Profile For Phillip H.

Congratulations!

Thank you!!!

Zen I look forward to reading your daily journals! The pre trip is a monster under everyone’s bed. I can tell you how I did it.

1. Master in cab 2. Master under the hood 3. Master all suspension, breaks, and tires 4. Master Fifth wheel and Tandem 5. Master rear of trailer and lights

I have this belief, if you can recite it without being in front of it and without the script then you have mastered it.

Took 3 days to get it all to click together. I have seen some get it much faster. Also some having a hard time getting it. But once it clicks it clicks and you will never forget it. Once you gain that confidence while saying it you are ready.

I can’t wait to see more from your journey. And as always Good Luck Zen!

I DID IT .. and now I’m going to tell you more about my experience with Swift Academy.

After finishing my range hours (30) and getting through the evaluation. ( pre trip, 6 maneuvers) It was time to go on the road. (10 hours) I had an outstanding instructor for the road. He showed me how wide and when and where to make my turns to. How to enter and Exit a Highway. How to slow crawl to a stop leaving enough distance behind the vehicle in front of me, in case they stall you want room to go around. Most of all he made me comfortable behind the wheel and confident with my turns, stops, and positioning.

I would highly recommend these guys at Swift Academy! When I was uncomfortable with anything I spoke up and they adjusted to help me and in a matter of 3 weeks (classroom included 1 week) I have a CDL and I’m very proud.

I’m not sure if it’s every state but Ohio currently has the Alley Dock (90) as a possible test maneuver. There are 3 different maneuvers you could possibly get and an app decides your fate. From easiest to hardest in majority opinion it’s as followed, Driver Side Parallel, Blind Side Parallel, and the dreaded Alley Dock ( or 90 )

I got the Alley Dock! It’s rare with only a 33% chance to get it. And usually a quick end to a test day.

I started with a straight backing. Then a Left to right Offset Both are very simple if you have followed instructions and remember the simple formulas. I got 0 points. (Points are bad mmmk) Now the dreaded Alley Dock. This is hard to teach because the formula is a guide line that you have to tweak to fit you and it’s 70% freestyle. (LEARN TO DRIVE THAT TRAILER) I made it to the Alley Dock with 14 points possible to spare before I failed. I got in there was a little close to the driver side slightly crooked. I used a G.O.A.L. (Get out and look) and as I looked down the line I thought my lug nuts might be on the line. I opted to fix it causing me to get points for a line, and 2 extra pull ups. (4 points total) I used my last free G.O.A.L. and saw I was straight and in the box with my bumper got back in the cab, closed my door, and honked my horn. I DID IT! IT FELT GREAT!

Lastly I went on the road (31 points to fail) my driving instructor forgot to mention look left and right before, during, and after an intersection. I was told right before going to the test site. I tried to remember it while focusing. I got 13/31 points in the end and Passed!

If I can give any input to help others pass. Remember your maneuvers. Learn to drive that trailer. Look left and right before, during, and after crossing an intersection. And for gods sake STUDY THAT PRE TRIP!

I forgot to mention the pre trip was the first thing I did. Aced it!

So the order you do everything in is as follows. Pre trip Backing maneuvers On the road And if you pass one but fail another you don’t have to repeat what you have passed. But you do have to stay longer to retest. You get 3 total fails before you have to wait for 1 year to do it all again.

Confidence is key! Confidence does not mean ****iness. And good luck to everyone trying to do this.

I will continue to update while I’m with my mentor. (Only on downtimes) I still have a ton to learn and want to make sure I take everything in without distractions.

Thank you all for being so welcoming!

Phillip good luck finish8ng things up there in Columbus. I am a flatbed mentor for Swift. Look forward to seeing you on the road soon. Listen and learn from your mentor while on thier truck. That is where the real world learning starts. If you have any questions reach out.

That is awesome! I eventually want to move to flatbed but was told I need dry van experience first. I just passed today! 1 shot the state test! I’m excited to start my career now and I hope to see you on the road or maybe when I switch over to flatbed.

Awesome and good luck. How long was the school and how much home time are you getting before going on the road? Once going on the road with your trainer how long are you out for each time? I looked heavily @ going to Swift for my training and decided that the total time away from home isn't what I wanted to do. I mean I've heard some are gone for like 4-5 weeks and home for a day or two and out for another 4-6 weeks before going solo. That's not for me. I'm honesty going to sign up tomorrow @ my local private school and work on getting a local gig. There are a few decent home time opportunities if I'm unable to grab a local gig with home time every 2-5 days and home for your 34. So home @ least two times a week. One for your 24 and the other for your 34. I would love a home Friday to Monday route but I'm not into weeks @ a time.

