Swift Training In Rochelle,IL

Hi all, I am going to orientation with Swift in Rochelle,IL in 2 weeks. Does anyone have any tips on Swift. i have been told i will leave for six weeks with a trainer after the 2 day orientation. Hoping i can get on a dedicated account eventually. Does Swift have Apu or Inverters? Do they have automatics or just 10 speed transmissions?

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Welcome to Swift! There's a few Swifties here. Yup, you could easily go school -> orientation -> 6weeks road training. Then you might get your own truck, though (I didn't go exactly this route) you might find get a few days to get home.

My mentor asked if I could get on his dedicated. Nope.

No apu , no installed inverter. You can get the 12v plug in kind.

I understand school and road training should be in a manual transmission truck, but chances are your own truck will be an automatic. Don't whine. I'm in an auto now, I kinda like it.

I was thinking of this today: backing practice might have you tearing your hair out in frustration. Happens to most students. But here's a secret: the backing targets used at Swift are one foot smaller in all dimensions than the DOT test ones. So, once you pass Swift's test, the real DOT is more a piece of cake.

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Hi Errol thanks. Do you know anything about the Gary, IN terminal not training presently? It is right near me but my recruiter said they are not training there for now. so i am training out of the Rochelle,IL terminal. also does Swift have Prepass and Ezpass or is that out of pocket?

Hi Errol thanks. Do you know anything about the Gary, IN terminal not training presently? It is right near me but my recruiter said they are not training there for now. so i am training out of the Rochelle,IL terminal. also does Swift have Prepass and Ezpass or is that out of pocket?

There's not necessarily a school at every terminal. I suggest that you drive your car instead of taking the bus. If you do that, be sure to get a receipt for the gas, Swift will pay that.

Drivers do not need to pay out of pocket for anything truck or trip related. Trucks have Pre-pass on them. If you do end up paying tolls or truck items (wipers, oil, etc.) just fax in the receipts, the money comes back on your next paycheck. You'll get all these details in orientation.

Good luck! Post your diary in the first section. Try to give us a count of how many people are in your class every few days. Also the first day - count at the start, count at the end. Your class may lose a few even on the first day.

Ok. thanks Errol i appreciate the help

Thanks Errol for putting the diary of your Swift experience in the forums it really helps. I used the TruckingTruth search for Swift and found so much great information. Thanks again.