I'm looking for feedback from current or recent Swift lease-op guys.
It's about the fuel discount program. I have sketchy reports that lease-op guys are told there would be a discount at a certain fueling chain (TA/Petro, or another?) but NOT what the exact discount is going to be at any given pump.
I know that that same exact situation exists at two other smaller companies I've dealt with. The way it works is, the trucking company gets into an agreement with one of the national chains (Love's, TA/Petro, Pilot/FJ) in which the drivers (company, lease-op and owner-op) are not allowed to find out what the exact discount is until a week or two later when they read their settlements, and then only by special request.
The trucking company benefits because their discounts are bigger if more of their drivers refuel at that chain...therefore their company driver fuel bills (which the trucking company pays 100% of) are lower if the lease-op and owner-op sides also fuel there. The fuel chain obviously gains too - both gain by hiding the discounts from lease-op and owner-op guys so that those drivers can't price-shop with Android apps like Fuelbook, etc.
Problem is, all of this is illegal as hell. All states have rules requiring price transparency at the pumps. The rules in about half the states require transparency on all DISCOUNT prices at the time you fuel, specifically to allow price-shopping. Any agreement between a trucking company and a fuel chain to hide discounted prices at the pump from lease-op and owner-op drivers is a conspiracy to violate driver rights under law even if the driver signed a contract allowing the fuel prices to be hidden from him/her.
I have a friend who is an Arizona lawyer very interested in this situation.
I need details confirming that this class of agreement exists between Swift and a major fuel stop chain. If we can smash this type of agreement with Swift we'll crush the rest pretty damn quick.
So far I know that Prime does NOT pull this stunt - they do it right with a web/smartphone app showing exact available discount prices. This is surprising because they have company drivers and could reduce the fuel costs there. None of the companies such as Mercer Transportation that are pure owner-op or lease-op pull this crap. You only see it where there's a mix of company drivers and lease-op/owner-op.
It's about the fuel discount program. I have sketchy reports that lease-op guys are told there would be a discount at a certain fueling chain (TA/Petro, or another?) but NOT what the exact discount is going to be at any given pump.
I know that that same exact situation exists at two other smaller companies I've dealt with. The way it works is, the trucking company gets into an agreement with one of the national chains (Love's, TA/Petro, Pilot/FJ) in which the drivers (company, lease-op and owner-op) are not allowed to find out what the exact discount is until a week or two later when they read their settlements, and then only by special request.
The trucking company benefits because their discounts are bigger if more of their drivers refuel at that chain...therefore their company driver fuel bills (which the trucking company pays 100% of) are lower if the lease-op and owner-op sides also fuel there. The fuel chain obviously gains too - both gain by hiding the discounts from lease-op and owner-op guys so that those drivers can't price-shop with Android apps like Fuelbook, etc.
Problem is, all of this is illegal as hell. All states have rules requiring price transparency at the pumps. The rules in about half the states require transparency on all DISCOUNT prices at the time you fuel, specifically to allow price-shopping. Any agreement between a trucking company and a fuel chain to hide discounted prices at the pump from lease-op and owner-op drivers is a conspiracy to violate driver rights under law even if the driver signed a contract allowing the fuel prices to be hidden from him/her.
I have a friend who is an Arizona lawyer very interested in this situation.
I need details confirming that this class of agreement exists between Swift and a major fuel stop chain. If we can smash this type of agreement with Swift we'll crush the rest pretty damn quick.
So far I know that Prime does NOT pull this stunt - they do it right with a web/smartphone app showing exact available discount prices. This is surprising because they have company drivers and could reduce the fuel costs there. None of the companies such as Mercer Transportation that are pure owner-op or lease-op pull this crap. You only see it where there's a mix of company drivers and lease-op/owner-op.