Swift Transportation lie, cheat, steal, dishonest, no communication, confusing Phoenix Arizona
I'm Going to make this short as I don't have much detail to put in. My major complaint is the relationship that Swift has with their drivers.
My biggest problem is how they pay. The pay by consulting the mover's guide. Driver that have gone solo recieve .26 per mile after that the pay goes up to I believe .30 a mile after the first year. I noticed that I didn't get paid for the actual miles that I had driven. This was a big red flag. Over a period of about two months I calculated that I lost roughly 1300 dollars in pay.
My next complaint is the communication between drivers and office staff. Several times I had to call my home terminal multiple times to get things changed. One time they gave me the wrong Bills of Lading and that was my fault for not looking it over completely. However when I called the terminal I told them what I needed and the person that was staffing the office said to give him fifteen minutes. I waited and went to the customer to see if they had gotten the paperwork. They had not so I proceeded to call Swift again and speak with the person that sent the fax to the customer. I was informed that he went to lunch. That needless to say regardless to say pissed me off. Now I know I made a mistake by not checking my BOL's but when I needed to get them corrected he went to lunch. Finally after about two hours they finally got the fax and I went into the customer and ropped my trailer and got out of there.
My next complaint does not involves the qualcomm. There are many instances of minor setbacks that involve having to use it but my biggest is the lag in communication. They preach use the qualcomm as much as possible but when you sit there and burn through a 14 hour clock waiting for someone to respond to your message and no one get's back to you then that really irks me as well.
My third complaint is as follows. Defective equipment. I recieved a truck in late 2008 that had many problems. I did a pre-trip and did all my inspections before I took the truck. I noted a problem with the axle alignment on the truck. The Steers were toe-out. I told the DM whom i got the truck from that I will put it in the shop. I put it in the shop and the problem was supposedly fixed, however when they fixed it all they did was put on two new steer tires. I drove down the highway for about 150 miles and I started to feel some unusual input into the steering wheel so I pulled off and took a look. Lo and behold the tires were wearing down.
I called onroad and waited and they said that someone is one their way. I waited three hours and no-one. I finally called on road and said where the hell is the tow guy. They gave me his number and I called him. I asked where he was and he said that he couldn't find me so he took another tow that payed more. I wasn't mad at the driver for taking a better paying tow but I was mad that swift couldn't keep me informed about what was going on.
My last complant is as follows. The home time is crap. They do not get you home when they say they will. They keep you out for weeks at a time and promise to get you home and they do not.
The reason I quit is due to the fact that swift refused to get me home when my wife mae an emergency call to me saying that she had to get a c-section to birth or child due to pre-existing pre-eclampsia. So I left the truck where it was at the terminal. I went home and that was the last of that. By the way I told My DM back in early December that my wife was due in February and he said that that was to early to plan. that was BS He was born Mid January prematurely. To early to plan my butt.
Don't work for Swift they will cheat you and try and run you into the ground do your research and choose carefully
The-Ossuary
Hiram, Ohio
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Swift Transportation
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Dave
Novi,Michigan,
United States of America
Are there any GOOD Companies to drive for??
#4Consumer Comment
Fri, October 30, 2009
After reading many of the negative posts about Swift and other trucking companies out there that seem to not treat their drivers with respect, my question is this: Are there any GOOD companies to drive for??
CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.I am new to the trucking industry. I dont have my CDL yet. Im trying to do some homework and research before attending a CDL school (in Michigan). Does anyone have any comments or suggestions regarding some companies that DO treat their drivers FAIRLY. Are there any companies that pay their drivers fairly.. give their drivers good home time and vacation time.. keep their promises.. has good communications with their drivers.. has good ethical standards.. and generally has good management practices???
Ive read so much about bad companies.. lets hear about the good companies.
Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated.
Dave
Novi, Michigan
(((ROR redacted)))
Oldtimer
Tacoma,Washington,
U.S.A.
you missed the gist
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, February 07, 2009
This is just a commentary for "wow am i stupid" and the driver given rebuttal to. First of all, 15 years with Swift is a major accomplishment in and of itself-good for you and happy trails to the end. You're right about the drivers' responsibility to check the BOL's and to not fly off the handle when dealing with such situations but after having read the initial complaint, the BOL situation was nothing compared to all else that had been endured. Re-read the complaints against Swift and as a matter of fact, not only this driver's legitimate complaints but the many others that have surfaced over the years and you should see that there's a consistent pattern of common discourse. Honestly, in all of your experience were you the exception to the standard?
So, is it the driver(s) or is it a company structure problem?
Currently there's a class action law suit in the works against Swift in the interest of their drivers (current and former) for gross mileage shortages and payroll inconsistencies.
They're not the only one's who miss the mark when it comes to mileage deficits and other than companies that pay hourly, I don't think there's any trucking company that pays by the hub mile anymore which would compensate a driver for the true miles driven. I remember getting paid by the hub mile but that was back in the 1980's. Well anyway, as far as the mileage deficits go for truck drivers these days, the common come back when asked about the difference in paid miles versus actual miles driven is usually because of the use of the household movers guide but, they don't tell you (nor do most drivers ask) if that's how they bill their customers for services rendered. I seriously doubt it. Regardless of what is or not, Swift and a few other large scale trucking companies are extreme about the differences between paid and actual miles-so much so that it's abusive. I drove for Swift from '99-2004, and found consistently that each dispatched trip other than a local "favor" run would be 60-200 miles short compared to true miles. Even in Los Angeles 60 miles puts you out into another zip code.
Aside from all of that disclosure about mileage deficits, the complaints about lack of communication, problems with on-road, problems with equipment and getting it resolved...takes me back to many similar experiences I had with Swift and am really surprised to hear that after all of these years passed since being a "Swifty" these problems still exist.
Once again, I have to allude to the fact that Swift isn't the only problem trucking company-there are hundreds of them alike. There's a pathetic disconnect between those who work in the offices of these companies and the one's who don't. In closing, I leave you all with my own sum of it all which is: If trucking is the backbone of America, then America needs a chiropractor.
Wow I Am Stupid
Tucson,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Your Mistakes
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Wed, February 04, 2009
First off i hope your child and wife are well. i worked for swift for 15 years. you admitted you did not read bol your bad. swift in orientation tells you they pay by household movers guide as well as some other companies still pay by this. i learned a long time ago if driver managers or other supervisors over drivers do not listen get another one. I know swift is not the best but alot of the times if driver took time to learn the system instead of flying off the handle things get done earlier before a major problem starts.