Swift Orientation in Sumner

I drove for Swift for approx. four months,out of the Columbus OH. term. I have about 15 yrs. driving experience. My experience with Swift was very bad. Main problem I found was that the dispatchers,(DMs) seemed to control everything and answered to no one unless I as a driver balked at their orders and got the so called fleet manager involved.And as for me every time I got to the Columbus term, there was a meeting set up between me , the fleet mgr. and the dispatcher. These meets usually ended up with the fleet mgr. and myself having a fairly good conversation about the problems with dispatch. Meanwhile the dispatcher just sat there and had nothing constructive to say.But alas as soon as the meeting was over it was back to the same BS. I was at the Sumner term. a few times,and things seemed to be OK there. However I was still dispatched out of Columbus,so its really hard to say what the setup was in Sumner.After my stint with Swift I would not reccomend them to anyone.I am sure there are better companies out there on the west coast to hire on with.No matter which way you go, GOOD LUCK to you.

 

they are the worst ######## i have worked for.

 

SwiftQuit is a company I'd go to work for again only the day after doomsday.

 

Im on the way to Lewiston on the 14th then sumner for training.
I will be going with my son in law as we plan to go otr as a team.
Ill post as i go

 

acr1stlt: I used to drive out of the Sumner terminal. What you wrote is pretty accurate. There are much better companies out there. Did you try Interstate? They are based out of Tacoma. 2 yrs driving is all I have and they hired me. Start on the 23.02.09. If you're only looking for heavy haul, then Swift would be the place. Washington and Oregon are about all they run those Costco loads, so that's true, too. Need any other information? Drop me a note.

 

I run Heavy Haul for Swift out of Sumner. Areas are Washington, Oregon and Northern Idaho. I average 1800-2000 miles a week, almost all of it on the sliding scale. Average paycheck is $800 a week. Outhaul is Costco; backhauls are most often paper rolls (HEAVY!!!!) or Coke. I drive a 05 Freightshaker that's in pretty good condition, mostly because I am a jerk about getting it fixed. (yes this ticks off my DM on a regular basis). I run 6 days one week, 5 the next. I see my house (20 miles from terminal) on weekends and normally once or twice during the week. They don't reimburse showers at truck stops, no power converters other than plug in. Planners try to push you beyond hours all the time. Trucks are limited to 62-64 mph.
In a nutshell, there is good and bad. Stick to the law, cover your butt and you'll be ok.

 

So how is the Sumner Terminal I live in Kitsap County and lloking into Swift

 

Ok, I've been out of there since Feb, so keep looking for more current info.

That said, Sumner wasn't too bad. Some dummy dispacthers, an occasion brain belch from a DM etc...you know, real world humans. We ain't robots and they ain't either!

Mostly Sumner is a dedicated fleet terminal supporting Costco (heavy/reefer) and JC Penny (feather loads!). Rigs are Freightshakers and Volvos. The shakers run about 425-500 hp with 13 spd trannys. Check my post of Sumner Heavy Haul for more info. Just ignore the bickering from some guy who thinks 105,500lbs ain't heavy.

 

My husband runs heavy haul (otherwise known as the cupcake division ) out of Sumner. He loves it.

Palazon has been right on the money with his advice and opinions. There have been a few frustrating weeks when loads didnt get planned etc but things seem to be settling down into a nice routine now. I think alot of hubby's problems initially were due to his being new, his dm didn't run him too hard to give hubby a chance to get a feel for things. And hubby had to learn to speak up more when he had issues.

btw Palazon, hubby says TY for the tip about CeeGee's..hes enjoying them alot LOL