Originally Posted by Syncrosonix (Post 442935)

look man, you shot yourself in your own foot by rolling a truck. i doubt they'll ever take you back. try in about 8 to 9 years.

Originally Posted by matcat (Post 442322)

Kevin, you are so Nieve, quit trying to defend swift at every turn. Face reality, Swift is one of the worst organizations that the trucking industry has. They have lost many many law suits, their credit rating this last quarter dropped, which is a sign that they are struggling to pay on their debts, they have a massive turnover because they let go of the higher paid drivers to bring in fresh trainees to start off at .26cpm. All those swift drivers out there are so happy that they get to keep rollin them wheels making next to nothing, and never realizing they are helping to destroy the rest of us. Swift, JB, Werner, Scheinder, and all the other mega carriers are doing nothing more then destroying the rates for everyone else, and in turn destroying the industry. I'll let you in on something, these companies cannot AFFORD to haul the freight at the rates they are accepting, that is why they offer these lease programs, the more drivers they got on that contract, the less trucks they have to be financially responsable for, knowing DAMN well that these lease ops in the long run will not be able to afford to keep rolling at the prices they get.

A secondary thing they are doing to destroy the industry is to keep training new students! We don't need new drivers, the freight isn't here right now to support the qualified and experienced drivers in the labor pool to begin with! Why do they do it then, simple, because they are making a lot of money off of training drivers! They don't care that there is no possible hope for getting all of these people in a truck and making a living, they just care that they complete the training and get their government credits, and try to get you to pay the bill when they don't employ you or let you go, or you leave because you realize you are stuck in a crappy spot and want to find something better, which will be damn tough right now.

I know you think I am picking on you from the other 2 threads I have replied in, but I'm not, I'm just trying to get you to realize and see that you don't know the answers, you don't understand everything that is going on yet.

At this point in time all I can say to anyone driving for swift, is STAY THERE until you can find something better, because more then likely it's going to be a while and its going to be tough to find anything else right now.

Do I think swift is going under? Yes I do. At the time I left swift they let go of 3000 drivers that month! I see people throwing around such small numbers of how many people they let go, and in reality in the last year they have let go well over 5000 drivers. It hasn't been a layoff persay, they have been going through and systematically weeding out drivers for various reasons. Some I am sure more then deserved to be let go, but others I know for a fact did not deserve to be let go. They have been letting go of people for things as stupid as minor log violations! And that isn't even the true reason of why they let these people go, they simply look at the highest paid company drivers, and look for any possible black or grey mark to let them go so they can replace them with trainees, why pay a driver .31 - .33cpm when you can put someone in that seat for .26cm? And Kevin you can't call BS on me, I drove for them, I know this FIRST HAND, my old trainer whom I am still good friends with, has 30 years experience, he has been with MS Carriers for 15 years and stuck with swift when they bought them out, he has a lot of friends high up in swift, and hears a lot of inside info, which he in turn tells me. But not only him too, but I have quite a few friends that drove for swift at the time I did, a few still do drive for them, most do not.

Originally Posted by Syncrosonix (Post 442904)

Originally Posted by Kevin0915 (Post 443033)

what 'bonus' are you talking about?? my roommate during training told me a funny story. He said his checks were getting so small, not running enough miles, he was in danger of losing his house. He took the truck/trailer down to the terminal, parked it in the turn of the driveway close to the security checkpoint (still on property) cleaned out the truck and unplugged the QC. A day later he got a call on his cell from his DM and said there was a load to pick up, and he just said, "yeah, the truck is parked at the terminal in the driveway, good luck with that load." He got on with Warner, who picked up the tab for tuition, and will pay him $500 every 6 mo. he stays with them. (or so he tells me).

so i am wondering if this 'bonus' you keep talking about, is just the 'tuition' is free, after 2 years service?

Originally Posted by Kevin0915 (Post 443032)

i dont care how you look at it. you cite jb hunt, schneider, swift, and weener as the cause for cheap freight, but i dont see very many posts on how schneider or warner suck. why? cause it is easier to jump on the swift-bashing bandwagon, because they are the most hated carrier.

Originally Posted by Kevin0915 (Post 443032)

aaah...the 'i have a friend who has a friend, who sleeps with this guy, who has a friend' theory. sorry, unless you post a link with said 'proof' of 3,000 driver layoffs, then i cant simply accept it because without proof, its just an opinion. Am i 'defending' them? i dont care how you look at it. you cite jb hunt, schneider, swift, and weener as the cause for cheap freight, but i dont see very many posts on how schneider or warner suck. why? cause it is easier to jump on the swift-bashing bandwagon, because they are the most hated carrier. Guess what.....keep hating them. as long as my paycheck keeps coming in, and i keep getting 2200 mi a week, i'm happy.

