Swift Transportation Company, Inc. - Phoenix, Az.

Discussion in 'Report A BAD Trucking Company Here' started by TurboTrucker, Apr 16, 2005.

  1. Raezzor

    Raezzor Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

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    Gotta wonder about someone who wants to drive a truck but is either to lazy or ignorant to do their own research, can't use proper spelling and punctuation, or has to ask if Swift is a good company in the forum called "Report a BAD Trucking Company Here."
     
    timeformetodrive Thanks this.
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  3. timeformetodrive

    timeformetodrive Light Load Member

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    Mar 7, 2009
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    frdr thank you for the response i see about all the trucking companys are the same when it comes to traning,ive heard so great thangs on swift and horrble stories on them soo, im just having a hard time to who i want to go with swift cr england or stevens, not to sure yet fill me in and let me know what u think
     
  4. newbie2

    newbie2 Bobtail Member

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    Oct 5, 2009
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    :biggrin_25523:howdy everyone! just would like to post my comments on swift. i been with swift now for 3 months and have nothing but good things to say about them! the company is only as "GOOD" as there MENTORS!!!!! i think that the company has to look at there "MENTORS " more closely. i was lucky and had a mentor my age "OLD SCHOOL" and was vary good at training, safety, ect. we had no "GPS" we use the good old US MAP!!! i use to drive logging truck back in 1985 for 2 years so this was all new to me.my driving skills were more then my mentor exspectded from me. i have learned alot from my mentor on the things to do and things not to do. what to watch out for ect! he has been with swift for 15 years as a trainer. when i was done with my mentor, when thay ask how was your studen. he said good but lacks in backing! and reqwested that i have 1 more week of backing. so i had 1 more week of hardcore backing. i had to pass in order for me to work for swift. im not the fastest "BACKER" or the "BEST" slow but get the trailer in were it gos and with no damage! i still have a lot to learn out there! im still there every day. but take my time get my routes down on paper were i am going, all my turns ect. i don't use a "GPS" gps dont tell how low overheads ect. i use my atlas it has all the info i need. i havin been late i only stop for fuel and shower. i make good miles every week and thay keep me running! any problems i call my driver manager and thay help my out. even with my qwelcom when i have problems. i thnik lots of the driver problems are from there mentor training. one thing i learned about slidding my trailers axles are some times the handle wont lock so when my mentor called me one day to see how i was doing i told him about that and he said to get a big pair of visegrips to help lock the handle down did and wow it worked! only have two arms lol! swift so far been good. thanks:biggrin_25514:
     
    Baack Thanks this.
  5. Darkschneidr

    Darkschneidr Light Load Member

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    Jan 31, 2009
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    Sorry newbie2, but you should do some more research before you claim what a GPS "can" and "can't" do. They will, in fact, account for low overheads, oversize limits, length of trailer, haz-mat routing, traffic reporting (on some) and they work wonders for re-routing.

    As a GPS user, in the time that you take to write it down, I can plan my route, read through it, and know how and exactly when I will arrive there. As I am traveling my route it will update my eta real time. If there is construction on the road I am traveling on, I know beforehand to watch out for it. If I see that I need to stop somewhere, I can see each and every available place to park along the route. If I am traveling along and I discover that a road is closed that wasn't supposed to be, I can easily re-route in a moment's notice, allowing me to continue to be productive and reach my goal. In all honesty, I can even pull it off while driving if I need to, although I wouldn't say that it is a good practice for a driver. And then there are the return trips to the same place, custom POI makes them a breeze when trying to remember which side of the road the place is on, or where to enter from so reach the dock of a store.

    In no way does using one make someone else any lesser of a driver or person than you, so please stop being so condescending.

    LCQT was the class you had to take at your mentor's request, just a simple alley dock simulation. He probably did you a big favor by asking for you to take that rather than letting you go running on your own and back into something.

    As for the rest, I'm glad you have nothing but good things to say for the company. Did you not complete the Road Ready and Chaining class? They tell you in the class the exact thing you mentioned about using vice grips to hold tandems and such, you should really complete them if you haven't done them yet, if nothing else but for the tools you receive.
     
  6. TruckrsWife

    TruckrsWife Significant Otter

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    Didn't your Mentor have you practice backing?
     
  7. otherhalftw

    otherhalftw R.I.P.

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    Two things: I didn't see any condescention in his statements...he is old school like me..don't have GPS, don't want GPS, don't need GPS...as he said everything you need is in the atlas..and a lot more than your little electronic gizmo can offer. A good driver is one who uses the tools (he prefers, and is comfortable with, in an efficient manner). Some of us old farts think that taking a little time to peruse the atlas, use the time to study the route before departing on the trip, tends to make the trip "sink in" a bit better. Plus, as you are studying the route on the map..you can find things that you didn't know was there, or find something you heard about and didn't know you were close to it...does your GPS offer that side line? Didn't think so!

    The "Close Quarter" training used to be (remember old fart here, and been away from Swift for a year now), I digress..used to be for those who had been involved in some kind of "incident" or accident, especially a backing issue...his Mentor should have taken more time having him back during his training...all of my students, ALL...not only completed the 28 back page but were required by me to do at least 5 backs EVERY DAY! But that was just my way and actually a group of us from Sparks Terminal (trainers back then) got together and made up our own (above the Swift guidelines) training program...got Kudo's from management for it too!:biggrin_2558:
     
  8. telcobilly

    telcobilly Medium Load Member

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    My first mentor at Swift started out real well on the backing, but I got of his truck as he had some family stuff going on. My second mentor was very hands off, I was just a logbook to him. We got along great, but I had to insist on backing every chance I could, I was still well under the 28 req backings when I came back in. I did ok on the second roadtest, but volunteered for the additional backing so I could build on my skills/confidence.
     
    Baack Thanks this.
  9. Darkschneidr

    Darkschneidr Light Load Member

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    I took it is condescension, it's not important anyway. I hate to disagree with you (I normally don't), but you are wrong again about GPS, I can easily do what you are saying with my software.



    As for the training, it's up the the mentor as to if they need to take it or not. You are right about it being a spank on the hands for backing accident people though.
     
  10. otherhalftw

    otherhalftw R.I.P.

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    CA...gold discovery foothills
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    Aha..got you! Can't be "again" since I have never said anything about GPS on this forum!!!

    In a knit-picky mood today...so watch your semantics, or I will borrow a sharp pointy stick from you know who!:biggrin_25521:
     
  11. mike76

    mike76 Light Load Member

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    GPS is wonderful technology. Having it don't make you a better driver or horrible one. using one just make you a driver who use all tools out there to help him. having a map book and gps are two tools that will help you in the long run.
     
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