Complaint Review: Swift Transportation Co. of Arizona LLC

I'm an experienced team driver with my spouse. We had been driving for a company which had cancelled health insurance benefits in 2009 due to economic hardship and we were unhappy with very low mileage pay. We contacted Swift and spoke with a recruiter named Tamara Strickland that explained to us the many benefits that Swift had to offer to drivers. She asked if we were familiar with qualcomm units? Yes, we had used standard units previously. We were invited to attend orientation at their Troutdale, Oregon Terminal which began 08/07/12. If you decide to drive for Swift, be prepared to supply your own meals during orientation because even though they state on their orientation info that they provide lunch, they actually don't until the last (3rd-finish) day. 

During the orientation process, we found out that the company uses a totally unfamiliar qualcomm system than the standard units. They rushed us through an incomplete training session for the use of their "Electronic Log Book" qualcomm macro system which was about 1.50 hour time duration. 

Upon completion of orientation, we complained to our DM that we weren't satisfied with the short term qualcomm training we recieved and requested more intensive training of it prior to being assigned to a truck and booted out on the road. We were told that we would learn it better by just using it performing our jobs as truck drivers. We asked if we would be allowed to use paper log books until we learned to use the e-log system? No, we couldn't. Well we did anyways out of frustration trying to use their unit. Due to our various trailer experience we were given choice of trailer type. We chose the flatbed division. They informed us that we'd have to pull a dry van load to their Phoenix, AZ Terminal and attend a 5-day Swift Flatbed Tie-down Training Class, and also there were no flatbed tractors there at Troutdale. They placed us in a "trade-in" truck #304214 which we were told needed to be taken to their Phoenix, AZ Terminal. We inspected this truck and notified our DM that there was'nt a mandatory sleeper berth safety net. DM had us run as single team to Phoenix because the parts dept. had to order a net which wouldn't arrive til Monday and our load was scheduled to be delivered to Home Depot-Tolleson, AZ on Sunday. 

We delivered the load and drove to their Phoenix Terminal where we were then sat- parked bobtailed for 4-days in 115+ heat waiting for them to decide what to do with us. It cost us to sit there eating at their Gear Jammer Restaurant located inside the Driver's Lounge Building. We recieved no pay sitting there. We were told that we had just missed that weeks class, were put through a 2-day class instead of a 5-day Company Flatbed Training due to our previous flatbed experience. Then we were told that we'd have to pull a Dry Van load to their Sumner, WA Terminal because there weren't any flatbed trucks available there. Why didn't they send us to Sumner to begin with? Duh? Lucky for us, a flatbed driver quit to run local and they gave us his truck#122323 to use the following day.

We had a really hard time being dispatched for a load to get moving out of the Phoenix Terminal because we hadn't recieved the training needed to properly operate the E-Log system.

We contacted the Flatbed Division DL and he didn't know the system either, he told us to search the terminal for another driver to show us how. None of the drivers in the air-conditioned lounge would go and help us, it was really hot outside. I ended up finding a driver trainer at the Driver Services building that was kind enough to walk over to where we were parked to help us get going. We were finally dispatched with a load of pipe that we delivered to Tacoma, WA.

We were so frustrated with this company that we decided to quit. We deadheaded the truck to their Troutdale Terminal, turned in all their equipment back to them and went home.

Swift Driver's have to set up their W-4's and Direct Deposit for payroll on Swift Kiosh at their terminals.

As we understand from a few of the other new trainee drivers that attended orientation with us- they were supposed to have been sent out the day of orientation completion with a "mentor", but instead were sent home and had to wait to be contacted by Swift when a "mentor" became available.

Swift's Terminal Banner slogan "Safety Is By Choice-Not By Chance" is better stated as "Sure Wished I'd Finished Training" or "Slow Wagon In Front Of Truck".

 Regarding Swift's company speed parameters:*We were verbally informed *warned* at orientation that any company driver with a recorded speed over 62 MPH would recieve a warning for a first offense, if it occurred a second time- Termination!
Swift has 0 tolerance for late loads, yet they won't allow a driver to run at posted truck speeds which exceeds 62 MPH in various states.