We have a driver that worked for them. It may just be the local terminal here but he described stuff I'd want nothing to do with. The reason he came to work with us is his dad (longtime driver with us) told him the severity of penalties if he got caught. One of the many things they would allegedly do is sent hazmat on a truck regardless if the driver was qualified. This individual said they'd often just "hide" it between other stuff in the back, and keep the paperwork in a separate place in case they're inspected.
This is what ONE driver I know of says they dealt with. Most terminals operate independently so this may or may not be how others for that company do things. Then again, it's also possible this driver holds a grudge for other things. We've seen that play out numerous times on this forum, however knowing this driver I'm not convinced that's the case. Who knows, always 2 sides to every story.
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Operating While Intoxicated
I saw that news. I've never seen MME trucks around either, to my recollection, even though this article says they have 460 tractors and 930 trailers.
I'd love to see a breakdown of how many tractors the major companies have... I haven't been able to find that info yet.
Mountain Matt that information can be found using the FMCSA company snapshot at https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx .
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Thanks, Rob! That's helpful, as it speaks to the number of tractors and drivers, as well as their inspection reports.
I found you just have to search precisely... "Swift" turns up many, many entries! I had to narrow it down to "SWIFT TRANSPORTATION CO OF ARIZONA LLC". Or you can search by USDOT #.
Thanks again!
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
It's an odd choice for Swift. There are currently two large players in the LTL marketplace that aren't consistently profitable (UPS Freight and the USF Group - Reddaway/Holland/New Penn). UPS Freight was sold to TransForce in January for $800 Million and in July of 2020 Uncle Sam gave Yellow/YRC $700 Million for a 29.6% stake. Swift already spent 1.35 Billion for AAA Cooper and they haven't even started buying pricey west coast terminals. Wonder why they just didn't buy UPS Freight?
I wonder who else Swift will buy in their quest for nationwide LTL coverage.
Probably DATS Trucking (AZ, NV, UT, CO), Dependable Highway Express (Northern CA) and either Total Transportation, Glova-Link Transportation or Frontline Freight for Southern CA. Alternatively, they could just pick up Oak Harbor Freight Lines but there would be a lot of overlap with MME terminals in the PNW.
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
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Swift buys regional LTL
The CDL school I went to rented their yard space from MME that is basically the oy reason I know they exist. Despite running around Chicago I do not see them very often.
I wonder who else Swift will buy in their quest for nationwide LTL coverage.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include: