SWIFT TRANSPORTATION missing items on paycheck, payroll is useless, driver manager is careless PHOENIX Arizona

You know I could cry about this that these those or the other things. Crying about it doesn't do anything. Swift hasn't gypped my on anything.

I've been paid for everything I've done. I've been reimbursed for everything I've purchased on behalf of Swift. I guess there have been a couple things that I didn't, but they were because I didn't submit a receipt.

I've been paid for all the trips I've completed. I've been paid to sit and wait for the truck to get fixed. I've been paid to wait for a load which has happened once and that was only because I delivered on a weekend after all the planners went to bed.

Not one check has bounced, and I get paid for what I do not how many hours I sit around and watch paint dry or babysit people who ran over kids in a commercial motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

I'm in agreement about the trailers lots of times they're trash, but there's like 50,000 of em and they are getting new ones all the time, and I've brought some back to the terminal for retirement. Maybe if people would report the parts that they break when they use them the broken ones would get fixed and not left for me and some of the other drivers to discover and deal with.

I've seen the whole d**n country, and every national park not only for free but got paid for it. I'd have a real tough time cryin about Swift transportation. I got no complaint. There was a paycheck where I didn't get a paycheck, but it was after I took time off. I've made more money in one week than I have anywhere else I've ever worked.

Sure there's things about Swift I don't like and think that some of those things could be better. But It's truckin, lots of the things I don't like wouldn't be any different than anywhere else. It's a job thats why you get paid for it. Lots of times I wonder if I should be paying to do it.

Heather's view is a bit incorrect on drivers, we do not want to just 'drive', we want to be treated fairly, and given the miles that we expect to get, we do not expect to be treated like steering wheel holders (Which I do not get atleast). Now as a driver for swift, here is what I see: The majority of people who post on here, as well as on other message boards with problems, tend to be lazy, have misconceptions of the industry, or just plain do not understand.

As far as getting paid, you need to keep up with them, in all honesty the company is huge, 18,000 trucks, 24,000+ drivers, well over 40,000+ employees, how easy do you think it is to manage that payroll? Sure it is computerized, but human beings have to feed those computers the data to handle it. Do I get problems with things not appearing on my paycheck?, yes, sometimes, what do I do? I first ask my DM over qualcomm why something is missing, secondly I then call him, thirdly I then call payroll directly.

Another issue I see with this particular post, is that the poster said he did not get detenion pay while sitting at a terminal, well, if you understand the pay system, you would realize you do NOT get paid for sitting at a terminal, I do not believe it is fair to file a complaint against a company on a point that is clearly stated in the policies, policies which you signed a piece of paper stating you understood. Also as far as getting inspected by D.O.T. for trailer issues, federal regulations clearly state it is the DRIVERS DUTY to fully inspect (pretrip) any equipment you haul, and not drive it if it does not meet federal regulations, and believe me with swift it is not hard to get such a situation rectified, a simple qualcomm message stating it is in an unsafe condition will quickly get the situation taken care of.

From my experience with this company, I have noticed if you put a little effort to understand the policies, your rights, your requirements, the chain of command, and what you should do in certain situations, 99% of the issues people have, I do not get, do I get issues? Sure, I don't know a company in the world you could work for that will not have issues from time to time, and swift is a huge company, with complicated systems, and lots of people to make mistakes along the way, how do you deal with it? You know who to talk to, and understand how things work before you talk to them, and know what you are supposed to get, and not get.

