Swift Training Academy - Corsicana, Texas
Topic 17006 | Page 3
Congratulations.
Keep on Truckin' ... (Can I say that?)
Thanks for the great info! headed there in a couple of weeks myself!
Krytter (Rich T) wrote
Thanks for the great info! headed there in a couple of weeks myself!
Welcome to the forum Rich...
Please take a look at the following links:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road Training Program
All three are designed for candidates about to enter a school and will undoubtedly assist and enable your preparation in passing your CDL permit exams and setting realistic expectations before turning the key.
Good luck...we are here to help.
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.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
This topic has the following tags:
Swift Transport Advice For New Truck Drivers Attending Truck Driving School Blood Pressure CDL Training Company Sponsored CDL Training Reports From CDL Training Truck Driving Orientation
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
Day 12 and 13 -
I missed an update just because we’ve been so busy on the road. On Tuesday we headed out to Lancaster, Texas to get fuel and to check out Swift’s Lancaster terminal. Man was that place huge! We didn’t stay long as we had a lot of driving to do but I can’t wait to come back for orientation. After fueling in Lancaster, we headed down to Waco, Texas to practice driving in that city, since this is where the DPS test is administered. We also stopped for lunch, then headed back toward Corsicana for more in-town and highway practice before rounding out the day with offset and parallel backing practice.
Today, Wednesday, November 30, 2016, we headed back to Waco at 6 a.m. for our DPS road tests. The tests consisted of straight line backing, offset backing and parallel parking as well as and pre-trip inspection , in-cab inspection, air brake test and a DPS road test. You do your pre-trip inspection first. The way you do it is based on an automated system at DPS. You will either have to pre-trip the engine compartment and coupling, the outside of the cab and the fifth wheel, the trailer, or the entire combination vehicle from front to back, top to bottom. I lucked out and had to do a full pre-trip on the entire tractor and trailer. This took quite a while, but I passed (the examiners are not allowed to tell you how many you missed or what your score was, only pass or fail). After this, you do your in-cab and air brake inspection. I passed both of these as well. Then, you get to do your three backing maneuvers. I passed those too. Then, on to the road test! This is a combination of city streets and highway driving, although you spend way more time on the city streets. This also includes an emergency stop and all of the steps associated with it. It was pretty intense, but I passed, as did my one other classmate that tested with me. For the two of us, we were at the testing site from 7:30 a.m. until about 3:15 p.m. Plan on being there the entire day and make sure you bring some drinks and snacks.
That’s it! The Swift driving academy in Corsicana, Texas is very fast paced and like I’ve said before, you need to STUDY like you’ve never studied material before. Also, have an open mind and listen to what your instructors are telling you. They’re telling you things for a reason and you most likely will not pass if you cannot take instruction and criticism. Now I get to go home for a few days and be back in Lancaster on Monday morning!
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Combination Vehicle:
A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination 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.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.