SWIFT Corsicana, Texas CDL Academy Log

Investigating options and was originally considering Swift but then on the INDEED website I found loads of scary comments like its super easy to get fired from swift. Bad relationship with driver manager and you are literally screwed. The one that really caught my attention was the spycam on the dashboard. Another said Swift does not allow any power inverters, at all. Scratch the truck, fired, show up late, fired, cover the camera, fired. Lots of people stranded for days with no loads causing them to lose $. More people complaining they were only getting 400 (or less) miles per week.

Lots of negative stuff and I am a critical thinker and like to make my decision on my own based on information provided. This forum appears to be decent and not so negative but based on facts. Was also considering CR England but some of the previous posts are suggesting low pay and team driving where I am looking at solo. I like to cook for myself (eating out does not interest me) so if I can use a microwave or a portable cooker then I am in. The spycam has be seriously spoked and my recruiter is telling me I will easily make $65,000 first year. truth or fiction?

Someone please help set me straight.

Sorry for the spelling...

Investigating options and was originally considering Swift but then on the INDEED website I found loads of scary comments like its super easy to get fired from swift. Bad relationship with driver manager and you are literally screwed. The one that really caught my attention was the spycam on the dashboard. Another said Swift does not allow any power inverters, at all. Scratch the truck, fired, show up late, fired, cover the camera, fired. Lots of people stranded for days with no loads causing them to lose $. More people complaining they were only getting 400 (or less) miles per week.

Lots of negative stuff and I am a critical thinker and like to make my decision on my own based on information provided. This forum appears to be decent and not so negative but based on facts. Was also considering CR England but some of the previous posts are suggesting low pay and team driving where I am looking at solo. I like to cook for myself (eating out does not interest me) so if I can use a microwave or a portable cooker then I am in. The spycam has be seriously spoked and my recruiter is telling me I will easily make $65,000 first year. truth or fiction?

Someone please help set me straight.

I will be brief,...need to get back to work. I have worked for Swift for over four years. I am very happy there and never experienced any of the aforementioned calamities. Swift is not perfect, but they are the largest truckload carrier in the world and did not get to that size by sucking or not running their top drivers. They also have the most freight in their system. Most everything negative you read on the internet is either false, is embellished for affect, or one-side of the truth. Most of the stuff on Indeed was written by former disgruntled drivers looking to blame their failures on the company and shirking any and all accountability and/or responsibility for their myriad of rookie mistakes. If you are a critical thinker than you should apply that same thought process to considering the source of the information you read. It's unreliable.

You will read/hear lots and lots of negative stuff in trucking. The only professionals that sling more bull, completely void of marginal proof-of-fact, are elected government officials. You want the unfiltered facts? You have come to the right place.

65k your first year is not going to happen. FICTION. Maybe by the third year you will be at that level. The learning curve is huge, and in the beginning will limit your earning potential. First year of 35-40k is more realistic.

Swift does allow inverters as long ass they are not directly connected to the battery. Must be plugged into the DC outlets. Many of our folks cook in the comfort of their trucks without the use of direct connect inverter. I suggest posting "how do you cook in your truck?" in the general forum and you will get a whole bunch of useful replies.

Type in-cab camera or cab facing camera in the search bar, press enter. There have been numerous and very long debates over camera technology. I suggest you carefully read everything that was written and draw your own conclusion. Without knowing the facts, all of them, it is very easy to draw the wrong conclusion. I for one do not have an issue with cameras, believe they are necessary and support them as a teaching tool, compliance tool, and accident prevention tool. It is not there to "spy" on you...read the threads.

Good luck.

G-Town, Thank you very much for the quick response. Reading the comments on Indeed gave me the impression they were made by disgruntled employees hence needing to find more information. New to this site and will be searching through the threads as you suggested (thank you). The camera had spooked me but need to learn more and thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I was initially drawn to Swift as the school is within close proximity of home (Chicago). Need to talk with recruiter some more about the salary. Cooking in cab, relieved and thanks again!

Thanks again for your help!

G-Town, Thank you very much for the quick response. Reading the comments on Indeed gave me the impression they were made by disgruntled employees hence needing to find more information. New to this site and will be searching through the threads as you suggested (thank you). The camera had spooked me but need to learn more and thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I was initially drawn to Swift as the school is within close proximity of home (Chicago). Need to talk with recruiter some more about the salary. Cooking in cab, relieved and thanks again!

Thanks again for your help!

You're welcome Troy.

Have you seen these links:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road Training Program

Good luck!

G-Town, Thank you very much for the quick response. [...] The camera had spooked me but need to learn more and thank you for pointing me in the right direction. [...] Cooking in cab, relieved and thanks again!

Thanks again for your help!

So I have a truck driving friend with whom I traveled for 3 months as a passenger. He has 17 years of driving experience and is objectively a really good driver. He has worked with, among others, Schneider (where he got his start), Swift (I think he was there the longest) and now PTL.

He left Swift indirectly because of the camera. It does face the driver (and the road, I believe), and my understanding is it triggers whenever a severe "bump" is detected. The idea, of course, is to record in the event of an accident or at the first sign of an unsafe maneuver. But my friend didn't like that, he felt it violated his privacy. Here's the thing: those cameras are currently NOT on OTR trucks. rankly rather than switching companies, he probably should've just switched back to OTR.

Thanks to my experiences with him and his evident regret at having left Swift, I'll be signing up with them in a few months. G-Town is right, it's easy to sh*t on Swift because they are, literally, the biggest (aside from FEdEx UPS and the like). That makes them a frequent sight, but it also means in terms of sheer numbers, as opposed to percentages, you will see more actual mistakes: accidents, bad choices, the occasional dumb person who managed to get the CDL because they didn't act like an ass when studying, that kind of thing. Plus they'll have the largest numbers of plain YOUNG drivers, guys (and gals, I suppose) with potential but who sometimes lose track of what it is they're supposed to do simply by virtue of being young.

It occurs to me we've hijacked bwr's post.. sorry man!How'd it go? You should either have your CDL by now or be close, right?

Do not worry about the hijacking! Yes, last Friday I aced my DPS test in Waco. The Corsicana academy takes its students to the Waco CDL testing site. I did the pilot's test which included everything under the sun. I was relieved it was done. Without any reservation, I one million percent recommend the Swift Corsicana, Texas academy. They took me, a book nerd, and molded me into a safe and functional driver in 17 days. Amazing. Instructors are fantastic! Other cool thing is because I was one of the pilots, my mentor was already waiting for me after orientation ended yesterday. Since 5 pm yesterday I have already delivered a load to Houston and now I am driving a load to delaware! Happy trails everyone!

Do not worry about the hijacking! Yes, last Friday I aced my DPS test in Waco. The Corsicana academy takes its students to the Waco CDL testing site. I did the pilot's test which included everything under the sun. I was relieved it was done. Without any reservation, I one million percent recommend the Swift Corsicana, Texas academy. They took me, a book nerd, and molded me into a safe and functional driver in 17 days. Amazing. Instructors are fantastic! Other cool thing is because I was one of the pilots, my mentor was already waiting for me after orientation ended yesterday. Since 5 pm yesterday I have already delivered a load to Houston and now I am driving a load to delaware! Happy trails everyone!

Awesome, congratulations!

I just realized your thread said where you were, derp! I'm a dweeb. I'm glad you're feeling confident, it boosts my outlook too. Happy trails, be safe!

Jaguwar the cameras are installed on Swift tractors regardless of being an OTR or local truck assignment. Only lease operators get a pass.