Originally Posted by matcat (Post 443199)

That reminds me, I saw a brand new Swift Freightliner Argosy hauling double flatbeds today! Quite an odd setup for swift.

Originally Posted by matcat (Post 443199)

That reminds me, I saw a brand new Swift Freightliner Argosy hauling double flatbeds today! Quite an odd setup for swift.

Originally Posted by Jackrabbit379 (Post 443223)

Isn't the Argosy a cabover? :confused:

Originally Posted by matcat (Post 443204)

When I was with swift I was based out of the PA terminal. Probably why I never noticed them before :).

Jerry was a moron anyway. Hopefully the new guy will actually do something good for the company. But Swift is like the US Government, it is too big for it's own good, it will still self destruct eventually.

Originally Posted by Kevin0915 (Post 443225)

You know how many people have been praying to the trucking god 'firestone', asking for Swift to go belly up? and you know for how long???? probably longer than you ever thought about getting behind the wheel of a big truck. and guess what.....they're still going.

so keep praying....i'm sure there is one god up there who hears ya......probably the god of bowling, who really cant help ya out. HAHAHAHAHHA

Originally Posted by Jackrabbit379 (Post 443228)

matcat, that is something. It's funny that they still make cabovers. I see they haven't changed much, either. This new one looks like it's still has about as much room inside as a Volkswagon. :p That truck reminds me of ole Joe Bob Hunt, and Schneider. :lol:

Originally Posted by matcat (Post 443230)

Originally Posted by Jackrabbit379 (Post 443231)

Wow. :eek2: That is nuts! :hellno:

Originally Posted by Kevin0915 (Post 443257)

and just how much would that gawdy monstrosity cost to operate per mile. think o/o's have it bad now, what would that thing get....3mpg 4 tops? LOL. not to mention how much will it weigh, thus not get to carry that much of a load.

Originally Posted by Daytripper (Post 443195)

I don't think Swift is going under this week or next. I got a call from them this morning asking if I wanted to start driving school with them next Monday (thankfully I'm going to a private driving school in April).

Anyway, it sounds like Swift is still trying to hire drivers.

Originally Posted by homer (Post 443481)

too big to fail?
i know how kevin feels
i needed a job once and swift called.
kept it on the road 2.5 years then quit with three days notice on thanksgiving day. made darn sure monday mornings new job worked out and have lasted 11 years.
i be nice to swiftys but like to watch their u-tube video's on my blackberry if i have to wait in line to dump

Originally Posted by Flydragon (Post 443609)

Swift hired me as an experienced driver in SLC 2 weeks ago with 18 others almost split down the middle with half recent grads and the other half experienced. However, on my first run to Cali I ended up stuck at the Fontana terminal with scores of other drivers waiting for freight. There just wasn't any. Two days later they deadheaded me up to Lathrop where they had plenty. I picked up a T-called load with 700+ miles left on it and headed out the next day.

They don't need any more drivers in Fontana because there's no freight for Swift in the area. If you really want back on with Swift you'll probably need to try a different terminal, at least until the economy improves.

Originally Posted by Syncrosonix (Post 443612)

Originally Posted by matcat (Post 443615)

When I drove for swift and wanted to drop my empty to bobtail some where, I would just put my kingpin lock on it :)

One day I did come back to my empty to find someone rather unsuccessfully trying to back up to it. I got out of my truck and went over and asked him what was wrong, he replied, "For some reason I cant back up under this trailer", I said, "Probably because of that kingpin lock on there" he looked under the trailer all baffled, then said, "Now why would someone put a kingpin lock on a trailer?" so I replied, "Because I didn't want to lose my empty that I am dispatched under while I went to the store", he got all huffy and sped off.

Originally Posted by Syncrosonix (Post 443618)

Originally Posted by bentstrider (Post 443622)

Another way you could get away with it was by sticking a generic seal on the back and keep phony paperwork around to throw off any venom.

Originally Posted by bentstrider (Post 443635)

Didn't really have to do it much myself anyway, I just kept the truck parked and rode my bicycle everywhere.

As far as checking different terminals, I'll just wait it out a little while longer.

At least stick to working this security job for now and get this college algebra passed with a C.
I spent $140 on the book-set and want to know that I got my moneys worth out of it.

Originally Posted by matcat (Post 443692)

There is a site out there that you can buy used collage books for cheap, don't remember the name of it though.