Swift Transportation ripoff leaves me empty for over 37 Hours Phoenix Arizona

Erik , My Husband is also going into truck driving , i did alot of the research trying to find the best company to drive for .

The best advice i found is a site for Class A Drivers (online search that and you will find the site, go to the forum )

The forum there has been beyond helpful, with loads of actual drivers of all length of experience.
They can help you with what school to go to, which company offers the best benefits and home time.
You will hear complaints and praise, the good and the bad on every company out there.
They also have another area where you can pull up a single page and compare the companies (cpm , home time , benefits, requirements etc)
Good Luck !

Hi, my name is Erik and I am seriously considering the prospect of getting into the trucking industry. I would like to know what the truth is, and not just a bunch of BS from a disgruntled former employee badmouthing the company.

With any job you do, be it trucking, or having an office job or whatever... there's always going to be times of frustration, disappointment, and dealing with disagreeable people. That's life. How you deal with it is what is important. If you have a bad attitude you're not going to get anywhere in life, especially in regards to a career. You can't keep running away from your problems thinking that the grass is greener with Company-Z, when you've worked for company A-Y.

In a conversation with a recruiter from Werner last week, she told me that they work you 6 days on / 1 day off on a dedicated route, such as: a northern California to southern California run. She said another option is to run regional. She said you can run regional and be out 21 days straight, and then get 4-5 days off. Are all the OTR companies like this? That doesn't seem like sufficient home time to me.

Also, I keep reading horror stories about the trucks and what a pain in the neck they are to sleep in. I don't want to live in my truck. Are there truck stops that have motels or something in them? Or can I choose to stay at a Motel 6 or something rather than sleep in the rig?

I did a search of every major OTR transportation company listed on Ripoffreport.com. I did this because I wanted to see which company is the fairest of them all. I can tell you that out of Werner, GTI, JB Hunt, Central Refrigerated, CR England, Schneider, CRST, Covenant, and a couple others, that Swift has the least amount of whiners. That tells me something about Swift. Sure, they're probably not perfect, but neither are you as a driver. Trucking companies are equally as frustrated with some of their drivers.

I see truck driving as a way to get my "foot in the door" with a major OTR company, drive for 2-3 years, and then work my way into management. That is my goal. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership, and I also plan on pursuing my Master's degree in the future. Plus, I have a pretty positive attitude most of the time and I envision being an OTR driver as a fun, yet challenging career at the same time.

So, what I'd really like to see is unbiased and truthful posts in regards to Swift. They are number one in my book according to my research so far. I want to know what the positive aspects are, as well as the negative. I want to weigh all my options and make an educated decision before I possible embark on this new career adventure. Paul, no offense... but I'm not interested in reading any more of your drivel. I am willing to wager that you screwed up BIG TIME and got reprimanded, or you just got known for having a bad attitude. But that's just conjecture on my part... I could be mistaken.

Anyway, if anybody here understands my position, and can offer some quality and worthwhile advice, please sound off. I would love to hear from you. Swift seems like a great company to work for, and it appears to be a company that I can grow with, and has advancement opportunity. Please give me some more info about Swift, and more (honest) info about OTR trucking. Thank you.

I know that there are many times when things can go a different direction than what you want.

But, as for this driver and anyone else that encounters a problem such as this or any other issue's. send a message that your going to a truck stop don't sit somewhere that doesn't have facilities to use or that you can't eat something. KNOWONE IN THIS COMPANY EXPECT'S A DRIVER TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE AT ALL.. For any issues that can't be resolved by qualcom. Just like the military there is a chain of command. then First call your Mentor or Driver Manager, second call your fleet Manager, third call Your Terminal Manager, Fourth call Safety in Phoenix,
Fifth call your Regional Vice President, Sixth call the Regional President, Seventh continue to work your way up the chain of command. Keep going until you have a resolution to your situation.

Believe me it won't go any futher than your terminal manager unless the issue is with your terminal manager.

As far as other Issues such as payroll everyone makes mistakes espically when your dealing with 30,000 employees payroll everyweek, if there is an issue get with payroll. keep accurate record's of your trips and cost per trip.
as well as copies of your BOL and other reciepts.

You will be reimbursed, sometimes a driver thinks they earned more than what was paid go back review your records, check the enforcer at any terminal, then call payroll if there is still an issue or you think that something is wrong also get with your driver manager.

There are 35 terminals in which you can work from and hundered's of driver manager's. Not everyone's personality will click with their driver manager. ASK FOR SOMEONE ELSE by talking with your fleet manager.

There is NO REASON TO QUIT THIS COMPANY..
The choice is up to the driver and how he or she manages there time and the income they would like to earn, If your sitting the company isn't makeing any money and neither are you the driver.