Again, good luck to you and be safe out there.

So after the initial 4 week training you will go OTR with a mentor for 4 weeks. Then transfer to your own truck and depending on what you chose as your haul is how you determine the amount of Time you are home. Regional is home Saturday-Monday morning, OTR is home like 3 days every 3 weeks, and dedicated are home almost daily but guaranteed off weekends. It’s a matter of choice. Swift has been a great place for me and Regional fits what I want to do and thank you for your kind words.

Great update Phillip!! Glad to hear things are going well. Looking forward to following your success.

Thank you! And good luck to you as well! We are definitely bound to be Truckers soon enough!

Wow ZJ that is a NICE room! Get ready to forget what you think you know and open up room for the instructors to plant your new skills. It’s very fast paced and you don’t want to miss anything. I can’t stress enough STUDY that pre trip .. say it out loud over and over, it has been the one thing that has held so many back from going home on time and some to fail. If you ever need an assist just let me know and I’ll walk you through how I did it. Good luck and I’ll be keeping an eye on your progression.

Great update Phillip!! Glad to hear things are going well. Looking forward to following your success.

Thank You! And I’ll update as soon as I can for everyone!

Great update Phillip!! Glad to hear things are going well. Looking forward to following your success.

Thank You! And I’ll update as soon as I can for everyone!

First of all, Hello everyone and nice to meet you all ahead of time. I am currently moving to my final week at Swift Academy in Columbus OH. I took to the training as of there was a 100k per year job on the line or something lol. I have scored a 97.40% on pre trip and all 6 backing maneuvers. I have not yet taken my OTR evaluation because I need 8 hours but I highly expect to pass with the training I have received from this academy. I will Have my CDL and am excited to go home by the end of the week.

I fully intend to give a minimum of 2 years to Swift and have not even bothered to price around. (I hope I’m making the right decision)

Now to give details of how my training has gone so far.

1. The instructor vs. Student ratio is harsh therefore getting all of your time needed to graduate as quickly as you want to is almost impossible.

2. Every instructor trains differently on both backing and maneuvers and if you happen to get a different instructor from one day to the next it can be very overwhelming and confusing. (Do your maneuvers how you are comfortable)

3. Pre trip Pre trip Pre trip! I was shown the pre trip 1 time and given a long script to study. I am a very hands on learner therefore that made it my biggest obstacle. Asking an instructor to help while on the range is impossible because they are so short handed. Gather classmates and study study study! Went as far as to Uber up to the range with classmates on the weekend to be hands on with the outside part of the pre trip. ( trucks are locked so can’t do anything else)

4. It is ok to say no! When I felt I was more than proficient at a maneuver that they wanted me to spend more hours doing I would let it be known and even offer to show I’m proficient at it and request to move to a maneuver ( The 90 specifically) because I wanted to be proficient on all in case I got it for my state test. They are more than happy to oblige.

5. You know NOTHING! Luckily I did not approach this thinking I was ahead of the game and just needed the required hours to take my state test. I honestly knew nothing so I was a fresh slate. However I watched several people whom were dropped from other academies just blatantly ignore instruction and fail! Just follow the instruction given at all times and don’t disregard what you are being trained and how. (These guys know their stuff and how to get you a CDL)

6. Just like the military, Trucking is all Hurry up and wait! So if you lack the patience avoid this career because you are only hurting your own ego by staying.

7. Spend time in the Drivers Lounge when you are at the academy ( on lunch ) and talk to the drivers. These are the guys who will let you know about some of the dedicated runs that are nightmares and also explain the difference in regional and OTR driving. I learned quickly that Regional is what fits the lifestyle I’m looking for. However it may be different for those who want to do a dollar tree dedicated run in which you are unloading your truck piece by piece yourself. ( I’m past that kind of physical exertion I’m trying to hook and go)

Currently I don’t have any real OTR experience to help anyone or give input on ( 2 hours is not enough to go on about) however I will provide updates when I feel comfortable about what I’m talking about.

Nice to meet you all and shout out to SWIFT for the opportunity that is literally going to change the lives of myself and my kids!