Swift Transportation Company, Inc. - Phoenix, Az.

Unfortunately, and I know this is not limited to Swift, but many drivers would rarely shower if they had to pay for them. I, for one, will shower everyday whether I am reimbursed or not. I think when customers begin having drivers come in that smell like they have been living under a bridge, they will complain to Customer Service and things will change.

This really amounts to a pay cut for most. My question for any company who has cut the speed drivers can drive (which lowers available daily miles) and cut other things, like shower reimbursements, is, are you willing to cut office pay equal to the amount you cut drivers' pay? After all, the driver is the most important part of any trucking company so why not begin with inside pay and benefit cuts? I figure the amount of lowering speed from 65 to 62 and now removing shower reimbursement (based on solo fueling about every third day) equates to about $2.00/hour for office personnel. How much would the DM's and other office staff complain if their pay was cut? I have no problem making sacrifices to keep a company afloat but I feel those sacrifices should be shared equally among all in a company, and I am not just talking Swift here because other companies are making cuts as well.

 

Ok I trained thousands, just busting yours and the other posters chops LOL..

 

Heck I use to shower daily, sometimes I didn't espesically if real tired. There were times when I was so tired, as soon as the truck was parked, brakes pulled, 10sec later in the sleeper sleeping. Not even so much as filing out the log book or even eating.. The one think i use to hate about the free showers was this. Say you stopped at the Pilot for fuel, got you free shower on your card. You leave continue on down the road. Who is to say another Pilot is going to be on your route when it comes time to shutting down for the night. Heck there have been days where a Pilot wasn't even close to any fuel route I was on after fueling up.. Or when there were, they were always packed with trucks so no stopping there..

 

But that is how it is being sold; shower at the terminal or at fuel stop (when the rare occasion comes you are given fuel outside the terminal network). I wonder if we can macro 22 a load being late delivered because we wanted to take advantage of the free shower at a non-terminal fuel stop? LOL. For me, with plans of someday being an owner operator (who alwyas have to pay for their showers), it is not really a big issue. I will pay for a shower and it is a legitimate business expense for my tax return. However, for those who will always be company drivers I feel bad because some are just barely making ends meet as is and now to take another pay cut, I feel most will just choose not to shower. Another example of a terminal shower problem, this morning I would not have been aboe to take a shower at the terminal if I didn't have my own towel because they had ran out and I guess no one in the terminal staff can wash some in the free laundry room to make sure there are towels for the drivers who want showers.

 

I use to hate to take showers at the terminals. The one in Lancaster use to be nice and clean, But the worse I have been to was the one in El Paso Tx. Talk about nasty. When I did shower at the terminals I always had plenty of towels, and wash rags. Plus the shower shoes, of course I tried to avoid the terminals at all cost no matter how free the showers were. O and another thing I use to hate was their Washer and Dryers, you have to pay, and most of the time they were out of order...

 

thaaat's me! mmmmmmmmmm Skunk Nuts!

 

Like I tell my wife, you get what you pay for. A free shower may be good on the pocket book and the company bottom line but it usually makes for a scary experience.

 

Maybe it's different in the mens rooms, but the ladies showers at the terminals are usually fairly clean. I'm not saying they're spotless, but they're not horrible either.

The problem I have with fuel stop showers is how quickly they expire. IMO, once I've earned a free shower, I should keep that shower until I use it.

 

After reading a lot of these post about the trainers, you could probably get one of their free showers- Since they don't use them.

 

Showers use to never expire, yrs back..I think they started to limit the shower to 3 days becasue it means more money in thier pocket if you don't use it..