Good Night From II

Be careful in the twist between showing aptitude and wanting miles bottom line. You know already that smarter runs are always better than max miles in the end. I see what you are doing, Blsqeak..it isn't easy. Everything I just mentioned is becoming less feasible as loads keep dwindling. My experience the last six months has been, if you don't take everything they throw at you, then you won't get anywhere near 3k miles or more.

Notice that I point out the last six months, I've grown accustomed to running 2,200 mile avg weeks, and found I encounter far less problems than the average employee, as a result. I bullied my way to getting max miles, and by getting there pulling whatever loads available, my net per mile was suffering. For more stress and problems...more phones calls and hold music...is it worth it?

 

Oh yeah...I didn't intend on doing a 34-hour reset, but I haven't seen ONE pplan since I emptied out.

 

Doing a 10 at an Indie south of Rosenberg TX on Hwy 59.

Finished up my 2-stop from GA to New Iberia and Lake Charles LA this morning then ran over to a nearby Loves for a cleanup. A ppln came across my phone on the way back to the truck.

Laredo planner had a "please help out" note with the load. Pickup a tcall at the Houston terminal and pull it 80 miles to BFE, TX..some chicken farm. Also said I could DH back to the terminal to start home time when I finished. Told them no problem, I'll take care of it.

Will continue to interview prospective employers while home. At this point it's not if, but when.

 

I would've been beside myself if I had gotten stuck there!! Chickens, at these high numbers, are NOT the sweetest smelling creatures.

The ppln stated it was a D/H however all the special notes and BOL stated live unload. "Customer doesn't want to pay trailer detention. Must live unload" blah, blah....but I saw several Swift trailers there. After arriving the customer stated the load wasn't due till the 13th and they were not too happy that I was there due to their limited inventory room (was a load of egg crates)...uh, oh!! Laredo planner said the load was late when it was actually a week early. Figured I'd be pulling it back to Houston. Turns out they had an empty Swift trailer in a dock and had me spot mine next to it and pull out the empty to leave with. Ppln was already set as a drop so no issues on the Ecall.

I seriously have to wonder at times why Swifts left hand can't coordinate with its right hand. I run into this kind of ineptness a few times a week now.

 

On my second to last load with Swift I delivered in St Louis picked up in Laredo, because when I picked it up in Laredo I didn't have a time to deliver but I took it anyways cuz I wanted to get to Memphis so I could turn the truck in. They set a delivery date but basically I had to hustle there and barely make it there at the time they wanted it. When I arrived the guys looked at me and said hey you're a week early I told him they wanted me to deliver today at 11 o'clock.


He said yeah they sent us an email stating that it will be delivered today at 11 sent 8am this morning . The CSR didn't even ask them what time they wanted it. Even showed me the email.

But they were nice enough to unload me because at first they were not going to unload me.

At Lake Itasca where the mighty Mississippi begins staying here for a day or two then head west to Montana.

 

You just answered the question I was going to ask...how often does this happen. I see it peppered through posts from various drivers and cannot understand how &)(*^ like this can happen constantly. I see it on the Schneider forum too. I can see an occasional miscommunication but for it to be happening all of the time someone must not be doing their job or doing it poorly. Either that or all these customers are lying about when the load is to be delivered.

 

Lately this has been my biggest gripe with Swift. Little or no support from the people PAID to support us or things just done WRONG! I could start citing examples, but we've all heard it before.

 

It's always been a problem for me as a Company driver for the past four years but the lack of support was sporadic. A hassle at times but not that bad.

It now has become exponentially worse since early spring. Planners don't respond, trailer solutions that never come, CSRs that do not answer questions, QC messages that are never acknowledged, phones that repeatedly go unanswered and on and on. Don't even get me started on the Shops and Window people attitudes. Issues come up with a dispatch, or lack of, or with customers and you simply can't get ahold of anyone for remediation. What was a hassle has now become intolerable costing me time, money and lost loads and I am fed up.

I've enjoyed my time with Swift and have made decent money in spite of some of the hassles but now things are spiraling out of control and I'm sick and tired of dealing with it.

I have no intention of staying with Swift much longer as I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Life is too short.

I was a happy camper but they're turning me into a disgruntled employee and I hate being one.

 

Lugoff, SC.

I picked up a pre-loaded at Target, only to find a missing mud flap and a flat tire.
Gotta love drivers that drop trailers with so much wrong.
By the time it's fixed my 14 will be over so there is no way I can deliver it by tomorrow. I can't make 653 miles in one shift.

So the repair truck got here and as he was talking to me his truck popped out of gear and rolled into the truck next to us. No damage to the big truck, but his has some damage to the front left corner and marker light.

The mud flap bracket is totally gone as well, and he will have to go back to pick up the welder to fix it.
25 miles each way.
His day is going worse than mine.