Profile For Brett C.

Congratulations Brett!

I'm starting the Swift Driving Academy in Lewiston, ID on Jan 6th. I know it's a different school but I suspect the curriculum is the same. Any tips you could give me would be very much appreciated (what they stress, really push you to know, ext).

Were you able to find your own trainer or did they assign one to you?

Any info you could give me to be more prepared would help me out tremendously.

Good luck with your trainer,and let us know how you are doing.

Daniel, I can't say exactly if the Idaho academy is the same as the one in Phoenix but i'm sure they are similar at least. They stress SAFETY and any violations of that are very serious. I would say that you should be prepared to take your class A permit test before you even get there. The practice exams here will help you a lot! Listen to how they teach you, even if you have prior experience and have a different way to do things, just forget that and learn it "their way." There will be several different instructors with different styles so try to take in as much as you can from all of them. Most importantly, relax and enjoy it. It's not rocket science but it DOES take skill and coordination so just because you can't shift smoothly the first day keep on practicing. Good luck man and have fun! Keep us posted here on the Lewiston Academy, i'm curious to see how it is up there.

I will definitely try to be on my best game for sure. I start orientation Jan. 6 then OTR for my 240 hrs. after that. I will keep you guys posted on my progress and i'll share anything I think would be helpful to others that I experience along the way.

I finished the Swift Driving Academy in Phoenix Az. Friday and I now have my CDL! Overall it was a great learning experience and I would like to thank Brett and the others here at Trucking Truth for everything. Thanks to the High Road training program and CDL practice tests, I arrived at the academy prepared and ahead of the curve. I would also recommend Swift Academy to any prospective drivers, especially veterans, because they are very veteran friendly there. Again, Thank you to Brett and the staff of Trucking Truth for allowing me to be prepared ahead of time, and setting me up for success in the Swift Driving Academy!

Please keep us posted on how it goes Sharon. If all goes as planned I will be there starting Dec. 2nd and I am curious to hear how it is firsthand. Good luck with the training and new career!

Daniel and Brett, Thank you for the good advice. I worked it out on paper and I am available to start the Swift academy on Dec. 2nd (if they give me the ok) and since it's a 3 week academy I would be able to be home for Christmas before orientation. I am taking your advice and I understand that it would be better to learn how to drive a truck in adverse conditions and have that trainer there to keep me from getting in over my head. I hope I will be able to get the ball rolling and be in the Dec. 2nd academy!

Thanks Brett A. I have a question for the experienced guys and gals out there. I can either start the driving academy in early Jan. of early Feb. The latter of those if I do another season delivering trees all over Ca. (the job that got me interested in trucking as a career) in a 24' bobtail. I was thinking about passing on the tree delivery season but that would put me on the road with a trainer in late Jan. or early Feb. and i'm not sure it would be a good idea to be a newbie driver driving in the harsh winter conditions. Does anybody have any advice either way on this matter? I realize I need to learn to operate in bad weather but I wonder if it might be better after I have a little time in the seat, or would it be better to make sure I learn bad weather driving with a trainer?

It's nice to get some positive encouragement on here, thank you guys! There are a lot of forums that are filled with negative attitudes and I understand everybody will not be happy with where they are but it can't be all bad right? This is a big step for me and not a decision I am taking lightly so the more information I can gather before I attend school the better off I will be I think.

Neil, I am glad I read your post. I am a paramedic who is currently in school finishing up pre-reqs for the RN program. I thought long and hard about it and decided that there is no way I really want to be stuck in a building until I retire. I have worked seasonally delivering trees in a 24' bobtail and although there is really no comparison other than having to fill out a log book and the hours you are able to work/drive, I discovered that I really enjoy being out on the road. I have decided that after this semester is over and I complete the delivery season shortly after, I am going to attend a company sponsored school in Phoenix to get my CDL and begin my journey into a new career. I'm curious to see what you end up doing as well so let me know and good luck!!!

First of all thank you Brett for this very informative site! I have been doing online research to decide which company to start with and it has been hard with all the negativity out there. I decided to go with Swift because 1. they have a veteran's scholarship that will make the CDL school free of charge to me due to my military service, 2. The school is in Phoenix where my oldest son lives so I will be able to see him in my spare time. 3. Swift seems to offer the best opportunity for me to become the best trucker I can be with different options regarding comfort zones and dedicated accounts in the future. This site has been by far the most positive and informative that I've seen and I look forward to learning from all the experienced drivers on here and those I will encounter on the road.