Swift drivers, sound off

Received a preplan yesterday, say go over here to X city in Pennsylvania by 1200-1700 pick up and deliver to some city in North Carolina-- but Tcall it in Richmond.

So I empty out my load, got a message, stay there set as live unload etc, call a DM and ask to get dispatched on this here load,which she does, but it says 1700-1700 now. I say that's after my 14, heck with it I'm going over there. It was preloaded, I dropped and hooked into it in 15 minutes and left.I sent a message on QC asking to confirm tcall. No reply. I called my DM, she wasn't in so I press 0 for next available DM, phone rings a couple of times then says, "number no longer in service" or whatever. Now I'm already vectored out of route for the Tcall by quite a few miles. Didn't quite make it to Richmond Virginia last night, but when I got here this morning they now say it was not set up for a Tcall. By bringing it here it will be 160 miles out of route that I will have to eat if I am to deliver it all the way.

 

The lies and omissions are nice. Walmart loads to the DC's pay $.31 a mile. Not $.34 that I am at now.

Funny no one ever mentioned that. You find out when you review your pay.

Why not pay practical miles? Conway does, Crete does.

Does Swift charge practical miles to the customers? If so give me my piece of the pie.

They have us accepting the mileage as HHMM have to accept it or decline it on the kiosk. I haven't done either. Evidently there is a lawsuit over it.

Lancaster is cracking down on out of route miles. Wonder if that is based on Swift miles or actual miles.

Where's the APU's so idle can be a non issue?

It seems like every time you turn around they are tightening the screws.

There is too many people coming in.

When you hear students coming out of orientation in Columbus saying they expect you to quit in 3-6 months. And don't really care if you leave.

Swift gets their corporate welfare for hiring us. It appears they count on that to survive.

Why would they want us to stay?

 

Sumner HH lives on the 300 mile runs. We get the .01/mile bonus for HH and the sliding scale. An average day for me would be 2 loads running about 150-250 miles each on a "hub and spoke" style running. 90 percent of the loads were preloaded. The bad news was the live unloads, almost never a drop/hook.

 

I am still kinda new here--on my first week solo. So far hasnt been too bad--my only complaint right now is--I just want a truck with things that work. As it is now--I cant guarantee my speed as my speedometer rarely works and I cant log the actual miles due to my odometer rarely works. I just want my guages fixed-as they has assured me will happen.

 

Good luck...the learning really begins when you go solo....as soon as I got into a town that had a terminal with a shop..I would get the essentials fixed.

 

I got a message today that I was 'Observed' in the Swift-paid observers-follow you around randomly and report back program.

OK this is a good thing I guess, keeps the driver on their toes, maintaining safe speed and following distances because you never know who is watching. The report on me was good by the way. Not real sure I believe there are people out there observing though....

OK here's an idea along those lines. Let it be known to all the mentors out there that Swift hires 'professional students' at random who go out and evaluate the mentors, and they will never know when or if one of these students gets on their truck.

Sure there is a reporting system already but a lot of drivers are afraid to speak up. They need a job so bad they are averse to rock the boat, just trying to get through the hell and get a truck and be paid.

About the 2nd week into training I got the call from Memphis asking how things were going and how many times had a I backed up. Mentor dude was driving, gives me the most evil demeaning glare, the truth was I had only backed up like twice but the correct answer according to the little driver manual was about 10 times. Over the course of the training I only backed when I was on the drive line and we happened to be at a shipper/receiver where backing was required. Then the last day of training I backed up about 15 times and that was that.This guy has no business training people, no leadership skills, is only in it because he cannot afford his truck payment. I learned more from what NOT to do by watching him that what TO do.

 

Lol nice chris u just wanna be spoon fed work. Man we r still in our prove our worth period man. I got all my scale tickets back that next week as long as I got them in by Tuesday if not I got them the next week. An how come u didn't find an oily rag left on ur turbo in ur pre-trip bud. Lol just giving u some #### man u just gotta take ur ups with the downs . I'm having a good time with swift so far no real complaints besides the mechanics have a attitude problems an r just plan lazy but everything on my side an my dm r great he keeps me busy an I got a good truck, it's not pretty due to a previous driver but she runs hard an works great. An having to clean empties an stuff is just do to lazy drivers not Doing their job . I just do my job the best I can roll with it. I'm just happy swift gave me a chance to prove myself so I can get my time in so I can land that better job!

 

The truck runs really smooth--guess thats why i haven't pressed the issue. The gauges not working has to do with an "engine fault". Sometimes when it does the "regen in progress" while driving--the gauges will start working for a period of time--usually if the engine lite goes off. It dont work every time it regens though. I told y dm about it and he said we would get in to be looked at.

 

Swift has been doing that for years..."regular people" in different cities, Swift personnel from the terminals and shops in their own city, and for a while Retzenberger clowns...they pretty much just transport the railroad crews to and from the trains...

That was always "suspected" but never proven...and it is mentioned in the Mentor class!

I would tell every student on my truck that the evaluation form by them on me was important, and the only way Swift could monitor what is and isn't being taught and covered! At the end, last day when the final page was to be filled out...I took the student inside the terminal with his/her trusty pen and "training packet"...then very strongly and sternly INSISTED they be COMPLETELY HONEST with every question and every answer! How else can I critique myself without honest and complete scrutiny...you won't hurt my feelings, be honest...if there was something you didn't like (BESIDES MY SINGING WHILE I DRIVE)..let us know!

My students did all the backing...didn't matter if they had only been asleep after driving for an hour or so...they got their butts up and went to work! Like that will never happen to us as a solo...arrive at the shipper/receiver and check in...all of a sudden there is a cancellation or an open dock....HEY SWIFT TAKE DOCK 22!

I tried to make the 6 weeks more of a reality experience rather than just a mobile classroom! And on average, my students did in the range of 100-200 qualifying docks...at least 5 per day! Empty vacant warehouses, terminal facilities, shippers/receivers that didn't have a problem with practicing and teaching on their property! We even shagged a few trailers and spotted them for some customers...no problem, we are here to teach and learn!

 

I have to say I had an awesome mentor. I did only do 2 weeks with him but I think i did most of the backing in those 2 weeks. He was very helpful and informative. When Phoenix called me to update--he got out of the truck so i could sat whatever but i had no complaints. He did my paperwork without me there and I didnt do his till i was off his truck--but he was a great trainer. Any student that gets him will get a great trainer.