Complaint Review: Swift Transportation - Phoenix Arizona

This milage thing is actually pretty common; unfortunately with Swift things often change from the pre-plan to the actual dispatch; they often take away the D/H miles. But overlooking that for now, when you are given a dispatch of 800 miles, that's what you're getting. It doesn't matter if you get there in 700 miles or 900 miles. It's been like that with every company I've worked for under with this Qualcomm system. What gets me is the routing - sending you out of the way for fuel instead of bee-lining straight for the consignee. When I asked, I was told that it is all computer generated. In other words, unless you have an exceptional DM, it's not going to be double-checked; but you do have the option to ask for an alternate route. Anyway, the point is that unless you work for a smaller company that's more personal, get used to the milage situation.

If you work for Swift Transportation, you are either new to the trucking industry, or you cant find a job elsewhere. I drove for swift before and it was one of the worst decisions I have ever made. To get paid from zip code to zip code is totally wrong. Its a way for the company to say you work for us and you cant leave cause we know you cant so do the job or be unemplyed. When I worked for Swift, my DM asked me if I would reconsider staying after I just got through telling him why I didnt want to work here anymore. Saying how I would be given better loads and miles. I never trusted them nor have I ever believed a word they ever said once I started driving for them. Swift is the true meaning of rip-off!

I'm curious-does Swift charge the shippers according to the same amount of miles that they pay the drivers? If I drive 830 miles to do a load that pays 790, which amount of miles is the shipper billed against? I would say that whatever mileage Swift, or another company bills the shipper for-the driver should get their mileage based on that figure. I bet the trucking companies would be trying to up the amounts of miles as much as possible if this were the case rather than trying to shortchange them. Both would win.

Since you are not one of the stupid ones....what section in the FMCSR does it state air conditioning is a requirement?

nursey, It is more like 80%. that is the rate of stupidity of the drivers that go to work for swift. If you use common sense, keep up with your miles, make em pay you when you go over the ten percent mileage rate, and generally be a mature individual who goes through the correct chain of command, then you can make a decent living working for swift. you have to use common sense and stand up for your rights though. Scot

You are truly stupid if you don't know well over 20 years ago the fmcsa required all companies to provide a truck with a working air conditioner and heater. Second, I work for swift. I started driving several years ago with these people. I was fortunate to be trained by an owner operator who drove all 48 and really did care about training someone. I do agree that their mentor program sucks as someone with only 6 months experience can be a mentor. What a joke. I was reading a post by a guy who supposedly had 11 years experience. It was plain to see by reading the he was lying, as 99% of the companies pay zip cod to zip code. Swift will reimburse you if your mileage is 10% over the paid miles, as long as you stay on your fuel route. As far as directions go, as someone has already said, duh! call the consignee stupid. I have never been unable to find and deliver on time to a consignee. Yes this company does give more miles to the newbies as it saves them money. But with the rapport I have with my driver manager as I actually talk with her and voice my needs and opinions, I average between 2800 and 3800 miles each week. Things got slow for a bit but are picking back up now. As with every company swift has its downsides and upsides, but overall, if you are not a d****, sorry piece of s**t, you will do ok a swift. If you are a d****** sorry piece of s****, then I recommend becoming an owner operator as that is the only way you won't get fired. Scot

"4. Nursey, lay off the conspiracy theories. You aren't so good at them." It's hardly a conpiracy theory when we LIVED it, now is it? Take a couple of brain cells, rub them together and look at the obvious FACTS in front of you. How could Swift keep all those drivers going without a 70% attrition rate? Hmm? How could they? They can't. It's a never ending money cycle. All those drivers who have left due to starvation now have to pay back $3,900. in tuition. They sign an agreement and their future wages will be garnished by Swift. There's no escaping. It's reminiscent of the old farm workers scheme. House them, feed them, but make them pay their ENTIRE paycheck for necessities and keep them hungry enough to NOT leave. You can't deny this is Swift's game. A desperate man (or woman) get's trapped in their evil web and can't get out. Luckily, my husband has me and I make a good living. Plus, he went to work for GTI and they treat him very well. I can't warn people ENOUGH about staying away from swift.

