I may regret this... But ask someone on the inside!

It's nice to see you here BigShrek. I hope you'll enjoy the forum and I know that many will find your information helpful.

 

Mr. Glass is a very nice man. He will listen to your concerns and fairly determine whether you have a legitimate gripe or not. I'll vouch for him. Met him myself.

 

My gripe is when you are dispatched on a load that is impossible to do on time. You send the mac22 and when you show up nobody has notified the customer. Then you hope you can get loaded or unloaded. When this happens with a grocery load they can send you off 'til the next day. Walmart live unloads can be that way.

 

When I first started perusing this site I couldn't help but notice all the negative comments on Swift and quickly decided I wouldn't want to work for them. Since that time I've come to realize that the vast majority of the negative talk is just people going along with the crowd and feeling like they belong by making stereotypical comments. After reading things with an open mind I can now see that Swift isn't a bad company, it's just a very large company which makes it an easy target for those that need to vent their basic insecurities. So now Swift is on my list of companies I will apply to.

 

I am curious here--is there a big difference between the DM's out west and the DM's on the east?

I have read a lot of input from lots here but it seems most are from central and west parts but i see very little from those coming out of the east. Are those drivers with the east terminals lost? LOL Just a joke--but just wondering if there is much difference in where your home terminal is...

It just seems like its been a while since anyone with home terminals in the east has reported their experiences..ty guys/gals for the updates.

I agree Injun should be a trainer--very informative and helpful--although I totally understand not wanting to do that. Keep up the good work all!

 

With all due respect...I only believe that to an extent. In 13 years, I can't count the number of times I've arrived at a shipper or receiver only to be told the information I have is what I would consider to be "not close" to the real thing, and that the actual times hasn't changed in "x number of years" (understanding the customer could be full it too!). This does not include supposed appointment times that turn out to be bogus due to the customer (beer shipments come to mind...I won't even start!). But unfortunately, we drivers are just the ground troops and often not subject to reality, only theory, and are expected to make corrections and adapt on the fly.

But even with that...I appreciate the reply, and I do harbour a lot of respect for those of you in CS that do your jobs well. I wouldn't want to do it...that's why I'm out here on the road!

Cheers!

 

Let me refer you here:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/swift/132419-injun-a-mentor-trainer.html

 

Ha Ha Injun--i have read that and well aware you have no use to do it and i don't blame you at all. As I feel same as you--would never want that i dont care how much it pays. LOL You seem to help lots of folks here without them even being on your truck--its awesome to see...

Keep it up!

 

That's all it is.

I would recommend the company to you. I've enjoyed every day of my time here and look forward to enjoying however long I will stay. And Swift will determine that as I have no reason to leave.

 

Anytime a company hires 20 people, 1 is gonna be a jerk and 1 will be an idiot. Swift is a huge company so they have a large sum of jerks and idiots. The placement of said jerks or idiots is random (shop, office, driver, etc) Even so, 18 out of 20 are going to be good folks just doing what their jobs require. The goal is to avoid being in that 10 percent.

Do some folks have a bad time at Swift? Sure! Just like some have a bad time at May, The Big Pumpkin, JB Hunt, or Mom and Pops trucking (or insert random trucking name). I would be willing to say that at least half of those bad times were from the drivers own doing.

I worked for Swift for 2 years and did pretty well. My DM was nice but ditzy; the shop guys were slow, but did a good job; and my planners were on the ball, but gave me the short end of the stick when it was my turn.