Good Night From II

While I understand all y'all are having it tough lately at the time of year we should be swimming in freight you really need to look beyond Swift for the cause . The economy stalled in the first quarter and its barely idling now . What affects us the most is consumer spending because most of our freight is consumer goods and it finally improved last month . Basically , if merchandise isn't leaving the shelves there isn't much need for us to be hauling to the DCs to restock those shelves . Blaming DMs, cameras or weeding out higher paid drivers is about on par with blaming the phase of the moon .

 

Alto I don't have a dog in this hunt no more, chillin in Joplin right now. Need to take a pic of me and my bike. Just before the crash in 2008 that Christmas before 2008 in the summer of 2008 sucked for freight. Now I'm putting my tinfoil hat on but I believe sometime at the end of this summer or the beginning of this fall there's going to be another crash.

 

Thank you for the Economics 101 refresher. I think I first heard of "supply and demand" coupled with Logistics back in 9th grade. I had a life for 26 years before retiring and coming to Swift because I wanted to, not out of desperation. Spent those years with a Big Oil Company managing mfg, distribution and shipping. I'm also able to keep up with current events.

I have to disagree that Swift has no culpability in the issues that folks like Moose and I, both seasoned drivers well acquainted with Swifts culture and practices, are having. Though you seem to think we're totally oblivious to the obvious.

The Swift support structure we're now dealing with has become a ineffectual joke in several locations resulting in drivers sitting ludicrous amount of time and losing loads. DMs that are too busy babysitting new drivers that are being added on, at a rampant pace, to keep up with the abuse being heaped up on frustrated veterans. Planners unwilling to relocate drivers to better freight areas to balance the pool. It's easier for them to throw poorly timed loads on you and be done with it as well as screwing drivers out of layover pay while waiting. If you refuse the load..no layover..if you accept the load with a 27 hr wait period..no layover..either way you lose.

I have spoken with more than one DM and planners at different terminals over the past few months and they've told me point blank of their issues trying keep drivers loaded because Swift is adding new drivers at a ridiculous rate among other things going on.

You have been with Swift long enough to realize this Company has many, many internal problems that hinder drivers miles. I could list a dozen or more off the top of my head but I know you're well aware of all of them.

I can't agree with your position that Swift has no responsibility in the type of issues I'm having with getting miles the past few months and that the simplistic notion that it is entirely the fault of the economy is the root cause. I call BS on that one.

Your crack about our issues are on par with blaming the phase of the Moon was a cheap shot that detracts from your previous comments and was unnecessary to state your point. It only smacks of liberal left wing tactics of blaming those that speak up against something instead of acknowledging that the problem actually exists.

 

Despite the insults that have no bearing on the conversation (liberal ? ??) I ask that you go back and reread my post . I also recommend you Google 'consumer spending , and read the Business Insider article at the top of the results . I also want to point out I never said Swift has no culpability in the struggles you described that we are all dealing with .
I believe Swift over reached with the new hiring surge as well as the amount of new equipment in anticipation of the economy booming. Other companies did as well and all you need to do is drive through the West Texas oil fields to see the billions of dollars of new equipment sitting idle . Our support structure is in shambles due to simply not enough freight to go around in addition to the normal incompetence we've always had to deal with . We all know there are good people in our support group who are under the corporate mandate to tread water while trying their best to accommodate our needs .

What you missed or ignored or I didn't express adequately was we are dealing with a flat economy that surprised the economists but the companies expecting a surge that didn't happen .

For your information I've been both breathing and with Swift longer than you have . Having reread the last paragraph of your comment I feel the need to rrespond to that separately . #### you .
Frank

 

Another piece of the puzzle ... all those oil rig tractors looking for work and inflating capacity.

 

I didn't miss or ignore anything. As for insults you started off with enough of that.

I bow down to you being older than 59 and braver to be with Swift longer than my meager 4 years.

Since you feel the need to end your comments with a simple #### you I guess I'll just respond in kind and just let it go at that. #### you too

 

Biloxi, MS. Was planning further but lost hours due to back ups again. Today was 7 miles before the tunnel in Mobile and another 2 miles at the state line due to heavy rain. Can not wait until tomorrow when I am on the FM board. See if my miles improve any. Found out that I could have gotten a decent load on Friday but my DM was kinda like, he is leaving on Monday, so let someone else handle it. Again he just waiting until the end of the day before looking. If not booked in the morning then we all know that at the end of the day is the crap freight. Now just see if get a load home from Houston to El Paso. Should not be a problem since I know that there just has to be freight going that way

 

Well my load with way too much time turned out to be a good thing.

My 11 year old, Lorelei, was put on a plane this afternoon headed to MN. My nephew Matthew is meeting her there and she will be spending a couple months with my sister.
If I had been driving I would not have been available when Matthew called needing information on the terminal she was coming in at, or that her flight had been delayed by 25 minutes.

He found her a few minutes ago and is now talking with TSA to claim her.
Sometimes a seemingly poor situation turns out to be a good thing.

And hopefully we can get away from the insults?
Times are tight right now for all of us, and there seem to be several factors that contribute to it.
No use fighting over it. It is what it is.
I wasn't aware of the downturn in the economy, and it is simply one more nail - but obviously not the only one.

 

Declined the logging truck position back home at my friend's business. I did it not because I figured things were on the upstroke where I am at, not to be jumpy and find out I didn't like the insecurity of pay with logging..but on the notion that the lifestyle may not be for me anyhow. It's more and more everyday I feel that it's time to quit trucking all together. I don't like who I have become; or to put in more generally, the stupidity of those around me only further feeds my already inflated opinion of society. That goes for truckers just as well, on par with the 4-wheelers, doing stuff that doesn't make any sense on the road. I can't sleep a lot of nights...this overwhelming fear of truckers backing into my hood. So, enough about people.

Sitting at the Hess around Salisbury Steak, NC. On a sleeper split in order to make a deliver tomorrow morning in Burlington, NC. Saw a load offering sitting in Greer. 250 empty miles and 200 loaded...man, I jumped on that like a hyena! Woke up the Friday morning to a qualcomm message inviting me to the Command load program. Instantly, all the associated Swift rubbish filled my head, like "gee...guess some l/o drivers must have quit....such a sweet deal, but they leave anyway, right?" I called them, one of the questions they had was if I were familiar with who they are and what they do. I told him, yes, I had inquired once or twice, to which he said "yes, I see that here." The two times I called, the person on the other end tried having a 5 second conversation and hang up, never bothered to ask my driver code or truck number...but he can see that I've been asking about the program?? Message stated that I was chosen based on O/O years of service. Again, more questions come mind....

So, I got hooked up with a freight broker, and we will see how that helps.