Trucker Forum

Swift Transportation from all I have read is horrible. Share your horror stories, or maybe you like them. If so let's hear why.

Here's some feedback I found on Yahoo.

Sure, i got hired by swift as a regional driver and as a 'newbie', my dispatcher asked me if i could go out to Columbus OH and pick up a load (just this once), i was dumb and agreed, i told my wife i will be back in 4 days and kissed her goodby. Five weeks later, i got back home to AZ and as soon as i pulled in to the terminal, i handed them my keys and quit on the spot. swift sucks as far as i am concerned.

Employees – Swift employs approximately 22,000 dedicated professionals, including roughly 17,000 skilled drivers.

Equipment – Swift has over 17,000 Volvo and Freightliner tractors—92% of which are less than five years old. In addition, Swift has more than 48,000 dry vans and 1,400 flatbed trailers at its disposal.

Earnings – In 2005, Swift generated approximately $3.2 billion in revenue resulting in a net profit of more than $101 million.

Terminal Network – 31 full-service terminals throughout the United States.

Miles – Swift trucks haul freight over two billion miles per year.

Services – Swift operates the following truckload services:

* Container
* Dedicated
* Dry Van
* Flatbed
* Heavy Haul
* Intermodal
* North American
* Refrigerated
* Trade Show

Source

Yes, beware of Swift. I have heard nothing but bad comments about swift. I heard that the workers are overworked and have to unload after a long day. Ive seen multiple swift trucks from the Midwest down to the east coast smashed up, jackknifed, rolled over, etc.

Ok. I suppose I have a confession to make. Someone will find out one day anyway. So this is like big elephant that is sitting in the couch in the living room and nobody say a word. I used to drive for them. Did not last long, thank god. But here is my personal experience with Swift. I will not retype it all in here. So I will just give you links to the article I have posted on my website

http://www.alexandern.com/04_Goodbye_Swift.html

I read the whole thing, your writing is very good by the way. If only there could be a David J Nelson at every truck stop steering driver's towards real companies that treat truckers like real people.

Yes I admit I am one lucky bastard, and that was one in a million chance.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to get a good driving foundation? I may have to go to a truck driving school. Any exceptional ones to get the basics? I've read your postings. Any other exceptional companies in the Southwest you would recommend? Swift had been one I considered until I raad yr postings.

Greetings.
Well definitely do not sign up for a corporation to give you CDL. That way you will be free to do as you please, or rather you will have the freedom to leave without any financial obligation to the company.

I did it the second hard way, paid $6,000 (ouch!) to Roadmaster driving school. That is not the best school and not the best way, because it is only three weeks, you learn just enough to pass the CDL test and the classes are overloaded. Check your local community collage or city collage. Some provide CDL training. I believe that might be a better way.

Wiled Turkey, a member of this board, may have a better suggestion.

Then when you get your CDL you will most likely have two hard years ahead of you getting that experience to get to a decent company. There are plenty of companies that hire rookies (most of us been there), but there is a reason those companies a revolving door. They suck and lie. Do not believe anything that recruiter tells you, they are all X-used car salesman, if you follow that stereotype. You may end up in one of them, but just treat it as a learning curve and a short term deal. Once you been around for a good 150,000 to 200,000 miles your options will include better companies.

Greetings Buddy and welcome to the forum.

Read your post. Now you are married to Swift. I will not be the one to tell you to divorce them, You know that better then I.

Requiters, well this is their job to lie. This is what they get paid for. I have learned the hard way: to find a good company you need to talk to the drivers. Not just one or two. And as always you will have to give up some to gain some. Nothing comes out of nothing.

Since you already with them (Swift) in 42 days you can reunite with your sweetheart and drive together again.

You now have two hard years ahead of you. Those two years will determine whether you will be a successful driver an move on to bigger and better things, or not.

Good luck.

These Swift issues just get better and better. Someone out there needs to write a book and publish it. Question: Will the husband/wife team REALLY be able to reunite in 42 days? Will they need to go out with a trainer or mentor for a specified time before they reunite? If so, how long? Question: I had heard about the $159 cash you need to bring with you but I thought that was a down payment for the driving school or is that fee IN ADDITION to what you pay back for the CDL schooling? How much was that fee the couple had to pay? Question: If I accept indentured servitude for the amount of months it takes to pay off the school loan is there a legal way I can regain my freedom sooner? I'm thinking of the possibility of paying the company back sooner without penalties if at all possible. Question: If dispatchers lie to you and recruiters lie to you, is there anyone in management that you can trust?

