Some truck drivers for Swift Transportation, a unit of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE: KNX), said they received messages via their onboard computer messaging systems around 7 a.m. Dec. 2 instructing them to chain up and drive in inclement weather to get their loads delivered on time.
“We cannot afford to have you down or the load to be days late due to weather,” said the message, sent by a Swift driver leader and posted by Swift drivers on the Twisted Truckers Facebook page. “If we can drive, we will — whether it be 5 mph or an appropriate speed as long as we are safe.”
The social media post received more than 3,700 comments from truckers responding to the message. Some said they would park until conditions improved while others stated that driving in harsh weather conditions is just part of the job.
Winter weather alerts disrupted much of the Northeast on Dec. 2 after a storm dumped snow, freezing rain and sleet across a large portion of the mid-Atlantic and New England regions. Severe weather was also reported in portions of the Sierra Nevadas and the Cascades in southern Oregon to the mountains of northern Nevada and southern Idaho.
A follow-up message was sent approximately four hours later by the same driver leader to Swift drivers clarifying that he did not recommend drivers be on the road “if the weather won’t allow it or you do not feel comfortable.”
Kevin Quast, chief operating officer of Swift, confirmed the message was sent by one of its “newer driver leaders,” but said the statement didn’t accurately convey the company’s position on safety.
“This was not a company-wide statement,” Quast told FreightWaves. “A newer driver leader with us was a little overzealous with what he was trying to do. We’ve coached him and helped him to understand really what he was communicating and we made sure we are all approaching it the same way.”
A post on Swift Transportation’s Facebook page on Dec. 3, a day after the original message was posted, clarified the mega-carrier’s position on its chain usage stance.
“Chains should be used to get a driver out of trouble and to find the first safe/legal place to park,” Swift’s post stated. “They [chains] are not to be used to make a delivery on time or to get through bad weather.”
Dave Berry, vice president of Swift, said he wasn’t aware of the social media posts concerning the Swift driver leader’s message sent via OmniTracs, formerly Qualcomm.
“Loads can be late, but the priority is the people on the highway and the people behind the wheel of the truck,” Berry told FreightWaves.
Since the merger with Knight Transportation in 2017, Swift is becoming significantly safer than it’s been in decades, Quast said.
“We take safety very seriously and are continuing to improve and work hard to become even safer,” he said.
FreightWaves’ Stephen Oatley contributed to this report
Jeff
My rule of thumb was if I needed to chain up then I don’t need to be driving, so I shut down
Bud
Honestly, it is funny watching it all fall apart. The prospect of a trucker complaining and getting attention regarding driving in inclement weather was unheard of not too long ago. Funny how people think the whole shebang will keep on while people want to shut down and cry over any given thing. The softer we get the less padding we have for rock bottom.
Kenneth J White
You all need to go and fine a job at Burger King.
Desert Dweller
Problem is that most drivers are extremely lazy and won’t chain up under any conditions. You hear them complaining about it on the CB radio constantly. They rather sit for a week rather then chain up.
Cassandra Kershaw
Maybe the guy(driver) shouldn’t be driving as a professional then if he knows the roads are bad n can’t pass or drive on them safely. Even if the dL did send that out their told to stop if their unsafe to drive in the weather. I know my husband had shut down many times due to bad weather n his do called n asked why. Even if the load is late they can change the delivery time. Swift from a spouses version is good n my husband loved working for them. Yes a few things should n do need to change. But the driver has some of the control of the truck. If bad weather hits n you don’t feel safe driving in it shut it down in a safe spot.
Elizabeth
Maybe this particular gal (Cassandra) should not be posting on truckers site with advise if she doesn’t know how things work. Just because your husband has some special deal with his boss does not at all mean that all are that lucky. People get threatened and fired, or “starved” as in getting no work on pretenses that work loads are limited in the area. Companies punish drivers for not chaining up. I have been given repeat orders to drive on ice when state has issued warning and advisory to not drive. I have refused bacause the area was already covered with multiple crashes and as a result i was sitting for a week without work. If you don’t know, maybe be quiet?
Mike
DOT requires trucking companies to carry chains during certain time of the year. DOT nor any trucking company can force you the driver to put on chains. The driver is in control of the situation and truck. If he/or she feels it’s NOT SAFE to drive then they and they alone have the right to shut down the truck.
Natan Dariusz
I would never work for Swift, Werner, Schneider, CR England or JB Hunt.
Tommy
Worked for a well-known Utah-based carrier 28 years ago now. Wanted me to run Donner like that going West. Just do it! Get going before 80 closes! We were all stopped at Boomtown. Nobody would run. Nobody. Get going! Now! It was a rare JIT load for a Silicon Valley computer show. PCs, the new rage. I had show booth gear in the trailer, almost maxed out. Get going! Nope. Not today. I jumped truck. Took a Reno shuttle van to The Nugget, booked a room, got drunk, had a hot meal, slept 10, and got a flight back to LA the next day. I never drove again. Fuck em all.
Frank
Swift got caught….period.
I am sure as we speak they are making their drivers sign NDAs and pointing out on the employee handbook, employees are not to disclose corporate communications with out written permission from the CEO.