Location:
Lewes , DE
Driving Status:
Experienced Driver
Social Link:
Retired from a 30 year career in computer technology. Finally realized that it was the journey I really enjoyed and not the destination. So in January of 2013 I fulfilled my lifelong love of trucks and driving by enrolling in Swift's Richmond Academy. Graduated, passed the CDL test, and went OTR for 240 hours with a mentor. Once that was completed, I was re-tested by Swift and offered a job. Overall a great experience. I wish I knew about this website while I was contemplating this as a career and while I was in school. Great information exchange.
Fast forward to the current, I am working for Swift as a dedicated driver assigned to the WALMART account in north central PA. Best job I ever had.
Happy to truthfully answer any questions about Swift and/or my experience in school and training.
Posted: 14 hours, 17 minutes ago
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Wow sorry to hear that. A no win situation.
Posted: 1 day, 3 hours ago
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Just a funny trucking picture to brighten your day
Nice.
I was fixing the photo upload system so I tested it with this picture I took of the moon rising.
Posted: 1 day, 3 hours ago
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No here’s a compelling reason to choose CFI over all the rest…
At CFI we can talk hands free while we drive. That's against Schneider's rules.
Posted: 1 day, 12 hours ago
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My horrible experience with Schneider training center in Phoenix AZ, read before you apply
How were the sandwiches?
I had some complaints about my training with Schneider but I knew what to expect going into it. You were there for a very short time to get started in a career that could have a major impact on the rest of your life and you complain about nonsense. Do you think life on the road is all rainbows and puppies? You were not cut out for trucking. ❄️
Posted: 1 day, 12 hours ago
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My horrible experience with Schneider training center in Phoenix AZ, read before you apply
Let’s get something straight… and this goes for anyone.
Don’t come on this forum a beat the drum that company x,y,x wronged you. Great was given numerous chances to come clean once he vented. But his venting started weeks ago. Schneider is not the problem here.
Great is just one of many, exhausting examples of a person not suited for this business unable to accept any responsibility for their failures or ownership of their success.
We have repeatedly said it matters not what company you work for; good drivers focused on the right stuff will be successful with almost any company.
The inverse of this is also true… case in point with our friend Great. He could care less about helping anyone else…or listening to any logical, rational reply. This is about bad mouthing Schneider…
I mean,… really? A sandwich label? This dude needs to move on…
Posted: 1 day, 12 hours ago
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My horrible experience with Schneider training center in Phoenix AZ, read before you apply
Don’t patronize me Steve. It’s okay, you don’t need to like me. Just play it straight.
Stop stalking my comments
Sorry you feel I was stalking. I had just finished a pretty lengthy post and saw yours.
I'm either on here a lot or not much at all. Comes and goes. Most of yours ARE encouraging and helpful and usually have bunches of praise by the time I see them. So, hey, sorry if that comes off wrong, I didn't take you for the sensitive type JUST KIDDING!
Oh well, yes you're very helpful most of the time. Yes you're wonderful. Yes...man, lighten up, I'm just kidding with you. But really, check that hat size, might have gone up a little...c'mon, just joking, you're THE G-TOWN man.
Posted: 1 day, 12 hours ago
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My horrible experience with Schneider training center in Phoenix AZ, read before you apply
I deleted both of “Greats” replies to this. I do agree… good reply Anne. But it went on deaf ears.
+1 on this one too. I have also noticed that.
Read all of his posts Steve. He earned that. It’s funny how you never comment on anything encouraging that I write. Stop stalking my comments.
if you get your head out of your ass
Is that what passes for encouragement now?
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Posted: 1 day, 12 hours ago
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And that’s encouraging Steve? I’ll bet if I replied like that you’d post some derogatory, judgmental remark.
What factors influenced your decision?
Rookie_the_great ?!?
~ Anne ~
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Posted: 1 day, 13 hours ago
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My horrible experience with Schneider training center in Phoenix AZ, read before you apply
…and Steve you also did not have the benefit of reading all of his crap I deleted.
Posted: 1 day, 13 hours ago
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My horrible experience with Schneider training center in Phoenix AZ, read before you apply
Read all of his posts Steve. He earned that. It’s funny how you never comment on anything encouraging that I write. Stop stalking my comments.
if you get your head out of your ass
Is that what passes for encouragement now?
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Posted: 1 day, 13 hours ago
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My horrible experience with Schneider training center in Phoenix AZ, read before you apply
Meaningful… still waiting.
We can help you if you get your head out of your ass. The problem here is you. Go to any of the dozen or so carriers offering Paid CDL Training Programs and the same result will occur. You will fail.
If your shorts are in a knot over a mislabeled sandwich, then I’d suggest you are not trucker material.
Fix your attitude, reset your lofty/unrealistic expectations and lose the entitlement. Own your ****!
Start over, reset and read this…
Posted: 1 day, 14 hours ago
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My horrible experience with Schneider training center in Phoenix AZ, read before you apply
Still waiting for a meaningful reply, You keep talking’ smack and I’ll keep deleting…
Posted: 1 day, 14 hours ago
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My horrible experience with Schneider training center in Phoenix AZ, read before you apply
Terminal Rat in training.
