Swift (disagreement with company)

I will concede the point that based on his follow up explanation of the extent of his "illness" that the better choice was indeed not to have driven. The extent of the illness was not disclosed in his earlier post. That being said I have encountered some drivers that mysteriously got sick when they got home and claimed they were unable to drive or continue with the load to the destination and I was called upon to fill in when they dropped the ball.

This is the view companies generally will take when a driver "calls off." Companies have a tendency to mistrust drivers that do this and will go out of their way to prevent that driver from getting loads "through the house" in the future.


It is important for a man to know his limitations. I know mine and while I may be able to "tough it out" with over the counter remedies each of us are different.

 

Now that you've officially admitted to being "old school" you can take yer spankin.

I've spent many a trip pukin my toe nails up, fever over 100, no shower in 5 days...cuz you were too sick to get out of the truck. Hell, I've even had customers tell me to get back in my truck. They didn't want me anywhere on their docks...infecting others. But now days, they want you to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Then they will can you for failed delivery 6 months down the road.

The newer guys don't get it yet. The rules that are shown to the general public, and new drivers...are for show only. They omit the part which allows them to show you as late on a load, then fire you...because you just had your leg amputated by the 4 wheeler that ran you down in a parking lot.

All "failures" come into play, when it comes time for lay offs and cut backs. No questions asked.

Another common misconception...whiners are trouble makers. Nothing could be further from the truth. They are the runners...who ##### and moan because they have nothing to do, never mind they delivered 24 hours early, while Fresh Prince is taking 3 days on a 500 mile run. They (whiners) are also the ones, who will have a job at the end of the day.

 

behind the wheel dude you gave them less than 24 hrs to rerun the load. I feel no pitty for you. maybe you wait 24 hrs to take the medicine duh and get the load there on time or hey maybe drop early

 

Rookie move...I agree. But that is what Swift wants to pay for. Rookies. We all start somewhere, but this driver has started off on the wrong foot.

Coogins Rule #32
Don't puke in your wallet.

 

I haven't met a driver yet, that hasn't PO'd somebody off in his first 2 years of driving.

IMO, if you haven't PO'd somebody off in your first year, yer a candy ### anyway.

So I do have some sympathy for the driver. But I feel he should have moved sooner, or used the QualComm out of the gate.

An earlier posted hit it right on the head .....CYA....at all times.

Just don't make the mistake of calling in dead.

 

i drove from yuma az sick as a dog up to n.california to del a load, stopped in yuma for over the counter meds and went on, i called my dm to advise him of the situation and that i needed 1 day down to feel better after i unloaded, well i quess he forgot about it because he sent me a load from n.california to dallas.....
that was the worst experience i have had....i drove to dallas sick, couldn't even tolerate the radio being on, but i got it to dallas and by that time i was feeling better.out here you have to do what you have to do,period.
alot of bad things can and will happen out here, it depends on how-you- adapt to what is happening, remember you are the adult professional driver, and mommy can't come to the rescue.

 

I fail to see what Swift did wrong here. The way I'm reading it, the fault was yours. I understand it was an honest mistake, which we all make throughout our careers. But you need to just own up to your mistake, learn from it, and move on. It's incredibly immature to point the finger at someone else and say it wasn't your fault.

You waited until the very last minute to call them, even though you knew you were sick. You failed to reach them quickly, so you just gave up. Do you know how many drivers each DM is responsible for? And they're even more short staffed at night. They were probably busy on the phone with other drivers. Then you blame your DM for not taking your side and defending you even though you were wrong.

I think it's quite obvious you weren't cut out for OTR driving. I hope that local job comes through for you soon.

Or, if you think Schneider is so much better, go work for them. That'll just be more work for us Swifty's who like our jobs and want to work.

I've worked for Swift for almost two years now, and I have never had an occasion where I've informed them I can't drive and they haven't worked with me. Whatever the reason is, they've listened and responded. But it is your responsibility to communicate with them in a timely manner.

No trucking company is going to check up on you. That's the beautiful thing about this industry- the autonomy. But it also means you have to be an adult and take responsibilty for yourself. And when you are under a load, you are committed to that load, and you need to take responsiblity for that, too.

Nobody's going to hold your hand out here. Stand up, be a man, admit your mistake, and move on.

 

The driver had more then enough chances to inform the company that he was ill. Going to the truck and sending a msg would have covered his a-- AND giving Swift time to get the load covered. This driver dropped the ball. In this industry, the customer is a valuable asset. For all of us. We must do what it takes to cover the assisgnment giving to us. Experience would have prevented a service failure. This driver did not have it. Swift does not want to pay for experience, so they are to blame.

We are in the supply chain business. When our load fails to deliver on time, many others are effected. The dock hands, the next driver who now has to wait for your load to get cross docked before it moves on. I move air freight. It HAS to be on time. Others are paying for it to go on a plane when in fact is is being moved on the ground. The focus is this, others depend on us being on time. Drivers need to see beyond the windshield to get a grip of what is at stake. Get the load delivered on time, if not, do whatever it takes to HELP your company accomplish the goal.

 

I bet it would be different if you had gotten sick away from the house. The fact that your sick came at the end of your hometime wasn't missed by your employer.

If you are disgruntled, just say. OTR isn't for everyone. If you feel as if you are just "doing time", your actions might be seen as less than team player. That doesn't lend well to the tight knit sets of local driving.....Do your best to do your best all the time and the gig you want will come to you. BOL!

 

the man was RIGHT!!!! You never should have taken a medicne that you cannot drive with, although you were right for not driving after you took it. I had that problem not long ago before I had a Bladder stone removed. they put me on some pain meds that I knew I couldn't drive with and told them so. there was no non-sleepy replacement. so I just didn,t take it. The load has to go, as long as you can do it safely. A sick driver does not belong on the road. take the failure and use it as a learning tool.