Swifts Reputation

Youve been here long enough that I think if you went with them, you have enough brains and "gleened" enough knowledge that you would do alright, hell you might even be better than your trainer.

Is it a gross generalization? I encountered a SWIFT trainer/trainee team in Glendive, Mt. friday morning at a hole-in-the wall truckstop. They were eating breakfast and waiting for a heavy wrecker to come and winch them out. The trainer was backing into a spot and didn't G.O.A.L. before backing and dropped the trailer wheels off a 2ft embankment and leaning the trailer into a telephone pole next to them. When I asked them about exp., the trainer had been on the road since Aug. '09, the trainee since March 15th. Are there some long term, exp. SWIFT drivers who know what they are doing? definetly, but based on what I see, the bad one's outnumber the good ones.

 

That's what we all see....From the outside.
But remember these bottom feeder outfits spend a ton of time and money pounding the companies BS into these newbies heads....

We are the safest!
Our trainers are the best!
Our program is the best!
Our saftey rating is the highest!
Rember....You are working for the best of the best and don't let any of those other drivers out there tell you otherwise...They are just jealous because they probably couldn't measure up to our exacting standards like you did....

Never mind the fact that it's all BS!

These beginners don't know any better...and as long as they stay in the "giant fleet" environment they'll never really see what we see.
The giant fleets all claim to be a lot of things that people that have been around a while know is BS and they prey on people that don't get it!

As soon as you start to figure it out and ask hard questions....They find a reason to get rid of you.

 

One thing I have not seen posted yet is a lot of people will defend them and say well they have more trucks on the road they will have more accidents. When I see one (often) tearing something up that is not what I think. I think because they have had a cycle of turning new guys loose as trainers that barely have enough stick time to roll solo and now they are training is why you see so much damage.

Granted new people have to learn, but they don't have to train. Stiffen the training requirements and it will help curb some of the stupid stunts. When there is a low cycle of seasoned trainers just how do you think these guys and gals will learn? Most of the learning comes from tearing something up. Ooops, don't need to that again...

 

It was not really the increased training that has slowed down the stupid accidents (ie tearing somone's gate down, or backing into x). It was Swift implementing a mandatory three day shutdown as SOON as the accident happens. You get sent to the closest truckstop or terminal and serving the non paid suspension. They used to get the driver home first but too many were doing it just to get the free home time. They implemented that process six months ago.

 

A point to ponder, couple of years back I was contemplating going OTR with SWIFT, at that point I had just under 1 million miles exp., but I did have 10.5 yrs exp., with 10 yrs Mtn. exp. I was told by a SWIFT recruiter that I was overqualified to work for them.

Maybe, just maybe this will turn things around.

 

Now what does that say about a company, they leave people out so long that they would choose to have an accident on their record just so they can get three days at home.

 

Hmmmmmmm.....Pretty good point!

 

Okay heres what i would like too see and i will even offer my services, i want too get back into trucking , driving is all i know, ok heres the deal, i will work for the company okay as a driver for two years, too learn the roaps, ok, i have several safe driving awards, ok, then i want too get transfered too the inhouse safety div ok, ok my job would not behind the desk ok, my job would be there last dicth effort too save there job, if they come too my office, then what i do is take this driver , going and read his driver report, then tell him too get into the safety tractor, we go out for a month, i dont do no driving or anything, i just sit there collecting on percent of his pay, then when does wroung , i correct him-her, and too do it the right way, if after 30 days they still want too do it there way there out of the company or after two months there doing fine for up too a year then revert back , we go for a refresher course for month again after the third time he or she is gone and is filed on dac report as untrainable, i belive in the three strick out rule,any taker's,Everett. P.S. i probly be dead in less then a year by a overzeauols truckdriver as we meet me in ally with a lead pipe in his-her hand becuse i got him-her fired for being a bad driver, thats life i guess.

 

The companies don't want to do that type of comprehensive training....They want large numbers of these drivers to fail and leave to make room for new students and new government money for each of these new students...That they want to run through training...send out solo and then fire to make room for more government subsidy money...