Reality of Swift: How to get screwed

stayinback · Sep 12, 2017

ZVar said: ↑

Define succeed. Seriously.
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A career with then (20 years or so) Providing for a family and a healthy way of life financially

ZVar · Sep 12, 2017

stayinback said: ↑

A career with then (20 years or so) Providing for a family and a healthy way of life financially
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That's kinda like asking if someone can succeed at McDonalds. There simply are companies around that are not set up to be a career. Usually they are called starter companies, or something like that.
To expect otherwise, or be derisive if they are not is ridiculous.

stayinback · Sep 12, 2017

Oh Ok then (lol) I Guess I shoulda known.......I'm a brand new truck driver and I had no idea. Thank You

Gearjammin' Penguin · Sep 12, 2017

At least the OP was detailed, specific and well written, instead of "OMG CHEETS AN LIERS THEY SCUK STAY AWY FROM THESE CROKS!!" We veterans know which companies suck, but if this post keeps one noob from making a mistake, I applaud it.

Sandman 660 · Sep 13, 2017

ZVar said: ↑

I only got through about 1/4 of this rant...

First, every training company only teaches enough to pass the CDL test. No more, and usually a little less. Nothing unique to Swift here.
The other is home time. Swifts policy is 1 day home every 6 days out, with 12 days minimum. If you ever was out more than 12 days, that because you wanted to. Or at the very least didn't push back when they requested you to spend more time out. Every single time I put in a request for hometime and a dispatcher sent me a dispatch going the wrong way, I would decline with hometime as the reason. Every time it got pulled off and I got a run going home.
Also you need to learn what a governor does. A truck with poor hp is not the same as a governor holding you back from going the speed you want.
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You're completely correct. These limitations working in tandem make it impossible to get a head of steam before starting a climb. That's all I was saying. I'm well aware of the different functions and I own my own truck so comparing performance is easy to do. I apologise for any confusing comments I made.

Sandman 660 · Sep 13, 2017

ZVar said: ↑

Define succeed. Seriously.
I succeeded at Swift. I used them as a company driver to get my year in and then moved on. That was my plan from the start, so in my mind I did everything I set out to do. Thus succeeding.

The op is simply pissed he fell for the l/o scam (which is a scam, and is something to rant about) and now has to lash out at whoever helped him fail. Like a previous poster said, if he was a company driver first then why did he go for the l/o scam knowing how they operate.
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I never failed, I did the same as you brother. Success, I define, as not being used and abused as a tool for a mega carrier's advantage but rather turning the tables as we both did.
I'm trying to help new drivers avoid going to a mega like Swift because they can do better for themselves.
I have owned and started my own businesses before but had my back broken while riding a bicycle by a car and had to sell my accounts while I focused on recovery. That being said I was able to quickly work out every greedy angle swift was doing drivers dirty. To me that's egregious. I'm only interested in revealing these shady practices to new drivers to help them avoid being needlessly exploited. Didn't mean to rant or rub anyone the wing way. I apologize if I did man.

