Swift Transportation Company, Inc. - Phoenix, Az.

I appreciate the comments & links guys. Sounds like the same old, same old. Good to hear. It was that way for me, family always comes first though, so I had to be home for a while. Left a 2 and a half week notice so left on good terms. So now I'll have to relive orientation again lol.. I won't be on the forum much until I get another laptop for the road..

If I had to say anything to anyone considering Swift for employment, newb or experienced.. It's all in your attitude and you are the one that is responsible for success or failure.. I'll tell you why. Stay away from all the negative drivers at the Terminals complaining about how terrible things are for themselves. In my experience a majority of the complainers were lazy, took home-time to frequently (then complained about their $$), and wanted everything handed to them. Communicate with your DM. If there isn't communication, fire them (if they still allow you to get a new one). And above all for the students.. If you're in a yard, please don't take out my spot mirrors. It could be me sleeping in there=) Drive safe guys

 

(UPDATE) Well I went back to Swift and everything was going good then all of a sudden the pressure came to bend the rules. Same thing I had dealt with the first time but didnt make mention of. I thought it was a one time occurance. Well I was wrong. They wanted me to run and violate my 14 hour rule! I would not and was asked why am I the only driver that cant do it. Heres the jist. They wanted me to drop a load off and pick one up in another location. No big deal but both locations take multiple hours to get in and out of. Than after drive all the way to Phoenix and deliver. I know still sounds ok. Well you would be right if it was a simple drop. Well it was'nt. They wanted me to run the empty back to where I got it. I exsplained with the two pre-trips and waiting times it would put me in violation of my 14 hrs. Reason being where I was going to does not let you stay when done. So as soon as my tires hit pavenment on the public road I would be in violation after delivering. I said why doesnt the planer make better appointment times. Man I caught flack! In my division it happens all the time. Alot of drivers give into it and run in the gray area! I refuse too. Reason being is when safety finds out that DM is not going to save your butt. So my DM became a jerk and said let me ask someone in safety than told me it was ok just to flag it as Consignee would not let me stay on premises. Yeah! Now hes making up whats legal to log. Ther are only two reasons you can violate your 14, Xtreme bad weather and Emergency conditions.! Which one does this fit? Neither! FMCSR Handbook page 607/ 395.1. Funny thing is if you read in the emergency section it says only to be used if run could of been completed normally without the emergency. Well mine could not. So they wanted me to get there to deliver and than be in violation after. All they cared about was the run. I got every guilt trip emaginable. I had enough and reported it to safety in Phoenix. I also put in for a transfer to another fleet. Its not like me and the DM are ever going to be on the same page and my monies will suffer. Im a good driver and because I will not break the law I am now a bad one! Food for thought. Big + 0 for SWIFT right now. Also debating calling the whistle blower hot line. Wonder if it really does anything?

P.S will clean the above up later! Sorry for mispellings etc...

 

As CSA 2010 comes into effect this type of thing should....should go away.I guess Swift figures they will keep doing this type of thing as long as they can.You are absolutely right in refusing to do this.From now on enough of these violations and you will find yourself out of a job.

 

I work now for 1 and a half years for Swift, never experienced something like that, or ever talk to a driver who had that problem. Swift wouldn't be a company with such a good safty record if that would happen very often.
My teampartner who is been trucking for over 14 years says, Swift is one of the best companys he ever worked for.
I would say in many cases is communication the key.
Good luck to you....

 

ive always wondered why swift has such a good safety record but theyre always in teh ditches?

 

Hmmm I know you wouldn't admit it, but you know that is not true.
If that would be the case, Swift wouldn't have such a good safty rating, and that is just a fact, not a assumption.
I tell you what, so far I haven't seen any Swift trucks in the ditch, but just todoay I saw two trucks in the ditch, one of those nice peters, and one prime, do I say now Prime has unsafe drivers, or all O/O withs peters dont know how to drive?
I think guys like you should get their facts straight.
Have a nice day.

 

it must be nice to live life in denial mode how do you do i t i wanna know..

if you have been around the interstate raceway as much as some of us have been then you would know and have seen just like i that there is alot of flack caused on the roads by swift.. swift will hire anybody and its evident lol

i have been a victim of swifts such great driving feller was in his mentors truck and drove his trailer over the front of my truck worst part of it was when the dude started talking to himself and then answered himself i immediately had a lil light bulb pop up over my head and thought houston we have a problem...

i immediately called the police cause i didnt know what the dude was doing then his mentor in his underwear crawled outta the sleeper and asked if we have a problem i pointed at my truck and his driver he had the oh #### look on his face.

come to find out the student was 3 hours over his 40 and the mentor was supposed to be in the front seat with him not to mention they were going the opposite direction than what they were supposed to be going dude missed his exit to head north 200 miles ago..

denial what a wonderful state of mind..

heres another prime example bud since denial is the world you live in

http://www.arnoldsafetyblog.com/swift-transportation-takes-365-m-hit-from-crash/

 

I quit Swift because of their poor safety practices. I was perferred driver and they begged me to stay. I joined another company that gets me home 4 to 5 times every two weeks. The pay is better and so are the miles. The only negative is I drive an older truck. Swift was good about keeping their drivers in new equipment.

I call BS on not seeing unsafe practices at Swift. I know a driver that past his road test after hitting a trailer in the yard. Visit any terminal for five minutes and you will get an ear full of strange unsafe stories.

Swift treated me well but that does not mean I did not see what was happening around me.

They took a penny a mile away from the pay scale when I was there ... Wonder if they gave it back?

 

And yes I have seen Swift trucks (and other companies trucks) in the ditch. I don't feel the need to lie to feel better about my employer tho.

 

Right. You just feel the need to jump on the bandwagon and trash another company to do that. Oh to be you.