Comments By The Little Trucker

Congrats on getting your cdl! I actually just went through Swift orientation in Denver this week, so if you're wondering exactly how it goes here check out my description of it under the "cdl training journals" section of the forum. Mine should be near the top. Did you go to school in Arizona or at USTDS in Colorado?

Wow, thanks and congrats to you, too! I attended USTDS. I moved back to Colorado because I had better luck with trucking companies, so I decided I didn't want to travel to Phoenix when I just got here. Plus the recruiter told me USTDS has waaaaayyyyy smaller classes, so there's more one-on-one time with instructors, which I find to be important when learning how to operate giant 18-wheeled, 80,000 lb missiles that are a million times my size and could kill me and anyone else in a heartbeat.

USTDS was a great school with amazing instructors. I learned tons. Did you go to Phoenix or USTDS? And I am about to go read your training journal right now. Thanks!

Dang that's awesome! Yeah I went to USTDS and liked it a lot, but I went to the one in Pueblo...I'm guessing you probably went to the one in Denver? I saw you're staying at a hotel--you don't happen to be in the one just down the street from the Swift terminal?

I went to the US TDS in Wheat Ridge, which is close to Arvada. Also, as we speak I'm staying in the hotel close to the school in Arvada. HOWEVER, on Sunday I will be moving to the hotel right down the street from the Swift terminal. Crazy how things work out!

Dang that's so crazy! I won't be here by then. I just got off the phone with my mentor who says we should be leaving in the morning. Good luck at orientation!

Good luck on the road! That was quick. You just finished orientation! It's good to know Swift moves fast!!

Kurt, I agree with the others on trusting the training you got. And you're right about them only teaching you enough to pass the test. That's really all they were supposed to do. Your trainer is supposed to take those very few skills you now have and put the finishing touches on them. It's like this instructor at the CDL school Swift sent me to likes to say: "We just teach you enough to get your license and make ya dangerous! It's up to your company to do the rest!"

Congrats on getting your cdl! I actually just went through Swift orientation in Denver this week, so if you're wondering exactly how it goes here check out my description of it under the "cdl training journals" section of the forum. Mine should be near the top. Did you go to school in Arizona or at USTDS in Colorado?

Wow, thanks and congrats to you, too! I attended USTDS. I moved back to Colorado because I had better luck with trucking companies, so I decided I didn't want to travel to Phoenix when I just got here. Plus the recruiter told me USTDS has waaaaayyyyy smaller classes, so there's more one-on-one time with instructors, which I find to be important when learning how to operate giant 18-wheeled, 80,000 lb missiles that are a million times my size and could kill me and anyone else in a heartbeat.

USTDS was a great school with amazing instructors. I learned tons. Did you go to Phoenix or USTDS? And I am about to go read your training journal right now. Thanks!

Dang that's awesome! Yeah I went to USTDS and liked it a lot, but I went to the one in Pueblo...I'm guessing you probably went to the one in Denver? I saw you're staying at a hotel--you don't happen to be in the one just down the street from the Swift terminal?

I went to the US TDS in Wheat Ridge, which is close to Arvada. Also, as we speak I'm staying in the hotel close to the school in Arvada. HOWEVER, on Sunday I will be moving to the hotel right down the street from the Swift terminal. Crazy how things work out!

Paul W., this was very helpful! I attended the USTDS in Wheat Ridge and I had some of the same problems you had. Like you, we encountered snow which affected our practice time on the dirt pad as well as our time on some of the maneuvers. I also, only got one chance to practice alley docking and I never got it down without hitting any cones. Luckily, I got the blindside parallel parking on my test so my instructor didn't even care about the alley docking. One issue I did have at the school was having to switch instructors. The first one I got was yelling at us about everything. Also, when we were practicing driving out on I-70 E and he would tell us to change lanes if we tried to look before changing lanes he would yell "Don't look just do it! I wouldn't tell you to change lanes if I hadn't already looked for you!" There were other similar issues, but I just ended up requesting a new instructor. Once I did, they fixed everything and put me with the best ones that they had! Also, we were originally supposed to be on the 16 day program but they changed it to 17 days instead because Swift didn't want to pay for Sundays anymore. Believe me, having Sundays off just about saved my life. There was so much knowledge and skills to develop in just 10 hours, plus we would be sent back to the hotel with chapters to read and work sheets and other homework. I would have been burned completely out if I had to do that for 16 days straight.