“Great”; we placed you in moderation. Nothing you have posted is worthy of approval. If I thought there was a possibility of any rational exchange with you I’d pick your posts apart because they’re fraught with meaningless complaints and half truths. You reap what you sow… Your attitude sucks darts… that is your biggest problem with Schneider.
Posted: 3 days, 8 hours ago
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New to forum; not as new to trucking
And another top-performing driver checks-in…with a consistent and concise reply.
To be clear the “experience” we are all referring to is bearing witness to what can and does happen if the CB is not part of a drivers arsenal of safety tools.
Great reply Turtle!
No matter how many experienced old timers you invent, it won't change the fact that common sense, and not experience, is all it takes to recognize the life-saving potential of monitoring a CB while you're driving down the road.
It may go unused 99% of the time, but that one time you need it can be the difference between life and death.
You don't need a seatbelt, until that one time you do.
You don't need a fire extinguisher, until that one time you do.
As a professional driver, it shouldn't be a matter of need.
Posted: 3 days, 9 hours ago
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New to forum; not as new to trucking
All three of them are wrong.
I’m done here Ryan… I prefaced my answer to Brett’s question using common sense and experience as a guide and never stated my reply as fact. It’s impossible to factually answer your question… and you knew that.
I’m now a local driver and like others who replied to you, I still use my CB religiously for a variety of reasons, tge least of which is safety. And it’s not a distraction.
So by all means don’t listen to me…or PJ, or PackRat, or Bird-One … or Brett we have absolutely nothing to gain by misleading you and the message is clear and consistent.
Wow Ryan… you are a tough one. Amazing how you’d listen to a trainer no questions asked… but not us. The trainer who stated that to you is totally mistakin’. I’d be happy for him to come onto this forum and support his feckless claim… that said:
During inclement weather, best practice is to turn the CB on and monitor transmissions.
Period.
Although there is no way to answer the question you posed to Brett, common sense and experience suggests that most of these trucks careening out of control either had no operating CB on board, or if they did, it was turned off.
Some things to correct for the sake of accuracy:
It wasn't simply my trainer, a driver with 30 years of experience (29 at that time). It was 4 veteran drivers, all of whom have decades of experience. My trainer was the one with the least among them. One of the drivers has been driving tractor-trailers for 50+ years.
I never said no questions asked. Yeah I would trust my trainer over you. My company has vouched for his credentials. I don't care that there have been bad trainers. Mine is not among them. I don't care that drivers shouldn't be trainers. Mine isn't one of them. If I had been hired by Swift and you trained me, I would feel the same about you because Swift has a proven training program and vouches for the credentials of each of its trainers. It's nothing personal that I would trust my trainer over you and you shouldn't take it that way.
You are right. There is no way to answer that question, just as there is no way to know whether or not any of those drivers had CBs and whether or not any of them were turned on, at least not without an extensive investigation. What you are referring to is conjecture based on an educated guess, not fact.
Posted: 3 days, 10 hours ago
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New to forum; not as new to trucking
Wow Ryan… you are a tough one. Amazing how you’d listen to a trainer no questions asked… but not us. The trainer who stated that to you is totally mistakin’. I’d be happy for him to come onto this forum and support his feckless claim… that said:
During inclement weather, best practice is to turn the CB on and monitor transmissions.
Period.
Although there is no way to answer the question you posed to Brett, common sense and experience suggests that most of these trucks careening out of control either had no operating CB on board, or if they did, it was turned off.
Posted: 3 days, 13 hours ago
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New to forum; not as new to trucking
I totally agree with PackRat on this, 100%.
Ryan wrote in his introductory post:
I have a year of OTR under my belt, and in that year I have experienced just about everything a driver may expect to experience, both good and bad. I work for a company located in north central Ohio and live in southeastern Michigan.
Everything? The above is exactly why you should not be offering advice stating that a CB is unnecessary. It's clear that you have yet to experience a situation requiring the immediate need for a CB. But you will... you compared the CB to an i-phone... the i-phone is the number one distraction in the cab of a truck..., NOT A CB.
Click Anywhere To Close
Posted: 13 hours, 55 minutes ago
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Pulled application
I’d be shocked if Schneider did not allow using the phone in an emergency. The situation may prevent parking or moving anywhere. Pull the brakes, shut the motor off and call 911.
It does raise an interesting point…
Even if hands-free, does that lower the distraction risk to near zero? I think everyone is different, but I do understand the policy.
For me, I try to limit the number of calls and definitely the duration while I’m driving. Depending on the task at hand, no calls at all; like inclement weather or negotiating a tight situation on a job site or customer. Common sense (where have we heard that before?)
But I do believe if given an inch, some people will take a mile. So…I understand the intent of the policy. I’m sure statistics and insurance cost played into this. Is it a reason to work at a company other than Schneider? IMO, for a rookie, no.
I’m old enough to remember when there were no cell (mobile) phones… in an emergency, a life saver, otherwise…