Saw a real Swift move form a Swift driver.. lol

I'd just pull the fuse for the traction control and leave it out then. Its nice to have, but its more of a detriment if you can't turn if off.

 

As professional drivers out here on the highways and backroads trying to make a buck doing a job that most people cant truely comprehend you need a thick skin if you are going to make it. You have to be able to laugh at yourself and allow others to as well. I dont care if you are running long haul in a sleeper truck pulling a 53' trailer or running around town in a daycab pulling a 28' pup. It makes no difference if you pull a trailer or drive a straight truck, this is a hard lifestyle and this industry is not for everyone. Ive been doing this job for many years. I have driven in all types of weather conditions and nearly every type of road surface. I have made far more than my share of stupid rookie mistakes. Some were minor and others were.. well not so much. Everyone screws the pooch from time to time and when you are operating equipment of the size and magnitude that we do out here your mistakes are going to be noticed and talked about.

For you new drivers just coming on board, these are not the good ol' days of trucking. There is not the same tight-knit brotherhood of truckers that there once was when the founders of these massive operations were still small-time single truck operations. If reading these threads makes you weary about coming into trucking I understand. The stories you have heard from your grandparents or parents about what it was like back then are just that, back then. The industry has evolved into a machine that chews you up and spits you out. We run with a whole new set of laws and regulations that our parents never dreamed of. We are also operating equipment that they could have never possibly imagined. The one thing that has not changed is that you either have what it takes or you dont.

As for picking on any carrier, I can understand completely why it can become offensive and cause anger among certain drivers, here is my salute to you: If you feel angry about your company being picked on it is for a couple of possible reasons 1. they have treated you well so far and you take pride in being a profesional example for them to the eyes of the outside world. You hate seeing other people making your company look bad and second you are probably a ###### good driver who does their job both behind the wheel and outside of the truck with a level of professionalism seldom seen today. For drivers like you a debt of gratitude is owed. I would love to be a part a massive fleet with an army of drivers that are professional, and dedicated to making the name on their equipment synominous with safety, precision driving and pride in what they represent and doing it with no mistakes but that is not realistic. When you run for a major carrier...........you already know what Im going to say........ you will have drivers showing the motoring public that they simply dont care or dont belong behind the wheel of a truck. They are the ones out here making us all look stupid.

just a note however, this particular thread is all about mistatkes by Swift drivers and if there are only a few hundred stories told about a company with 20,000+ trucks its not a bad ratio.

 

Im regards to the traction control fuse/switch I have an 08 Prostar, its a very nice truck inside and out, it does have a traction control switch but it doesnt turn it off, just makes it work less aggressively I guess? Didnt do much for me.

My company has treated me very well, I make decent money, but I'll admit theres alot of stories that I find funny. But Wenger is right, suck it up buddy.

The only thing you can do to change others minds is to perform to the best of your abilities. For me its taking extra care when backing, and trying real hard for that first shot or only 1 pull up Its the little things! 1. Clean truck = happy driver 2. Clean driver = happy driver 3. Doing your job well = happy driver 4. 1+2+3 = Professional

My 2 cents for whatever the hell theyre worth.

also I think that accident on 65 was a friend of mine, a car was merging, cut him off and clipped his front bumper and ended up in ditch

 

honestly, it really didnt look like the car had actually made contact with the truck. But maybe it just wasnt enough damage from me to see, since I was going in the same direction. Anyway, I was northbound, the truck/car were northbound, and it was the first or second week of september. still think it was your friend?

 

Ah no it wasnt, he started in March, and I really hesitate to call him a friend, he's the scummy type with grease on all his clothes and brown teeth

 

As long as Swift's policy is to simply hire steering wheel holders, the folklore will continue.

 

I was just admiring the shiny new werner truck next to me as he backed out of the spot. Right up until he ran into the flatbed on the other side. Doh.

 

Do what???? Say what??? Excuse me... my insides hurt now.. I gotta go inside the truck stop and fix that problem..

 

i'm agreeing with brink. If you're a swift driver and think so, have you been to a terminal lately? if they have 'some of the best' why do they hire 'some of the worst'?

My first truck had over 500k miles. Drove it for 3-4 months. Kinda wish i would have kept it cause it went from a condo to a midroof and lost half my storage space. Brand new truck, yeah....so far its great...no real bugs. But what gets me are drivers who get a truck, and really dont care. My first question, if i were the guy handing you the keys, would be this, "Is this YOUR truck and are you going to drive it like its YOUR truck?" Really, i mean take a good look at the trucks in the next terminal you visit, and see how many of them have any black parts, or notice fenders missing, etc. No pride, no respect for others property. I've had my new truck for 8 mo+ now, and you know something? It still looks new, in and out. Sure it gets dirty, but come on, how hard is it to CLEAN your truck?

Its a real shame that if swift has some of the best trucks (which they DONT, BTW....that honor goes to TMC, IMO)...why do they look more and more like they've been driven by Schneider drivers?

If there is a swift driver out there who thinks this, it is because he just got issued a company kenworth or a new prostar. If that is the case, then based upon what you're driving, sure, swift has the best equipment out there. But watch those company issued non-volvo/freightliner trucks over the next few months and see how many of THEM get tore up. (hey....whos !#$% do u gotta polish to get one of those trucks anyway?)