Lawsuit Against Swift Transportation Forced labor Minimum wageThis lawsuit is brought

They're ambulance chasers ... they throw something against the wall and hope it sticks or that the company settles out of court ... at most the plaintiffs get a few bucks and genarally the company changes thier policies that will screw the plaintiffs over even more. And the attorneys make a fortune.

 

Those who file these lawsuits need to take responsibility for their poor choices and move on. Learn from your mistakes and try not to repeat them. Whether you lease a truck or own it, you are in business for yourself. If you don't make money then you have no one to blame but yourself. It is up to you to check out a company and understand your own limitations. You can't lease a truck with big weekly payments, take a week or two off from time to time and expect to make money. Most people are not cut out to be in business. These people obviously have no idea how to manage a business or themselves. These types of cases should be kicked out of the court. Lawyers should not even take the cases. But, lawyers will file lawsuits in anticipation of a big paycheck from a company that would rather settle than fight.

 

Does this have anything to do with the reason that Fred has begun receiving SHORT HAUL pay on some of these little bitty runs he's been getting for the last 2 weeks or so?

 

When companies get sued it leaves less money for employees for higher wages and benefits. Some people like to get a free ride and don't consider the repercussions of their greed. It hurts every employee and stockholder when people file these frivolous lawsuits.

 

Swifts payments and compensatation are such that you can take a week off - basically 1 day for each week on the road - and still do better than a company driver. Yeah, it's not the best deal out there from and O/O perspective. But, it's doable and not difficult.

Second these lawyers don't "take" these cases ... they chase 'em down and create them. Go to the website of the law firm responisble for this case and they have about 15 cases in the pipeline. They specialize in these kinds of cases. Some they win, some they lose ... but the partners are making a very lucrative living doing it.

 

Wilma,
No, this case is still not decided so it has no effect on current pay. Fred should be getting short haul pay; the pay scales for various situations, including short hauls, are on the Swift drivers website under pay forms.
Frank

 

G/Man, you're absolutely right about some people should not be running a business-- brick and mortar or with wheels.

But some of these guys I call 'serial leasers'-- they bounce from one company to the next leasing trucks and turning them in when the time comes for new tires. That's typically the only large expense related to brand new lease trucks. So these guys run a couple hundred thousand miles at about $0.4x per mile, about what they could make at most companies, but with the added cachet of being an O/O, maybe having a pet on board and taking hometime whenever and however long they want.

They just turn the trucks in and move on to another lease/purchase/whatever company and do it all over again. These guys are gaming the system and trying to get anything free they can by stirring the pot.

I will add they will often look around to cast blame where ever and when ever they can. It's the same old refrain:
My Equipment was Faulty
My Manager wasn't giving me good loads
I don't run in bad weather, my chains are for looks only
Nobody told me to hold back money for the state and federal taxes

 

union all the botum feeders trucking

 

starting wit swift

 

Appears the unions started with the primate section of the local zoo ...