I BELIEVE MOST IN TRANSPORTATION ARE DISAPPOINTED. DRIVERS VIEW, "ALL I SHOULD HAVE TO DO IS DRIVE." DISPATCHER, "I GIVE YOU WORK INSTRUCTION AND YOU DRIVE." ITS NOT THAT SIMPLE NO MATTER WHICH SIDE YOU ARE ON. DISPATCHERS AND DRIVERS HAVE AMONG OTHER THINGS IN COMMON, NO RESPECT OR CREDIBILITY. MOST PEOPLE THINK DRIVERS ARE DUMB AND DISPATCHERS ARE LIERS. SO I HATE TO TELL YA PEOPLE, THAT MAKES US ON THE SAME FLIPPIN' TEAM. I COME TO WORK EVERY DAY TRYING TO BREAK THAT "PROFILE." I AM ALSO REMINDED DAILY WHY THOSE PROFILES EXIST (ON BOTH SIDES). IF DRIVERS WANT TO CHANGE THEIR IMAGE, START BY SIMPLE THINGS. DRESS LIKE YOU TAKE PRIED IN WHAT YOU DO. EVERYTHING WILL FOLLOW FROM THERE. DISPATCHERS, OWN WHAT YOU DO. IF YOU DONT HAVE THE ANSWER (TAKES 12 PEOPLE TO MOVE A LOAD)SAY SO. COMPLAIN ABOUT ME AL YOU WANT, BUT ITS EASIER TO BE UNHAPPY THAN IT IS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. I AM PROUD OF BEING IN THIS INDUSTRY AND THE COMPANY I WORK FOR, ARE YOU?

I BELIEVE MOST IN TRANSPORTATION ARE DISAPPOINTED. DRIVERS VIEW, "ALL I SHOULD HAVE TO DO IS DRIVE." DISPATCHER, "I GIVE YOU WORK INSTRUCTION AND YOU DRIVE." ITS NOT THAT SIMPLE NO MATTER WHICH SIDE YOU ARE ON. DISPATCHERS AND DRIVERS HAVE AMONG OTHER THINGS IN COMMON, NO RESPECT OR CREDIBILITY. MOST PEOPLE THINK DRIVERS ARE DUMB AND DISPATCHERS ARE LIERS. SO I HATE TO TELL YA PEOPLE, THAT MAKES US ON THE SAME FLIPPIN' TEAM. I COME TO WORK EVERY DAY TRYING TO BREAK THAT "PROFILE." I AM ALSO REMINDED DAILY WHY THOSE PROFILES EXIST (ON BOTH SIDES). IF DRIVERS WANT TO CHANGE THEIR IMAGE, START BY SIMPLE THINGS. DRESS LIKE YOU TAKE PRIED IN WHAT YOU DO. EVERYTHING WILL FOLLOW FROM THERE. DISPATCHERS, OWN WHAT YOU DO. IF YOU DONT HAVE THE ANSWER (TAKES 12 PEOPLE TO MOVE A LOAD)SAY SO. COMPLAIN ABOUT ME AL YOU WANT, BUT ITS EASIER TO BE UNHAPPY THAN IT IS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. I AM PROUD OF BEING IN THIS INDUSTRY AND THE COMPANY I WORK FOR, ARE YOU?

I BELIEVE MOST IN TRANSPORTATION ARE DISAPPOINTED. DRIVERS VIEW, "ALL I SHOULD HAVE TO DO IS DRIVE." DISPATCHER, "I GIVE YOU WORK INSTRUCTION AND YOU DRIVE." ITS NOT THAT SIMPLE NO MATTER WHICH SIDE YOU ARE ON. DISPATCHERS AND DRIVERS HAVE AMONG OTHER THINGS IN COMMON, NO RESPECT OR CREDIBILITY. MOST PEOPLE THINK DRIVERS ARE DUMB AND DISPATCHERS ARE LIERS. SO I HATE TO TELL YA PEOPLE, THAT MAKES US ON THE SAME FLIPPIN' TEAM. I COME TO WORK EVERY DAY TRYING TO BREAK THAT "PROFILE." I AM ALSO REMINDED DAILY WHY THOSE PROFILES EXIST (ON BOTH SIDES). IF DRIVERS WANT TO CHANGE THEIR IMAGE, START BY SIMPLE THINGS. DRESS LIKE YOU TAKE PRIED IN WHAT YOU DO. EVERYTHING WILL FOLLOW FROM THERE. DISPATCHERS, OWN WHAT YOU DO. IF YOU DONT HAVE THE ANSWER (TAKES 12 PEOPLE TO MOVE A LOAD)SAY SO. COMPLAIN ABOUT ME AL YOU WANT, BUT ITS EASIER TO BE UNHAPPY THAN IT IS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. I AM PROUD OF BEING IN THIS INDUSTRY AND THE COMPANY I WORK FOR, ARE YOU?