THINK SMART, BE SMART and as ALWAY'S BE SAFE

Sincerely,
Brian Chrans
trk 300039

I totally understand your complaint. My husband drove for Swift when he first started. He was gone for a month and came home for 4 days. He complained about the dispatchers running him too much. I told him to say no, but when he finally said no. They would come up with some type of violation for him. I told him to keep track of everything.

I had the pleasure of riding with him for one week for my vacation. It was truly an eye opening experience. They (dispatchers) knew I was on the truck with him. We went from Houston,TX to Queens, NY and back in 10 days. Well along they way, they gave wrong directions. They wanted him to drive 100 miles to get a trailer and delivery it on time. Even though I type in the hours. They (dispatchers) still wanted him to go. So I typed (without his knowledge) - no hours available. The Qualcomm beeped one last time saying please. But after the 3rd NO they got the message. I found this out first hand with Swift.

As our journey continued with more wrong directions, we had to sit a Georgia Pacific for 5 hours waiting to get loaded. I know he had to put some as off duty, not driving and sleeper just to be able to get two hours up the highway. As we were on our way back, to TX they had us come to the Irving terminal, supposely to get another load heading to Houston. We sat there for almost two days. By this time it is Sunday, and I had to be back at work on Monday. He went into the terminal several times, just to be told they are sending him a load to the truck. Well my husband doesn't like to cause any problems and that causes problems between us. Well I go in, the dispatcher raises her head I guess as a jesture of "what's up". I told her the story, and she says we are going to send the load in a few minutes.

Well needless to say, that didn't happen. I go back in about 2 hours later...pissed. She let me stand at the counter for about 5 minutes before acknowleding my presence. Then when she finally comes over, she just stands there like "What do you want?" I told her we have waited long enough. I don't work for Swift he does, unless someone is willing to pay my salary to sit here. Then she gets on the phone with a manager who is cowarding behind the door. I said she has an attitude. I have to go to work tomorrow. Well we went to get some lunch, the Qualcomm beeps telling him to go to Corsicana to pick up a load going to Houston.

Now I guess because I had to constantly gone in there to get it resolved. But that was because I didn't work there. So what about the drivers that do work there. I also wrote a letter to the Head supervisor, Linda but no response was giving to my letter. I also copied the office in Phoenix, but no response either. This all happened in July 2002...our anniversary too.

One last thing, this was MY experience as a "Trucker's Wife", not as a driver. So now, SOME dispatchers don't respect, honor or care about the drivers either. Since he moved on to another company he has had some better dispatchers and driver managers..that make every effort to get him home and cares about the DOT rules and regulations.

Paying your Dues is one thing, and having to start at the bottom of the ladder no matter what occupation you take up,, but being outright cheated out of money owed to you, or being subjected to providing excessive free time, and not being properly compensated in the way of pay is absoletely wrong !!!

That type of atmosphere creates whats known as a "Sweatshop-on-Wheels" !!!

We professional Drivers out here don't need a stressed out over worked driver who hasn't had any proper sleep in the last 3 days out here running along side us, and eventually causing an accident !!! Some of us own our own rigs and trailers, and have a lot of money tied up in them, and effort, we'd like NOT, to lose it because someone is being taken advantage of, especially financially to keep him broke and running harder than necessary, and eventually falling asleep or dozing off behind the wheel just to make a buck !!

Granted newbies or Rookies, will have to start at the bottom, but that doesn't mean you should be taken advantage of, financially and made to run cheaper than the going wage or paid in such a way, its like working for FREE !!!

Simply Put: Park that Rig and get out, if they aren't going to treat you with respect and dignity !!!!

I've spent most of this morning reading these posts. Some have made me laugh, others made me appreciate what I have even more. I chose this profession thirty three years ago. Mostly for the ego trip that I could operate something that big, travel the country, and get paid for it. I was one that was "addicted" to the lifestyle. Noone during those years could convince me I was fooling myself. Through the years I did learn what companies to stay away from and why. These posts have proven those theories correct. Mostly I worked for regional companies, owner operators, and had my own. Now I'm 16 years with a local company. Saving, and making more than I ever dreamed of, and home every night. Times are I miss the travel and think about going out there again. Then come back to my senses when I see trucks overflowing rest areas because there's no room at truck stops. Swift trucks along the side of the road with the driver asleep. Because apparently policy dictates you drive your 11 hours then stop wherever you are. I think Swift has it's place in this industry. It's a post graduate truck driving school that pays it's students. Instead of like most post graduate institutions where you pay them.

Point is, we all have to pay our dues in any industry. Paying your dues in trucking is being willing to take the crap from the big guys to get the experience, then go after the good jobs or get your own. But first you pay your dues. All us old hands paid ours and probably bitched about as much.

