Fatman,

Read the link to your previous post. Let's say you're 1,000 miles away from home and you absolutey can't take any more of the mentor you're with. You said to get off the truck. What's Swift's procedure for requesting a different mentor? Obviously, someone isn't going to just bail out 1,000 miles away, and I doubt Swift will route the truck back just to change mentors (or will they?). I hope like hell I don't end up with some slob or f'up for 6 weeks...that's really my biggest concern going with these guys. Just curious how they handle a request to change mentors.

Thanks,

Jim

 

Fatman, you still with swift? and are you still liking it?

 

Hey guys, sorry for the late response been out of town doing paperwork for my new gig with the Red Cross.
Jim, to get a new mentor I believe all you got to do is contact your driver manager. Good luck getting in touch with him/her though. Personally I'd wait till I got to a terminal and then have a frank conversation with the trainer, say 'I'm sorry, this just isn't working out. I think I'd learn more with someone else.' Then unpack my gear and talk to my driver manager or failing that the local safety director. I think the SD is the first link in the chain of command in that situation if you can't get in touch with your DM. They'll put you in a hotel till they can route a new trainer to you. May take a few days but better than 6 weeks of hell.

No, not with Swift anymore. I was constantly putting in application for local jobs the entire time I was with them. I got real blessed and found an awesome job that pays much better and allows me plenty of home time. My plan had been to stay with Swift for a year, but I just couldn't take it anymore. I was lucky to average 350/miles a day because my truck kept breaking down.
For instance, I got a sweet run to Seattle from Laredo. Another driver tells me I need chains to go through OR/WA. The Phoenix terminal is out of chains. I spent four hours looking for chains. Then Swift takes it out of my paycheck and says they will reimburse me later (they did). Then my brakes start acting weird around palm springs. I go to the Fontana terminal, they say there isn't a problem (I had to wait 24 hours for that reply.)
So I'm coming off the final leg of the Grapevine, Jake brake on and stabbing real light, like maybe two seconds on, 5 seconds to cool. I see black smoke coming from my brakes. On my way to a mechanic to check that out my right hood mirror falls off!
So another 24 hours down. And of course I'm not getting any breakdown pay. Sure, they say you'll get it but that's BS.
I finally get to Seattle. On the way back what I think is my tire rod breaks; my rig would shake over 45 MPH. Now I'm just past Fontana when this happens, should I go back? Probably. The problem is that I couldn't find any mechanics at the Fontana terminal who were proficent enough in English to where I felt comfortable with our communication. So I limp into Phoenix.
They tell me it'll be 3 days minimum before they can even look at me. So I T-call my load and have a vacation (sarcasm). 5 days later my rig is back up. I am now like 18 days or something past my original home date request. I ask for a load heading to Mobile.
They try to send me to Minersberg, PA (or something like that).
I explain that that is not acceptable; my son's birthday is coming up and I am running out of blood pressure medicine. And that if they had honored my original request this wouldn't be an issue. (They had done this before, ask to be out for anything less than 3 weeks and they 'misplace' your request.)
I sit on my fat ass for a few hours, still not making any oney or getting closer to home, and they try to send me to North Carolina.
I finally lose my cool and ask them if they have anything going down I-10. I'll even take two seperate loads, just move me in the direction I want to go. They say take the NC run, we'll work it out.
I tell them that this relationship is not working out for me and I'll be catching a bus. Who do I need to turn my truck in to? Then they get pissy and say the reason I'm not making any money is because my truck hasn't been moving for nearly a week. I nearly laughed.

So I left Swift and very luckily got my current job soon after. The money was ok when I was running. The hometime was a major problem because I felt I was just being flat out lied to. That really pissed me off.

So that's bitch and moan, it's been told before and more entertainingly. I still say Swift is a good choice for those with limited options and trying to get in the door (i.e. you can't pay for trucking school and your credit is shot). But if you can get on with nearly anyone else, like Crete or Maverick, or even pay for school yourself, please do yourself a favor and go that route.

 

2 seconds on and 5 seconds off? Of course you will smoke your damned brakes. Apply a steady pressure of about 5PSI all the way from the top of the
hill to the bottom and you will be OK! Was that the way Swift was teaching you to use the brakes?[/img]

 

While "stab-breaking" used to be the norm....and most companies taught that, its no longer the way it should be done and only because of the change in brake pad materials.... But if his brakes were smoking after 2 seconds.... even after the 4th or 5th stab....it sounds like he had a blown wheel seal leaking oil on the drums.

I pull a tanker with 45K lbs liquid in it, and I can use "stab breaking" all the time and not smoke the brakes. So its not that much of an issue. But normally on an even descent...a max of 8psi will hold the truck where you want it....if you are in the right gear and have your jakes on.

And, isn't it kind of humorous that so many people get on these forums and ask about how good Swift is..... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I'll bet an "internet dollar" that within 24 hours....another potential victim says: I'm thinking about going with Swift, does anybody know anything about them?
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

Actually I think they said something more along the lines of 4 seconds on, 5 seconds off. I was halving the on time and relying on the jake more to try and prevent brake fade. Is my reasoning faulty?

 

That depends.... Stab breaking used to be the standard, but that was when they used asbestos in the brake shoes. Now they are made of metallic or ceramic substances, which will not glaze as rapidly and can handle more heat buildup. When descending a steep grade.... do not use stab braking except to do a quick adjustment in downward speed. When you get down to the speed you want, put a maximum 8 psi on the brakes (according to your brake application air guage) and keep it on all the way down. Your brakes if properly adjusted should not smoke. But, what is more important is that you start down the grade in the proper gear to begin with. Either the same gear you climbed the hill with, or one lower, depending on the percentage of descent.....and of course your vehicle gross weight, and/or the posted speed limit on the descent. If you do it properly....you will not experience brake fade.

The problem was that many people would start down a slope too fast, stab brake for too long... 10-15 seconds then let off the pedal....allowing oxygen to get to the extremely hot linings....and that would cause a fire.
With constant pressure on the pedal....no oxygen. However if the descent is made too fast....and you end up smoking.... you had best be prepared to un-ass the tractor at the bottom of the descent with a fire extinguisher in hand and be ready to call 911. Slow and easy down a big hill is the only way to do it..... the only way. 8)

 

Thanks Skywalker, good advice there.

 

Here is my husbands Swift training story..........

He got his CDL a couple years ago and we couldn't afford a refresher course so Swift was his only option. Now he has half of his training in and 10 of those days he has spent sitting in terminals waiting for his truck to be fixed. He spent 6 days in Phoenix, a couple in Laredo, I don't know where else. He said their truck was losing coolant so they stopped and had mechanics look at it. It took 24 hours and all they did was fill the coolant up. The next day they were overheated at another terminal so they had it looked at again. Again the mechanic filled up the coolant and said it's fixed. Same thing the 3rd day and by now the trainer said he wants a loaner truck while his gets fixed. He was in Phoenix by the way. No loaners they said try tomorrow while we send your truck to Volvo. The next day they gave him a loaner with no AC. Take it or try again tomorrow. Well, they took it cuz the trainer had to get home withi a few days. They kept trying to send them to the NE when his home is SE. I'm tired of typing so I'll wrap this up......
it seems Swift is a good place to get your foot in the door, but PRAY your truck doesn't break down. It sounds like if you get a good truck they can keep you busy, I guess we'll see.

 

I don't want to alarm you, but have your husband get a Carbon Monoxide detector for his rig. I ran into about 3 or 4 guys who had CM problems at Swift. He probably will never have that issue, but I suddenly remebered it for some reason while readin your post.