I spoke very briefly with a female recruiter. I don't want to call back if I can't believe what is going to be said. What's the story all you ex-Swifties? I know you'll tell it straight without the spaces.

swift only is in their fantasy story telling and sales arena.
jbhunt is the next in line or maybe where swift learned their talent, it's difficult to form a conclusion.
stevens transport is basically another swift or jbhunt except in Reefer form.
I don't use caps for these companies because I do not have any respect for their practices.
I avoid them like a plague yet I'll park next to 'em in a truckstop on occasion, so you work that one thru.

NO ONE tells me and my wife we cannot bunk together regardless whether or not we can "prove we're married". THAT is no ones business but yours!!
WE would have reversed our gait and "split the scene daddy-o" at that reason alone.

Stupid Women Infatuate Fat Truckers. Sure Wish I Found Truth. and other wonderfully goofy fill in the blanks.

Hello fellow readers, please take a moment out of your time to learn a little about swift, and learn how not to follow in my shoes. my name is John, I just graduated the swift driving academy, i was one of the lucky ones to have gotten as far as i did, through all the lies they told me before the school, that i found out while in school were lies, and now i found out that lies weren't the only thing that they were telling. They even went as far as to mislead me. before i went to tennessee to undergo swift driving academy, i was on the phone 24/7 with my 'outside' recruiter, who told me what all i would need, and what i would need to know before i went to tennessee. first of all the first thing i wanted to clear up was how much money i would need. The recruiter had informed me that the only money i would need is for groceries, and extracarriculars, (which was a total lie.) then i made sure that i wouldnt go through this whole program and be told that i wasn't hired due to my not so good driving record.
I know that i don't have a good driving record. The recruiter asked me for my MVR so that he could make sure that they would accept me. i authorized that he could look it up at the mvr, and he said he did, then he said it would be no problem. later that week, he asked for my permission again, i found this rather odd, but went through and authorized again so that i could make sure that i wouldn't get through this program and be denied because of my record. that's 2 times that i gave this outside recruiter my MVR. then we arrive in tennessee 3 days later on the worst and most crouded and hostile bus on earth, The Greyhound. we show up at the hotel under the pretence that my girlfriend and i can room together. WRONG!!! the recruiter lied again. we were to be seperated the whole time. then we deal with that annoying lie, and find out the next morning that we were to bring $150.00 each, (we're a team) for classroom tuition upfront in money order. so that's $300.00 out of the $700.00 that we brought all because the outside recruiter wanted another few bux for getting another sucker on-board. after the first week went by, as lowsy as it was, and all the lies thus far, we were fed up beyond belief. then we face more and more lies. and by the end we were saying to ourselves geeze.... so we come to the day before graduation, our processors are conversing with us, and mine says to me, "we're attempting to get your MVR, you'll need to wait." this again is after the outside recruiter had looked up my MVR twice. then they tell me when i return back home to recieve my driver code that they can't hire me because of my driver record. now im stuck without a job, so im thinking to myself .... well now i have my cdl... i'll just get a trucker job here in my state. .... WRONGGG .. they hold back all records, and diploma, you really didnt graduate unless you can prove it, or pay the $4,000.00 that the program says that you owe. so i have to pay all $4,000.00 before i can get a job. so i've just wasted $4,000.00 on a school that i can't use. and my girlfriend won't go solo. so we're both in the whole $4,000.00 each. that's $8,000.00 for nothing. that we can't pay back because they are assholes and keeping our graduates diploma, and our grades so that we are unable to work to pay them back. thanks for reading.

Spread the Word!

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/20 ... 1#comments

http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/mostpop ... f6220c24c8

The Swifts of the trucking world are cruel capitalists.
Ideally they would bring in immigrants who do all they ask, work for low pay and never complain. On the books, a driver is but a working unit, like a truck or trailer. "It" is not supposed to have a soul, feelings, wants, or preferences. There are hard and fast consequences for irregularities. When a trailer breaks it is repaired, when a driver breaks "it" is fired. When a trainee costs more to train than what's specified "it" is truncated.

I used to pick up trailers in Mexicali loaded in Monterrey, Mexico. Once I met the Mex driver as he unhooked the trailer. I enjoyed talking Spanish with him and asked him about his working conditions. I was amazed how happy he was. Then I asked him if I could run for his company too? He said: Eres demasiado viejo (you're too old). I laughed and told him I had lots of experience. He told me, in Mexico you need good friends, not experience.

Guess what, in the USA you also need good friends, but you won't find them at Swift Transportation (hahahahahahahaha).