Sometimes a young man will come to me and talk about doing this job. I tell him how it is out there. It's a great job for a single guy, or one with a very independent wife. But for the first couple years your life will be revolved around seeing the world go by from your windshield. Then once that is past, you get a regional or local job, get married and have a life. But pay your dues first.

Companies who are relentlss about not paying for their drivers detention time, break down time etc, are not worth working for !!!!

My daddy always told me, that the worse thing worse than working, was working for FREE !!!!!!!! As I iformed one former employer in front of all his drivers at a company meeting one day,, while I'm spending all my time working for you for free, can I assume, that you'll do the same for me, by going to my house and working for me for "FREE",such as mowing my grass, weed-eating, and the winter time, shoveling the Ice & Snow off my driveway and side walk for FREE !!!!

His answer was "Hell-NO", I then said, well why would I want to donate my time to you for "FREE" !!

We all work to make money, no matter what occupation your in, and when theres a break down in loyality and respect with the employer, becaus he doesn't have the education, or the business savy, or proper knowledge to properly run the business, other than by scamming or cheating his employees , who make up the company and make the company money,,,thats when the problems sit in, I also don't care for employers who willfully, knowingly engage in this type of activity, just so they can live high on the hog, and have expensive houses, yachts,expensive automobiles, take expensive vacations, all while "not" taking care of the employees who made it possible for them to live that lifestyle, while expecting their employees to provide/donate their time for "FREE" !!!!!

Thank-You !

Listen to what these guys are tellin you. Took me 6 years of OTR driving to figure it out. Get a local job. I drive a concrete mixer,make about a grand a week workin 50-55 hours a week and I'm home every night. There's nothing like waking up in the morning and looking forward to seeing your friends at work........looking foeward to going to work and getting paid well to do it.

Paul, your leaving the profession was not your loss-it was our, the profession's loss! I now understand why you went from OTR to OTR during your 2 year stint. Traveling to places that otherwise would not have been visited, is a big draw. Paul with that said ,how old are you? Do you have children and or a marriage to support? I ask this because during your 2(too,to,2) years of driving, you realy never mention the compansation factor that you needed and or desired. Paul, you present your CDL-A driving knowledge and hands on experience,with the most driver friendly and respectable platforms I have had the pleasure to come into proximity with!!!!! I ask you this:you love to drive, but could'nt tolerate the OTR'S charaded sideshow circus events, how come you never saught the locale level? Paul, I'm married to a wonderful wife, have 3 children, the oldest just turned 10, the youngest is 2.5, and is what we call an UNEXPECTED TREASURE CHEST that we stumbled apon. Going OTR is not an option here. My kids need me home every day, and will not let her raise our kids alone!

You can thank the lack of good trucking jobs to deregulation in the 80's! My husband worked for a union company all his working life and was paid well, treated right and never had to drive unsafe equipment. You can't say that now!

When I decided to begin driving trucks, I figured it would be a decent job. I didn't expect to get rich. But, I didn't think I'd be working for peanuts either.

Once I was in the trucks and started hauling the loads, I quickly saw that you are expected to put in 100 hour weeks. For that, you are paid $1,000 gross. About $10 an hour.

Admittedly, that's not a great wage. Especially considering that you have a lot of responsibility and are forced to take a lot of risk.

A better wage would be 70 hours for $1,500. After all, 70 hours is almost like working two normal jobs. Plus, the driver is forced to stay out and away from their family and home life.

On top of that, consider the danger. A lot of truck drivers get killed.

And, the responsibility. In some cases, your freight can have a value of $1,000,000 or more. Many drivers with haz-mat endorsements haul dangerous chemicals.

There's a lot of risk involved in trucking. Risk and reward should be tied together.

Yes, there were many parts of the job that I found enjoyable. You get to see a lot of the country. If you run 48 like I did, you see many areas that you would never visit outside of trucking. I never went to Oregon, until I ran through there in a truck.

This is why I never considered a local job. I like the freedom of the open roads. Running the 80 on a full-moon night. Cresting a hill coming into Albuquerque and suddenly looking at a vast sea of lights. Running central California on the I/5.

The job itself is enjoyable. It's the fleets who w***e it out. If you could drive safely and deliver when you get there, trucking would be a great job.

If you could earn a better-than-average wage for the time away from home and loved ones, I'd probably still be driving.

But, you can't. So, I left.

So many drivers get addicted to the job and the lifestyle. Unfortunately, after you work the job for a long time, the job and the life are all you end up with. Everything else is gone.

Usually, I was running the truck so fast that I had to have total concentration on the vehicle and the controls. So, I never had time to think about what I was missing. For me, it wasn't so much driving as running the slalom course on a black-diamond run.

But, there were a lot of times when I would be loading and see the crew hurrying to finish so that they could get home and start their weekends. I knew many of those people were rushing home to wives and girlfriends. They would get to go out and spend some time relaxing and enjoying the time they had.

