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I have specific questions on Swift's lease-op fueling discounts. I think there's something off.

JimMarch

New Member
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.
 
Trucker who's been involved in civil rights lawsuits before and is a friend of a lawyer in Arizona.

I've been scammed by something like this twice in two companies. It pisses me off. Best way to end it is go after the biggest trucking company out there, and like I said, I know an AZ lawyer (Swift is based in AZ).
 
Yeh, fishing for clients, even if he's not the lawyer.

Mr. March, if your "lawyer friend" wants to see Swift's lease contract, he can go to the terminal on 75th, go to the driver lounge and, in the back corner of the TV room, there's an office. They freely hand out unsigned copies of the contract.

I've been scammed by something like this twice in two companies. It pisses me off. Best way to end it is go after the biggest trucking company out there, and like I said, I know an AZ lawyer (Swift is based in AZ).

If you, Mr. March, have no stake in Swift's fuel rebate agreement with its lease and owner operators, you are more than welcome to mind your own business. If your stake is that you are the lawyer (your punctuation is impeccable-very few people know the right way to place parentheses and other punctuation marks, therefore, you are well educated), you are not going to get the reception you expected. There isn't much that is more infuriating to our forum members than someone misrepresenting himself as a driver for the purpose of furthering his business concerns. If you think we don't know where Swift's mothership is located, you insultingly underestimate truck drivers.
 
I was a paralegal in my wife's law firm until she had to medically retire, suddenly. Drove me onto the road late 2014. Check my post history on Reddit's /r/trucking forum: Trucking: search results - author:jimmarch

Yes, I'm well educated, no I'm not a lawyer.

I think these fueling agreements that hide the discount numbers from drivers are wrong. I've lived under two so far, not a fan and I'd like to see them end.

Here's proof they're illegal in at least some states:

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdard/Gas_Price_Roadside_Sign_Regulations_425526_7.pdf - mandatory price transparency including Diesel and discounts. About half the states are this specific or close to it - all have a price transparency law.
 
Swift's contract spells out the fuel policy. You are welcome to get a copy at the main terminal, as I said, or contact IEL and request they email you a copy. Swift does not hide the lease contract.
 

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