You seem rather impressed to work for the "Big Dawg" Heather, have you actually considered how Swift became the biggest in the industry?

They do not have an impressive business plan to increase their customer base and driving force. They go in and buy other companies that have the customer base and the drivers. And then when Swift can not provide the support for the customers or the drivers, they lose both and then have to start the search all over again.

Swift provides quantity, and not quality. They are able to move more loads than other carriers, but they are not able to guarantee ontime delivery. Their motto should be, When it absolutely, positively has to be there. sometime. Customers that do not require time sensitive delivery will use Swift because they can get their freight moved the cheapest with a company like Swift. Customers that have the time sensitive freight will use another carrier. And you should know, I mean since you want to pass yourself off as an expert, that the time sensitive freight is what pays the big dollars.

I won't even get into how Swift has raped the trucking industry in general with their underpricing of freight. Most companies are either customer friendly or employee friendly, Swift is neither. They are board of directors friendly. When Swift bought MS Carriers, one of the VPs told us, We will not sacrifice profits for the sake of ontime delivery. I knew right then that my days with the company were very limited.

And Steve, I don't think that someone has to have miles behind the wheel to know what a driver goes thru. I have less than a mile behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle, and that was just around the terminal so that I could say that I had driven a truck. I have seen some ex drivers that were awesome as dispatchers and I have seen some ex drivers that were real pricks as dispatchers.

It depends son the person and how much empathy they have. I am sure someone like Heather comes off as arrogant and condesending to a driver. But I think that has more to do with her as a bitter person than the driving experience that she doesn't have.

Again, I have less than a mile behind the wheel, but I have 15 years behind the desk dispatching. I have dispatched for companies with 40 trucks and I have dispatched for companies that have 18,000 trucks. I have drivers that I haven't worked with for 10 years that still send me Christmas cards and call to see how I am doing and to let me know how they are doing. So all none driver dispatchers can't be discounted, some of us actually do care about our drivers.

You seem rather impressed to work for the "Big Dawg" Heather, have you actually considered how Swift became the biggest in the industry?

They do not have an impressive business plan to increase their customer base and driving force. They go in and buy other companies that have the customer base and the drivers. And then when Swift can not provide the support for the customers or the drivers, they lose both and then have to start the search all over again.

Swift provides quantity, and not quality. They are able to move more loads than other carriers, but they are not able to guarantee ontime delivery. Their motto should be, When it absolutely, positively has to be there. sometime. Customers that do not require time sensitive delivery will use Swift because they can get their freight moved the cheapest with a company like Swift. Customers that have the time sensitive freight will use another carrier. And you should know, I mean since you want to pass yourself off as an expert, that the time sensitive freight is what pays the big dollars.

I won't even get into how Swift has raped the trucking industry in general with their underpricing of freight. Most companies are either customer friendly or employee friendly, Swift is neither. They are board of directors friendly. When Swift bought MS Carriers, one of the VPs told us, We will not sacrifice profits for the sake of ontime delivery. I knew right then that my days with the company were very limited.

And Steve, I don't think that someone has to have miles behind the wheel to know what a driver goes thru. I have less than a mile behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle, and that was just around the terminal so that I could say that I had driven a truck. I have seen some ex drivers that were awesome as dispatchers and I have seen some ex drivers that were real pricks as dispatchers.

It depends son the person and how much empathy they have. I am sure someone like Heather comes off as arrogant and condesending to a driver. But I think that has more to do with her as a bitter person than the driving experience that she doesn't have.