Meanwhile, I was setting up to run another 580, hoping to make the Petro in Amarillo before I shut down for some sleep.

It really comes down to this. Your life is short. Any time you get is really luck. You really need to make every day count. I drove long enough to get a taste of the life. But, the next time I run the 80, or the 70, or the 15, I want to be in a vehicle where I can stop and smell the flowers and talk to the people that I meet along the way.

I think I did the best thing possible for both myself and the trucking industry. By quitting, I showed the business that they will have to step up and pay more for the job of delivering America's freight. You shouldn't have to fret over the cost of fuel or tires. You should be able to pass all the costs on to the end customer.

It shouldn't matter if fuel hits $3 a gallon and stays there. Drivers should add up the cost of the run and tack on a good wage for themselves.

When enough drivers do what I do, that will happen. Make no mistake. America will still eat. And, the stores will still stock all your favorite products. But, when drivers are sick and tired of running cheap, then the industry will finally have to figure a way to pass the true costs onto the customer.

As any driver knows, the true costs are much more than just money.

Paul, I thought we were on the same page? You are telling people to avoid this profession because there is no future and the work requirements are pitiful and illegal!!! Paul, as you state, working for the major O.T.R. companies, basicaly sucks! So, why not drive for a NON OVER-THE ROAD TRUCKING COMPANY?????? You, and many others b***h and moan about driving O.T.R., and all the B.S. that comes with the companies.Why? There are so many other frieght/pick-delivery companies out there that are termed'locale'home every night. They pay by the HOUR, not the load or miles. Run legit.

These O.T.R. companies you talk about operate on a fleet of drivers that has an almost 99.9% turnover rate, and that is a YEARLY AVERAGE!!!! Another words, the average time that a driver last's with these OTR's is 1 year.

Poor pay ,job conditions, ect... force the drivers to go else where.Why do you think all of these national OTR's are willing to house you, train you, provide you with a job as long as you drive for that company that furnished you with that CDL-A, that costs the non recruited CDL-A seeker 3,000, to 5,000$ Wake up people, and you Paul, with your ALMOST 2(TO,TOO,2,TU,) full years driving for most of the major national OTR's, YOU BLIND SIDED ME WITH YOUR PRE POST INFORMATIVE CONJECTURES, because anybody who would go from NATIONAL OTR's companies-1 after the the other, for 2(too,to,2,tu)years, is not only ignorant to the profession, but ignorant to themselves! Look beyong the 'GLORIFIED OPEN ROAD, FREEDOM AND BEING YOUR OWN BOSS's' recruiter's speel, and find that driving CDL-A, complete with all endorsements-HAZMAT, DOUBLE'S/TRIPLES,TANKER. I make 20.23$ dollars an HOUR to do the same thing you do(did), deliver freight, and it is all locale and almost all fingerprintfree freight! The company I work foris in desperate need of CDL-A,HAZMAT,DOUBLE/TRIPLE, felony free endorsed drivers. www.sefl.com(Southeastern freight lines .com). Call or go online to see the oppertunities. NOTE: most major OTR'
companies ship there trailer's regionally and nationaly via the RAILROAD, where you, the "o.t.r" driver, goes to the railyard to pick-up that piggybacked trailer!!!

That trailer that monikers CRST,J.B.HUNT,SCHIENDER, AND MANY MOORE, are retreived by locale company drivers as I, and delivered to the customer destinations WITHOUT any interaction from you, one of the 'NATIONAL' OVER THE ROAD FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES.

Is that JOB SECURITY at it's best or what?!!!! Why you are at that truckstop waiting for your dispatcher to get you a load to where ever, for that .36 cents a loaded mile, that was due 2 days ago, and must BE unloaded and RE-PALLITIZED(because the pallets you brought the freight on, only have a 7.21 inch ratio of area of cross slat per skid, and the GROCER'S minimum requirements per incomming skids loaded with freight, is 7.34'area of cross slated skids without any splintered and nail protruding fasteners.)Of course, all frozen and non-edible products do not aplly and must come, specificly colored, per product, shrink wrapped with shipper approaved palletization proceedures. Right from the start, you are screwed, there's 3 hours right there, from the start that you are working for free!!!

