Comments By James M.

I've been solo for about 3 weeks now, fresh out of training with Swift. It's been very hard. I feel like I'm always waiting around for something to get fixed or trying to get a hold of dispatch on OnRoad.

I picked up a load yesterday in Shafter, CA. It is a hyper focus and high value load that's supposed to T Call in Phoenix, AZ the next morning.

The Trailer ABS light is on. I take the trailer and go back to the truck stop. I call On road. They say someone is coming from TA to help me and that it will be 2-3 hours.

5 hours pass. I call back, I'm on hold for an hour. 6 hours have passed now. The guy tells me that there is nothing in his system for my truck or trailer and that TA has said they don't do roadside assistance for ABS and that I need to get it to the TA an hour away.

Ok, I figure. It would've been nice for them to call and inform me instead of leaving me sitting all day. I would've just went to TA from the start if they had just told me that!

I get to the TA at 8 pm. I get in for service at 1 am. I stay up with the truck while it's in service until 6 am (load due at 6am but here I am still in the shop in CA) At this point they tell me they need an ABS harness from the dealer but the dealer doesn't open until the next day. They get on the phone with Swift and try to see if they'll pay more to get the part a day early. They say no.

It's now Sunday, my load was due 5 hours ago, and they tell me I won't be going anywhere until at least tomorrow when the dealership opens.

My question is this. Did I make the right call? I want to drive safely, I want to drive safe equipment. All of my driver buddies say they would've just driven it down the road like it is. And I said I don't want to do that because if something happens on the road due to it, it's on me. How important is ABS/trailer ABS really? I want to believe I made the right call, but I can't stop feeling like I didn't. I feel like I'm screwing everyone over. The company, the driver waiting for this t call, I don't know.