I glide 47 · Sep 17, 2017

Don't hold back tell us how you really feel

jimmymac56 · Sep 17, 2017

Sandman 660 said: ↑

I'd like to run over a list of crimes Swift commits against it's personnel every day they operate. Though I am now an O/O with a much better and smaller company, I left Swift a few months back and would like to shed some light on the reality the ways they screw their drivers and staff.
No matter which Swift Academy you go to, you will learn only enough to pass a DOT CDL test. Swift got it's staff in Arizona authorized to administer the testing, so more people would pass and join the ranks. At the price of $4,000 it's not worth it as you're literally getting nothing for your money.
The first trap they lay is being a company dupe making low wages driving crippled vehicles.
The governor set at 62 should be enough to make anyone realize how unsafe it is and how much it robs you of the ability to climb anything more than a slight incline without downshifting. Well, that's for the trucks that still have manual transmissions in them.
The camera will alert and go off for no reason at all and you will be sent to Safety only to find nothing was wrong.
The Qualcomm will never cease. You will be micro-managed to death and you will NEVER be able to talk to a planner, even when it's critical that you do.
You will be gone from home for 3 to 5 weeks at a time and no one will care about anything but serving Swifts' interests in moving that freight. Your needs and concerns won't matter.
My last month with Swift I was gone 34 days and I sat for 10 of them making no money.
If you don't like being a company dupe, you can become an 'owner operator' by visiting a recruiter.
That's the next trap: The Fleece Purchase program. Where you literally become an indentured servant.
Jerry buys 2k Freightliners for a deep discount, puts you in the truck under a 2 year contract that basically pays the truck off for Jerry, then you turn it in and he sells it for the same price you paid for it. Swift not only gets a truck for free, because of the bulk purchase discount, but actually gets the truck, in the end, for free with a big profit post sale of the truck.
Meanwhile, you're responsible for all the maintenance and fuel and weekly payments that range from $600 to $900. After food and fuel, you've got nothing left, which means you're hauling Jerry's freight for free.
If you make all your payments on time, those won't be reported to any of the big 3 credit bureaus. Miss a single payment and they'll report you in a heart beat.
The only people who benefit from a fleece purchase are Swift's board of directors.
If you go the route I did, which was elevate my credit score to around 800 and get a low interest loan for an almost new Kenworth, instantly the load availability will dry up.
Swift wants to use you as a tool that they can exploit, but if you're smart and buy your own truck and ELD system so that you can actually reduce their deductions, you'll suddenly find your self with no freight to haul.
I always ran early, so when I was told I would be written up and penalized for delivering a load a day ahead of schedule I told them that it was absurd that that they could sit me for 10 days on a cycle and not be held to account, but if I actually did my job and arrived early that I'd pay for it.
This happened several times because I'm habitually early and I'll always try to make customer contact to see if I can get worked in.
Swift will screw you on your training as well. You'll be paired with a moron who has little to no experience themselves who'll use you as a team driver. Rather than train you, you will drive your miles at night and the trainer will get paid for all the miles you drive while you get $9/ hour only for the hours you drive.
There's no incentive for the trainer to train you, so they don't. And there's no accountability when your rookie butt goes out and has an incident.
The mechanics and office staff get the same treatment. Low pay, unbelievable work loads and a demoralizing environment. You'll never see the same mechanic or office person twice because they burn out and quit and are quickly replaced by another well meaning ideologue who's about to get chewed up in the Swift meat grinder.
If you're a mindless dupe, with no family or children you want to see, then being a company driver for them makes sense. I noticed a tendency for people who were homeless when they showed up to love being company drivers. I wonder why. You also see every manner of screw up who has no problem being exploited or being used as a tool by Swift.
The first time the governor kicked in when I needed to power up a hill and ended up down in 5th gear I was over it.
The first time the camera triggered an event when there was no event I was over it.
The non-stop harassment from the Qualcomm was annoying at best, and the geniuses would send you time sensitive messages rather than call you, where the needed quick response on your part couldn't be implemented or replied to.
Week after week of low pay after having driving non-stop, literally until all my clocks were exhausted was demoralizing.
Never seeing my wife or my dogs or my house for all the hard work I gave was demoralizing.
And as soon as I got my Hazmat and bought my own truck with a loan, they had no more work for me.
Learn from my mistakes.
Stay away from the mega carriers like Swift and never take a lease purchase.
Once I had a truck that was having low pressure warnings, coolant and oil leaks and a hard alignment issue that made cornering turns in mountains almost lethal. One instance coming across the pass from Oregon to California I had smoke pouring out of the brakes, the engine brake wasn't working properly and I had a 45k pound paper roll load from Georgia Pacific heading into a hair pin curve. I looked out my mirrors and saw massive plumes of smoke, enveloping the cars in the left lane and when I saw the curve I was heading to in 6th friggin gear I thought for sure the truck would roll.
Upon reporting this tractor 5 times to my driver manager, nothing was ever done about it. I finally turned it in in Phoenix refusing to drive it again.
Swift is composed of liars. The big bosses don't give 2 turds about you.
Save your time and your money. Go to a real trucking school and find a smaller company to work with.
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jimmymac56 · Sep 17, 2017

WAIT FOR IT, Here come the swift kool-aid drinkers.

me myself and I · Sep 17, 2017

I too didnt read O/P entire post. So can somebody tell me who put the gun to O/P head, and forced him to sign with Swift? That person belongs in jail.

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