Comments By Michael B.

Friday 16 September 2022 Day Five at Swift Driver Academy

Today our instructor Charles told us our schedule for the next three weeks and three days. September 19 through 23 (Monday to Friday) we will attend what Swift calls its Entry Level Driver Training in the academy’s other classroom. September 26 through 30 (Monday through Friday) we will be outside on the pad to learn what we will need to know to pass our eventual pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control and road tests. October 3 through 7 (Monday through Friday) we will be outside to practice the learned skills to pass those three tests. The next week, we will take our CDL tests on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, which are October 10, 11 and 12.

Charles had some suggestions about how to study for and pass the pre-trip inspection test. He emphasized it is an oral exam, then said this: “If you don’t hear your voice when you read that pre-trip inspection, you’re gonna have problems.” He meant two things. First, he wants us to read it out loud – actually hear our voices – when we study the material. Second, it’s gotta sound like WE are the ones who came up with the narrative. It needs to really be OUR story we are telling to the test proctor.

During our breaks from class, we often sit outside and watch students who are ahead of us in this process practice and or test on basic maneuvers. That’s basically backing, be it straight backing, offset backing or parallel parking. Those are the only skills on that part of the test. Today we watched a student who was struggling to parallel park. Charles gave commentary while we watched. “The agreed upon process does not change,” he said. “Things go wrong when we insert ourselves into the agreed upon process. Follow the process. See how that works out for you.”

The academy teaches backing in a specific way. The student was not following the process. Their resulting failure was predictable.

Inserting myself into an agreed-upon process is a habit I’ve been working to break since I met Charles on Monday. My opinions, my experiences, my emotions, and even my curiosity, have absolutely no bearing on what Charles needed to teach me this week so I could pass my permit tests. On day one, we agreed to a process for our first week at the academy. The process was we would be taught and discuss nothing more and nothing less than what was required to achieve that goal. I kinda laughed when in our first hour together Charles told us, “I’m not here to tell you trucking stories. I’m only here to give you correct information so you can pass your test.” He absolutely stuck to that. And we students learned not to ask questions about anything but the material in the manual. The agreed-upon process produced the result we all wanted. We all passed. Imagine the instructional time we might have lost if Charles had not strictly observed our agreed-upon process. Hearing trucker stories can wait. He knows that much better than we do. Smart man.

By the end of the day, the circus tent was halfway down, and the driver appreciation week party was done. I felt pampered, spoiled and appreciated during my first week in the Swift family. I look forward to more agreed-upon processes so I can learn the things Swift wants me to know so I will pass my CDL tests in October.

Thursday 15 September 2022 Day Four

I arrived early at Swift so I could stop by the driver appreciation week circus tent and get a soda as a pretend breakfast shake. Diet Pepsi has lots of protein and fiber and vitamin C, right? So refreshingly healthy at 7 am!

There are new trucks (tractors) parked outside the tent, and I was admiring a shiny new 2023 Kenworth when a woman walked up from behind the truck and said, “This thing is brand new! Never even had a trailer on it!” I wanted to know how she knew that, so I asked. She pointed out that the fifth wheel was greased but under that, clean as the day it was installed. And the catwalk was spotless. No grease, no grime, no rust. Perfect. That made sense. New truck! I asked if she was a driver and she said yes. I told her I was on day four of the academy. She said she was in my shoes back in June. So she’s really new!

I asked if she was getting the miles she hoped for and her energy changed completely. She said no. Then came a list of additional disappointments she’s experienced since getting off her mentor’s truck. It was a little depressing. Swift’s trucks don’t go fast enough (governed at 65 mph, but everybody already knows that). Academy tuition reimbursement doesn’t REALLY happen until the end of your second year (yep, I signed that contract!). Backing is still such a nightmare that when a yard dog offered to park her trailer for her yesterday, she gladly dropped it and left (That is a major fear for me, but I am trying to make that less major for now, since I’m not even driving yet). The electronic communications device used for dispatch in her new solo truck often does not work, and once when it did, she was sent the wrong address for a receiver (not that hard to double check on your own if you take the time to plan your trip). Her driver leader/manager apparently takes hours to return messages, and when they do, there is little to no empathy for what the driver is going through (Only you can manage you!). I felt her pain, but man, after five minutes of that, I excused myself and went to catch my shuttle bus to the academy. Doom and gloom first thing in the morning on the day I get to take my CDL learner’s permit tests? No thanks!