Again, I have less than a mile behind the wheel, but I have 15 years behind the desk dispatching. I have dispatched for companies with 40 trucks and I have dispatched for companies that have 18,000 trucks. I have drivers that I haven't worked with for 10 years that still send me Christmas cards and call to see how I am doing and to let me know how they are doing. So all none driver dispatchers can't be discounted, some of us actually do care about our drivers.

You seem rather impressed to work for the "Big Dawg" Heather, have you actually considered how Swift became the biggest in the industry?

They do not have an impressive business plan to increase their customer base and driving force. They go in and buy other companies that have the customer base and the drivers. And then when Swift can not provide the support for the customers or the drivers, they lose both and then have to start the search all over again.

Swift provides quantity, and not quality. They are able to move more loads than other carriers, but they are not able to guarantee ontime delivery. Their motto should be, When it absolutely, positively has to be there. sometime. Customers that do not require time sensitive delivery will use Swift because they can get their freight moved the cheapest with a company like Swift. Customers that have the time sensitive freight will use another carrier. And you should know, I mean since you want to pass yourself off as an expert, that the time sensitive freight is what pays the big dollars.

I won't even get into how Swift has raped the trucking industry in general with their underpricing of freight. Most companies are either customer friendly or employee friendly, Swift is neither. They are board of directors friendly. When Swift bought MS Carriers, one of the VPs told us, We will not sacrifice profits for the sake of ontime delivery. I knew right then that my days with the company were very limited.

And Steve, I don't think that someone has to have miles behind the wheel to know what a driver goes thru. I have less than a mile behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle, and that was just around the terminal so that I could say that I had driven a truck. I have seen some ex drivers that were awesome as dispatchers and I have seen some ex drivers that were real pricks as dispatchers.

It depends son the person and how much empathy they have. I am sure someone like Heather comes off as arrogant and condesending to a driver. But I think that has more to do with her as a bitter person than the driving experience that she doesn't have.

Again, I have less than a mile behind the wheel, but I have 15 years behind the desk dispatching. I have dispatched for companies with 40 trucks and I have dispatched for companies that have 18,000 trucks. I have drivers that I haven't worked with for 10 years that still send me Christmas cards and call to see how I am doing and to let me know how they are doing. So all none driver dispatchers can't be discounted, some of us actually do care about our drivers.

You seem rather impressed to work for the "Big Dawg" Heather, have you actually considered how Swift became the biggest in the industry?

They do not have an impressive business plan to increase their customer base and driving force. They go in and buy other companies that have the customer base and the drivers. And then when Swift can not provide the support for the customers or the drivers, they lose both and then have to start the search all over again.

Swift provides quantity, and not quality. They are able to move more loads than other carriers, but they are not able to guarantee ontime delivery. Their motto should be, When it absolutely, positively has to be there. sometime. Customers that do not require time sensitive delivery will use Swift because they can get their freight moved the cheapest with a company like Swift. Customers that have the time sensitive freight will use another carrier. And you should know, I mean since you want to pass yourself off as an expert, that the time sensitive freight is what pays the big dollars.

I won't even get into how Swift has raped the trucking industry in general with their underpricing of freight. Most companies are either customer friendly or employee friendly, Swift is neither. They are board of directors friendly. When Swift bought MS Carriers, one of the VPs told us, We will not sacrifice profits for the sake of ontime delivery. I knew right then that my days with the company were very limited.

And Steve, I don't think that someone has to have miles behind the wheel to know what a driver goes thru. I have less than a mile behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle, and that was just around the terminal so that I could say that I had driven a truck. I have seen some ex drivers that were awesome as dispatchers and I have seen some ex drivers that were real pricks as dispatchers.

It depends son the person and how much empathy they have. I am sure someone like Heather comes off as arrogant and condesending to a driver. But I think that has more to do with her as a bitter person than the driving experience that she doesn't have.