Congrats on getting your cdl! I actually just went through Swift orientation in Denver this week, so if you're wondering exactly how it goes here check out my description of it under the "cdl training journals" section of the forum. Mine should be near the top. Did you go to school in Arizona or at USTDS in Colorado?

Wow, thanks and congrats to you, too! I attended USTDS. I moved back to Colorado because I had better luck with trucking companies, so I decided I didn't want to travel to Phoenix when I just got here. Plus the recruiter told me USTDS has waaaaayyyyy smaller classes, so there's more one-on-one time with instructors, which I find to be important when learning how to operate giant 18-wheeled, 80,000 lb missiles that are a million times my size and could kill me and anyone else in a heartbeat.

USTDS was a great school with amazing instructors. I learned tons. Did you go to Phoenix or USTDS? And I am about to go read your training journal right now. Thanks!

Oh, and Good luck Dan B. from PA. I think sleeping in a moving truck is just a part of how things are. But remember that it, just like being stuck in a small space with a stranger, is only a SMALL part of how things are and it too shall pass. It's only like 6 weeks or so, sometimes less depending on the company you're with. Try to find a way to sleep. Talk to a doctor or something and see if they have any suggestions. If this is something you really want to do you'll figure it out.

Thanks, but I’ve been in the same body for 50 some years now and I know I will not be able to sleep. I’ve been like this since I was a little kid and can remember probably from the time I was 4 or 5 years old being unable to sleep in a moving vehicle. I’ve flown probably close to 1 million miles and never slept. Probably the same distance in cars, trains, etc.

As far as a doctor, they might be able to give me something to knock me out, but I think that also presents a safety issue. I am definitely interested in driving but I know my limitations and this is an issue I don’t think I can overcome. I’m going to search for something where I can be ‘trained’ on local runs, but if I can’t find that I am not going to waste the time or money on a CDL course.

I’m also wondering ……. if I am being trained, how well am I being trained when the trainer is sleeping?

BTW – my last job was in Afghanistan. I had bullets, RPG’s, and rockets flying over my head. I toughed that job out, but I’m not sure I can make this one happen.

Dan, when I mentioned a doctor I wasn't necessarily referring to medication. Maybe a doctor might know some tricks you haven't tried. Maybe they can send you to a sleep specialist. Doctors understand the body and how it works. Their job is to find out why a person's body is doing something or behaving in a certain way. If you can't even sleep during a 35 hour flight or after getting hammered, there could be underlying problems. Since you served your country (thank you for that service btw), maybe it's symptoms of ptsd. They might recommend therapy or a different diet or meditation or some new trick the public doesn't know about. I have a friend who used to be an insomniac and hated meds so he refused to take them. He got a different doctor who suggested a sleep number mattress and a Delta Sleep System designed by some guy named Dr. Jeffrey Thompson. It supposedly using sound frequency to do something to your brain's delta waves or something like that. He found out there is a whole science dedicated to sleep and people have many strange conditions that are solved in weird unconventional ways. My friend was able to sleep perfectly after that. I figured if you talked to your doctor he or she may suggest something not involving meds that just might do the trick. It's worth a shot, don't ya think?

Congratulations LittleTrucker, and welcome to Swift! Good for you!

Meant to extend well wishes earlier but I got caught up in work activity,(Walmart DC is crazy busy this time of year). You should be very proud accomplishing something that is unreachable for many people. OK to be a little nervous, but hopefully the excitement of your achievement will quickly overcome your angst.

A couple of quick thoughts to add. To the best of my memory (and it's fading), formal orientation really lasts 2.5 days, you are assigned a mentor after lunch on Wednesday. You will basically meet three people; your orientation instructor, your driver development manager (more on that in a moment) and your finally your mentor. Although much of orientation is rather dry, it's not automatic. It's an extended, informal job interview. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders (from the posts I have read) so you should do fine, just be aware of the added incentive to project a positive and professional attitude. The driver development manager (DDM) is the person you will work with for mentor assignment. You have some input to this process; smoking or non, male or female, etc. Your DDM is your primary advocate and direct manager for you once the road with your mentor. They will check-in with you periodically once you are on the road and by all means contact them if there are any issues that require intervention. When you meet your mentor, it's also your opportunity to ask them questions regarding their experience and how many students have they trained, etc. This 6 week partnership is important to your future success so it's important that there is a reasonably good personality fit with this person.

