Swifts breakdown pay is a joke.

There is a significant number of drivers who have been with Swift for ten and more years who feel perfectly happy. Just as there are happy drivers at Werner, Covenant, Prime, JB Hunt ...and any other large company.

There is a significant number of drivers who were not happy at Swift, et al. Sadly, you are one of them. At no point in my post did I accuse you of silently "taking" it.

All I am doing is trying to show newer drivers which avenues are open to them. If it works, that's good news. If it doesn't and they feel the need to move on, that is their choice to make, just as it was yours.

I moved on myself after a year with Swift. I went to a tiny mom n pop at a terrible time for small companies: just before the fuel price explosion and rate freefall. They couldn't survive.

I then went to a company that was a poor "fit" for me. I stuck it out for nearly two years, but it just didn't work out. That company also has many happy drivers. I wasn't one of them. So, I made a choice to move on.

I returned to Swift. Mainly because I understand the company culture and, after having been elsewhere, this actually kind of feels like "home" to me. It fits.

Again, I'm sorry this company wasn't for you. I hope you are able to find your "home" and put this behind you.

 

did you know they were going to do the windshield?

 

especially with windshields--or bunk heater--stuff like that--its always a good idea to clean off the dash--or flip the bed up and clear out around the heater---saves a lot of grief on everybodys part
i know as a mechanic i would hate working on a heater that i had to dig 4 weeks of dirty underwear out from around it---
it just makes the mechs job a bit nicer

 

ok --there is no reason for them to scatter stuff around--i can see them having to sit on seat to remove the window--but --i would have just layed it on the bunk if i was them
as for the door unlocked---not a good thing for them to do---volvo?--then they were to lazy to get spare key to lock the door--or else didnt have a key

 

When you turn your truck in to the shop, put everything you don't want messed with back neatly on your bunk. Take anything of value to you out of the truck. If you sent your truck to the shop while on home time for a couple of days and they finish it they will park it on the line with the doors unlocked. This is why they have all those signs hanging around that read you should take your valuables out. Other drivers will come along late at night and bang on the door to see if anyone is home. They will take anything that is not nailed down. I saw a guy with a discharged fire extinguisher looking for a finished shop truck to swap out his extinguisher.

Breakdown pay is $50 bucks a day. I have not heard of this loophole where they offer you another truck and boom your are now not entitled to breakdown pay. I did swap for another truck once when the bservice was going to be the next day, I went in and asked for the keys to the 3 available trucks out back and went and picked the best one and moved right into it door to door on the ready line.

 

I have to agree with Injun here. If something is not acceptable, then you have to address it. One thing that has helped me is to try and see it from the other guys position (Sun Tzu: Know your enemy, know yourself etc...). If you can't get it resolved then plot a path that allows you to move on, ie: different DM, Fleet or company. The trucking world has a ton of niches, keep looking and you'll find a good fit for yourself.

Another thing I noticed is that after 5-6 months, Swift got better. I got better runs, was treated better, etc. I think you should try to be patient just a little longer. Make sure you talk WITH your DM (not to your DM) about what is making you unhappy and offer solutions if you can. Remember that they are human too and don't want to be your emotional punching bag. You probably will be able to work it out.

Hang in there guys. A year from now you'll probably be laughing about it.