LOL!!! You still didn't tell me the section where it states adequate air conditioning. And of course I can't read.....I have my handler read these reports and then dictate a reply. So Mr. I have taken on every company and government entity, oh yeah, and won.....what chapter does it state a company must provide air conditioning? I have my FMCSR in front of me ready to turn to the section you will provide. Surely you can since you took on a big bad company with this issue and won, or can you? Bring the proof Steve....not the bull.

Rodney, FMCSA regs clearly state this. It goes to the condition of the vehicle. It is very clear. "A commercial vehicle MUST have adequate heat and air conditioning". I have used this reg and won. I worked for a company that would not even fix the A/C if it broke. USDOT forced them to fix it after my complaint. It also goes to driver safety and also to fatigue. A driver must be able to secure his/her vehicle when sleeping for personal safety reasons. Which means a company cannot expect a driver to sleep with the windows down. Not even considering the health affects from doing so with every other truck idling and spewing fumes. A driver that cannot get adequate rest due to extreme temperatures is a hazard on the road. A driver must have the opportunity to get 10 hours REST. If you actually took the time to read the FMCSA regs, you would clearly see what I am talking about. That is, if you even know how to read. >>> Submitted: 3/1/2008 11:42:53 AM Modified: 3/1/2008 8:27:14 PM Rodney Grandview, Missouri U.S.A. Oh my.... First, Steve, where does it state in the FMCSR a company is required to supply adequate air conditioning?? Second, Church, never under 10 miles short?? You are telling me that you run an almost negative OUT OF ROUTE?? Boy the crap flows rampant on rip off report. You got Steve who is an IT, truck driving, business owning lawyer who posts crap on about every complaint here and then the defenders of the Almighty Swift....Church, Ken the unfriendly Giant, etc....Swift sucks as a trucking company and if you are happy with them you dont know what happiness is. Plain and simple. For every one driver who loves Swift, there are probably 10,000 who have been screwed by them. I could write a novel on their poor performance, poor management, poor safety rating, and on and on and on....Jerry paid over 3 billion dollars to buy his company back. How long do you think it will take to pay that off?? And they care about their drivers? Read a recent report about a couple of employees at the Edwardsville terminal and what they done to ' help ' a driver or two. I know or know of most of the office staff in Edwardsville and they could give a rat's a*s about drivers. So keep on trucking for this joke and remember...they will always have someone to step into your shoes when you get tired of the reaming they so gleefully dole out to their dedicated drivers! >>>

I'd like to take the opportunity to provide unbiased observation of the posts. Both sides make valid points. I am a current company employee with neither positive nor negative feelings overall for Swift. I work for them and they pay me. I'll try to separate the brown-nose trolls from the bitter losers and find the truth somewhere between: 1. Friendly Giant: The argument has lots of merit. Why don't you call a spade a spade? Fact is that Swift shorts drivers about 10 percent. Yes, just about everyone else does too but that does not make it right. As far as the company being allowed to monitor its idle time, well they do-to some extent. However in these here United States, we have laws concerning working conditions that EVERY employer has to follow-hourly or not. Not to mention state laws. An employer has to provide the employee with a habitable work environment and not punish the employee in any way for demanding one. A truck driver parked in Phoenix in June or Michigan in January that is afraid to idle does not cut it. I can appreciate your company loyalty but not to the extent that you say things that are full of....a lie is a lie is a lie even if you mean well it's still a lie. 2. Church, I've heard just a few others talk like you. I don't know why you all say such ridiculous things. I suppose you never hit detours like the rest of us. The whole country seems torn apart. You don't add miles taking the bypass through large cities either? What do you get paid for what you say? You all are not fooling anyone. That said, it is a fact that most drivers idle way too much. I have a pet and I keep it at about half I'm allowed. Get out of the truck and stop being such a whiner when it's hot or cold. Use a little problem solving ability. 3. Rodney, lots of people like Swift, probably more do than don't. The company is far from perfect like the world is. I put up with a lot including paying my own Idleaire (a thousand dollars last year) to save the company money, I don't always get layover pay I am entitled to and sometimes even had to foot the bill for my motel when they should have paid. I think drivers also get over on the company a bit. eg Look at all the damaged trailers. Do you think every time a driver damages something they report it and pay for it? Even if they do, Swift pays. And who pays for cleaning up all that trash thrown everywhere-terminals etc? Swift also lets you use the truck-to the tune of about a dollar a mile-for a reasonable amount of personal use-shopping and going home. It comes out even-usually. I still do OK even though I feel I sometimes get ripped off a bit it's not enough to quit over. 4. Nursey, lay off the conspiracy theories. You aren't so good at them.

