Part2: BigCatTrucker Talks About Swift Transportation

[SomeRandomFeller]

if you like to work for free and be shorted on your miles, then trucking is for you. If you are the kind of guy that takes a bite and smiles when they hand you a shit sandwich, trucking is for you. the best advice I can give for new drivers is JUST DON'T DO IT! these guys are getting hooked up for selling a bad company and bringing in all the suckers who think they will make good money trucking. I worked for swift for 6 months, never had a late load, never turned down a load made 9k not worth it

[shaithis80]

@SomeRandomFeller you are not alone. I lasted over two years and walked when they started missing major expenses on every other trip. I got that money back but this issue went back about 3 mos. Save your receipts and monitor your expenses and if Swift is still missing your expenses, then they are not worth doing business with.

[IRON2HIDE]

@Shaithis80, but I'll let him know all you've have told me, good looking out, all these companies are a trip nowadays, even the one I work for now, just got a 500K job for 7 days to clean 24 floors Air Ducts vents and they are budgeting our hourly rate of $15 an hr, cheating us out our start time pay and arrived @ job pay, its a trip, take the punches and roll with them, but thanks again, to all out there, I FEEL YOUR PAIN, we going to be AWE-IGHT though, hang in there drivers, later.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE yeah companies are just not held accountable however eventually the corrupted general freight companies out there are due their day in court and someone will document whats going on and get it together and file a class action as the case with Swift. I understood the Swift system all to well an dictated at one point in time a direction I wanted to run because I refused to run I-80 in the winter time in WY and wanted a load going south out of the cold temps so I've be gutsy before.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE trucking with Swift was a job I felt I was never fully compensated for doing the work performed and you'd feel the incentive would be to pay drivers wells however the lack of pay when starting out can really affect someone psychologically and that is not right. Any company that governs their trucks needs to be shut down because that hurts driver pay when you can't max out your miles and the trucking insurance industry needs to be cracked down on as it is part of the problem

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE one thing to point out is that state DMV's should allow drivers to maintain a PO Box only as they are travelling in a job where the pay is not that good. The downside of that is not having an apt/home to return to and living in that truck can where you down. This gets back to a general pay issue and is Swift paying enough to start or is it more of a con game. Train cheap newbies and f' over the experienced drivers. Oh well I'm just rambling on now. Have a great week.

[IRON2HIDE]

@Shaithis80, WOW bro, thanks for the info, I hear you on alot of things your talking about, especially know, my brothers days with Swift have been getting tougher, as far as his truck repairs as well as the loads he's been gettin, they been tryin to send him places empty but not pay him empty mile pay and the places that they send him to are far away, he's been turning a lot of loads down because of this, he startin to learn slowly but surely, its a tough ouffit, he's hangin in there, he's young

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE if my information is correct there was a lawsuit that was just certified regarding shortages of driver miles and a practice Swift engaged in by using a such a mileage pay system which only paid zip code to zip code shorting drivers a percentage of miles on trips. Should be interesting to see what comes of that because a lot of drivers that worked from 1998 on are owed back pay. Swift needs to get audited big time.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE for the time I was with Swift starting out, I was grossing in the low $20,000 range gross per year so for the time put in, it was not worth it. Also beware of general frieght companies that say make up to $52,0000/yr. That ad was placed in the paper once by Swift and the ad was very misleading. For working a 60-70 hr work week the pay with Swift and possibly other general freight companies just sucks. You are just a number and they could care less about a driver's finances.

[IRON2HIDE]

