Comments By T-Rex

I was in a TA yesterday and got roped into signing up for TVC Pro Driver otr protection. I just wondered if that coverage is legit. I had initially signed up with US Legal when at Swift Orientation but the saleswoman talked a good game and convinced me to switch. If anyone has any experience with them I would be glad to hear about it.

Wish I could help here. I trained with swift but they used a school near my house so I was able to go home each night and pack a lunch so my day to day cost was minimal. Are you going to one of their academies?

Fair point old school

While this may not drastically increase a swift driver's earning potential I'm still happy about it for a different reason. While I was out there training I got the impression that the other drivers from different companies were hell bent on not getting stuck behind a slow swift truck. So a few extra mph might mean a little peace of mind. If I don't have to spend all day with every vehicle on the road aggressively trying to pass me I'll take it.

Thanks again everyone. Passed my tests today! Truck assignment is Thursday morning. I guess I get to change my profile status to rookie solo driver now :)

Thanks fellas! :)

One thing I discovered while I was training was simply cutting back on fluid intake helps. I know that sounds obvious. During my first week I was having to stop a lot more than I would have liked but I quickly realized that I was probably downing too much liquid. Obviously you want to stay hydrated but I found that instead of constantly drinking I would occasionally substitute a drink with like a hard candy or a mint so I could wet my mouth without filling my bladder.

Well it's done... I completed my training with Swift Transportation....200+ hours in the books and I'm set to upgrade tomorrow. Super excited :) very happy to be done with my mentor. He was a good guy and all that but let's just say hygiene was a bit of an issue. I consider myself lucky though with that being the worst thing I had to deal with. In all, it took 4 weeks with a 34 hour restart at home in the middle. We ran hard. Averaged about 2500-3000 miles per week as a noob so I'm pretty proud of that. I feel like if I can build off of that experience and improve from there I'll be fine on my own. I can't wait to get my own truck though. Picked up a mini fridge and a microwave today. Also got a crock pot. Might expand a bit once I get a feel for how much free time I'll actually have to properly cook a meal. Plus I'm waiting to see how much space I'll actually have once I'm assigned a truck on thursday assuming I pass my upgrade tests.

Probably going to running a dedicated automotive route since that's what I trained in. Talked to my mentor's dl and he told me there's a great chance for me to get that route since I trained in it and liked it. Plus it's fairly regional so it's pretty easy for them to get me home if/when I want some home time.

All in all its been a pretty positive experience so far and I'm ready to get out there and see what I can do solo. For now I'm about to go study some macros and get ready for this test. Hope to hear from some swifties about this upgrade test. Anything I should worry about? I've heard it's pretty easy. The written test that is. I'm pretty sure I'll have no issues with the road test.

Just want to take the time again to thank you all. This page has been a massive help along the way. You guys are doing great things here and I look forward to contributing once I get out here and get my feet wet and have my own experience to share.

Pretty much got my dream scenario with the mentor that was assigned to me. He's a super laid back guy, roughly the same age, a sports fan and a father. From day one he basically gave me the reigns and let me run what I could handle. That first night I ran my clock out, pulled into TA with just a few minutes to spare.

I set out with him Thursday night and pulled into flying j this morning with my 50 hours done. We start running team today. Gotta finish this last little stretch to Columbus then out to Boston which I'm excited for. Always wanted to see Boston. Anyways, yeah things are going pretty great. On pace to be done with training in under a month. :)

Fair point Jakebrake. I wasn't really planning on using it until I was on my own anyways if allowed. I wouldn't want to drive my mentor crazy by chatting away on the phone all day haha