I completely understand how this company operates. They've got who knows how many "academies" accross the country pumping out hundreds if not thousands of new drivers every week. They need to put those drivers to work. They count on the attrition rate being very high in order for everyone to be able to drive. In other words, they literally starve the drivers out of work. That's how they make money. Get new drivers in every week, pay them NOTHING, force them to quit, get the tuition in cash, pump out new drivers and start all over. It's a never ending cycle of money. My husband lasted 7 months and is near bankruptcy. He was left sitting (unpaid) in far away places for more hours than he can count. He was led astray, lied to, manipulated, cheated... I could go on. We still have to pay for his training. RUN, do not walk, RUN as fast as you can away from this company. They are liars and cheaters and will starve you to death.

First, Steve, where does it state in the FMCSR a company is required to supply adequate air conditioning?? Second, Church, never under 10 miles short?? You are telling me that you run an almost negative OUT OF ROUTE?? Boy the crap flows rampant on rip off report. You got Steve who is an IT, truck driving, business owning lawyer who posts crap on about every complaint here and then the defenders of the Almighty Swift....Church, Ken the unfriendly Giant, etc....Swift sucks as a trucking company and if you are happy with them you dont know what happiness is. Plain and simple. For every one driver who loves Swift, there are probably 10,000 who have been screwed by them. I could write a novel on their poor performance, poor management, poor safety rating, and on and on and on....Jerry paid over 3 billion dollars to buy his company back. How long do you think it will take to pay that off?? And they care about their drivers? Read a recent report about a couple of employees at the Edwardsville terminal and what they done to " help " a driver or two. I know or know of most of the office staff in Edwardsville and they could give a rat's a*s about drivers. So keep on trucking for this joke and remember...they will always have someone to step into your shoes when you get tired of the reaming they so gleefully dole out to their dedicated drivers!

First, Steve, where does it state in the FMCSR a company is required to supply adequate air conditioning?? Second, Church, never under 10 miles short?? You are telling me that you run an almost negative OUT OF ROUTE?? Boy the crap flows rampant on rip off report. You got Steve who is an IT, truck driving, business owning lawyer who posts crap on about every complaint here and then the defenders of the Almighty Swift....Church, Ken the unfriendly Giant, etc....Swift sucks as a trucking company and if you are happy with them you dont know what happiness is. Plain and simple. For every one driver who loves Swift, there are probably 10,000 who have been screwed by them. I could write a novel on their poor performance, poor management, poor safety rating, and on and on and on....Jerry paid over 3 billion dollars to buy his company back. How long do you think it will take to pay that off?? And they care about their drivers? Read a recent report about a couple of employees at the Edwardsville terminal and what they done to " help " a driver or two. I know or know of most of the office staff in Edwardsville and they could give a rat's a*s about drivers. So keep on trucking for this joke and remember...they will always have someone to step into your shoes when you get tired of the reaming they so gleefully dole out to their dedicated drivers!

