To any of those who are considering a career with Swift Transport; I ask you to simply read this first before considering that position.
After a rocky start with a particular con artist of a trucking company in Cedar Rapids, IA, I was excited to see that Swift Transport was interested in taking me on as a fresh, out of trucking school prospect. I was not thrilled about having to train in Gary/Scary, Indiana; mind you; but I figured that was all part of the game.
I boarded my bus in Danville, IL at 0900 on a Sunday morning and did not make it to Hammond, IN until 1700. I called Swift; like I was instructed to do upon arrival; and was told someone would be coming for myself and another recruit.
We waited until 1830 and there was no shuttle driver to pick us up. Luckily the C.R. England driver who was there; waiting for other recruits for his company; gave us a ride to the dump that is the Majestic Star Hotel and Casino (that is another story in itself).
The next morning before boarding the shuttle to the Swift training facility; we were offered a Continental breakfast of store-bought muffins, and juice. I had one blueberry muffin and one glass of Cranberry juice.
When we arrived to the facility there was a lot of hurry up and wait. Line up here; fill this out; etc. After a couple of hours of filling out forms, getting pictures taken, and standing in line, I was finally able to urinate for my drug screen.
When the Nurse Practitioner was testing my urine for sugar (something I was completely unaware of) she immediately stated (in what could only be her "professional" opinion) that I was diabetic.
She then tested my blood pressure with a regulation sized cuff (I am 6'3" and 350 lbs., a thigh cuff should have been used on my arms). She stated my blood pressure was too high and she claimed I was "a walking heart attack waiting to happen".
I was sent to the other Nurse Practitioner who then stated I was suffering from Hypertension (if you were big and/or tall and sat in a crammed Greyhound bus for hours on end would your legs not be suffering from poor leg circulation as well?) and sent me home for "high blood pressure".
I was then sent to "Vanessa"; who gave me paperwork to be filled out stating I was a diabetic. My blood work from the previous year showed "high side of normal" but not even borderline diabetic.
But I played their game. I came back home, had an appointment with my doctor, had my blood pressure taken again (118/62 with a thigh cuff compared to 161/112 with regulation cuff), and had extensive bloodwork done; clearly showing I WAS NOT diabetic.
At this time Swift was calling previous employers and references to verify my information on the application. When my future in-laws (and employers at that time) were contacted; they were told that "he will not be coming back to be hired because he is diabetic".
According to the Office of Civil Rights: "A major goal of the privacy rule is to assure that the individuals' health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public's health and well being".
My rights were violated; plain and simple. Under no circumstances should anyone had told my in-laws that I was denied employment due to a medical condition I did not have!
But I needed a job; so I faxed my results in, as well as brought any and all records (sleep apnea, bloodwork, I even went on Lasix to make the Nurse Practitioner happy) back up to Gary two weeks later.
This time I fasted from the evening before to that morning;showing I was not diabetic. I presented my information to the first nurse practitioner who told me "I don't care to see what you have". I also enclosed a copy of my initial Sleep Apnea report, as well as a letter from ym doctor stating it is "unnecessary for (my name; aka J.W.J.) to have another sleep study performed; he is clinically responding well to the use of his CPAP Machine".
To add insult to injury the Nurse Practitioner suggested Gastric Bypass surgery to reduce the risk of continuing my "morbid obesity". You know; it never crossed my mind I was fat and could get surgery to make it better. It never crossed my mind in the skinny obsessed world we live in that I could cut my stomach to the size of a golf ball and lose excessive amounts of weight. Amazing!
I thanked her and informed her that in order for me to get the surgery I need insurance; which co-incedes with having a job; which I could not get because they have a hard-on for sending me home.
The Nurse Practitioner once again sent me home because she stated I still had high blood pressure. Even after showing them all of the tests and the bloodwork results I still apparently did not have a leg to stand on. I told them that that was "bullshit", I was handed papers for my doctor to fill out regarding Sleep Apnea (something he just did beforehand), and was escorted out of the building.
The next day I went back to my doctor; had them fill out the same thing but now with their fancy letterhead; and faxed it back to them. I waited three days (calling and leaving voice mails every hour; on the hour during their business hours of operation) only to be told that I needed to spend another $2,000 that I do not have on a sleep study.
I called the clinic where the nurse practitioner worked and informed her that my doctor; who is a doctor of medicine and not a nurse; someone who trumps nurses; gave his professional medical opinion that I was clinically safe enough to operate a commercial vehicle. After the Nurse Practitioner became rude and spoke to me as if I were a second class citizen; I was hung up on.
My fiancee', also a state employee, called back to speak to this nurse practitioner. The nurse practitioner spoke horribly to my fiancee', claimed that I spoke to her in a "threatening manner, " and assured I would never work for Swift. I ended that conversationwith my calling the nurse practitioner a "bitch".
Swift is what it is; it's one of the top 5 worst companies to work for (under CRST, J.B. Hunt, Schneider, PAM Transport). Gary, Indiana is what it is; an economically depressed area with sub-par residents whose only survival consists of the casinos in the area. I am now more thankful now than ever I found employment with a local outfit; as opposed to a commercial fleet company.
I'm not knocking anyone who works for Swift. We all have to bring food to the table somehow. I am just informing everyone of the horrible experience I had with them and suggesting to those who may consider employment with Swift to really weigh out all of their options. But I am certainly knocking on how unorthodox Swift's Gary, Indiana facility is with the handling of their Nurse Practitioners and the handling of sensitive information.
J.W.J.
West Central, Indiana
U.S.A.
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