Is Swift REALLY THAT bad?

as for the driver that likes it there."gets decent miles, home every other weekend, etc". if you are getting miles how do you have time to sight see, hang out with friends, and ride horses? seems there is alot of time not getting paid when you could be getting paid. i never drove fo swift but i have seen their"proffesionalism" out there on the roads and the "cleanliness" of there drivers,trainers,truck,etc. oh, by the way. why are all of the cab extenders smashed in on swift trucks?

[boneebone]

why are all of the cab extenders smashed in on swift trucks?

If you really want to know, ask the driver of the truck.

[LennyD]

Swift really is "that bad".

I've been with them just over a year, and I'll be leaving within a week or 2 once I decide who I want to work for next.

The "training" is a joke.

About 1/2 of their trailers are junk.

Most DM's are scumbags, and could give a chit about any of their drivers.
(and why should they, most don't last more than a few months).

If you aren't on a dedicated account, you will never get ran by home under a load.

There is alot of unpaid work associated with the trucking industry. Working for a company as poorly organized as Swift will get you a lot of time "on the clock" for nothing.

Most days are good days... but they don't make up for the bad ones that come up way too often.

I'm convinced that there are only 3 types of people who work for Swift.

1. The willfully ignorant (including myself) who just hop into the game without doing any research.

2. Dullards who do some research, and somehow still decide that there aren't at least 10 better options who will hire almost anyone.

3. Billy Bob company man... the middle-aged morons who proudly wear Swift hats, t-shirts etc... completely oblivious to any other company for whatever reason, or, a driving record so bad they can't get hired anywhere else.

If you are so bitter with them it is good that you are quitting because no company needs a driver with a bad attitude or for that matter a person with a bad attitude driving a truck.

Swift or any company for that matter does not hire just anyone with a bad driving record, so get your facts straight.

Every company has its good and bad, maybe some drivers are the bad and others are the good.

If a driver is unhappy, you are free to go elsewhere, no one is holding a gun to your head, holding you hostage. Move on than.

If 1/2 the trailers are junk it is because 1/2 the drivers don't care about the trailers they are hooked up to and pull it with missing, non op lights, tandems off tracking, doors screwed up, etc. etc. and never report it when they are in a terminal or tell anyone it needs to be fixed. Don't blame the company for defective equipment, if the company doesn't know it's bad how can you expect it to be fixed?

Add another type of driver to the list,
1. One that doesn't give a chit, so why should anyone give a chit about you? You only get as much as you give in this world. If you give chit out, that is exactly what you are going to get back, chit.

2. A O/OP, (not lease purchase) with Swift for five years who doesn't own or buy any company logo shirts, hats, etc. and gets the job done, 100% on-time deliveries, has no tickets, nor preventable or unpreventable accidents and gets the job done with out bitchin about it. I don't care what company name is plastered on the side of the trailer because they suit my needs. If it ever gets to the point where I am unhappy with them, then I'll move on and I'll chalk it up to experience, but so far it hasn't been the case.

I had the same DM for over a year, and the one before that would still be my DM except she relocated to a different state, but was my DM for three years.

So basically in the world of trucking you have your Professional CDL (Crybaby Driver Loser) holders who bitch and moan on the CB, truckstops and terminals how unhappy they are and this and that and how their GF or wife ran away with Sancho, but still stay with the same company because it's the companies fault I'm here BS. Wah, Wah, Wah,

Simply said, If you are unhappy in whatever you do or wherever you're at, either lose the attitude or leave.

I'm not bitter, nor do I have a bad attitude. I've put in my one year, and i'm moving on. Someone asked if they are really THAT BAD... and, i'm basically responding with a resounding YES.

They won't hire anyone/everyone... with a bad record, but they will most definitely keep you on if you haven't caused any serious damage or had a forbidden 5 accident. I know several drivers who have 4 (or more) minor accidents, all preventable with seatbelt/log book citations thrown in the mix. These driver won't be going anywhere with a 1st year record like this, and that is who i'm referring to.

1/2 of the trailers are junk because the company put a freeze on new trailer purchases for quite awhile... combine that with the fact that most drivers don't care about the condition of these trailers, as long as they get it from A to B. I was not one of them. I red tagged over 15 trailers in my 12 months.... a majority of them for off-tracking. Every time I would notify my DM about these setbacks... and a couple of the times I was even asked if it was "that bad" when the load was on critical time.

You seem to be making alot of assumptions about me, so i'm not really sure how I, or anyone else could have a mature dialogue with you.

Just know that people are here to give honest responses to questions that are posed, and if you don't like it, you really shouldn't have a problem giving your own opinion without having to attack someone elses... it really shows alot of arrogance/ignorance.

[boneebone]

I'm not bitter, nor do I have a bad attitude. I've put in my one year, and i'm moving on. Someone asked if they are really THAT BAD... and, i'm basically responding with a resounding YES.

They won't hire anyone/everyone... with a bad record, but they will most definitely keep you on if you haven't caused any serious damage or had a forbidden 5 accident. I know several drivers who have 4 (or more) minor accidents, all preventable with seatbelt/log book citations thrown in the mix. These driver won't be going anywhere with a 1st year record like this, and that is who i'm referring to.

1/2 of the trailers are junk because the company put a freeze on new trailer purchases for quite awhile... combine that with the fact that most drivers don't care about the condition of these trailers, as long as they get it from A to B. I was not one of them. I red tagged over 15 trailers in my 12 months.... a majority of them for off-tracking. Every time I would notify my DM about these setbacks... and a couple of the times I was even asked if it was "that bad" when the load was on critical time.

You seem to be making alot of assumptions about me, so i'm not really sure how I, or anyone else could have a mature dialogue with you.

Just know that people are here to give honest responses to questions that are posed, and if you don't like it, you really shouldn't have a problem giving your own opinion without having to attack someone elses... it really shows alot of arrogance/ignorance.[/quote]

Doesn't bother me what you said, If those are your opinions so be it, I'm just telling my opinion and my experiences.

Arrogant or not those are the facts in the world of trucking, no matter what company you work for there is good and bad.

What may work for me, may not work for you, but good luck in your endeavors.

[geeshock]

I used to work for swift and I'll tell you this, it depends on many variables. Your mentor, make sure you get someone with a few years experience, not only otr but also training. your home terminal, depending on the terminal will decide what planners and type of runs you'll get. and your DM. they are the ones who will eather stick up for you or cheat you.

When I started with swift I managed to get a mentor that started me easy and did most of the running in the begining and i did all the backing, in the end i ran the whole trip and all he did is offer advise till the final run when he gave me the day off and let me rest b4 I got my 1st solo run.

My 1st DM was a joke, i was lucky to see 2200 miles a week. My second DM did exactly what I wanted and i generaly saw 3k+ miles per week.

Now I was out of greer under Mike Smith, i didn't see as much hometime with him but he ran the crap out of me and as a company man that is what made me the money so I stayed happy. I finaly left swift to check out other companies but I don't have anything bad to say about them, just depends on those factors i mentioned for the most part.