We got to class and Charles, our instructor, made us take out all the documents we needed to have at the DMV (Arizona calls its version the MVD). We all had what we needed, so we loaded up in a 15-passenger Ford Transit van and set out for testing. We tested West of the academy, in Goodyear, Arizona, at a MVD that only offers Commercial Driver Licenses. What a great idea! No appointments needed, just show up. Walk in, take a number, present your documents when called, pay your twenty-five bucks, and boom, you are testing.

While we waited for our numbers to be called, I figured I would click through a few practice tests just to keep the info fresh in my mind. But the lobby was noisy. Lots of loud ringtones, followed by shouted private conversations happening in a very public place. The one screen of practice questions I answered about air brakes, I failed. Now I was getting nervous about the real tests. I put my phone away. Stick to the plan, man. All you gotta do is read every question twice. Read all the answers twice. Eliminate the wrong answers and choose the best one from whatever’s left. Stick to the plan.

My number was called, I presented my documents, paid my fee and was assigned a testing station. It’s all digital these days, and I took a seat at Station 8 as directed. No mouse. No keyboard. And nobody told me the computer monitor was also a touch screen. So I sat there for a minute wondering what the heck I was supposed to do. Finally, I poked the monitor and it welcomed me with a list of names, only one of which was mine. I poked my name. Then it welcomed me by name and told me what was gonna happen. Did I want to take a practice test before the real thing began? Nope, let’s do this. And so we did.

Having spent three days listening to the CDL manual as presented by Charles, it was a shock to hear a robotic female voice saying things I’d only heard from the silky smooth baritone of my trainer. Completely devoid of emotion or expression, Electric Barbarella read the question and the three multiple-choice answers on offer, then expected me to answer. No eye contact. No empathy. She could not care less whether I passed or failed. I wanted Charles! Charles cares if I pass or fail! It took three or maybe even five questions before I just tuned out the robot and read the questions and answers myself. In the voice of Charles, of course.

I got through all three tests, only missing a couple of questions on each. Yay hooray! It made my day! In fact, just like I predicted last night, everyone in our class passed. What a great feeling!

I’ve accomplished one of my goals related to earning a CDL. I passed the written exams for the learner’s permit. I realize today is just one small milestone in a long journey, but it matters to me that I celebrate this.

At the end of the day on my way to my car, I stopped again at the circus tent to get some dinner to take home. And I saw that dreary driver I’d met first thing in the morning. She’d slept. She’d spoken with her driver manager, and she was about to head home to Tucson for some days off the road. She seemed 100 percent better, was smiling even. Just a reminder of how bad days don’t last forever.

Aww, thanks Old School! I'm reading a few of your posts about how drivers can be proactive instead of reactive w dispatch to get more miles. I'm appreciating your wisdom. Nice to meet ya!

I'm enjoying your diary Michael. It's really well done so far.

Wednesday 14 September 2022 Day three at Swift Driver Academy, Phoenix, Arizona

Today we finished covering all the info that will appear on our three learner permit tests. After that we reviewed some of the sections just to reinforce what we’ve learned. Tomorrow morning, after we get to class and get clocked in, our permit test day will begin. Our instructor, Charles, will confirm we have the necessary personal documents for our permit tests, then take us to the DMV (here in Arizona it’s actually the MVD). Once there we will take three written tests. The tests are called general knowledge, air brakes and combination vehicles. Each test requires an 80% correct score to pass. Anything under 80% is a fail. If we fail any of the tests, we will return the next day (Friday) and take the failed portions again.

I don’t want to jinx it, but I feel very calm about the tests. Are the stakes kinda high? Yes. Any failure would be a setback. But I don’t think I will fail any of the tests. We may well have literally been taught the answers. I won’t know for sure until I take the tests. But more importantly, we were taught to think. We were taught to read each question twice. And to read all the possible answers twice. And to ask ourselves regarding every answer, is this a true statement based on what I’ve learned from the manual. I think everything is going to go really well tomorrow. I’d wager we will all leave the MVD with our permits.

Rewinding the day a bit, we all had lunch on the company again because we are still in the midst of the annual on-site party that is Driver Appreciation Week. When I got to the front of the lunch line, I was asked by a familiar face behind the buffet line whether I wanted a hamburger or a hot dog. That familiar face was Ken McBee, who I’ve seen several times online in Swift company videos. His candid comments on driver life at Swift are one of the reasons I chose this company for training and for work after graduation. I’d like to be part of a company where senior leadership is approachable. That is exactly how he seemed. Senior Vice President of Driver Retention is his title, but today, he was just one of many company volunteers, handing out food to hundreds of drivers to thank them for their work. It’s hard not to appreciate a guy who slings burgers and dogs for others during his own lunch break.

