Question:
I was in Oklahoma on 3/11/04 at a Pilot eating dinner and just as I was to take a bite of my dinner I heard WHAM a Swift driver backed her trailer into my truck. The damage was so extensive I had to have my truck towed. I was so angry it turns out the driver was on her first load solo for Swift. I must say they sure have alot of newbies on the road that have no clue how to drive. There drivers cut people off and go so slow.SO I PLEAD WITH SWIFT DRIVERS TO PAY ATTENTION WHEN BACKING UP AND DRIVE AND BE SAFE.
My advice you pull into any truck stop and see a Swift truck parked keep rolling till you find a truckstop without a Swift truck parked there otherwise you will out of work for a while.

Answer:
First of all let me say i'm sorry about your mishap and i can certainly understand your anger.
But not all swift drivers are bad drivers(hubby is a newbie),most of them work hard and do a good job.
He takes care and pride in his driving and backing and when the day is over he is glad to be safe.
Just the other day a werner truck cut him off almost causeing a 3 truck pile up and the that driver had the nerv to curse at my Husband and wanted to fight him at the next Truckstop
There a good and bad drivers in every company!!!
As far as the SLOW issue,,,,,,,,well i wish all truck had to drive slow,,,because it don't feel to good driving on the highway with my Kids(in bad weather) and have some crazy truck driver come up behind me,scareing me half to death.
I KNOW me and my Kids would be the losers,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Safe driving to ALL of you!!!!
Answer:
Mr. Stevens Driver
How do you like Stevens?? Good or bad. Heard that Stevens likes to keep you out a long time before you go to the house. Is this true?
Thanks, and sorry about your tractor. Big time preventable. Probably her first and last run for Mr. and Mrs. Moyes.
Codger "Stop holding me back. I'm going to clown college." Homer Simpson

Answer:
Swift is an easy target, but face it, it could be any company or even an owner op who may back into your truck at any given truck stop on any given night!
Now explain to me the Stevens truck that was stuck a half mile behind the Lowes Distribution Center in Mt. Vernon TX up on a berm in a field? Not sure what had happened or how, but the yard jockey said security had kept the camera on them all night.

Answer:
It can happen to anyone. All it takes it a moments over confindence, a split second of not paying attention, being too lazy to GET OUT AND LOOK. I have seen people of all skill levels back into things in the last several years. Some were rookies, some were old hands at it.
The topic of your post really should be.
PAY ATTENTION WHEN YOU ARE BACKING UP
Answer:
Yea......them Stevens trux are waaaaaaaaaaayyyyy fast I hear they pay extemely well too
CD(sorry no dancin chili,I am posting from the house....got cooler "stuff" on the laptop) recovering dweller..........oilfield trash division

Answer:
oldcodger,
They won't fire her yet.She'll have to go to a close quarter training class(ride along with another driver) and take a defensive driving class and then she'll be back out on the road.However,in the future if she makes anybody angry Swift will use it as excuse to terminate her(un-satisfactory safety record).As long as she is still working for Swift they won't report it to DAC,but the minute she leaves for a better job it will show up on her report.
The Governor.
Answer:
drivers for Stevens pay attention when backing up
The only trucks that have ever hit me was Stevens. Actually they've done it twice now. First one while trying to park hit my right front quater. Some duct tape got me home. The second did it on purpose. We were stuck at a shipper in L.A.. Not a safe neighbor hood so he wanted to keep his load safe. He did do a good job of it and was almost dead on. The idiot backed his trailer up to the back of mine. The he bumped them together for safe measure. I jumped out with coffee all over my shirt and pants and almost beat his dumb but right there. But after talking to him for a minute I realized he was just another ignorant Stevens driver that thought he knew it all but had no common sense.
I think I would be careful when putting down other companies and their drivers. Specially when your own companies reputation is no better and might even be worse.

Answer:
I have made a couple of ugly blunders. Neither involved hitting another truck, but both were caused by me trying to do the job faster to please a boss.
Now, if a boss interrupts me while I am doing my pretrip or dropping or hooking, I will go back to step one to insure that I finished what needed to be done before the interruption.
Tom B

Answer:
Thanks Governer for the info.
I'm glad she will have the chance to do better and get some additional training. People are going to make errors and with more training she or anyone in that situation will likely learn from that mistake.
One of the old instructors at driving school gave us a tip on what he did when parked for berth time or to eat.
He took a china marker and wrote on his side windows what carrier and tractor number were on each side of him so if his mirror was gone or he woke up to damage he could establish who was the likely culprit.
Codger "Stop holding me back. I'm going to clown college." Homer Simpson

Answer:

LOL ,no doubt thats what I was thinking. Why do Steven drivers think there the coolest sh!t on the road?

Answer:
the Stevens driver who backed into me at Safeway DC in Denver? Had plenty of room to straight back but his trainer insisted that he '45 it, at night in a dimly lit dock.
Everyones gotta learn, I guess!

Answer:
We've all seen drivers from different companies make stupid blunders or try to force different backing situations, especially late at night in a crowded truck stop. Or even trying to back into an assigned dock door when the "drivers" on both sides don't know what "straight" means.
It's really easy to see where another driver makes a mistake, especially when you're sitting "safe and sound" in a spot already..
Unfortunately, lot's of these drivers, myself included, don't have, or haven't yet had the experience to look at a backing situation from the driver's seat and know how to "plug it in the hole." Speaking for myself, it's always low gear, slow setup, and before the truck even starts moving back, get out and look. There are and have been times I feel "rushed" but then all I have to do is remember what happened the first night I was out with my trainer and that puts an end to the "hurry up" syndrome. I ride for those who can't! POW/MIA - You are NOT forgotten!!
Lead, Follow or get out of my way!!!

Answer:

Did he have the student do it blind-side as well???
Answer:
Yes, their trucks are danged slow, and frustrating sometimes trying to get around them, but FWIW, some of the most helpful drivers I've met have been Swift drivers.