Made It Thru The Swift Academy, WOO HOO
Topic 1503 | Page 1
Hey everyone, I am back. Been a grueling 18 straight days but I made it. Granted I already hade my CDL but obviously needed the refresher. The instructors were great and very patient, they remember what it was like to learn how to drive one of these trucks. I saw some come thru with that negative attitude and guess what, they failed and not once did I hear them admit it was their mistake. Always either the instructors, the equipment, or it was just stupid. One guy was wanting them to put us in one of the new trucks for practice, lmao. There is no way in hell the school is goin to let a bunch of rookies destroy a nice new truck. My advice to anyone getting ready. To attend any company. Sponsored school, leave your attitude behind you, forget what you think you know about driving truck, and just be a sponge. I did even with me having my CDL and you know what? I learned some cool. Stuff I didn't know and better ways of doing things. I start orientation on Monday and Flatbed class right after. Will keep you all posted, drive safe and God Bless the truck drivers
Congrats Sean I will be starting the same class on the 7th of October. I am in the same boat as you as far as having my license,but have to come back home to test out with the state. My recruiter has been pretty good as far as answering any questions and taking care of things, so i'm not sweating 3 weeks of school.He said I'll be in Memphis for 2 weeks then in Greer SC for 1 week with a driving instructor.Best of luck and i'll keep ya'll updated.
Jim O Future asphalt eater
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Yeah, it's amazing how many knuckleheads show up for Company-Sponsored Training Programs. All you can do is avoid em and keep doing your thing.
Congrats on getting through it! Let us know how things go this week.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
Congratulations Sean! Great post! Looking forward to hearing more from you.
Yeah, it's amazing how many knuckleheads show up for Company-Sponsored Training Programs. All you can do is avoid em and keep doing your thing.
Congrats on getting through it! Let us know how things go this week.
Entitlement mentality is a nasty thing. Some people don't get that you have to earn the nice trucks, they're not just going to be given to you. Not until you pass the training at least, I suspect.
You said the instructors were patient and friendly. Do you feel prepared to hit the road, having finished? Were the trucks particularly difficult to work with and you just overcame it while others made excuses, or was it more those people just complaining for its own sake?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Congrats on getting through the Academy!! I am in the same boat as you, sort of... I have had my CDL A for 18 years and have 3 years experience, but I haven't been driving since that time. What kind of refreshers does Swift offer? I haven't contacted a recruiter yet. I was kind of hoping to get an idea what they do first...Thanks
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
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Hey everyone, I am back. Been a grueling 18 straight days but I made it. Granted I already hade my CDL but obviously needed the refresher. The instructors were great and very patient, they remember what it was like to learn how to drive one of these trucks. I saw some come thru with that negative attitude and guess what, they failed and not once did I hear them admit it was their mistake. Always either the instructors, the equipment, or it was just stupid. One guy was wanting them to put us in one of the new trucks for practice, lmao. There is no way in hell the school is goin to let a bunch of rookies destroy a nice new truck. My advice to anyone getting ready. To attend any company. Sponsored school, leave your attitude behind you, forget what you think you know about driving truck, and just be a sponge. I did even with me having my CDL and you know what? I learned some cool. Stuff I didn't know and better ways of doing things. I start orientation on Monday and Flatbed class right after. Will keep you all posted, drive safe and God Bless the truck drivers
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.