Swift facing huge fines, could it be the end?

[married to the road]

I read on here a while back about Swift's Memphis school getting raided and heard they were giving cdls to illegal mexicans. Today I heard that they are facing $38 million in fines! Any one else see/hear anything on this?

Maybe they are just getting what they deserve. It would be hard for any company, even as big as swift recover from this. Maybe they they will start screwing their drivers even worse and work with the feds to try to get through this. But I think the drivers may end up paying for their employers mistakes.

Just wanted to put in my .02, what do ya'll think?

[zipy46]

I read on here a while back about Swift's Memphis school getting raided and heard they were giving cdls to illegal mexicans. Today I heard that they are facing $38 million in fines! Any one else see/hear anything on this?

Maybe they are just getting what they deserve. It would be hard for any company, even as big as swift recover from this. Maybe they they will start screwing their drivers even worse and work with the feds to try to get through this. But I think the drivers may end up paying for their employers mistakes.

Just wanted to put in my .02, what do ya'll think?

I see on the web its maybe 44 Million...

It might wound the dragon but kill it?...will have to wait and see.

Swift is really a large company

[chefj]

I have googled and yahooed this and can find nothing about it. If someone has a different source, let me know. I drive for Swift. I still can't see why everyone wants to bash them. The man who owns Swift is a former trucker, just like you. He actually still drives once in awhile. Why do you think they "deserve" those fines. It has already been established that Swift had nothing to do with the "raid" on Memphis. It was the Memphis DOT which happened to have an office on the Swift property.

Granted Swift has more accidents than other companies, but that is relative, too. Lets look at it. If a company that has 100 trucks has a 10% accident rate, they have 10 accidents. If a company has 1000 trucks and has a 10% accident rate, they have 100 accidents. The reasoning is simple. Swift has close to 18,000 trucks. At a 10% accident rate, which they don't, that would be 1,800 accidents. Now that that question is solved why is everyone still on Swift's case? The Swift drivers are just trying to make a living just like you. I personalluy have driven on and off since 1987 and have never had an accident or a ticket. Every company has its "good" drivers and its bad drivers. Just because you drive for a small company, does not mean you are a good driver.

[Chasing Daylight]

$38 million, and your wondering if it will bankrupt Swift? They'll just write a check if it comes to that, and move on. A company that big probably wastes more money than that a year on new drivers who only stick around 2 weeks. I doubt anyone in Phoenix is losing sleep over this one.

[Twilight Flyer]

I doubt anyone in Phoenix is losing sleep over this one.

You're right there, because the raid on the school had nothing to do with Swift other than its location. Swift is lily-white on this one.

[beeiatch]

$38 million, and your wondering if it will bankrupt Swift? They'll just write a check if it comes to that, and move on. A company that big probably wastes more money than that a year on new drivers who only stick around 2 weeks. I doubt anyone in Phoenix is losing sleep over this one.

Swift or any of the training companies don't lose money by training drivers and they quit. They actually receive "money" in the form of tax credits from the U.S. Government for training students. So actually it is a win-win situation for them to train.

[Phreddo]

I read on here a while back about Swift's Memphis school getting raided and heard they were giving cdls to illegal mexicans. Today I heard that they are facing $38 million in fines! Any one else see/hear anything on this?

Maybe they are just getting what they deserve. It would be hard for any company, even as big as swift recover from this. Maybe they they will start screwing their drivers even worse and work with the feds to try to get through this. But I think the drivers may end up paying for their employers mistakes.

Just wanted to put in my .02, what do ya'll think?

Ya, thought only the DMV could grant a CDL

[Uturn2001]

There was a 3rd party testing facility at the school which is actually what got busted.

[zipy46]

I have googled and yahooed this and can find nothing about it. If someone has a different source, let me know. I drive for Swift. I still can't see why everyone wants to bash them. The man who owns Swift is a former trucker, just like you. He actually still drives once in awhile. Why do you think they "deserve" those fines. It has already been established that Swift had nothing to do with the "raid" on Memphis. It was the Memphis DOT which happened to have an office on the Swift property.

Granted Swift has more accidents than other companies, but that is relative, too. Lets look at it. If a company that has 100 trucks has a 10% accident rate, they have 10 accidents. If a company has 1000 trucks and has a 10% accident rate, they have 100 accidents. The reasoning is simple. Swift has close to 18,000 trucks. At a 10% accident rate, which they don't, that would be 1,800 accidents. Now that that question is solved why is everyone still on Swift's case? The Swift drivers are just trying to make a living just like you. I personalluy have driven on and off since 1987 and have never had an accident or a ticket. Every company has its "good" drivers and its bad drivers. Just because you drive for a small company, does not mean you are a good driver.

Dont know why people pick on Swift...never talked to one of their

drivers.

[Syncrosonix]

I have googled and yahooed this and can find nothing about it. If someone has a different source, let me know. I drive for Swift. I still can't see why everyone wants to bash them. The man who owns Swift is a former trucker, just like you. He actually still drives once in awhile. Why do you think they "deserve" those fines. It has already been established that Swift had nothing to do with the "raid" on Memphis. It was the Memphis DOT which happened to have an office on the Swift property.