Again, I have less than a mile behind the wheel, but I have 15 years behind the desk dispatching. I have dispatched for companies with 40 trucks and I have dispatched for companies that have 18,000 trucks. I have drivers that I haven't worked with for 10 years that still send me Christmas cards and call to see how I am doing and to let me know how they are doing. So all none driver dispatchers can't be discounted, some of us actually do care about our drivers.

Heather,

I have absolutely no idea what the above post was supposed to be about.

You kill me. You come on here on almost every trucking thread, and in some way put down drivers with legitimate complaints.

You try to present yourself as some bigshot at Swift but in your condescending rebattals, you cannot even spell or use proper grammar!

And, you are obviously a person with no experience actually driving a truck, and I would bet you don't even have a CDL.

OTR Truck drivers work at least 70 hours a week including nights, weekends, and holidays compared to your 8 hour day 5 days a week.

You keep referring to yourself as a "big dawg". give it a rest. You have absolutely no working knowledge of what a truck driver faces out on the road. None.

I have 1.5 million logged commercial miles and can spot a wannabe office puke like you a mile away. Go back to your cubicle now.

PS..SWIFT SUCKS!! That is a fact.

I have been with the company for a lot of years and watched this site as well. When I walk into work everyday, I have to keep in mind that many of the drivers currently associated with this industry are not accociated by choice but by default. By that I mean, there were no jobs in their area, been misplaced out of their industry, or daddy has kicked them out of the house. That is a huge gammet, but that is a realisitic view of what we deal with a operational point of view. When most enter transportation, they feel all they have to do id drive.

In this day and age, that is almost the last thing you do in this industry. For whatever brought you into transportation, your first resposibility (as with any industry) is self accountability. Example: dont work for Mc Donalds if you are allergic to oil and expect them to quit making french fries. Swift has been short haul carrier for over 40 years. Every carrier has a certain style and is built for a certain driver. There is a carrier for every driver.

If Swift is not for you, find another, but dont get mad a paticulair carrier because they didnt fit. That was your choice. If you can not figure out how a copier works 10 feet from a dispatch window, how to climb the chain of command for extra support, buy a map book, use a keyboard, or figure out that hub miles dont make sence because the current labor pool would spend most of their time driving in circles, maybe transportation is not for you. Its takes a amazing person to keep the economy running. It take a lesser person to assume their stuff gets their without some responsility. If your cant hang with the big dawgs' get off the step.

Robert,

Thanks again for the info. I didn't get my notice until 1993 and the deadline was in 1994. I was in FL at the time, but also was on active duty military overseas. From what I can see, military members were automatically grandfathered.

I'm just wondering why I didn't get a notice in early 1992 before I went overseas. All of my address info was current and I was getting my mail forwarded.

The web site of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the US Department of Transportation clearly states on page one the following:
Drivers have been required to have a CDL in order to drive a CMV since April 1, 1992. Which is what I said in my previous post. The CDL was first issued in 1991 as drivers chauffeurs licenses expired and all drivers must have had them to drive by April 1992. I don't know what else anyone can tell you. So if you still don't believe me check out the web site yourself. http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration-licensing/cdl/cdl.htm

Federal law was effective in 1993 for the mandatory transition with a deadline for compliance in 1994.

You may have had some commercial license specific to OHIO then, but it was not the federal mandated CDL, nor did applicants meet the same requirements to get it.

What I'm saying here is that at that time there was no nationwide standard on the CDL as the federal law that governs the CDL was not in place yet.

Ohio always does things different from the rest of the country, as does CA.

I've been a commercial driver off and on since 1981.

For Steve in Bradenton: I don't know where you were in 1991 but that is when CDL's came out. People I worked with in 1991 had CDL's, I got mine in 1992 only because my chauffeurs license didn't expire until 1992 or I would have had mine in 1991.

Sean,

CDL's were not mandated until 1994. There was no such thing as a CDL in 1991.

And, driving unsafe equipment is the responsibility of the driver. Put it out of service. That is your legal responsibility and was the whole idea behind the CDL. Accountability.