That's about it. Best of luck and let us know how you are doing and if any questions, you know how to get answers.

Safe travels!

Thank you so much for the congrats and the helpful info. I have the next few days to just kind of chill at the hotel so I'll be on here a little more often. Geez, I remember back when I first came to this site. I was so nervous and yet excited about the whole idea of it all. I had no clue what company I would work for or how to start my career in the trucking industry. And now here I am, after the guidance of everyone and asking some questions. I still can't believe it. I'm sure that this is just the 'honeymoon' phase as they say and that sometime later on I will be asking "What the H**L did I get myself into?!" But for now, I'm proud of the hard work I did to get here and I am excited for what's to come. More than anything, I am happy to be able to contribute to an industry that has literally given us everything. And Brett, if you're reading this, thank you for creating this website. Without the help I've gotten from this site and the wonderful people on it, I doubt I'd be where I am.

Oh, and Good luck Dan B. from PA. I think sleeping in a moving truck is just a part of how things are. But remember that it, just like being stuck in a small space with a stranger, is only a SMALL part of how things are and it too shall pass. It's only like 6 weeks or so, sometimes less depending on the company you're with. Try to find a way to sleep. Talk to a doctor or something and see if they have any suggestions. If this is something you really want to do you'll figure it out.

My name was invoked, again! I'll let it go, this time.

Here's my Swift Orientation & Mentor Training link.

The first day is filling out forms, and, I think, another cup of pee. And that waiting.

The second and third days are real learning days. Swift policies and operations, basic hazmat (no, it doesn't help get you qualified.) Swift safety practices, etc. This all goes about a day and a half. The final part is you get to meet your mentor.

From there, it's get on the truck because you're OTR now. A bit of personal orientation from your mentor and then you start your 50 hours in-the-seat Drive time. Your mentor gets to sit in the passenger seat watching you and teaching you how to drive for that 50 hours. I think my mentor got bored. Pretty much at that 50th hour point, your truck switches to team operation and you're on your own while your mentor is in the sleeper berth. By then you shoulde able to handle the truck on the road. My mentor always got out at shippers and receivers and watch the backing. (You need to have at least 40 documented opportunities to back the truck to a dock.)

Thanks for the info. I think people keep bringing you up because you're top notch at your job, you're very knowledgeable, and you, of course, drive for Swift which a lot of people go for or plan to go for. You seem to have a lot of insight and wisdom and I think I'm not the only one who can see that. So think of it as more of an honor if someone brings your name up. :)

First day is a drug test, some paperwork, some videos and slide shows. Second and third days are the same except the drug test. The whole thing could be done in a day if it were organized. The last day you get a driver number and meet your mentor. When you drive is up to him or her.

And, CONGRATULATIONS! !!!!

Thank you both for the congrats. When I tell you it was not easy, I mean that. I am proud of myself and excited for my future. But if orientation could be done in one day, why isn't it? Because I was informed that they pay you for two out of the three days of orientation, so it seems to me it would be in their best interest to make it a one day ordeal. Furthermore, if you're sitting somewhere watching a bunch of videos instead of driving, you're not making them any money. I don't know, it just seems like it's not in their best interest to spread some videos and paperwork over the course of three days when they can do it all in one. And how many videos do you need to watch? One on safety and one bragging about their greatness and benefits seems like enough, you know?

I guess in the end, it doesn't matter too much because I have what many others that I know don't right now--a job!

Today, I passed my CDL licensing test. It was 3 hours long and boy was it nerve-wracking! Tomorrow, I turn my paperwork into the DMV and get my license. I have a few days of rest and then Monday I start a 3 day orientation. What do you have to do at a job orientation that takes 3 days? Also, they say once orientation is up you will instantly be getting on a truck with a trainer. What should I expect? Is it normal to be nervous? Do you drive your first day? What happens?