Swift Transportation Company, Inc. - Phoenix, Az.

Nah. I'm good.

 

Exactly what the hooker at the Mustang Bridge Ranch said.....just before she got demoted to LOT LIZARD!

 

They're messing with my home time now.. :bang:

I have been out for four weeks this time.. I'm tired and OUT of patience. I was unloading my last drop before home time. Wasn't a drop and they had me take the trailer.. Ah crap.. Oh well, I parked the truck down at my buddy's father's factory. No biggie. My DM told me before I even unloaded that I couldn't take 4 days and was only authorized 48 hours. He said this is coming from up top and not to shoot the messenger. I replied back (Qualcomm) "No wonder your retention rates are so low. I would rather deliver pizza than to continue putting up with this any longer." (I have ZLICH left for patience at this point.. I'm done, I'm almost home and I am beyond exhausted)

I called my DM back today (First full day off) and tried to get an extra day and told him that I am exhausted.. Which I am.. Still dirt tired and sleeping 9 hours like it was nothing. I also mentioned that it seems to be a double standard with Swift because I can sit and wait on THEM to send me a load for FOUR DAYS but when I go out and run their freight around the country for a month and I cannot collect on my entitled days off? AND I'm getting paid peanuts to do this. He said he's gonna try to get me another day but he can't guarantee anything. I told him the point was that if I would have KNOWN I wouldn't be able to take my days off, I wouldn't have stayed out that long. Which was originally only supposed to be three weeks, but I had business to do at a terminal in PA and by the time I got home, it was five days later. he said this is the busy season and I responded "Well, I'm not seeing anything different from 6 months ago." (Still inconsistent) Company policy is a day off for every week out, but no more than 48 hours.. If you plan on taking more than 48 hours off you have to turn in your truck... WHICH MEANS that you could be waiting a couple days at a terminal to GET another truck when you're done with home time.. IF it's a slow terminal you may not be able to pull a truck out of there.. So there's another possible 4 days waiting on THEM. He told me to turn the truck in and take a week off.. I said if I ask for a week off after 6 months here, they'll tell me "Bye bye".. "Oh now.. we won't lay you off over that.." I said, yeah they probably will, dude. That 48 hours thing has always been a lax policy. They may SAY that, and I've asked my DM this and he just said to work it as I want to. But he said this 48 hours thing just came down from the uppers and there is NO wiggle room on it.

Oh, Oh.. Wait wait.. I sat in KANSAS for FOUR DAYS waiting on the motor pool to fix my truck. It got to the point to where my air leak was getting close to illegal, had check engine lights like crazy, a BAD vibration and an EGR problem (random bogging, repair company confirmed after my truck died and wouldn't start again, had it towed)... See, I have to wait on them a LOT.

I have figured out some of the seniority and pecking order in Swift:
-Company drivers get pissed on.. Period...
-Mentors and O/O's get a better selection and more consistency but still get kicked around...
-The O/O Mentors are at the top of the list as far as the people that HAVE To keep moving..

 

We were told very bluntly during school that there is a policy for dispatch and that it is Company Team, O/O, Mentor Team, solo, solos from other fleets.

And it's what we've consistently seen and experienced.

I hope that helps.

 

^ Yeah, I'm just learning that company solos get kicked around a lot.

 

*leaves you a big hug* I'm sorry that's happening to you and I try to tell all that are considering Swift that there is a dispatch order. However.....people don't always listen.

What about a dedicated fleet?

 

One day off per week out with a 48 hour max equals two weeks out, max. Sorry, wait, no I'm not.

 

^ Yeah, but this is the first time they've pulled this.. Before they didn't seem to care if I took three days off.

And I'm putting my resume out there for other jobs. I knew this trucking thing was temporary when I got into it.. Just something to get some money flowing again..

 

Well perhaps you could look at other fleets or other companies.

 

Funny, I don't feel like i,'m getting kicked around. My DM takes good care of me. There are improvements that could be made, but that's the case with any company. It just boils down to what brand of BS is tolerable to you.