@Shaithis80, hey, so your saying that Big Cat has sold out like most of them do for his own benefit, I appreciate the information you gave me, like I said, every company has its up and downs, oh yeah, I've moved furniture around, its a hard job, truck drivers do have a lot of responsibility though, my lil brutha, he's been getting upset lately wit Swift, but nothing too bad, at least not yet, lol, thanks bro.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE I'm saying Swift tried to over promote themselves and that Big Cat makes the industry looks sugar coated from what it truly is. Yes furniture moving separates the men from the boys really quickly and it is not as simple as it looks. With Swift it is more or less routine in general freight however the what lies beneath the job is the fact that drivers will get screwed and their take home pay with Swift will be crap and you just can't live off an unstable pay check.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE I got blackballed by Swift for simple doing my job and putting forth some real effort and helping out where I could. Swift does not recognize merit nor will the industry in general credit you with past experience. So basically to some companies my time put in can be considered null and void. It is the negative dynamics which make of today's industry and there are other corrupted forces that play into it such as insurance etc. etc. Sure great way to see the country if ur young.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE I also questioned how a newbie like Big Cat could even afford to deck out his own truck to begin with. Swift doesn't pay that well. Too most drivers entering, all I say is be a company driver, do not assume the owner op role as the money just isn't there especially with high diesel prices etc etc. Keep your apps circulating and be prepared to jump to a higher pay scale in 6 mos-2 years. And don't give up your CDL and always keep it maintained.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE the biggest deal I can make about Swift and other industires is that they do govern their trucks still2 this day,states have not raised their speed limits for truckers thus keep their pay retarded if you r paid by the mile,what was once a good paying industry is not. You r just a number & easily replaced by 10 others. Swift doesn't invest money in their drivers. It goes towards training newbies 2keep the pay as low as possible. Heaven forbid Swift sees a significant veteran workforce.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE it is the blackballing that goes on in the industry which affects your chances of a successful career then again after what I've witnessed, why be a part being taken advantage of. Use Swift as a stepping stone and nothing more and remember not all drivers get to haul 100% of the loads. See those Swift trailers on trains, well that is miles that their workforce is not getting paid. In Swift general frieght your are subjected to non-established lanes so your miles will vary.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE if DMV would allow truckers to maintian a box only vs a physical address then the savings might justify doing that type of work. Plenty of factors when starting out in an industry that underpays its drivers. I left the industry for better employment opportunities. Yes I did try to return to Swift and I was blackballed by the terminal mgr. I had a clean DMV, a clean work history, and was experienced and passed their orientation tests (work well program & drug test).

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE honestly that term mgr did me a favor when I was dq'd for the stupidest of reasons. Here I am with a clean MVR and was judged as being an "unreasonable risk to the motoring public". That is the real side of Swift and that is how they treat former experienced employees. So I went a different route and earned my way in a different field to where I'm home every night and know how much I'm making a month with ok benefits which may open up the door to getting a DOT job because I hve my CDL

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HIDE I'll probably return to the industry as a second career and maintain my CDL until then. I might be able to apply my CDL towards a DOT/road work roll and they won't be as judgmental as a general freight carrier. Going forward I'd expect a lot of changes to the industry due to future economic factors and a decade or two from now it could get a whole lot worse. Main objective: Take your CDL and go where the money is and don't contribute or be party to a training mill like Swift.

[shaithis80]

cont. Because trucking is largely ignored by the governmental bodies that protect workers from abuse by unscrupulous employers, and because the economy of this nation depends on the most cost effective means in which to move the supplies this nation depends upon on a daily basis, this company (Swift) is allowed to thrive like cockroaches.

[shaithis80]

I place most of the blame on the company. The drivers are just trying to make a living, and the word "ignorant" is as harsh a word as I can use to describe the people that work for Swift. The people who find their way into one of their trucks are not aware of what they are walking into, and are for the most part, simply trying to enter the industry of trucking, which does provide an attractive way to make living outside of the normal 9 to 5 job arena. cont.

[shaithis80]

the most money I made in the industry was never with Swift. I hauled indirected for a govt agency doing seasonal work and I cleared more in a seaonal job in two weeks than I ever did with Swift. Didn't help listing that on the resume LOL. New drivers ask yourself is it worth the life sacrifice where hours go unpaid and your paid miles get shorted and could you have taken a different path. Seeing the country is one thing. Being a slave to the industry is another story. Don't get used.

[shaithis80]

I had over 2+ years of XP alone with Swift and to all drivers thinking you can leave and come back you might have issues getting back into the game. Obviously Swift doesn't keep track of what you do as you are just a number.Forget about the times of helping others stuck in the mud or filling up a reefer that was low on fuel that I wasn't responsible for or how many times I ran the fucking east coast. Swift won't keep track of your merits.Hence they are a shitty company to make a career out of.

[shaithis80]

end result in a chotic way Swift did me a favor and a forged ahead building up my work history elsewhere. If Swift doesn't recognize general experience from anyone with a Class A (including past time put in) even if it is not OTR, then they are not worth doing business with and it is a con and yes Swift has had its share of legal issues (wasn't their an FBI raid). You can't defend Swift's shady past dealings and business ventures that were unsuccessful.

[shaithis80]

a few things that convinced me to come down hard on Swift was when I was working their Volvo driveaway project out of Dublin, VA and Swift was missing expenses on every other trip. Then the final icing on the cake was being turned down for rehire by a jackass terminal mgr who claimed I was an "unreasonable risk to the motoring public" and they didn't credit my prior work history in another field where the trust was already established. That is why Swift SUCKS!!!!

