How is it that SWIFT manages to wreck so many trucks?

Typical stupidity by the trucking community, so wonder truck drivers get looked down upon as a whole. I don't see anything vastly different working for Swift as I have as the handful of other companies I have worked for, but yes there are a hell of a lot more drivers at this huge company.

 

All this natter about cheap rates. Has anyone here ever priced out freight rates with Swift?

I have. Turns out a broker for independent owner/operators can move the same load for 60% of what Swift wants to do it. Which is why Swift can afford to broker out loads that can't be covered within the company.

 

Oh people just like to ##### about the big companies. If It wasn't Swift it would be Scheinder or JB Hunt. There are moron drivers at every company and Swift is no exception you just see ours more often because of the number of trucks. I bet no one even notices how many Swift trucks they see in one day that are just doing their jobs without any problems.

 

Would you believe in all the years I've been driving, I've only seen a Swift truck in the ditch 3 times? If I had to pick the company I see in the ditch most often, I would say Fed-Ex.

Now, I've seen the wrecked trucks and trailers in the yards, I've seen them at local shops and wrecking yards. I just don't see them in the ditch much.

What I usually see are things like blocking the fuel island exit or dumping trash out of the trailer onto the ground.

 

Yeah I see this way too much but its not just Swift. It comes down to lack of courtesy, that is a big problem in this country as a whole and things like that are just another sign of the times. Its all about me me me, screw everyone else, me me me. I think too many people as kids were told they are special over and over so I blame Mr Rogers.

 

It's so nice to see staff members from this board stay impartial.

To not acknowledge that a company with 16,000 truck isn't going to have better odds of having trucks involved in accidents more-so than a mom and pop with 20 is ignorance in my opinion. Statistics are in favor of a mega company (starter company at that) having more accidents.

Ironically living and traveling everyday in the corridor of I-75 and I-24 I see tons of Swifty's on the road each day. It's not Swift drivers I see swerving in and out of traffic and not signaling, following other trucks and four-wheelers way too close, etc. It's most always trucks from smaller companies occupied by know it all super truckers.

 

I dealt with swift for 2 days....I am at schneider now...

The 2 days I dealt with swift, they treated the drivers like kindergardeners. The way they talked to you and all.. its as if they didn't want drivers to take pride in themselves.

Much different case here at schneider. They treat you like adults and they have ppl at each yard to help you out. They have no other job but assist you....which is great for new drivers who aren't yet talented enough to put a lot of pride in their abilities.

 

You're not the first person I have seen saying good things about Schneider.

But, Schneider has its share of banged up trucks, and I have seen more than one Schneider being hauled out of the ditch. You will see this at any training company.

 

That's cuz they are cheap. They give inexperienced drivers in old beat up trucks. So if they bang up a truck, oh well. When they give experienced drivers the new or well maintained truck. Hence my truck only has 25,000 miles on it....all my miles.

Exact opposite at werner though. When I was a rookie, my first truck was a BRAND SPANKEN NEW PETE. Which made no sense to me as veteran drivers got the old clunkers...

 

Swift gives whatever truck is available in many cases. So, experienced drivers can end up with an older truck, while, as happened recently, a brand noob fresh off his trainer's truck can get a brand new T700.

Sometimes, that's not such a bad thing. It's a PITA to work all the bugs out of some of these new trucks. OTOH, they are more likely to wind up looking all jacked up.

The one thing I detest is when a good experienced driver has to give up a decent, good running truck and then wait for a week only to be offered a piece of junk, just because they had the audacity to take a little vacation with their families. More than a few good drivers have found other employment as a result of this practice. Perhaps that's why we seem to be seeing more Swifties in wrecking yards. I'm hoping the admins realize what a disaster this has been.