First, Steve, where does it state in the FMCSR a company is required to supply adequate air conditioning?? Second, Church, never under 10 miles short?? You are telling me that you run an almost negative OUT OF ROUTE?? Boy the crap flows rampant on rip off report. You got Steve who is an IT, truck driving, business owning lawyer who posts crap on about every complaint here and then the defenders of the Almighty Swift....Church, Ken the unfriendly Giant, etc....Swift sucks as a trucking company and if you are happy with them you dont know what happiness is. Plain and simple. For every one driver who loves Swift, there are probably 10,000 who have been screwed by them. I could write a novel on their poor performance, poor management, poor safety rating, and on and on and on....Jerry paid over 3 billion dollars to buy his company back. How long do you think it will take to pay that off?? And they care about their drivers? Read a recent report about a couple of employees at the Edwardsville terminal and what they done to " help " a driver or two. I know or know of most of the office staff in Edwardsville and they could give a rat's a*s about drivers. So keep on trucking for this joke and remember...they will always have someone to step into your shoes when you get tired of the reaming they so gleefully dole out to their dedicated drivers!

First, Steve, where does it state in the FMCSR a company is required to supply adequate air conditioning?? Second, Church, never under 10 miles short?? You are telling me that you run an almost negative OUT OF ROUTE?? Boy the crap flows rampant on rip off report. You got Steve who is an IT, truck driving, business owning lawyer who posts crap on about every complaint here and then the defenders of the Almighty Swift....Church, Ken the unfriendly Giant, etc....Swift sucks as a trucking company and if you are happy with them you dont know what happiness is. Plain and simple. For every one driver who loves Swift, there are probably 10,000 who have been screwed by them. I could write a novel on their poor performance, poor management, poor safety rating, and on and on and on....Jerry paid over 3 billion dollars to buy his company back. How long do you think it will take to pay that off?? And they care about their drivers? Read a recent report about a couple of employees at the Edwardsville terminal and what they done to " help " a driver or two. I know or know of most of the office staff in Edwardsville and they could give a rat's a*s about drivers. So keep on trucking for this joke and remember...they will always have someone to step into your shoes when you get tired of the reaming they so gleefully dole out to their dedicated drivers!

Ive found that this is rarely the case. Ive heard people b***h about this and I check every trip I run. I use Microsoft Streets 2007 when I route my trips, which gives me the actual miles of the route I take and it's accurate within a mile. I compare the miles it kicks back to me vs the miles that Im getting paid for. the biggest difference I've ever seen was Swift shorting me about 10 miles which only happened once. There have, however, been numerous times where I was paid for more miles than it actually took me to run. It's true that they don't pay hub miles. Few companies do. It's too easy for a driver to be dishonest on ever trip and essentially steal from the company. And don't come back saying that Swift is stealing from drivers by not paying for all the miles. Id rather work under the current pay system than have a major increase in the cost of living because companies suddenly had to pay for every single mile driven. Id rather not pay more for my food or clothing because inattentive drivers get lost or someone wants to pad their paycheck so they take a longer route. Thats just not good business, I dont care how you justify it to yourself, you're still wrong. I love working for Swift. Other people should, too. It beats the heck out of being unemployed.

Thomas, Swift pays by the mile, NOT by the trip. They pay HHG miles. They are a ripoff. Only newbies that don't know any better would work for Swift, or drivers that have burned every other company out there. Don't perpetuate that BS about the company not being able to stay in business if they paid for all miles. This is CRAP! Shipping costs simply get passed on tho the consumer. Have you seen the 4% average price increase on everything that comes on a truck? This is why. Practical miles or hub miles are the only way to go. Here's an idea for the OP! Get your own authority and book your own loads! Wait 30-90 days, or more for your money, etc. There are choices. You made yours. >>> Thomas Dewing Anaconda, Montana U.S.A. You get paid by the trip not by the mile Pay close attention here. Swift and lots of other companies in fact most companies pay by a scale referred to as HHG that Household gude. They pay the miles it is from post office in zip code to post office in other zip code. They can't pay off the hub miles because if they paid you the miles from place to place and the stops you take and this and that the companies wouldn't be able to afford to be in business. It's just the way it is. You gotta deal with it or do something else.

