I Lost My Job..

So I've been with Swift since July. In August this woman ran a stop sign and hit my reefer tank in a Walmart parking lot when I was on dedicated. Swift didn't fire me for it. So a couple weeks ago I was told by my DM that I accumulated over 20 days off. I was having family issues so I asked if I could take 12 days off. He said yes but turn your truck in, so I turned it in. Next thing I know he told Phoenix that I quit. I already spoke to Phoenix and told them I did not quit. He gives me a call this morning and said my reinstatement was denied because of my accident and they sent me a bill for 2K. What am I supposed to do now? I have a wife and daughter, and now no job...

So I've been with Swift since July. In August this woman ran a stop sign and hit my reefer tank in a Walmart parking lot when I was on dedicated. Swift didn't fire me for it. So a couple weeks ago I was told by my DM that I accumulated over 20 days off. I was having family issues so I asked if I could take 12 days off. He said yes but turn your truck in, so I turned it in. Next thing I know he told Phoenix that I quit. I already spoke to Phoenix and told them I did not quit. He gives me a call this morning and said my reinstatement was denied because of my accident and they sent me a bill for 2K. What am I supposed to do now? I have a wife and daughter, and now no job...

Go higher up in the company and tell them of the DMs deceitful manuveur. Emphatically, state they you did not quit and were given permissi To go home for 12 days. If you are telling the truth, someone up the ladder can help. May have to go way up, but if you're not lying, it should workout to your favor.

And please tell me this conversation, including the approval to go home, was done over the Qualcomm so there's proof and not just over the phone where it's your word against theirs. It doesn't seem like there would be much in the way of confusion if this was all approved through the normal channels.

I don't know that I would want to return to work for someone who would go through such a rigamorole just to get you off the fleet.

Cut your losses. You have your CDL-A, atleast 6 months experience. Start dropping applications & look really hard at companies that offer sign-on bonuses. Use that to settle up with Swift & move to greener pastures.

Of course it wasn't. Basically I was at home and got snowed in for a week. I ended up turning my truck in once the weather cleared and told him I'm having family problems I need like 10-12 days, he said it was fine I could take up to 30 days. But then after I wanted to come back he said I need to do a reinstatement and that's why they're denying me my job. It makes no sense because they didn't fire me when it happened in August. I literally feel like this is the end of my career. I don't even know what to do at this point.

Hello Z, and welcome to the forum!

Man, I am sorry to hear about you losing your job.

Z, you tagged yourself as an "experienced" driver, and that is fine, but just so others following this will realize it, I want you to realize that trucking is so different from other types of jobs that most new entrants in to this field have a hard time adjusting to it's ways. One of the things about trucking is that if you want to go home for that many days, well, you quit. You just didn't realize it. If they ask you to turn in that truck, and you expect to get back on board, you had better make real sure that you are a really good asset to them or they just may very well deny your return when you are ready. There are layers of management at these companies, and even though your driver manager may act like they want you back, they don't always have the ultimate authority for that. They can go to bat for you and argue on your behalf, but this is where it comes back to your past performance.

I realize that I am reading between the lines here, but my experiences tell me that there is more to this story than we fully know. Only you know the answer to that problem, but here is some tips for your next trucking job. Performance is key to success at this career, and that includes your willingness to do what ever it takes (within legal limits) and your attitude toward the things your driver manager requests of you. I had a driver on my fleet recently come up to me while we were at the same facility and he was going on and on about how he had the most seniority of any driver here because he had been on the fleet the longest. He was bragging about how he gets to choose where his loads go and on and on... etc. I didn't even know who this guy was, and I thought I had already figure out who the top three or four drivers were in this small dedicated fleet that I am in. There are only fifteen of us in here, so next time I was in the office with my driver manager I asked him about this driver - you know, just a sort of simple inquiry like, "Hey, I met John the other day, what kind of job is he doing for us?" The response was, "I fired him yesterday, he's just too much of a pain in the a$$." I'm not telling you this story to imply anything to your situation, I am merely illustrating how often times a driver thinks he is such a blessing to have around, but what really endears a driver to his manager is that he quietly gets things done on a consistent basis, and I mean he gets a lot of things done.

Okay, I'm not gonna give you a sermon, I know you are hurting for a job right now. Best thing to do is get right on the application bandwagon and start applying everywhere you can like crazy. Remember on your next job though, performance is key to success at this stuff. If you can be that guy that accomplishes more than the others on your fleet you will secure your future as a well paid and contented successful driver.

We have here a way that you can apply to multiple companies with only one application:

Truck Driving Jobs

Best of luck to ya Z!

I hope everything works out for you, and forgive me if I am dead wrong in some of my comments, but I have seen so many things in my time as a driver that I have to go with my gut feeling most of the time. If you were done wrong, then some one will take you on their fleet, especially if that accident was not your fault. Just start applying and see what develops - talk to recruiters - call a few days after sending in an application and check on the status of your applications. Your career is not over unless you give in. There is somebody out there who will give you a second shot.

Basically I was at home and got snowed in for a week. I ended up turning my truck in once the weather cleared

Z, this is what I'm talking about - that statement right there is a totally different scenario than what you told us happened in your first post. Something is up here, and I can't tell for sure what exactly is going on with you.

Z I read through your other posts, in addition to the accident it also appears (based on the text you wrote) that you had other issues with Swift, perhaps a couple of overspeed events. You also were looking to leave them after only 6 months. The 2k bill was probably the balance owed on your schooling and training.

Not trying to be accusatory but your story has some holes in it. For example 20 vacation days after 6 months of dedicated is not Swift's policy. You are home every week when running Walmart. Like OS suggests there is more to this story than what you have written.

Going forward no matter where you end up, if there isn't a record of a conversation electronically or in writing, in the eyes of management it never happened. Use the Qualcomm to communicate, there is then a record of it that you can refer back to.

Z: Sorry to hear about the job loss. I don't know how I'd feel if I received a bill for $2K from Swift. Also, being the skeptical person that I am, I do not know where you got snowed in, but I was wondering if it happened while you were visiting Destin, Florida (a small community located a few miles east of Pensacola, Florida on U.S. Route 98)? Have you moved from Destin?

Yeah sorry I probably left details out, I'm just not doing so great right now. He told me I got the 20 days from being on dedicated because I switched to OTR and I live in NH now.