[shaithis80]

BigCat in reading your statement on your site about making the trucking industry postive, there is nothing postiive about it and general frieght companies just don't treat their drivers well as they are underpaid for the work performed. That is wrong. Cheating drivers out of miles driven (house miles) is wrong. There is such a thing as doing bad business and eventually in the information age word gets out pretty quickly. Some of us just didn't buy into the Swift lie or brainwashing.

[shaithis80]

as far as my experience goes,I've driven all over the 48 states and put up with it and the general problem with the trucking industry (including Swift) is that they discredit your time put in if you have been out of the industry.To me it is not worth the life sacrifice working or a crooked company or relying on a job which offers unstable pay. Also Swift is child's play when compared to a real job that separates the men from the boys. Try furniture moving sometime & see how you all really stand.

[shaithis80]

LOL it took me over 2+years to realize how fucking corrupted Swift really was and who knows how much money they fucking missed in terms of expenses now that I think back on it all. Swift doesn't recognize time put into the industry nor would there seem to be much leeway for returning to the industry and this was all based on being turned down for rehire back in 2007 which was the best favor they ever did to me. At least I fucking know how much I'm making now and no need to return to slave labor.

[shaithis80]

in response to this video, bottom line is you are making a very unstable pay check and you really can't live realistically off that. Year 1 and Year 2 expect to fall well short of clearing $30,000 a year. There is no money to running general freight and you don't know how many miles you'll be getting weekly. That is how fucked up Swift really is.

[Smilodante]

yo Big Cat. nice job, good info. I just finished my 240hrs with Swift, and am heading out solo next week. hope to see ya out there. -Billy BarFly

[tattoodtruckr]

fuck Swift and this stupid porch monkey who loves them..

[shaithis80]

hey you all. the thing to point out about big cat is that he is overpromoting Swift trans. Trust me Swift is not all that glamourous to work for as Big Cat would make it seem. Also couldn't help but notice that Big Cat is not keeping things honest on his site anymore as he is fielding comments. He's just not keeping things honest.

[shaithis80]

the obvious thing to point out about Swift is that they don't give you the miles you need to make an honest living and they overhire and would seem to put their money into the training of new drivers vs. paying their drivers what they are actually worth. It is a rip off. You will never max out your miles driving a governed truck and Swift will say anything to get you in and smear your record for the slightest fuck up.

[IRON2HYDE]

NICE JOB!!!! BigCat, still hearing a lot of negative comments out there bout Swift bro, but to all my new drivers out there, don't let that stop you from joining up, always experience things on your own terms, up close and personal as I would say, everybody's different, have there own opinions about life, its nothing wrong with listening to them, jus don't get all caught up in someone else's head, lil bro works for Swift, he has his ups & downs, every company does, but nuttin bad. Stick it out.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HYDE the company has fucked a lot of drivers over in the past. Experienced people at that.

[shaithis80]

@IRON2HYDE with the way Swift is run I won't be surprised if they go the way or Arrow Trucking and at that point it'll just be bad karma catchign up with such a corrupted company.

[propitium]

Great work. Keep on ...

[koelya21]

I was rollin sb on 35e coming thru Dallas on my way to Temple, TX, when I happen to look to my right and I seen your truck parked at a hotel. I gotta say you keep that rig clean bro. Stay safe BC.

[PorkFat1118]

Good video BC keep it up brother.

[TruckerWarren]

Great job there BigCat. Glad you left out the commercials on this one.

[calitrucker1]

great info on here BC. 

[pinkbutterphly]

Great video babe! Love you!

[Newfieguy89]

Another great vid BC...now  I am looking forward to part 3!!

[dewaynehart]

Great Video Bigcat, i teamed with my brother for swift until july 2010 tried to go back and they had me on a no rehire thats the only bad thing i dont like about swift, we was both 100% on time and never missed an appointment but they drop no rehire on you for nothing basically lol my old recruiter is no longer with swift but she said to keep checking back do you know if they ever over turn them?

[studpuppy69]

@dewaynehart Not a surprise. Try another company.

[foltzenlogel]

@dewaynehart ... unfortunately most times if you are an experienced driver (most especially if you were in owner/op status) there is no going back to being a company driver with swift. Cheaper pay for newbies versus higher pay for experience. Simple economics.