I also got to meet Kort Chase, who appears in some videos with Ken McBee. Kort is the vice president of recruiting at Swift, and he really stands out in the videos for his high energy and positive attitude. I recognized him immediately when he walked into the giant tent where lunch was being served. I walked up and introduced myself and thanked him for the videos, because, again, they really helped me choose Swift. He was gracious and kind and spent several minutes with me, asking me about my experience so far with the academy. I told him all my expectations have been exceeded, and that my trainer, Charles, is the best I’ve experienced in several industries. That made him smile real big. Like me, Kort is a big Charles fan.

It’s been a whirlwind three days at the academy. I’m excited about tomorrow’s tests. These are the baby steps we take to begin an epic journey. I’m ready for my next steps.

13 September 2022 Day two at Swift Driver Academy in Phoenix, Arizona.

Yesterday we learned about air brakes, also known here in Arizona as Section 5 of the state CDL manual. Today we covered dang near everything else for the tests we will take two days from now to get our permits. In one content-rich day, we reviewed Section 1 (Introduction), Section 2 (Driving Safely), Section 3 (Transporting Cargo Safely), and Section 6 (Combination Vehicles). I’m guessing sections one, two, and three all qualify as “General Knowledge.” We’ve definitely already covered Air Brakes and Combination Vehicles, which are the names of the other two tests we will be taking on day four of the academy. Some of the info is common sense (release the accelerator if your vehicle starts to skid), but some of it relates to things so specific to trucking that I have no experience with (air leakage rate test for combination vehicles should show less than three psi lost in one minute). Our instructor reminds us often that we are learning a new language together. At the very least, I’d say we are adding highly specialized vocabulary!

We have already lost some students from our class. Apparently, if you don’t stay beyond day three, you are not required to pay any of the tuition. So they are off the hook financially, but it makes me wonder what might have made them change their minds after just one day. I guess everyone has their own path. I’m gonna stay on this one.

Driver appreciation festivities continued today, as they will all week. Today it was BBQ beef and or tacos at lunch. We are getting spoiled for sure! I even scored some swag today, when I took a trucker cap from the Freightliner booth. All it says on it is Detroit. Meaning Detroit Diesel, a Daimler AG company. Daimler also owns Freightliner and Western Star, and even Thomas Built Buses. One of my classmates is from Detroit, and she got a hat as well.

I continue to be impressed by our instructor, Charles. He’s got a few sayings, and I’m gonna try to collect and share some of them so I don’t forget. After he introduces something new to us, and he’s done talking about it, he says, “Anybody got any questions about that?” We hear it several times per day. Sometimes several times per hour. And any time he shares insight from his nearly 20 years as a driver and trainer with Swift, he tells us he has just given us foresight on a (insert day of the week). Yesterday his tips and tricks were “Foresight on a Monday.” Today they were “Foresight on a Tuesday.” Guess what it’s gonna be tomorrow?

Charles continues to push us to think of our long-term purpose for learning what he’s teaching because we are going to use what we learned about air brakes and skid control in real life, pretty darn quick. “You can’t just know the answer for the test,” he said. “You have to know the whole process for your career.”

And that, my friends, is foresight on a Tuesday.

12 September 2022 First day at Swift Driver Academy and I am really happy. Our trainer is named Charles, and if any of you experienced drivers came up through Swift in Texas or in Arizona, I bet you know who I’m talking about. He’s a real character! He’s been training for Swift in the classroom, on the pad, and as a mentor driver for many years. What I love about Charles is he forces us to think for ourselves. We spent most of our first day learning about air brake systems. Toward the end of the day, he guided us through an air brakes practice test. We all did really well, and it’s because of how Richard teaches. He does not just teach us the correct answers, he insists we think through all the answers in the multiple choice questions to prove for ourselves why the other answers are wrong. This is super smart. I’ve found my first Swift mentor. Richard is a rock star.

A quick breakdown of the day. I arrived at the Swift headquarters and parked between Building 11 and the Jake Brake Cafe as instructed, and waited at the nearby shuttle pickup to be transferred to the school. Several other students were there when I arrived. A man in an oversized golf card rolled up and asked us if we wanted a ride to the academy since he was headed that way. We all hopped in. The driver was an instructor at Top Gun, another training program at the Phoenix headquarters. He told me he’d been with Swft more than 30 years. Now that’s longevity! It was a pleasure to meet someone so accomplished.

The academy itself is a pretty small building. It has two classrooms, a break room, administrative offices and restrooms. We clock in and out by scanning the bar codes on the back of our state-issued driver’s licenses. We had breaks every hour, and each break was 10 minutes long, except for lunch, which was a full hour. The classrooms are set up with long tables that seat up to four students each. Each student station has a Chromebook (baby laptop) that we use to take tests and to follow along with instruction given by Charles. Some of the students in our class attended virtually, from Utah and Montana. I think there were only 8 or 10 of us actually in the classroom in Phoenix.

