Swift Transportation Swift / Central Transportation Mentor editing Quadcomm, Swift/Centrol Not paying Students for Down time, and other Jurupa Vally CA Nationwide

The only problems I had with Swift transportation are my own. I’m posting this to see if these problems are affecting anybody else, and if so you’re not the only one.

For the new Swift Students hopefully this opens your eyes and helps you collect any money owed to you by Swift or Mentor. For the Swift owner we both know the majority of your office workers go above and beyond for the driver, they are not problem, but the once that don’t and transfer you constantly, it is the trailer setup being disorganized no proper system in place, it is some mentors, and some of the planning that make it harder for new drivers to stay, when you have worked for a company that has structure and compare it. It’s a very easy to go back to your previous employer no matter what happened previously or just to stick around long enough tell you find another trucking career. I truly wish you the best of luck Swift and hope this helps you to fix your problems as well.

Problem 1: Mentor editing student’s clock to keep you driving longer:

My experience:

During my training I was getting paid 9.50 Per Hour, I remember it would take me longer to do my Pre-trip on the truck & trailer because it had been 3 pulse years that I had not driven. I would always start my clock before my pre-trip and my mentor would always move something on the Quadcomm afterword’s.

After a while I found out what he was doing. He was editing my clock down to 5 minutes of pre-trip, 5 minutes of post trip, 7 minutes fulling etc. I did not know why he would do this at first, later I found out for every editing (deletion of time) he done. It would affect my hours, and It was like work for free. At first I had no idea what he was doing until he started training me on how the clock worked. After a while I asked him if it affected my pay sins I was hourly, and he said yes. I told him can you not do that anymore, because I’m only making 9.50 an hour and I don’t get to drive all of 14 hours daily and I’m not going to work for free.

His answer was,

“I can’t have you burn your clock, if you burn your clock so quickly after your mentorship I get a call from hi up personal, and they always ask about the students if they can handle 700 miles daily and run there clock properly.  If I have to tell them you don’t, you’re not going to get any of the good loads; I’m doing this for your own good, to help you.”     

About six weeks later, I sat down with my mentor at a T/A fuel station for dinner, I reminded him not to edit my clock and that I understood how to run my clock and that  he could also tell whoever he talked to that I was good in that area. Things got pretty ugly but he stopped doing it and was very helpful and friendly the next day.

 Later on, he did tell me, “Swift takes .07 cents out of every mile the truck runs in order to make up the 9.50 Swift pays out to the student, and that Swift doesn’t pay the student, the mentor does.” I think he was just telling me this in order to try and justify what he had done.

Important note: I was trained on the Quadcomm clock editing feature towards the end of my driving. I only had about a week left. The reason I think I was not shown to edit my clock earlier was because I would have caught my mentor sooner and would have put a stop to it sooner, but I have no proof of his intentions. He also told me “this is just how I have my training set up.”

Remember Asked to be trained on the Quadcomm first for your own protection.

How many students is this happing to?

The problem here is how many students is this happing to?

How much money is Swift or you’re Mentor not paying you?

Remember mentors only get paid for the hours a student drives, when the students start his click the student get paid hourly. It’s not like a student gets to drive the actual 14 hours daily, so there is really no excuse why a mentor should editing your clock.

Problem 2: Swift/Central allowing Mentors to train on the basis of not running clocks during actual work. (Finding Refrigerated Trailers)

At Jurupa Valley California station where there is never an empty trailer, during my mentorship I was told by my mentor not to drive faster than 5 miles an hour while looking for an empty trailer, this would keep my clock from starting and that I could look for an empty trailer without starting/burning my clock. Remember this is part of my 1st problem; this is how I was trained. Once I was on my own, I called a planner he told me there was a load ready for me. I told him send me information before I accept it. I looked at the empty miles it was only about 24 miles. I thought cool, I could just bob tail like my mentor does most of the time. I shouldn’t have a problem if there is no empty trailer. NOPE WRONG! My planner had me look for an empty trailer before I could pick up my load. I started looking at 5am and I had to deliver my load no later than 12:30pm. I looked for about 2 hours without running my clock. After trying to contact my MD, planners anybody and getting transferred so many times I had it…. I started sending message free form macro 0 in order to recorded what was happing, I typed a message to let whoever was lessening on the other side that I could not find any empty trailer and that I was not going to work for free, and that I was going to start my clock, whoever responded to me told me, “it part of your job to look”. I kept driving around which was fine at the time because now at least I was getting paid, but it started to get closer to my delivery time and I sent another free from message/mac-0 that was going to have to T-Call/drop the load the due to not being able to find an empty trailer and it was getting closer to my delivery time. I was messaged “No on the T-Call and to keep looking” after back and forth and not being able to find a trailer, I remembered that if I was late that it would affect my company recorded. I would not get a raise per mile. I remember felling angary, trapped and suckered. I did another free form mac 0 and asked “can’t you guys just check on a computer system where there is an empty trailer and send me a location and number of trailer? I was messaged back and was told they did not have any type of system like that in place. I could not understand how a company so big can’t number there trailer parking and keep a properly running system that would allow drivers to quickly find an empty trailer. It should be easy to implement. I finely told myself if Swift can fix something so small and so inexpensive in order to allow driver not run there clock during their actual work time; this was not going to be the place for me to build a career. At the end I did get a phone call from a DM, he was trying to convince me to stay very understanding and respectful but sadly he could not do anything about it the problems, I turned in my keys and went my own way….

