Swift in Trouble??

[Hawkjr]

On another message bored someone said something about swift being Cahpter eleven by June.. as they have laid off over 2,000 drivers... Anyone believe the hype?? i've heard this before... but nothing happened..

[Snowman7]

The way things are right now its only a matter of time before someone "big" goes under.

[zipy46]

On another message bored someone said something about swift being Cahpter eleven by June.. as they have laid off over 2,000 drivers... Anyone believe the hype?? i've heard this before... but nothing happened..

Layoff is true from what I have heard

[Mpneypit]

Why are they still hiring new drivers.

[Mpneypit]

The way things are right now its only a matter of time before someone "big" goes under.

Yeah i agree and i think if any one of the "BIG" companies goes under it will most likely be US Xpress they have been on a hiring freeze since last september.

[dobry4u]

Layoff is true from what I have heard

I think "weeding out" is a better synopsis. Which is a practice they have had all along. Less freight and more drivers applying the greater the weeding out.

[Mr. Ford95]

Sure doesn't seem like they are putting people out of jobs, saw 12 of them within a 3 miles radius this afternoon.

[Nightwing]

Why are they still hiring new drivers.

If they are laying off drivers and hireing new ones, it could be that they are getting rid of the higher paid drivers and replacing them with new hires at a lower CPM.

[boneebone]

They are not laying off any drivers, just being more critical on what drivers can get away with, weeding out the undesireables.

[dollarshort]

Swifty will never go away. A company that size will always have the government in their back pocket somehow. Look at the recent multi-million dollar lawsuits they have settled, and are still going strong. Paying out that kind of money would have put any other company out of business.

[Jumbo]

I think "weeding out" is a better synopsis. Which is a practice they have had all along. Less freight and more drivers applying the greater the weeding out.

You aren't in danger of being weeded out are you?

[b00m]

less companies on the road the more freight for everyone of us.The better for the small owner/op. When i worked for them and had to pick up a load of hey in a van, i had the small drivers from there telling me how swift cut their freight rates considerably.Right now,when im an independent i realize that too.The faster they're under the better.LET THE OWNER/OP THRIVE!!!

[dle]

At this point Swift is not hiring any experienced drivers - only students.

There have been RIF's in the offices.

They are cutting out some ammenities at the terminals - they longer will provide towells for showers starting march 1.

There going through evaluations on drivers in finer detail.

There were rumors about Swift filing for bankruptcy last year. Whether this is true or not - we will probably never know.

[belpre122]

If they are laying off drivers and hireing new ones, it could be that they are getting rid of the higher paid drivers and replacing them with new hires at a lower CPM.

Bingo!! And why not??? Holding a steering wheel at 25CPM is as effective as holding a steering wheel at 45CPM!!! No incentive to keep the 45CPM guy around...........he's just draining the bank accounts. Get the newbie at 22-25CPM to schlep that coolie freight around.

That freight is going to get there one way or another..........preferably delivered by the 22-25CPM coolie carrier driver. Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!

[boneebone]

Bingo!! And why not??? Holding a steering wheel at 25CPM is as effective as holding a steering wheel at 45CPM!!! No incentive to keep the 45CPM guy around...........he's just draining the bank accounts. Get the newbie at 22-25CPM to schlep that coolie freight around.

That freight is going to get there one way or another..........preferably delivered by the 22-25CPM coolie carrier driver. Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!

That's not the whole equation though, only part of it. The newbie driver most likely went to school with them, so they now owe them about 6k for school, plus the company gets tax credits from the government for training students.

In business it's all about making or saving money.

[Kevin0915]

Swifty will never go away. A company that size will always have the government in their back pocket somehow. Look at the recent multi-million dollar lawsuits they have settled, and are still going strong. Paying out that kind of money would have put any other company out of business.

please cite proof of the government in their back pocket, and multi-million dollar suits they've settled.

they have more drivers, more trucks and more freight than anybody else out on the road. Does that make them 'better'? no....because you pull any driver over at random, and its 50/50 that driver has a year or less under their belt.

dont matter what 'big' company it is....they always try to settle out of court, specially something like an airline crash.