Our class had the good fortune of starting during driver appreciation week, so lunch is provided by the company every day this week. Yay! Today I chose a turkey sandwich, along with fresh fruit and potato salad. After lunch, it was more air brake instruction, followed by that practice test. A little before 5 pm, we all clocked out and boarded the shuttle bus. Some of us were dropped in the lot where our cars were parked, while others stayed on the bus to be dropped off at their hotel.

Charles said we’re all headed to the DMV on Thursday to take our written tests to get our learner permits. I’m so excited to be on this somewhat fast path to a driving career, and very grateful to have an instructor like Charles.

Hello Anne & Tom! I am so glad to hear I'm joining a family and not just an employer at Swift! Thank you for following along. I predict a "long, strange trip" in my "Truckin'" adventure!

9 September 2022 Today was my last day of work at my non-CDL job. For my next job, if all goes well, I will be a driver with Swift Transportation! My Swift Driver Academy experience begins in three days, on Monday, September 12. So my first week at the academy happens to be Trucker Appreciation Week!

My boss at the job I left today is also a friend. He’s concerned I chose Swift, because he’s heard negative things about the company and its drivers. He has trucker friends and they send him memes about Swift every once in a while. I told him this is something I’ve been researching for a few years, and that I am aware of Swift’s image problem with some in the trucking community. I told him I chose Swift because I believe it is the best local option for aspiring CDL drivers in Phoenix. He’s also concerned about the tuition I will have to pay back if things don’t go as planned. I told him how things go is almost entirely on me, and that I am committed to making them go as planned. I will do whatever needs to be done. This is my new direction. I am eager to learn what the academy has to teach and look forward to the grand adventures that are sure to follow.

Good luck, good sir!

I've been following also; you've gotten TOTALLY sage advice above, not much to add, but for... Ditto, PackRat & G'Town.

As a 19 year driver he is, my other half has NOTHING negative to say about Swift, quite contrary. The naysayers, the jokesters have already moved on; heckling others, and still lacking 'their' CDL's .. of course.

Follow this new direction with all the willingness you've got within; you'll be fine, from reading your above!

Best wishes tomorrow plus; embark, enjoy, and encompass!

~ Anne & Tom ~

ps: Excellent read. Following, as well.

PackRat I appreciate the input. I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities to let stuff people say roll off my back.

Search the internet long enough and your former boss could find negative memes for any company.

Swift gets a bad look from some because they are the largest truckload carrier in the USA. Most trucks, most seen. Be prepared to hear more from ignorant souls.

9 September 2022 Today was my last day of work at my non-CDL job. For my next job, if all goes well, I will be a driver with Swift Transportation! My Swift Driver Academy experience begins in three days, on Monday, September 12. So my first week at the academy happens to be Trucker Appreciation Week!

My boss at the job I left today is also a friend. He’s concerned I chose Swift, because he’s heard negative things about the company and its drivers. He has trucker friends and they send him memes about Swift every once in a while. I told him this is something I’ve been researching for a few years, and that I am aware of Swift’s image problem with some in the trucking community. I told him I chose Swift because I believe it is the best local option for aspiring CDL drivers in Phoenix. He’s also concerned about the tuition I will have to pay back if things don’t go as planned. I told him how things go is almost entirely on me, and that I am committed to making them go as planned. I will do whatever needs to be done. This is my new direction. I am eager to learn what the academy has to teach and look forward to the grand adventures that are sure to follow.

Hi G Town! Thanks for the link in your note, I decided to go read the book. Ingested the whole thing in one sitting. Took a few hours... and I'm even more excited about this career path!

Welcome Michael.

Have you read this: Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving

You must stay positive; never allowing the lows get you too low and the highs getting you too high. Even keel, even temperament at all times.

I attended Swift’s Richmond Academy January of 2013… drove for Swift up until September of 2022. I was a Double Diamond driver on a Walmart Dedicated account in the NorthEast region. No regrets, would choose the same path if I had it to do over. Loved it.

What can suck is if you dwell on the negative and gravitate towards those who ooze of it. Stay away from the negative people who are there because they thought it was something to try. People fail at this because of both false expectations and a lack of commitment.

You will learn to back and it will frustrate you, possibly for months. But listen to the instructors and think about what you are doing. Use your freetime wisely by studying, even studying in groups with like minded students.

Check-in here frequently… we’ll do our best to help you.

Be positive my friend!!! You are embarking on a potential lifelong journey. Enjoy the ride.