every student...these kids (not being age specific, but young to the industry) have most likely been unemployed or under employed for some time now. They have survived and graduated some school with a CDL in their pocket...they are in debt, flat broke, and need to get some income. All of this makes them very vulnerable to "bad intentioned Mentors"...

These "make believe Mentors" are Mentoring just to have a second log book and some extra miles...not because they want to teach...because they haven't figured out how to make a success of their predicament that they themselves created. Be it a lack of or a complete absence of work ethic, personal pride, or even company pride, basically they SUCK at most anything they try to do. Now put some youngster (same qualifiers as above) on that truck and exposed to the attitude!

The student wants to learn, wants to ask questions, wants and needs to understand...but what has he/she got to fill this void of knowledge and understanding? A Mentor? NOPE...a lazy care less individual who is trying to find a way for someone else to make his ends meet and somehow manage to scrape by. This Mentor(?) knows he/she is no good, and teaching nothing good if anything at all...so the threats of "you won't go solo unless I sign you off"...or..."do it this way, it's easier and will save you time"...even though the short cut is either 1] against the law, or 2] breaks company policy. This "Mentor" lies and cheats at everything, probably has all his/her life and now the student is stuck in the middle.

Keep in mind this student has been waiting a long time to get in the school and get a Mentor...so nothing is going to make him/her be stuck back in the waiting game...just suffer through and get this training over with to get to solo status and start making some money. Now comes graduation day, the drive test, the backing test, the paperwork! Here is where the student can make a difference...being honest about the training and the conditions he/she encountered. Swift has no way to police the Mentors except for this evaluation from each student. If the student just "checks Mentor good" on the evaluation...the student has now let the solution slip by, and passed on to another student the same problems he/she just suffered through!

 

30 minutes to chain on?

Why so long? You only need 20...they must want you to have some time to thaw out before departing!

Practice makes perfect...and if you don't want to experience the cold...do it in Phoenix about August...noon to 1300 would be a good time of day!