Swift Transportation can kiss my gluteous maximus!!!

KF7AYS · Apr 30, 2013

drvrtech77 said: ↑

I'm strictly going off what you post...so if you don't like the truth... Well too bad... I mean I specifically mentioned that no one can make you drive illegally and your response was well since I'm new I have to do as I'm told well you know what the laws are you know what the regulations are no one can make you break them if you broke them you broke them on your own free will..

so again...accept responsibility for your actions because if you don't, you'll end up with same results at next company...

my word of advice to you is this...

you & only you are in charge of operation of that truck...if for some reason you can't drive whether it being weather/road conditions or hours of service, you have the ultimate authority to stay parked..if a company retaliates against you for it , then you have a legal case..

so just remember... You're the "captain of the ship"
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Yes, you are going off my post. Sadly, you chose to pick out a small matter out of the whole to use to attack me personally. Attack the issue, not the person.

Also, I did not put in the specifics of that instance or of the instance in Amarillo as I did not feel it was important enough to bore the readers with trivial minutiae. Have you ever been in a situation where you were screwed if you do and screwed if you don't? Again, this was an instance where my DM agreed with my assessment 100% and the person who caused the situation was sent to "significant re-education" while I received no reprimand from Swift.

Menehune · Apr 30, 2013

Well, you may have a great education, high IQ, and past 30 years in the IT world. This is not that world, this is trucking. They are not the same. Learn this new field, get that chip off your shoulder and listen to those who are there. Learning is a every day thing, it is no different in trucking. You can make all the excuses you want, the bottom line is you are new and this is trucking. If you dont like it, and it is so wrong, then do us all a favor and find another profession. Otherewise suck it up and good luck.

KF7AYS · Apr 30, 2013

Menehune said: ↑

Well, you may have a great education, high IQ, and past 30 years in the IT world. This is not that world, this is trucking. They are not the same. Learn this new field, get that chip off your shoulder and listen to those who are there. Learning is a every day thing, it is no different in trucking. You can make all the excuses you want, the bottom line is you are new and this is trucking. If you dont like it, and it is so wrong, then do us all a favor and find another profession. Otherewise suck it up and good luck.
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So you actually like and agree with giving your time away for free?

drvrtech77 · Apr 30, 2013

KF7AYS said: ↑

Yes, you are going off my post. Sadly, you chose to pick out a small matter out of the whole to use to attack me personally. Attack the issue, not the person.

Also, I did not put in the specifics of that instance or of the instance in Amarillo as I did not feel it was important enough to bore the readers with trivial minutiae. Have you ever been in a situation where you were screwed if you do and screwed if you don't? Again, this was an instance where my DM agreed with my assessment 100% and the person who caused the situation was sent to "significant re-education" while I received no reprimand from Swift.
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I have been in situations before where either I was too sick to drive a truck or in the winter the road conditions were too unsafe to be going down and weather dispatchers tell me that get all down the road I told him thanks but no thanks I am one driving this truck not you I will say when it rolls and they have tried to threaten me Before but I don't even care what they say like I told you I am the captain of his truck any driver is the captain of that truck not a dispatcher

Menehune · Apr 30, 2013

Bottom line, this is trucking. Love it or leave it. If the job requires sitting for a couple of hours before you start getting paid, like the contract says, then that is what you do. This is a different world then the IT world, if you want it the way you are used to then go back. Tired of listening to people changing career paths and expecting it to be the same as the one thay left.

Professional-Trucker · May 1, 2013

Nothing wrong with Swift. Just lots of people crying about petty stuff. None of this stuff is accurate. You say the pay sucks? Try unemployment. Does it justify the type of work we do out here? No, but then, what type of work are we actually in? It's commission based. You should've known that!

MikeCammer · May 4, 2013

MUSTANGGT said: ↑

I don't think gross pay was ever mentioned. It's easy enough to net $100 with any job if you are drawing advances excessively.
Just a thought.
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I have pretty small paychecks myself. I pay for Medical/Vision/Dental coverage for my wife & I. Supplemental life insurance, supplemental catastrophic medical. I have a small child support payment, student (CDL Academy) obligation, I pay $30 a month for the Rider program (my Wife likes to ride along when she can) and then the normal taxes. I have also had the misfortune of having my truck in the shop twice for 4-days each. While I would certainly love to get more miles and longer loads, I CAN NOT blame Swift. My gross pay is what it is...It is hard to make it on my NET income. I never turn down ANY load for reasons other than time (HOS or On-Time). I am told that these past few months have been the "slow" time of the year. I am looking forward to freight picking up. I guess I'm just trying to say that if someone dislikes what they are getting paid for what they do....why not just go and get another job elsewhere? Swift has paid me exactly what they promised they would when I took this job. I have good benefits and so far, enjoy my job. I am still learning this trade and Swift has done okay by me so far....