[Kevin0915]

Bingo!! And why not??? Holding a steering wheel at 25CPM is as effective as holding a steering wheel at 45CPM!!! No incentive to keep the 45CPM guy around...........he's just draining the bank accounts. Get the newbie at 22-25CPM to schlep that coolie freight around.

That freight is going to get there one way or another..........preferably delivered by the 22-25CPM coolie carrier driver. Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!

and dude....why exaggerate the numbers. you obviously have a 'hate' so much for them, to fib a little on the numbers. Not saying .28cpm starting is a huge difference, but come on.....22-25cpm? you're just trying to make them look worse than other drivers already think they are. You fail to mention (and why would you) that after every 3rd month, your rate goes up..and by the end of a year going solo, i'll be up to .33cpm. is that like a big pot of gold? of course not. And i know others will say, "gee....what a fool you are, why didnt you go to ACME shipping and start out making 40cpm??" Well, they didnt offer to put me thru school. in order to get on with ACME, i would have had to go into a bank, get a student loan for $5k, then start paying back $8k+. This was the best solution for me to get a CDL. and what did it cost me? $1500 after a year. and i've got the same DL in my back pocket as you do.

[Double R]

Bingo!! And why not??? Holding a steering wheel at 25CPM is as effective as holding a steering wheel at 45CPM!!! No incentive to keep the 45CPM guy around...........he's just draining the bank accounts. Get the newbie at 22-25CPM to schlep that coolie freight around.

That freight is going to get there one way or another..........preferably delivered by the 22-25CPM coolie carrier driver. Sucks!!!!!!!!!!!

[dollarshort]

please cite proof of the government in their back pocket, and multi-million dollar suits they've settled.

they have more drivers, more trucks and more freight than anybody else out on the road. Does that make them 'better'? no....because you pull any driver over at random, and its 50/50 that driver has a year or less under their belt.

dont matter what 'big' company it is....they always try to settle out of court, specially something like an airline crash.

I don't know the exact dollar amounts or all the details but I know there were 2 recent settlements of somewhere around 10-12 million a piece. The one was a fatality that the woman driver tested positive for crack cocaine after the accident.

[dollarshort]

please cite proof of the government in their back pocket, and multi-million dollar suits they've settled.

they have more drivers, more trucks and more freight than anybody else out on the road. Does that make them 'better'? no....because you pull any driver over at random, and its 50/50 that driver has a year or less under their belt.

dont matter what 'big' company it is....they always try to settle out of court, specially something like an airline crash.

Here's one for now...There will be more to follow.....

December 3, 2008 PrintSaveE-mailSize: +/–Jury awards victim of Swift driver’s crash $23.5 million

A federal jury in Kansas recently awarded one trucker’s family more than $20 million for a 2006 accident caused by a Swift driver who tested positive for being under the influence of drugs.

Terry and Donna Frederick of Overland Park, KS, sued Swift in relation to a March 16, 2006, crash that involved a Yellow Freight truck that Terry Frederick was riding in and a Swift truck driven by Robyn Getchel.

The wreck occurred about 1:30 a.m. that day on U.S. 54 near Tucumcari, NM. The collision killed Yellow Freight driver Dennis Bottorff and injured Terry Frederick’s spine.

The Fredericks argued that Getchel recklessly turned into a rest area north of U.S. 54 and failed to maintain proper control of the truck, leading to the crash between the two trucks.

Getchel once tested positive for being under the influence of methamphetamine while driving for Swift.

According to the Wichita Eagle, the largest verdict ever against Swift occurred in December 2007, when an Arizona jury awarded $36.5 million after one of the carrier’s trucks crashed into and killed another driver.

– By Charlie Morasch, staff writer

charlie_morasch@landlinemag.com