I'll be going back over the road by the end of the month after a 7 month hiatus. My parents were tragically killed in some freak flooding in southeast Minnesota last August 19th. Things have finally settled down with their estate settlement, probate, etc. I even gave college a try, but that has proven all the more that I'm a prisoner of the highway.

I was smart enough to do research before beginning my trucking career in the spring of 2003. I went to CDL training at a technical college, for 4 1/2 months, at a cost of about $2500. This made sure I was not obligated to a year of slavery at any one trucking company.

I've given a few companies a try, and found a somewhat smaller one that really suits me. Big enough to be financially stable yet small enough to still know you by name and appreciate you.

It's sad the way Swift and other large companies brainwash people into thinking all outfits are the same. Maybe what happened recently will cause other large companies to straighten up their act a bit.

I am a new driver and went to a Swift Orientation in Syracuse, NY. After two and a half days of being talked down to and having Swift personnel telling us that they have a turn over rate of one hundred and twenty five percent and that most of us will not be with the company in a year I decided to not take the job. There are a ton of driving jobs out there and it is worth the time to look around. Companies will take a chance on a new driver, you just have to look around and accept the phrase "we don't hire drivers without experience". Keep looking!

I am a SWIFT Transportation wife! My husband is driving has been driving less than a year but we are very happy with them. They have taken care of us and when he was delayed it had nothing to do with SWIFT but the idiots that was loading it for the most part that couldn't read or couldn't get their heads out of their butts and get on the ball to load. He had to wait one place because the idiots in California couldn't load the trailer with the right load and so they had to unload and reload which made him later for getting home for Thanksgiving but SWIFT was very good about making sure he was home on Thanksgiving yet and got to eat with his family!
We are in Phoenix Arizona right now heading soon to California so help me we best not get stuck up there again hell will break loose. We can't say enough good things and he is thinking of staying on longer than planned at first with them and being a mentor for new drivers eventually.

Servicedogmom and Eagleman357 (Husband)[/b]

I have been with Swift for two years and I can say without hesitation that most of what I hear about Swift is total nonsense. The good, bad, and ugly is as follows.

Management talks down to you if you allow it, I don't.
The mechanics are a bit slow, be patient.
The Safety Dept. is totally cynical, learn to log, stay safe and legal. ASAP!
Night and weekend management is a bit weak, don't rely on them unless it's an emergency.
The pay is terrible in the beginning, you must have your own cash for a few months.

We have at least 38 terminals/drop yards. Most terminals are clean and comfortable.
Trucks are fleet managed. B service every three months.
My pay is only down $50 bucks a week during this economic down turn. 2008-2009
My miles are very steady. Good planners get good miles.
Benefits are good not great. One week paid vacation for the first three years is terrible.
SWIFT IS FOR SMART, INDEPENDENT, AND MATURE DRIVERS! HIGH MAINTENENCE WHINERS NEED NOT APPLY!

I went up to swift's 3 ring circus in Memphis,TN

What a joke.

They coupe you up in this crappy hotel, with 4-5 other dudes, grown azz men having to sleep on this little cot's that aint hardly big enough for a 10 yr old.

I could go on and on, but everything I could say has already been said in this thread.

I left after 3 days and am now enrolled in a local CDL training facility.

swift is okay. They have had trouble keeping dedicated accounts in the Northeast. When starting at their school I needed a job. It was taxing to make sure I had all the needed documents for processing. The recruiter seemed to be a good guy but quit just a week before I was to start training. He spoke with me after he left them and refused to say anything bad about Swift. Now after a number of years with Swift I think they are okay but not a perfect match for me. Knowing their system helps but doesn't guarantee success. My pay has dropped about 30% in 2008 from 2006. That's quite a drop. It was an okay place to start but at this moment it looks like time to move on..... will see what is out there.

IS'NT THAT WHAT INTERSTATE TRUCKIN IS?....

I have been reading the messages regarding Swift and decided to offer my opinion. I have been an OTR for the past 15 years and am now driving for Swift. I worked for 6 different companies since 1995, some good, some bad. I have been with Swift for 3 1/2 years and it is the best fit for me.

Somethings to consider when looking at a company:

Are they big enough to have consistant miles?
Is there a terminal close to where you live?
Do they want you to drive safe and log legal?
Do they have health insurance and 401k plan.
Is the equipment maintained?

In my case the answer is yes to the above questions. Sure sometimes I will get pissed off, but that will happen with any trucking company. Trucking companies want to make money so their decisions will always go to their bottom line.

