Swift transition is making me crazy

I hope this helps...
if you call "rapid response" at Swift they will help you.
I have had people at Swift and Central tell me "I don't know... I don't know who you would call"
i call rapid response and they get me the answers. They have even did a 3-way call with a person that just told me "I don't know" and guess what.... They had the answers all the time.

A large part of the problem is Central Personnel. There are a lot (I have been told about 2/3) that are losing their jobs and just don't care what happens. You get the "our department does not exists any more so you'll have to call Swift!"

 

Awsome thanks !!!!!

 

When It was Central, all I did was make sure I fueled at a Pilot/Flying J, Petro or TA. I didn't even follow the fuel routing 'cause sometimes when your real heavy you can't do that anyway.

I never had anyone bring it up.

One time I was getting extremely low on fuel (needle pegged on E) going over the mountains in Idaho. I only had 50 miles to get to a Pilot but I didn't think I could make it.

Pulled into a mom and pop place (not even a truck stop but the canopy was high enough for the trailer). Called fuel department to get authorization for emergency fuel and they asked me if the place takes Comdata. All ll I had to do is tell the fuel department what the station code of the place was and I was good to go.

Fuel department just had to add the station into the database so the Comdata card would work.

Now when I stop to get fuel I get a message that says I have to do a mac 11.

No big deal, I can do that.

Cheers

 

Hahaha. Yea and if you don't do the mac 11 it keeps coming up . Lol
Took me 2 hrs one day till finally I had 5 messages and that's all it was . I was like what the #### is this #### ? Lol

 

I went straight to the receiver almost 2 days earlier but the place was closed (saturday) tried calling their number from the qualcomm and no one answered. Guess the place is closed on weekends, looks like a small warehouse with like 10 docks. Asked my dm if I could drop it at a terminal and get another load, dm says whats your eta? I write back but never get a response. Next day I ask again, someone asks me again "whats your eta?" I tell them and get a no on the drop.

 

Ill finally pick up a less then 400 mile load tomorrow after sitting in a truck stop in MI all weekend! BS! then they want me to PU another less then 400 mile load and take it back to MI! I think im going to try and get my DM to attempt to sway the planner for a long haul load after being down for two days!

 

I have one its like 870 to pick up in the am , but I have a bad feeling about this one
Pick up date says 02/15 yup that's right yesterday, so we will see how that works out . Thank god its a dropin Nebraska.

So my wife called and said our taxes are done , and let me say I am pleased with the results , so I may end up just paying tda off , but I don't know .

If I do , then when I go to get another job , whats that say about my character ya know what I mean.
They will look and say oh boy , this guy didn't last 4 months . Hmmmm

 

Out of 12 students that graduated my class only 1 person actually fulfilled the TDA commitment... me! If you cant afford to stick around and you can find greener pastures out there, I say go for it!

 

When I drove for Central I hung my head a little low.

I always felt like I was a red-headed-step-child to the super truckers.

When I would pull in to park at a truck stop I had this feeling that the "real truck drivers" were saying "Hey boys, watch this Central truck try and park".

I made sure I never screwed up my backing. I practiced it in my first week solo at wallmarts until I could just do it.

I parked in rest areas at first 'cause I wanted to make sure when I did a truck stop I was not going to embarrass the company name. Not me. I didn't care about me, I'm just a face in the crowd. Here today, gone in 10 hours.

Sounds weird but everything I ever did was to represent the company as best I could.


That being said, I can see why swift drivers are the way they are.

swift treats the drivers to not think.

The drivers are hand held through every step of the process.

The driver has no room for creativity. We all know that this job takes a fair amount of creativity.

I was sitting at a swift terminal a couple weeks ago waiting for a trailer to show up and there was a guy doing a 90 degree backing maneuver next to me.

It was a daycab truck.

I asked the guy in the bright yellow safety vest "Do you guys always use daycabs to train drivers?"

The guy says "He's not training, he's testing for his CDL...It's got 18 wheels right?"

Uh yea, ok, good observation genius.

I always felt like my training at Central was lacking but come on. A daycab?

cheers

 

A day cab and a 38 ft trailer. Lol

I most all the time park at rest areas just cause I don't like the rat race in the morning getting out , then I stop in the middle of the day to shower and eat , and such.

If truck drivers have a problem the way I park , well honestly #### them , they will have someone new in a few mins to pick on.

One night down in Colorado I was in a pilot backing into a space , some guy was parked along the side ( in a no parking zone , and in my way ) sat there and watched as I inched my way into this space , finally a guy walking by said , hey keep going u got it , and helped me get in . 20 mins later the other guy pulled away . Thats the kinda #### ya run into and I just do the best I can with all the space I have .

I liked central , lol. I did . Now not so much .

I never liked swift from all the things I have heard about them , now isn't life grand I ####### work for them yeh me...
Oh well I guess we will see how this week goes and I will make my decision from there over a beer this weekend cause I am supposed to be home friday . Huh bet that works out good for me to . Lol