These are just some of the problems I encountered with Swift, there are many other that are costing Company drivers unpaid duty time, there is no system implemented to automatically do this, for now if you think Swift owes your money chances are that they do, talk to your DM and you will get paid for it. The bad part is, that you have to call them and asked to get paid every single time, and don’t be afraid to run your clock if you’re repairing a trailer, truck or filling out paperwork related to your work…

Problem 3: Swift not paying Student for detention or shop status?

My experience:

During my training my mentors truck had quite a bit of down time; I remember my mentor would always call his DM/Planner in order to get paid. It was never explained to me during orientation that the student had to be paid as well. I had ask my mentor, “Hey, how does it work for the student, do we get paid to?” his answer was “I don’t know, I think you better call your DM” So after 1 -1/2 month of training I remembered to talk to one of the DM’s, I asked if I could get paid for the time the truck was in shop statues or whenever detention was paid to my mentor, if he could look all the time he was paid and pay me as well. So the DM at the time went into my driving records found out all of the time I was parked and he paid me for all those times.

How many students is this happing to?

The problem here is how many students is this happing to, and how much money is Swift not paying to the students? My mentor had told me that he trained more than 20 students and not knowing if a student should get paid tells me students are not asking him because they don’t know either and are not getting paid on his truck. 

I did end up finding verbiage on the Swift website during the end of my training remember there is a lot of information you have to find out on your own.

I found out everything pertaining to Swift policy on what driver should be getting paid is very hard to get printed on paper, you can view it on the Computer Kiosk but that is it, if you try to print any of these documents you will only get a black piece of paper. If you try to view it on your personal computer it will show as a black page, if you ask a reception, they will tell you they can’t give that information out. So the only thing you can do is take a picture with your phone once at the Kiosk.

Note: I also found out that drivers are responsible to fill out their own clock properly in order to get Detention pay. The system will automatically pay you if it do it property, but how can you now to do this at the beginning if you’re just a student and you’re not getting trained on this tell the end or not at all and you have a mentors that doesn’t know how to do this for you, of if you should even be getting paid for it, while also telling you “I don’t know you should call you DM”….

Detention Processes and Pay

Detention Team Contact Information

Avaya: 907 9086

Phoenix Local: (623) 907 9086

Toll Free: 1(877)877 9086

10 Quick Rules:

Rule#1: Submit arrival and departure macros promptly

• Arrival and Departure macro errors can result in no detention pay.

• If the macro fails to go through, please try again.  If you are still having problems, contact any Driver Leader for assistance.

  • Driver Leaders are able to enter manual macros, however if the driver’s “attempt” is not shown, detention pay will not be processed. 

• It is driver responsibility to ensure macros are submitted. 

Rule #2: Hit “REPLY” and respond to every detention message sent

• ALL drivers and owners are required to reply to ALL detention messages sent

• The most important tip:  BE SPECIFIC!  Provide as much detailed information as possible as to why you are being detained. Provide names of people you spoke to whenever possible.

• If for some reason, you are detained and do not receive an automated detention message, you must send a free form message to your DL with the details of why you are being detained

***IMPORTANT:  Do not reply to messages if on DOT Hours Of Service break***

Rule #3: Follow Load Assignment Instructions

• Example:  In/Out times, clean trailer, type of trailer, pick up or drop #, and if the trailer needs to be weighed prior to arriving at the customers

***Failure to follow load assignment will lead to no detention pay.

Rule #4: Write in and out times on BOL in local customer time (and obtain signature whenever possible)

• Very important!!  If the customer did not enter the times already, look at the local time and ensure it is written on the BOL

• Please ensure that the in/out times and date on the BOL match the arrival and departure macro.

• Ensure all times are in local customer time.  

• If customer refuses signatures, please send detention reply with that information ("Joe at ABC Company would not sign") as well as adding it onto the BOL.

Rule #5: Remain on Customer Property While Being Detained

• Movement can result in ineligibility of detention pay.

• If being requested to leave the property, please note the name of the person instructing driver to move and the time requested to return.  And be sure to return by the specified time.