THERE IS SO MUCH, NESSITATED FREIGHT THAT IS PRODUCED, AND NEEDED TO BE DELIVERED, VIA, CDL-A(ENDORSMENT REQUIRED)THAT MANUFACTING COMPANIES MUST SUB OUT TO DIFFERENT LOCALE CARRIERS TO MATCH THEIR OUTPUT! REMEBER, YOUR CDL-A IS WHAT DELIVER'S THE FREIGHT, NOT THE COMPANY YOU WORK FOR!! THAT CDL-A THAT YOU HAVE, IS WHAT THE COMPANIES THAT EMPLOY YOU DON'T HAVE!!! IF THEY HAD THE CDL-A'S THAT YOU HAVE, THEY WOULD,NT NEDED YOU!! YOU HAVE WHAT THEY WANT,CDL-A'S SUPPLY AND DEMAND COMES TO MIND HERE-THE SCARECER THE COMMODITY, THE HIGHER THE PRICE TO OBTAIN IT. YOU HAVE IT, THEY NEED IT, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM HERE????????DICTATE TO THEM YOUR PRICE, NOT BE DICTATED TO BY THEM, ON THEIR PRICE FOR YOUR SERVICE! PAUL, REBUTTLE REQUESTED!!!

This is a specific response to Paul and to others who are just not cut out for truck driving.

First there are indeed a lot of bad companies and the industry as a whole treats drivers pretty badly considering they are the money makers. And certain companies have VERY bad reputations. Amongst those i'd include JB Hunt for multiple reasons, Swift for running its drivers ragged (it also has a good rep with some), and Prime for throwing anyone and everyone behind the wheel with little training and running them to death. And most of the big companies for some of their borderline fraudulent activity and leasing programs. That being said however:

Paul you are the worst Nightmare stereotype of a driver. You drove illegal. You drove tired. You endangered everyone around you. You falsified your logbook. You didnt call safety when you should. Id bet money you took uppers to drive of either the legal or illegal sort. And that kind of driver Kills people. That kind of driver is also one reason there is so much pressure on drivers to run illegal and why they arent paid more. You are the worst nightmare of fellow motorists and drivers. If you doubt that please post how you ran on Classadrivers or another trucking board. You'll be torn to shreds by professional drivers. In addition you were driving for two years yet you worked for all the major carriers? Schneider, Swift, Werner, USX etc etc etc? That says to me that you never spent more than a month or two at a job before you quit. Yet at the same time you were running illegal and dangerous to rack in the money? As for forcing loads on you.. if you're too tired to drive you call a safety. No time for showers? Even running illegal you Cant not have time to shower. Bad teeth? A tooth brush , some toothpase, some water and two minutes? Pushing cars out of the way? Intimidating drivers is flat out illegal. And i REALLY wish youd tried that with me. If you'd done that to me you'd have found yourself stopped dead in the road while we waited for a state trooper. You're irresponsible and dangerous and god willing you'll end up working a walmart checkout where you cant hurt anyone. Yes you're home once a month with Some companies and if you dont insist on your hometime. When they call you tell them when you want to be back then yo ugo relax. Its apparent you were interested in running illegally at breakneck speeds to get miles. The dispatcher noticed that so worked hard to get you those miles. So you complain about it. You were a "company man"... and your complaining that the company treated you as such. As for your pay being wrong you're not working at walmart. As for the "dumbest people" being truck drivers a Large percentage of new drivers are comping from the IT industry as its shipped to India and Pakistan. People with degrees in one of the most intellectually competitive industries that has ever existed. Its apparent you dont like truckers but perhaps you might consider there are a lot of them out there a lot smarter than you.. a lot of them with more eduction than you.. and very very obviously a lot of them better at their jobs. Who make more money than you ever did and never run illegally. As for psycho reason to fire you.. you made it clear repeatedly that you chose to run a team load with one driver. That You screwed up. Yet they were at fault? They most likely fired you because the "hot" load was late AND you falsified your logs to run it. And you got caught.

Your hatred of trucking and truckers is Obvious paul and that is a shame because some of your posts are intelligent. But just because you cant make it dont attack the industry and the people who can.

You've made it abundantly clear in multiple posts you hated the job, hated the hours, hated being otr, hated living out of a truck.. you hated everything about truck driving period. Thats fine.
But not everyone does.

Millions of people have spent their entire lives trucking and love it. It seems the real problem is that you didnt research what you were getting into, and you hated it. A lot of people wouldnt consider any other job. They love it, they make great money though they give up their lives for it. To each their own.

first off you need to agree that otr drivin isn't for everyone. I had both good and horrible experiences. I was with both swift, then USX. yes either company will pressure you, make you sit when you wanna work, give you runs you hate etc. but they don't put a gun to your head and say "drive". You determine what your pta and its your a*s if you violate hours of service as well as the company. They will push back p/us and dels to avoid comprimising safety.

but there is truth in the lack of value these big carriers place on the drivers. swift is just too big to function outside of automated capacity anymore, you fall off the conveyor belt you gotto run and get yourself back on or be left behind swept up and discarded. USX on the otherhand is sexually and racially biased in favor of women and minorities. This is a proactive attempt to avoid lawsuits and bad pr from special interest groups that have influence over the governing bodies that regulate them. Find the wheels that used to squeek and use all the grease you have. In all fairness to black drivers in USX, you are second fiddle to the female drivers. They get the nice 770s while you hope some are left over. If you're a white dude, you're gonna need a friend on the inside. Or you're sol. Please don't take these statements as an attack on minorities and women. The drivers at USX are very proffesional and deserve the appreciation they get. I'm simply making an observation that I made at the time I worked there.

and there are a few good companies out there, Knight for example is very good to their people, but you run the west coast mountains and don't make great money.

