Got a call to come back to swift the other day

Not saying you're a bad driver or anything of that sort but if Swift called you to come back they probably called others because they are now resorting to that due to can't find enough drivers for orientation.Wish i'd get a call from one of my companies,i'd have fun with em before telling em off,lol.

 

Sure, we'll pay you 0.46 / mile. But to ensure that you earn the same as our other drivers, you'll be running 1000 miles per week at that rate.

 

I don't think Swift has a problem finding enough drivers.

 

There was close to 200 un-seated trucks in phoenix the other day. i mean plated driver less trucks at tractor assignment. you watch though if i try to do a 34 they will try to slip seat me.

 

Swift COULD be one of the best companies rolling down the road if they desired to be. HOWEVER, they are such a large company that it is next to impossible to get every employee on the same page and moving as one. Too many individual personalities to contend with; a problem that seems to be prevalent in a lot of big companies.

As most that read this post will no doubt agree, many of Swifts problems could be cured with increased pay, better benefits, better home time options, and cleaner equipment. Those items would give Swift a better selection of drivers. However, their business model it is ALL about the money. While Swift does a great job, if their program is followed, training drivers and employees, the problem is in the follow through. Many other problems begin with the fact that Swift undercuts freight rates to get the business. To increase profits generated by cheap freight, they have to pay a low wage and keep trucks on the road longer than most drivers would like to see. These add to a very high turnover rate causing driver shortages within the company, which in turn causes drivers to be out much longer then drivers would like.

Big companies need to understand that a driver views their truck as much more than just a means to pull a trailer; it is their home away from home, a representation of their professionalism, their office, the tool of their trade. The tractor represents them to the world.

The last thing a driver wants to contend with is being on the road longer then they wanted to be, taking time at home shorter then they would have liked, and then returning to work to find the tractor was handed over to another driver to use and that driver did not take care of it because it was just a loaner while theirs was in the shop; cigarette smoke stained windows, stale nicotine smell on the steering wheel, and ashes everywhere. Drivers quit over this stuff when the money and benefits are not right in the first place. Or, a driver spends their time while waiting at the dock, polishing aluminum wheels only to have a Swift shop install one rusted steel wheel when replacing a damaged tire.

Competition from other like minded companies, such as Schneider, JB Hunt, and others has created a perpetual cycle that will not be undone until driver shortages in the industry force companies to be more competitive toward taking care of drivers. Increased freight rates will follow... but just barely.

 

It could happen... when the Angels win the pennant!
All companies find it hard to see the value of loyalty in general. They seem to see them as individual cases and fail to learn from them.
At least they all have this blindness, it's not just a Swift thing.

 

I haven't got a call. OTR is not what I want, or wanted.

My mentor has been with Swift 7 years. He has been in a "flease" for almost 4. He is going to complete the lease and go company somewhere. They told him to mentor as a company driver he would have to start at the bottom, lose his senior mentor status. AFAIK they didn't talk about his pay rate.

They just don't have a friggin clue do they?

 

Well, I'm headed there to trade in my current truck.
Hopefully I will get it sooner rather than later, with that many trucks awaiting drivers.

 

I didn't even know you left... guess I've been having too much fun lately. Glad to hear you are doing well and enjoying your new life "Post Swift".

 

All those brand new empty trucks are for trade trucks. They are just freshing up the fleet with new trucks is all.