An open letter to Jerry Moyes, Owner of Swift

[LennyD]

For several weeks now, our terminal managers have been spamming our qualcomms every morning with messages regarding truck idle time and fuel efficiency, and how we (the drivers) are not meeting company goals.

This morning you sent your own message about how we aren't lining your already inflated wallet well enough, and that some drivers would be fired (in much nicer words) if their stats didn't improve.

The dolts who are running your company(into the ground) Jerry, fail to realize that the root problem your company faces is a lack of respect for drivers. You can bull**** us all you want with your phony banners and phony appreciation meals, but us drivers who have more brain cells than you give us credit for... we see right through it, as proven by your astronomical turnover rates.

I'm not sure what incentive your DM's have in continually ignoring breakdown/layover pay requests. Obviously it makes them look bad if they are dishing out a higher % than other DM's, but why is such a fundamental display of disrespect just part of normal operations?
Maybe it should be made clear to ALL DM's that layover/breakdown pay is to be paid IMMEDIATELY upon request when it is owed. Is that too much to ask for?

If you aren't going to pay as promised, why advertise it?

When I don't get my breakdown/layover pay, I am not a happy camper to say the least. Do you think i'm going to give any consideration to not idling your truck at questionable times to save YOU money when you won't even pay me the money that YOU owe me? Do you think we're all idiots, Jerry?

You're also asking us to cut down on our speed, which is just another way of asking us to cut our hourly rate for absolutely no incentive, and drive some of the slowest trucks on the road even slower.

Why don't you geniuses devise some clever type of fuel-saving bonus program?

Lets say a driver saves the company 3 cents per mile compared to a predetermined figure... maybe the driver would get a 1/2 cent or 3/4 cent bonus per mile. Is this too complicated? I guarantee if there was any incentive at all, you would instantly see results.

I have many more ideas for your company, Jerry, but I only get paid to drive this truck for now.

[Double R]

The letter would be more effective if you took out the word "DOLT" and "IDIOT".

[nickbtubas]

sorry to say this but i dont think Jerry is browsing this forum. You just wasted your time. better luck sending it snail mail to his office

yeah, maybe send him an email. i am not to sure that this is going to get across his desk.

[Sheepdancer]

I agree with double. If you truly want to send him a letter, you might want to remove the "dolt" and "idiot". Keep it professional. If you want to be treated with respect, show some respect and act professional.

Now with that said. I dont blame them for sending out a qualcom if drivers are wasting fuel. Any employee wasting the companies money for any reason HURTS EVERYONE IN THE COMPANY.

[Malaki86]

Right now is the hottest time of the year and they want you to not idle? Send a suggestion on the Qualcomm suggesting that the company shut down the a/c's in the corporate offices as a cost savings measure. I've worked at one place that said anything to me about idling. I'd ran all night and parked about 9am. When I parked to get some sleep it was already above 90. The owner pulled in beside me and started beating on the door and telling me to shut the truck down (wasting fuel). I had my truck emptied out and was on the way home within the hour. Hell with sleeping in a sauna.

[Cluggy619]

I agree with double. If you truly want to send him a letter, you might want to remove the "dolt" and "idiot". Keep it professional. If you want to be treated with respect, show some respect and act professional.

Now with that said. I dont blame them for sending out a qualcom if drivers are wasting fuel. Any employee wasting the companies money for any reason HURTS EVERYONE IN THE COMPANY.

They do have fuel saving devices that allow the driver to shutdown the truck, and still have either a/c or heat. Can't remember the name of that unit, though.

Most companies don't use them, and still complain about the idle time. Of course, this is from their office, where the a/c-heat works just fine.

As far as acting professional, well.........

[LennyD]

Usually the point of an "open letter" posted online is not so much to get to the person who it is addressed to, but to start a discussion.

I'll use the words "dolt" and "idiot" freely in the context they were used.

I would also encourage other drivers to willfully "waste" fuel if you have been blatantly ripped off by a company that is asking you to reduce for no incentive.

Why is Swift not installing APU's on any of their new trucks?

[Twilight Flyer]

Why is Swift not installing APU's on any of their new trucks?

Because a $75 million dollar bill is a pretty insurmountable item.

Just a guess.

Truthfully, most of the big companies are looking into it with all the idling laws and higher cost of fuel. But it's not something that happens overnight and an expenditure that large is going to take a whole lot of consideration.