I myself am happy driving a mixer truck and goin home at night.

I've met Swift drivers who are happy and making good money. They have a dedicated route. They're getting home often. They work well with their fleet dispatcher. Happy as pigs in mud.

Then, I met other Swift drivers who hate the place.

Same at USX. I've seen drivers that finish with their trainer, and then roll right into a new Volvo. So new, you can smell the plastic. Same deal. Good miles. Happy with the money. Happy with the home time. You couldn't pry them out of the truck with a crowbar.

Then, there are former USX drivers like me.

I've seen owner operators who have a new 379 with all the bells and whistles. They haul government freight and permit loads. Make over $250k a year. And, they're still not happy.

Then, I've seen guys in old sleeper cabovers. They're leased onto Dart or Landstar or someplace. They haul general freight. Make about .90 a mile. And, you can't get them to shut up when you ask them how they like the job. They go on and on about the money, the life, the places they've been and seen. In 2 more years, they'll have enough to buy a new Western Star. Cash. They love the job.

Who's right. Which experience actually represents the company? Or the industry?

Both are right. Both experiences represent what you will find in a modern trucking company. Some people want to be out there. Some people drive for a little while, and then decide it's not for them.

In the same company, there are dispatchers who will bend over backwards for their drivers. And, there are dispatchers who will screw you on every load they send you.

Just like anything else in life, it's place your bet, spin the wheel, and see how it turns out.

BTW, on the team load, I didn't turn it down. LA to Dallas. Bullet freight. It's 1400 in 28 hours. I did that before solo. Didn't say a word. Loaded. Delivered on time. Week later, I'm gone. Read more on the USX complaint page. If you're interested.

First to R k phoenix, Arizona U.S.A.
We all know CA can be a bad place to sit and
wait for a load it does happen but hay you got a 34 restart out of it, that does come in handy. and if that is the reason you quit then you
were just looking for a reason.

Don't get me wrong you may have had reasons for leaving but the only thing you said was you had to sit for 37hr, I don't count what happened befor you got your truck, but after having your truck for 4 weeks the only thing you said was the sitting at a drop yard. I never sit at a
drop yard, I just tell them i'm going to a truckstop for a shower.

As for Jim - Orlando, Florida U.S.A. WELL PUT

And as for Shawn - Palmdale, California U.S.A. DIDO


But as to Paul Anaheim, California U.S.A.
you are so wrong it is not even funny. i am a driver for USX and I have never been ask to run over hours.

You said that USX sent you on a team run. (why did you send mac23 marked YES) when you knew that you couldn't do it..??? That would be your fault
for telling then you could when you knew that you couldn't.

I have been with USX for over a year and have only had to call payroll two times. and both times it was MY foult for not sending in mac7.

I get paid my miles from when I leave my drivway until I pull back into it for home time.

Most days I leave the truckstop at 3am to finish my load then pick up the next run I finish my 14 at 5pm at a truckstop, shower till 6pm, dinner till 7:00pm, a little TV and in bed and asleep. up the next day 2am and back on the road at 3am.

I have never run over my 11-14-70 and have never been ask to and yes I do run 3500-3700 a week.

You said you have worked for most of the big trucking co. in 2 years. that by itself showes that you will never be happy 'working only a few months for each of then.' most of them don't want a driver that jumps around all the time.

You said "If you fall asleep at the wheel, you'll kill yourself and someone else besides. The company couldn't care less. They have insurance for all that." That is a lie, yes it does go thru the insurance company but the trucking company pay the first 1,000,000.00 out of pocket.

You said "You learn how to push the cars out of your way" first that shows just how bad of a driver you are that you would even do that with 80,000lb's but please tell me what your wife drives so I can do that to YOUR family..??
after all if you can do it then we can all do it to your's RIGHT.!

You said "You get home once a month. The day after you arrive, the company is already calling you wanting to know when you plan to be back."
I have to stay out for 2 1/2 weeks then I am home if I wish to be. When I get home I tell them when I will be ready to go back out, and in the last year thay have called me one time to see if I would go out on a hot load of water to FL between storms this last fall.

You said "I know other drivers are being pushed like this, because I hear them complain" you know I hear drivers complain to and most of the time I hear how thay can't get loads, and if you realy lissen you will also hear how thay will not run this or run that. almost every time I send a massage I am ready for a load I have one in less than 1hr. Think it maybe I don't cry and wine everytime things don't go the way I want.??