This company is a joke! They brought me down to memphis and hadnt fully verified my experience of 8 years at the time. I sat there an extra 3 days waiting for them to get the remaining employment verifications! BULLSHIT! It should have been done already! When I did get rolling I did 3000 miles in just 5 days. Completely legal by the way, but they shut me down per management. Told me that was all they would allow me to run in a calender week. I promptly drove the truck to memphis after just 5 days driving for them and quit! Oh yea because 1 company I worked for folded and didnt verify on the DAC. They changed my pay rate to .36 rather than .40. Swift is a junk company and most of their employees are rookies or junk drivers that don't want to work hard. Simply run 2000 miles and hang out at the truckstop in the loser cruisers they drive! LOL

Thatguy wrote:This company is a joke! They brought me down to memphis and hadnt fully verified my experience of 8 years at the time. I sat there an extra 3 days waiting for them to get the remaining employment verifications! BULLSHIT! It should have been done already! When I did get rolling I did 3000 miles in just 5 days. Completely legal by the way, but they shut me down per management. Told me that was all they would allow me to run in a calender week. I promptly drove the truck to memphis after just 5 days driving for them and quit! Oh yea because 1 company I worked for folded and didnt verify on the DAC. They changed my pay rate to .36 rather than .40. Swift is a junk company and most of their employees are rookies or junk drivers that don't want to work hard. Simply run 2000 miles and hang out at the truckstop in the loser cruisers they drive! LOL

Hey eli you working over at castellini now?

I am a wife of a recent grad from trucking school who is now doing his 6 week training with Swift. This is his first week out. He was so excited and proud of graduating and passing everything the first time, never had to retake any tests, including his driving or hazmat. He and I did our research talked to a recent grad from the same school that had joined with Swift. He seemed to be fine with Swift so of course my husband decided to go with Swift. Before he joined with Swift the recruiter was always there to talk and would return our phone calls quickly, gave a WHOLE BUNCH OF YES'S. As soon as my husband accepted the job of course the recruiter was no where to be found for additional questions. The Orientation was just ridiculous, it was all RUSH RUSH, they talked to you like you were DIRT, and did not even go over important stuff like the Qualcomm. All they said was your MENTOR will go over everything with you. Well my husband gets his MENTOR, remember he only been out of school for a week and the orientation was uninformative; I can't even begin to put into words just how of a MORON THIS MENTOR IS!!! So I'll just put an email he sent me while he's out on the road.

We just got into it again. Last night I unplugged the GPS that way it didn't take power from the battery of the truck all night. Four days ago, he told me to unplug it from the device itself, today he jump me for unplugging it there. I told him that he told me to do that and I watched him do it himself while he told me. He laughed and said he didn't say that and I reminded him where and when he told me that and he said, "OH YA whatever, don't do it again' I said, what's so fuckin' funny. I'm trying to save your truck from running out of battery overnight. Then he got on the phone with his wife while he's driving "You called me so what do you want?" he's an asshole and I'm being pushed too much. I saw that he was a certified mentor "1" I asked him what the one means, he said it means he's new, there's a 1, 2, and Senior. I asked him if it pays off, He said this week he made 2500 and when we go teams now, he makes 3200 each week. He said "So I guess so, what do you think" all fucking rude. too much. I'm doing what I have too. US Express sounds good! This Mexican gangster rap is getting too much too. I know you're getting tired of me complaining, but i cant stand this crap. I love you

. All the MENTOR KEEPS TALKING ABOUT IS WHITE PEOPLE AND BLACK PEOPLE!!! MY HUSBAND IS WHITE! HE ALSO KEPT TALKING ABOUT HOW HE WAS IN GANGS. My Husband drove for 52 hours in 3 days, HE JUST STARTED!!! He is not supposed to drive that much, it's supposed to be eased in. THE MENTOR PUSHED HIM THAT HARD BECAUSE HE WANTED TO START DRIVING AS A TEAM SO HE CAN GET PAID MORE, WHILE HUSBAND MAKES $450 FLAT FOR 6 WEEKS!!! Finally Swift had to tell the MENTOR "You can't push a student that hard, the student will not be able to drive for 34 hours straight now" I have a feeling Swift says six weeks training for students because that way they can still have teams running (Mentor/student) but NOT HAVE TO PAY AS MUCH BECAUSE THE STUDENT ONLY GETS PAID A FLAT SALARY!!

I HAVE LEFT SO MUCH OUT BUT I COULDN'T WRITE A BOOK!!