Granted Swift has more accidents than other companies, but that is relative, too. Lets look at it. If a company that has 100 trucks has a 10% accident rate, they have 10 accidents. If a company has 1000 trucks and has a 10% accident rate, they have 100 accidents. The reasoning is simple. Swift has close to 18,000 trucks. At a 10% accident rate, which they don't, that would be 1,800 accidents. Now that that question is solved why is everyone still on Swift's case? The Swift drivers are just trying to make a living just like you. Every company has its "good" drivers and its bad drivers. Just because you drive for a small company, does not mean you are a good driver.

likewise and i've come to notice that the people talking smack are usually the bully types. it's amazing how quick they shut the hell up when i get in their face, realize that nobody in that lounge has their back, and they sit all quiet in their tiny chair that can barely hold all their fat rolls in place without breaking. most of those dudes are mad because they cannot see their penis anymore and blame swift drivers for all their troubles in life. many of them have also washed out of swift and want to blame them for everything when it was their own doing that brought their downfall.

this brings me back to almost a year ago when i was at the sumner terminal having my truck fixed. at the driver dispatch window, there was one "speshal" guy there who was pissed off because he lost his comdata card and that it was somehow swift's fault that he lost it, and could not refuel, or pull money out of the atm. another lazy bastard there was blaming swift for the lack of empties and refused to go out in the yard and find one. there were a CRAPLOAD of green tagged trailers and non-tagged empties in the second row. he then came over to me to whine about it. i told him where exactly to find them and he told me to screw myself. i hate people like that.

but, nobody likes listening to people who have good experiences with the mega carriers. they only want to listen to the negative fools and then they'll run with it, yap about the bs on the cb because that's where all the "truths" are, and the fools believe it.

[Twilight Flyer]

but, nobody likes listening to people who have good experiences with the mega carriers. they only want to listen to the negative fools and then they'll run with it.....

But you're running for a "coolie" carrier. How can you be having a good experience?

:wink:

Nicely put. Basically, for every driver complaining about a carrier, ANY carrier, there are a hundred more doing just fine.

[married to the road]

Just got back in from the road...The point of my post was not to bash Swift, just heard some stuff and wondered if it was true. If people are driving there and are happy, then great for them. I thought things might be getting tougher on the drivers if Swift had gotten in trouble.

[Bumper]

Well they must have gotten into some kind of trouble over here at Inland Cold Storage in Riverside, CA....Swift is out and Schneider is in.

[belpre122]

But you're running for a "coolie" carrier.

TF, I always knew that there was hope for ya. :wink: Welcome to the gang! We meet regularly, right here. 8) :wink:

[beeiatch]

Well they must have gotten into some kind of trouble over here at Inland Cold Storage in Riverside, CA....Swift is out and Schneider is in.

Swift lost the contract because Schneider under bid them. Happens when Companies want to get the best rate for freight.

[Walking Eagle]

I don't have a problem with Swift drivers I have a problem with Swifts policeys. I drive oversize heavy haul cuz I can't back up Least I don't wana Only been doing this 34 years, my pilots tell me "Ok to move Right" "I Got the left lane". But what piss%ss me off is that last night a Swift was trying to back in beside me.. I turned on my load lights so he could see my wide load. Turned out the trainor was out guiding him back. After I took two BP pills I got out and talked to them, the new driver had two weeks on the road and the Old Hand trainer had been out here a whopping two months !!!!! Ahhhhh, where did road experiance go

[Ronin]

2 months? FTW? I'm no fan of Swift but that is just WRONG!

As for chef and synchro, maybe they have been treating you well thus far, but it's likely because they hosed an experienced driver like me to give the newbies a shot. Don't worry they'll screw you over too eventually.

[DaveP]

I had a plumber (ex-trucker) tell me that since he's traded occupations he's realized there's a big difference between Swift drivers and toilets.

A toilet can back up once in a while.

[Syncrosonix]

I don't have a problem with Swift drivers I have a problem with Swifts policeys. I drive oversize heavy haul cuz I can't back up Least I don't wana Only been doing this 34 years, my pilots tell me "Ok to move Right" "I Got the left lane". But what piss%ss me off is that last night a Swift was trying to back in beside me.. I turned on my load lights so he could see my wide load. Turned out the trainor was out guiding him back. After I took two BP pills I got out and talked to them, the new driver had two weeks on the road and the Old Hand trainer had been out here a whopping two months !!!!! Ahhhhh, where did road experiance go

i hate it how people can become mentors after 2 months of otr experience. i wouldn't be able to take somebody like that seriously. i think there should be a minimum of 2 years otr experience with no preventable accidents, major violations, etc.....

[belpre122]

i hate it how people can become mentors after 2 months of otr experience. i wouldn't be able to take somebody like that seriously. i think there should be a minimum of 2 years otr experience with no preventable accidents, major violations, etc.....

2 months? Wow!! That is just wrong. 6 months was the shortest that I had ever heard of before.