You said "Some of the dumbest people out there end up as truck drivers" maybe you should like realy talk to some of them. I have met alot of them that have a lot more schooling than you do.

You said "I saw a driver who picked up a sealed trailer. He was fired when a freight claim was filed. No load locks. Big damage claim. Last
driver was blamed." did the driver not put SL&C (Shipper Load & Count) on the bill and ware was the seal manafest.?? if you don't do your job the
way you were told to then you should be fired RIGHT.

You said "Normal people work at the same company for 10 years, sometimes more." you realy are living out there someware. Normal people working in the US change jobs every 3.5 years. not 10 years. you need to check befor you say things you don't know anything about.

You said "The company will come up with some psycho reason to fire you" any real DRIVER will tell you that the psycho reason was behind the wheel.

You said "That's the life that the trucking industry offered me, and thousands of others drivers just like me." Drivers like you we don't need on the road in a real truck anyway.

Here's the problem. Part of it's my fault. I run hard in my first month out with a new company.

That sets a precedent. Now, they always expect me to run hard. Next thing I know, I'm preplanned on loads I can't possibly pick up because I'm nowhere near the shipper.

Hot load? Let Paul have it. He's only at 3700 miles for the week so far. What's another thousand?

In trucking, you can't work hard some of the time. Once you show them you'll run hard, you're stuck that way.

After 6 weeks out, you're dead tired and miserable.

Showers come out of your sleep time. I never got 10 hours off. It's either sleep or wash. Without sleep, I'll crash. So, I have to wait for another day to shower.

Thinking back, I don't think I ever made a legal log. Not once in the whole 2 years I spent OTR. The only days that were right were the home time logs. All the driving time was falsified.

Typical day was up at 6 to get in line at grocery warehouse. Empty by 9. Run 120 and pickup by noon to 2 or so. Then run all night until I did 650 more. Typically, until 2 to 4 in the morning. Most food was Petro buffet to go. No meal time. When I came in, all that was left was the ramps. Either that, or the receiver.

I know other drivers are being pushed like this, because I hear them complain. People set the cruise and fall asleep. They aren't lease drivers or owner operators. There is no truck payment due.

So, why are they splattered all over the shoulder? I guess the dispatcher pushed them too hard, and they simply went to sleep at the wheel. This is what happens when you don't get enough sleep.

How does this happen? Easy! Important customer asks for impossible delivery time. Customer service staff says sure, no problem. Fleet manager wants to keep customer service happy. So, he passes the load onto his dispatchers. Dispatchers can't find a team to put on the load. The only thing they can do is run it solo. Solo driver is told to push his home time up another 2 days and make the delivery.

You see, nobody cares if the driver lives or dies. All that matters is their own little world. They need their board to show all deliveries on time. It's like a grenade that gets passed along from person to person until it gets tossed to the driver.

And yes, the odds of success are definitely stacked against you. I've seen it. I saw a driver who picked up a sealed trailer. He was fired when a freight claim was filed. No load locks. Big damage claim. Last driver was blamed.

I've seen drivers fight with maintenance to get things fixed. I've seen people forced out because of things beyond their control. You're toilet paper to many of the leading fleets. They'll gladly wipe their a*s with you and flush you out the door.

I'm not negative or positive. Just accurate as to what you'll find in the profession. Look at the turnover rate. It's more than 100%. Why is that? Normal people work at the same company for 10 years, sometimes more. Why are trucking companies lucky to keep a driver for 6 months?

The drivers don't quit the profession. They just move to another company. What's that tell you? They liked the job, just not the carrier.

You're lucky Shawn. And, more determined than me. Thank god for people like you. You haul my freight. Because of you and others like you, I get to eat and buy things from stores.

Interstate may have treated you better than other companies treated me. But, let's not kid each other. The job is still d**n hard. You give up a lot to run that truck. Family time. Home time. Time with friends and loved ones.

I'll be honest. I enjoyed the job itself. I just couldn't keep up with the insane demands of some of the fleets. And, I got tired of being cheated on my pay. Mostly, it was small stuff. Missing deadhead miles here. Lumper payment there. Approximately $20 to $50 a week was wrong. But, it was the same way, week in and week out at USX.

A DOT told me one time that only WalMart and FedEx run legal. He knows it. I know it. I laughed and told him what my real mileage was for the week. That's the reality of the job, as I know it.

You're living on an island Shawn. You got it good there. You're smart to stick with Interstate. But, the rest of the industry is a lot closer to what I described. Somebody wrote a book about trucking. It's called Sweatshops on Wheels.

That's the life that the trucking industry offered me, and thousands of others drivers just like me.

