Swift Training Academy Contract?

Big T wrote to Ryan:

Have you made sure the company you are going to hire on with will accept Swift's program? There are several companies that will hire inexperienced drivers, but only if they went through an approved program.

Swift's training is the required, minimum 160 hours that the larger and secondary carriers require. Their tests for graduation are more difficult than most state CDL tests, especially for backing. You will get a certificate from Swift once you pay-off the debt and if you pass the CDL tests, I see know logical reason why they (your future company) would not accept their training.

As of April, neither Crete nor Schneider would accept students from the program in Fontana, CA. They will accept you if you finish the school and then get four months experience (for Crete, I do not remember Schneider's requirement). Crete has a list of approved schools, and unfortunately there was not an approved school in California. Crete did not even accept Road Masters graduates out of Fontana. Covenant would accept from Road Masters, but that was their only approved program in Southern California.

This may only be an area specific problem, but it is still worth checking into when someone is not planning on going with SWIFT following school.

Big T wrote:

As of April, neither Crete nor Schneider would accept students from the program in Fontana, CA. They will accept you if you finish the school and then get four months experience (for Crete, I do not remember Schneider's requirement). Crete has a list of approved schools, and unfortunately there was not an approved school in California. Crete did not even accept Road Masters graduates out of Fontana. Covenant would accept from Road Masters, but that was their only approved program in Southern California.

This may only be an area specific problem, but it is still worth checking into when someone is not planning on going with SWIFT following school.

That's news...did not know that, otherwise I would have responded accordingly. So...yes, now I agree, Ryan definitely needs to validate this.

Crete has a list of approved schools, and unfortunately there was not an approved school in California.

I don't know what Crete's policy is, but they have something unusual going on. It might have to do with California state laws or something, I'm really not sure. But they do have odd limitations on where they'll accept students from. So you really can't go by that company. Good company, but they aren't representative of how most companies operate.

And a lot of companies won't take students straight out of company-sponsored programs only because they figure if you quit the company that trained you without even getting any experience then something's probably wrong there. They figure you're going to quit them first chance you get, too.

In fact, companies like Wil-Trans and Jim Palmer won't accept anyone that has even spent a day at another company's school without completing it because they figure you're not going to be around for long with them, either.

All of the company-sponsored schools are excellent schools. Their training is solid. That's not the concern. The concern is over a driver who would immediately quit a company and start looking elsewhere before they even get a few months on the road with their first company.

Wil-Trans:

Darrel Wilson bought his first tractor in 1980 at age 20, but, being too young to meet OTR age requirements, he leased the truck out and hired a driver.

Through growth and acquisition, Wil-Trans now employs over 200 drivers, and has a long-standing partnership with Prime, Inc. to haul their refrigerated freight. The family of businesses also includes Jim Palmer Trucking and O & S Trucking.

I'm not trying to be one of those horrible people who use a company and bail out. I have full intentions to pay them back. I have nothing against swift, I just have another opportunity lined up for me. My problem is affording the schooling , I don't know how else I can afford a school other than going to a program like Swift's. They are much cheaper than other places I've found. Roadmasters and TDI both wanted 6000 and I don't qualify for that much.

Are there any community or vocational colleges in your area that offer CDL training? A community college or vocational college will be a lot cheaper than a private CDL institution. Also since a community or vocational college has other education accreditations you may be able to get grants and/or take student loans.

Are there any community or vocational colleges in your area that offer CDL training? A community college or vocational college will be a lot cheaper than a private CDL institution. Also since a community or vocational college has other education accreditations you may be able to get grants and/or take student loans.

There is one place that I know of but it is a couple hours away, and I don't think they help with lodging.

I'm not trying to be one of those horrible people who use a company and bail out. I have full intentions to pay them back. I have nothing against swift, I just have another opportunity lined up for me. My problem is affording the schooling , I don't know how else I can afford a school other than going to a program like Swift's.

Ryan, none of us are accusing you of being a bad person. What we're trying to convey is that this is a bad plan. When a person wants to do something to improve their situation in life, they should take those steps with a prudent approach that will most likely produce the desired end result. You keep telling yourself you can't do this, or you can't do that. Because of that type of thinking you have convinced yourself that you are going to have to somehow "game the system" to get to your end goal.

How do you plan to pay Swift the money, if there is no way for you to save and pay for a private school? Look, I completely understand about being broke - I've been there many times. Are you aware that many states have programs in place to pay your tuition for truck driving schools? Several of our members here got their start that way. That is certainly an option you should look into. You are letting yourself be run over by what I sometimes refer to as the "tyranny of the urgent." That is a tyrant that will always lead you in the wrong direction. You need a good sound plan to get your CDL , and your training certificate. The one you are flirting with is not a keeper.

Consider this... Swift spends an astronomical amount of money on their training programs. They do that for one reason and that is to put drivers in their trucks.

Are you aware that the company which has agreed to hire you will only hire you once you can produce your training certificate from Swift? When do you think you will get that certificate? They don't hand them out on graduation day. You get that certificate upon completion of your contract, or if you bail you'll get it after paying every last cent of what they say you owe.

So how much can you pay them per month? If it's something like three hundred dollars a month, then it will take you a little more than a year to pay it off. No one is going to hire you with no experience and a CDL that has been stale for one full year.

You have got to come up with a better plan. This one is going nowhere.

I'm not trying to be one of those horrible people who use a company and bail out. I have full intentions to pay them back. I have nothing against swift, I just have another opportunity lined up for me. My problem is affording the schooling , I don't know how else I can afford a school other than going to a program like Swift's. They are much cheaper than other places I've found. Roadmasters and TDI both wanted 6000 and I don't qualify for that much.

It's not a matter of being "horrible" or not. There's no etiquette, it's all business/money. The "horrible" part is when someone makes a decision without knowing all the possible results, and how the decision will affect their future career.

The most affordable schooling will be community vocational college. Yes, that class should meet commercial trucking study requirements.

Can you open up a bit to your opportunity? Is it OTR trucking, local, or something else? On Trucking Truth we are willing to advise you on almost anything without judgement.

Just a note. Double, triple check that existing offer.

You wouldn't be the first to be told by family, friends etc. That they're in only to find out that the company in question can't take them for Ins. reasons without 1yr experience.

My fiance is currently a driver for Werner. He has been a driver for 4 years been with a few different companies and we just really like Werner so far, we have had no complaints. His recruiter and the main people up in Omaha have approved everything for us to team already, and for us to train as husband and wife. He is also on one of their best dedicated accounts, that keeps us passing through our home town quite often. We would like to stay with this company. They have offered him incentives to stay with them as a team operator as well. Not many other companies will let him train me without him working for them for a set amount of time, and this dedicated account already fits our needs perfectly. All I need is a CDL and that is my major downfall.