MikeCammer · May 4, 2013

mytilll said: ↑

I have worked for swift for 2 and a half years. Of which i have run 13 months solo and the rest as a mentor with a few solo weeks in between. My solo average net pay is 644 dollars and my average net pay as a mentor is 964 dollars. I feel there is a misconception about loads and how people are planned. You do not have a personal dispatcher. There are separate planning areas each served by their own teams of planners. Customer service reps deal with the customers, planners take those loads and dispatch them to your truck. Driver managers are the go between for you and any other department. I was on a dedicated fleet for part of my time at swift. My DM on that fleet informed me that the otr loads that are planned out are not necessarily planned by people, but primarily by computer. Also on top of that there are separate fleets. 48, regional, mentor solo expedited, mentor team expedited. I agree that continued education of mentors and drivers is an issue. I hear the horror stories from students i take over after being on another mentors truck. I find it difficult as a mentor even in my 240 hours with a student to have them comprehend the whole system. If a new student has come from a truck driving school with no previous experience, they have been taught one thing, how to pass the test. There is no comprehension of load planning, maintaining logs, and maintaining the vehicle. It is very easy for these new drivers to say "they never taught me". That is the answer i get from almost every student. My follow up question is "have you researched the subjects you feel deficient in?" Inevitably the answer is no. I am torn between finding them personally responsible for not knowing the basics, or finding schools responsible for inept training programs. After all it is difficult to ask questions about what you don't know if you don't know. So I'm left with finding both students and schools responsible. As a mentor it is difficult to manage the pull between the company wanting to push miles on you and having the time to teach a student. But as a mentor that is your responsibility. As for swift asking me to run illegal. Not once in 2 and a half years have i ever been put in a spot where it is "run illegal" vs "Job security". It is the responsibility of the driver to look at the load and decide if he can run it legal or not. If you were your own trucking company would you accept a load from a broker that requires you to run illegal? I hope not. And the same should apply if you work at a large company. There are many loads on our boards, and many trucks. There are times when i have felt pressure by a dispatcher or csr who has the responsibility to make sure they plan out those loads and get them there on time. But ultimately that is a decision you have to make and if there are problems inform your DM. For the most part i have had no issues with pay. I understand the pay policy and have not been cheated. Sometimes there are loads in which you need to contact your DM and let them know the discrepancy and they can get with payroll or adjust it. Over my time of employment i have been polite with everyone i have spoke with in the company, but that does not always mean i see eye to eye. Everyone is different. I tend to not like to argue or raise my voice. In instances where i have followed instruction i have been told i did the wrong thing. One example is a minor issue with my truck. I called to ask onroad what they would like me to do. They sent me to a dealer 13 miles from my location instead of 60 miles to the terminal to get it fixed. Turns out the part was not going to be in that day and i would have to wait till the next day. I called onroad informed them of the decision and they said get a hotel and wait that the repair is under warranty. I called in to the terminal to let a DM know that i was going to be in a hotel etc. at which time i was informed that i should have called the shop at the terminal since i was so close. I fail to recognize how it is my responsibility to tell onroad how to do their job. I even informed onroad that i was only an hour from the terminal. Still the DM i called was upset with me stating the cost would be greater because i went to the dealer as if it was my decision to do so. Of course these things happen with such a large company and a lack of communication between departments. Knowing what you are getting yourself into before you start can cure some frustration. There are ebbs and flows, managing your attitude, developing good relationships with co workers, and having a positive attitude can make your time at swift much more pleasant.
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By far, one of the best posts in this thread! Thank you Mytilll.

Silvermitts · May 4, 2013

I'm NOT a swift fan , actually I'm as far from one as you can get and still live in the continental
United States .
With that being said -

Swift asking anyone to run illegal is beyond imagination.
Really , with Qcoms , the DOT and the ability to re-power loads
why would they take a chance , or find it necessary to ?

Silvermitts · May 4, 2013

PS
The pay-
Some weeks were better than others , I never went hungry .

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