Paul, I think that much of it has to do with your attitude. I don't know you, of course, and I don't know if you are a negative person, or just negative because you had a bad experience.

I have been driving for 5 years, and an O/O for 2 years. Don't get me wrong, there have been times when I thought that all the trouble was not worth the money, but overall, I have enjoyed working in the business.

You make a number of absolute statements. For example, some of the statments you wrote are, "no matter how determined you are, you simply will not last. The company will come up with some psycho reason to fire you. you never have time to shower or shave. Most drivers are always filthy dirty. Your teeth go bad after a while. Plus, you're always dead tired"

You have a very fatalistic view of things, but things are not always the way you make them to be. You use terms like "always" and "never". Then you make statements that imply that there is no other way to do things, and it is always a certain way. Well, I for one, do not agree. I am not always filthy dirty. I am not always dead tired. I almost always have time to shower or shave. My teeth will not go bad as long as I brush them daily. The company has not come up with some psycho reason to fire me. It costs about $5000 to hire and train a new hire. Do you think they want those extra costs?

I am leased to Interstate Distributor Co and I am really pleased with them. They go out of their way to get me home, even if it means swapping my trailer with another driver's trailer. My checks are always accurate, and it is a fairly rare occurance when I have to wait around for freight. They do not force me to run illegal. If I can't make it, I tell them and they will swap or reschedule. I don't have to speed, rarely do I go more than 5 mph or the speed limit.

Maybe you worked for some really bad carriers, or maybe you just are a negative person. But either way, you shouldn't make absolute statements when we all know they are not true.

In 2+ years of driving, I never found a worthwhile job in the trucking industry. I worked at most of the major fleets in that time.

Here's what you can expect. You will work 100 hours a week. You are only legally allowed to work 70 hours, so you will constantly be falsifying your log book. In return, you can expect $800 to $1000 a week. That's $8 to $10 per hour. Most times, you will be closer to the $8. That's hardly a decent wage, considering that minimum wage is around $6.

Plus, you never have time to shower or shave. Most drivers are always filthy dirty. Your teeth go bad after a while. Plus, you're always dead tired. The fleets simply run you to death. They force one load after another on you. They couldn't care less if you're dead tired, hungry, or filthy dirty. If you fall asleep at the wheel, you'll kill yourself and someone else besides. The company couldn't care less. They have insurance for all that.

The job is dangerous too. You have to hold the truck at top speed all the time in order to make the crazy schedules they set for you. You learn how to push the cars out of your way. Ice and snow don't matter. Top speed. It's just a matter of time before you crash and kill yourself.

You get home once a month. The day after you arrive, the company is already calling you wanting to know when you plan to be back. You can't even relax at your own house.

The dispatcher will lie to you. They'll cheat you out of your pay. You need to record everything you do. There are always corrections to your pay to be done. Each week, same old fight, trying to collect what is due.

Some of the dumbest people out there end up as truck drivers. Even they won't last. There is simply too much abuse. That's why, despite a shortage of jobs, the fleets still can't find enough drivers to fill all the trucks. The job is that bad.

Plus, most fleets will try to con you into a lease. That way, you work even harder and get paid even less.

Plus, no matter how determined you are, you simply will not last. The company will come up with some psycho reason to fire you. For example, one fleet, US Xpress sent me a team load. They ordered me to deliver it. Then they turned around and fired me for taking it. So, you simply can't win there. The fleets try like hell to get rid of you, then cry how they can't find enough drivers. Many of the people who run these fleets simply couldn't function in normal society. They have mental issues that normal society won't tolerate. That's why they gravitate to the trucking industry. Many of these companies are filled with individuals who suffer from some form of mental illness. Some of them can no longer tell fact from fantasy anymore. Even though their trucks are killing innocent motorists, they will tell you how safe the company is. They live in a fantasy world of their own design.

If you can't find any other job at all, take a truck driving job until you find something else. But, nobody in their right mind would seriously consider making truck driving a career. It's definitely a dead-end job to be avoided. Trust me, I love to drive, and I still recommend avoiding the job at all costs.

RK:

One thing you need to realize is that there are a ton of good drivers but not all have any business sense. So forget the CB talk, the truck stop rumors etc. A company only gets revenue if they keep the truck moving. There are times when freight is thin in certain parts of the country. The dispatcher's goal is to keep the truck moving while limiting empty miles. If there is no freight available the only option is to wait. They will not send an empty truck 300 miles to pick up a load if there is another 50 miles away.

Of course they should have been made aware of the lack of bathroom facilities and you should have told them that. If the dispatcher would not allow you to bobtail or take an empty to the NEAREST place with facilities, you should have gone over his/her head. No matter who you drive for, there will be times of thin freight. One of the big problems within the industry is drivers jumping ship because of a situation like this and then discovering the same situation exists two weeks into their new job.