Complaint Review: Swift Transportation

I started driving for Swift 3/22/2012 as a trainee. During Training I was with my mentor who advised me one day while we were dropping off a trailer at a customer to park our trailer next to this other trailer at UPS. I was brand new to trucking (2 weeks into training) and I did not want to park the rig without my mentor spotting me. She was busy talking to a security guard and shooed me on when I tried to protest. So reluctantly I began to park the trailer without any supervision. Sure enough I heard a scraping noise and I immediately stopped the truck. I got out and looked and was relieved to see that my trailers bumper only scraped against the other trailers bumper causing  no damage to either vehicle. But the security guard on duty called the police so my mentor told me we had to report it as an accident because the police were involved. When the police came he was visibly upset because their was no damages, fatalities or injuries. No Vehicles needing to be towed away from the scene. He asked why did we call them in the first place? He noted the whole thing as "non recordable" and left in a huff. Swift branded this incident on my record as a preventable accident and put me in close quarters training on top of the training I was already in. During close quarter training I was complaining to the trainer that I am having issues "setting up" my backings. The person training me in close quarters training didn't seem to know how to teach me a proper set up. I left close quarter training backing no better than I had when I went in there. 

After my 4 weeks of training I had to "upgrade" test out. I told my mentor that I did not feel comfortable with my backing and she just blew me off saying everyone has trouble backing and that I would learn in time. I upgraded still not knowing how to back properly. This was documented in my paper work too. My first week out solo it was taking me 45 mins or more to get my truck to the dock so I got frustrated and called my DM and told him I really need more training and I need to train with someone who knows what they are doing. My DM sent me to a guy who actually taught me how to set up a 45 degree backing. I asked him what happens when there isn't enough space for this set up? I asked him to show me a 90 degree backing. I showed him a old book I took out of the library with the set up and told him I wanted to try it. The trainer had difficulty showing me how to successfully execute this backing procedure. So he left me to practice on my own. After about two hours I was finally able to clumsily execute this procedure. As a result my backing did improve but very little.

 I still did not feel very confident but my DM had another load for me the very next day. Three weeks passed and my backing was improving bit by bit. I was getting a little faster but still needing to do many many pull ups to get myself up to docks and parking spaces. I still did not feel comfortable parking in crowded truck stops so I found myself parking in rest areas most of the time. One particular day I had an issure with my headlights and needed to park overnight at a TA to have the fixed the next morning. That morning as I was pulling out of my parking space I noted that the lot was extremely packed. Truckers had made parking spaces where there was not supposed to be a parking space. I had two flat bedders parked directly in front of me blocking the path I needed to get out safely. There was a little room to get out but not a whole lot. Not for a rookie like me. I went up to the window of the flat bedders truck knocking loud enough to wake the dead. I wanted him to move his truck. Either he was dead or not in there because he never came to the window. After about 10 minutes I gave up and went back to my truck. I surveyed the space I had and surmised that I could get out but it would be pretty tight. So I went to my truck and slowly eased out of my parking space. Checking all my mirrors as I inched out bit by bit. I breathe a sigh of relief when I finally made it out.  I swung around to the fuel island to fuel up before leaving. That's when this guy walks up to me saying "Hey you hit my front bumper when you pulled out of there" I stared at this guy is disbelief because I'm thinking had I hit him I would have felt or heard something. So I went back to investigate his claim and sure enough his front bumper was laying on the ground. Feeling dejected I made the dreaded call to Swift and reported the accident. 

When I finally arrived back at my terminal my DM sat me down and told me I was being terminated. I had two accidents in three months he said I was exhibiting "at risk" behavior and the company could not risk letting me drive. I told him I was willing to be retrained but he said no. I asked him if these accidents were going to show up on my DAC and he said no. These are just points you are accumulating with the company and will not show on your DAC. 

Well he lied. The accidents are on my DAC and I am having the hardest time finding another trucking job as a result. What I can't understand is here my fiance and I are both truckers. He has a MAJOR accident on his DAC and motor vehicle reports yet trucking companies are ringing his phone off the hook for jobs. He just got hired on at CRST. He totalled an entire truck and sent 2 people to the hospital. Here I have a scraped bumper on a trailer and a damaged front bumper on a tractor and my career is over???? When I pull up my DAC it says I have 2 accidents. But neither are on my motor vehicle record because the law enforcement view them as non recordable. Yet Companies view the DAC report like it's the freakin Bible or something meanwhile I have a clean motor vehicle record!! This is beyound frustrating!!!! These trucking companies should not be able to put these minor incidents on your DAC. I already get enough discrimination thrown at me for being a FEMALE in this industrty now companies don't have to give this lady trucker a fair shake yet they allow men like my fiance (love him death Lol!) to work with major accidents like rollovers but I can't get a driving job because of a scrape and dent?? Seems pretty foul to me ...