[Sheepdancer]

We have started putting APUs in many of our trucks....however if most of our trucks get them, the drivers idle time bonus will most likely go away. Many of our drivers love that bonus.

[Cluggy619]

We have started putting APUs in many of our trucks....however if most of our trucks get them, the drivers idle time bonus will most likely go away. Many of our drivers love that bonus.

Well, there you go. I guess some drivers like the heat. Some don't.

[allan5oh]

There's a lot more to better fuel mileage then just idling.

[Cluggy619]

There's a lot more to better fuel mileage then just idling.

Yes there is. But you can't tell those who drive their chair to the desk about driving properly to save on fuel. Some companies do not allow the driving games on the computers anymore. :P

[Drew10]

When I don't get my breakdown/layover pay, I am not a happy camper to say the least. Do you think i'm going to give any consideration to not idling your truck at questionable times to save YOU money when you won't even pay me the money that YOU owe me?

Idling for spite is not a reason to idle. I suspect even if you were getting your Detention/Layover pay, when deserved, you would still be idling to stay comfortable.

Why don't you geniuses devise some clever type of fuel-saving bonus program?

I didnt realize that Swift didnt have a fuel bonus, most companies do. Another negative for Swift. (Come on Swift get with the program!!)

our terminal managers have been spamming our qualcomms every morning with messages regarding truck idle time and fuel efficiency, and how we (the drivers) are not meeting company goals.

My company has the same problem with idling trucks, but they sure dont go around "Spaming" the qualcomm telling drivers to "we are not meeting company goals"

APUs should be on all trucks, (that would help freeup the spots Idleair is wasting, put them outta bizz even quicker), but to convert a fleet of trucks to APU will take a long time.

[LennyD]

Quote:
Why is Swift not installing APU's on any of their new trucks?


Because a $75 million dollar bill is a pretty insurmountable item.

Just a guess.

Truthfully, most of the big companies are looking into it with all the idling laws and higher cost of fuel. But it's not something that happens overnight and an expenditure that large is going to take a whole lot of consideration.

Twilight,

I'm not asking why they aren't immediately making APU's priority #1 for ALL trucks. I'm asking why they aren't putting them on ANY trucks?

Honestly, I don't know a whole lot about APU's... but aren't most of the models proven to pay for themsleves in less than 2 years?

Wouldn't you think that a company so concerned with their fuel overhead would already be in game in at least some regard? Maybe 1/10th of new trucks?

[Colts Fan]

How much would it cost to purchase your own APU? If you installed your own and your company has a fuel efficiency bonus, wouldn't it pay for itself pretty quickly (depending on the cost of the APU of course)?

[LennyD]

Drew10

Many drivers will leave their company truck idling during daybreaks to avoid the 110+ degree oven when they come back.

Do I idle my truck when i'm not in it, stopped for a break, and don't want to come back to a sauna? It depends.

If i'm being nagged by a daily company-wide spam about the company's slimmer profit margin... I'm going to lean a little more towards just letting the truck run.

[Drew10]

Lenny I do the same thing, if its that hot out Ill just leave the truck run if im out of it for a period of time. Or Ill shut it off and go start it and crack up the air, and leave it for 15min or so, before I return.

Companies would love to have APUs on their trucks, but the cost+the down time is to much to bare to convert trucks in bulk. It will be a processes.

What I dont get, is why the companies arent having them installed as an option when they buy the trucks new, they could probably get a good deal on them in bulk, and the truck wouldnt be absorbing "down time", then, whatever the turnover rate is for trucks in the company would be how long before they are all APU's

Im all for the APU's, If the majority of the trucks had APU's Idle-air would be history

[Uturn2001]

How much would it cost to purchase your own APU? If you installed your own and your company has a fuel efficiency bonus, wouldn't it pay for itself pretty quickly (depending on the cost of the APU of course)?

If it is a company truck you could very easily be fired for making modifications to the equipment. Besides that it would take one heck of a fuel bonus to pay off a 7-$8000+ APU.

[Colts Fan]

If it is a company truck you could very easily be fired for making modifications to the equipment. Besides that it would take one heck of a fuel bonus to pay off a 7-$8000+ APU.

Dayuum... didn't know how expensive they were.