This truck stealing stuff is bunk

The story sounds strange to me.

Every time I have had a problem with my truck the shop (whichever shop I take it to) fixes it.

The home time thing, I have heard, is a problem with some terminals.
I happen to be based in Otay Mesa, but my home times are split between Denver and MN.
I have never had any kind of problem taking 2-4 days.
If I did, I would be looking for either a different terminal to be based out of or a different company to work for.

The terminal from which we are based has no bearing on where we take our home time.
And if the truck is not sitting at a home terminal during HT, it probably won't be reassigned to someone else. (Well, I think, anyway...)

Another way to keep your truck might be to get it in the shop during your home time, for anything that might need fixing.
If you can tell the shop, 'this needs fixing, but you have 3 days to do it' - chances are it will be there for you when you get back.

 

I heard from a Heartless Express driver they did the same thing to him. Gone 4 days on HT and they took his truck.

 

Putting it in shop doesn't always work. I put mine in the shop and still had to empty it out. I got it back but it is inconvenient having to clean it out every time I go home.

 

This is the reason my wife and I left Swift,ran team,out 7 weeks and asked for 5 days HT.Said we would have to clean truck out and check on our 4th day to see if they had another truck available.I told "sure no problem.I will call on the 4th day and let you know if we where coming back or not".

 

There are 2 different kinds of advances, personal and company. With the personal advance, one can take out $105 dollars a week $5 bucks of which Swift keeps.With the company advance I think it is limited to the discretion of the Xcall dept. Coolant is about $10-$12 bucks a gallon (the red stuff Swift wants us to use). Either way, just scan the receipts for this stuff in with your trips and get reimbursed.

I had a trailer rejected at a shipper recently and was told to take it to a washout place around the corner and they would accept it. So I requested a Company Advance for the first time. Scanned in the receipt and was not only not reimbursed but was charged the $25 bucks advance plus Swift's little $5 dollar 'middleman' fee. Swift considers a washout to be the same as a sweepout-- driver responsibility I came to discover.Funny how every other company out there pays for the washouts except Swift....

 

Another reason to move away from Southern CA. Taken up to 5 and a half days off and not turned my truck in...

 

Scottie-
Skip the advance stuff.
Pay cash (or credit card).
QC a message for a P.O. for the amount.
Scan receipt with po# written on it.
Done.
100% success of payment for me.

And paying for a trailer wash cost IS the responsibly of Swift.
I did one 2 weeks ago.
Cash - PO - paid.

 

I did this today... Hopin for the same outcome. Last PO I got was for motel while truck was in the shop for a PM... Never paid me back... So wrote it off on taxes.

 

Whats missing from this story is WHY someone is driving
a truck that is leaking like a sieve.

 

Because if your truck's in the shop you aren't turning miles, making money. You get $50 a (24 hour) day breakdown IF your dm feels like processing it for you but you usually make more than that by driving.