Pay close attention here. Swift and lots of other companies in fact most companies pay by a scale referred to as HHG that Household gude. They pay the miles it is from post office in zip code to post office in other zip code. They can't pay off the hub miles because if they paid you the miles from place to place and the stops you take and this and that the companies wouldn't be able to afford to be in business. It's just the way it is. You gotta deal with it or do something else.

Pay close attention here. Swift and lots of other companies in fact most companies pay by a scale referred to as HHG that Household gude. They pay the miles it is from post office in zip code to post office in other zip code. They can't pay off the hub miles because if they paid you the miles from place to place and the stops you take and this and that the companies wouldn't be able to afford to be in business. It's just the way it is. You gotta deal with it or do something else.

Pay close attention here. Swift and lots of other companies in fact most companies pay by a scale referred to as HHG that Household gude. They pay the miles it is from post office in zip code to post office in other zip code. They can't pay off the hub miles because if they paid you the miles from place to place and the stops you take and this and that the companies wouldn't be able to afford to be in business. It's just the way it is. You gotta deal with it or do something else.

Pay close attention here. Swift and lots of other companies in fact most companies pay by a scale referred to as HHG that Household gude. They pay the miles it is from post office in zip code to post office in other zip code. They can't pay off the hub miles because if they paid you the miles from place to place and the stops you take and this and that the companies wouldn't be able to afford to be in business. It's just the way it is. You gotta deal with it or do something else.

My first question is why an "experienced" driver wit 11 years OTR experience would be working for Swift, and only being ther 3 months, makes me ask WHY???? Second, the company cannot legally stop you from idling the truck. FMCSA regs state that a driver MUST have an "adequate supply of heat and air conditioning". If it is extremely hot or extremely cold, idling is essential, and your DM's know this. With 11 years OTR experience, you should be able to go to any company out there. Why not just switch to a company that provides APU's on their trucks? Life is all about choices. You made a choice to work for Swift. As far as directions go, any PROFESSIONAL driver should be able to find a destination. You DO know how to read a map, right? You DO have the name, address, and PHONE # of the shipper or reciever, RIGHT??? Enough said on that. As far as the miles go, VERY FEW companies pay "hub miles". The most widely used method of pay is "practical miles". However, as I recall, Swift pays on HHG miles commonly referred to as "short miles". This is zip code to zip code with disregard for actual addresses, etc. It is a rip off. But they can only get away with it as long as drivers are dumb enough to accept it. I doubt VERY seriously that you have 11 years OTR experience. Riding along with your dad or being a lot lizard does not count.

I just would like to know of a company that pays actual miles. I can say that I don't know of any. Also driver it does not matter what the the milage that you are coming up with. Every company pays on a different millage system and some are better than others.

I just would like to know of a company that pays actual miles. I can say that I don't know of any. Also driver it does not matter what the the milage that you are coming up with. Every company pays on a different millage system and some are better than others.

I happens to me on every trip i take,on an average 30-100 miles i drive for free

One i do not sit at Truck Stops just to use Idle Air but if i have to sit when it is hot out i am going to use Air from the Truck to stay cool if i do not have the Idle Ail to use this is my home when i am not at Home do you sit in your house when it is 90-100 in it i do not think so when it is Cold out side do you have the Heat on?? or do you sit in your home with no heat on when it is -10 or even when it is 35 and below you are not understanding what i am saying at all Driver......... I take all loads that Swift gives me to run

I have worked for Swift dor over five years, help train new drivers, drive safely and legally, and I think Swift is a great company to work for. Your complaint about truck idle time and using Idle-Aire at truck stops has no merit. Firstly, Swift has a right to monitor excessive truck idle time. Secondly, using Idle-Aire at truck stops doesn't address the hard fact that you look at sitting around instead of running a load. I suspect most of your problems stem from a definite lack of work ethic. It's also patently obvious that you never bothered to develop a long-term relationship with your Driver Manager - to communicate your needs and wants, instead you assumed everybody at Swift are mind-readers. Shame on you.