Starting My New Journey With Swift Transportation

04/10/2023 - Day one of CDL Training.

Today was very full. I woke up bright and early at 0530. Grabbed some hotel breakfast and hopped on the shuttle with all my new classmates. We arrived at the terminal early. There seemed to be some miscommunication. Everyone, including the hotel believed that class started at 0700 when it really started at 0800. So, there was a long period of sitting around. I encountered my first blunder.

I left my medical documents at the hotel. I thought that we needed them when we went to the DMV. I felt pretty stupid for it, and felt even worse when the training coordinator chastised me and then made an example of the other students who had forgotten it. That didn't feel great. But, it reminded me that I need to harness my previous thick skin that I have been told is needed for this business.

Once that was out of the way, it was time to learn. We spent most of the first half of the day taking the English language test, going over class expectations and general pep talk yakkity yak. Then we broke for lunch. It was nice to be at a real terminal and to see the coming and going of the drivers throughout the day.

After lunch, we finally got into some CDL general knowledge items. The entire class is done by an instructor over Zoom. He was very engaging and ensured us that he will teach us the knowledge that we need. I am pretty confident I will soak up the information. It is not the written I am worried about, it is the behind-the-wheel stuff that I am nervous for.

Overall, today went well. I have noticed some communication issues that are slightly concerning. I won't go into them too much, but I already knew from prior research that these issues happen, especially at Swift.

I am looking forward to spending a whole day learninf tomorrow. I hope to check in with you all on the updates. My written test is on Thursday, so I hope to update you before then.

Abiding Monkey wrote:

Overall, today went well. I have noticed some communication issues that are slightly concerning. I won't go into them too much, but I already knew from prior research that these issues happen, especially at Swift.

Day 1....

What you know firsthand is 1 day old. What you read is unchecked and unvetted internet fodder. Anyone with a cell phone can write a bad review on any trucking company. I suggest you revisit the above statement in about 1 month. Although I'm not going to completely disagree; I am of the opinion it's a student's primary responsibility to gain and maintain clarity of understanding. If you are not sure, ask. If you didn't hear, ask for it to be repeated. If you think you are sure, confirm your understanding by feeding it back to whoever gave you the instruction. Be your own advocate leaving nothing to chance.

Understanding, then following and executing instructions is fundamental to safe and efficient operation in this job.

FYI, I was trained by Swift and drove for them almost 9 years. Zero regrets on either experience. Do not let yourself get sucked into the negativity of the peanut galleries that typically attend truck driver training. Rise above it.

Good luck.

Abiding Monkey wrote:

Overall, today went well. I have noticed some communication issues that are slightly concerning. I won't go into them too much, but I already knew from prior research that these issues happen, especially at Swift.

Day 1....

What you know firsthand is 1 day old. What you read is unchecked and unvetted internet fodder. Anyone with a cell phone can write a bad review on any trucking company. I suggest you revisit the above statement in about 1 month. Although I'm not going to completely disagree; I am of the opinion it's a student's primary responsibility to gain and maintain clarity of understanding. If you are not sure, ask. If you didn't hear, ask for it to be repeated. If you think you are sure, confirm your understanding by feeding it back to whoever gave you the instruction. Be your own advocate leaving nothing to chance.

I completely understand. I didn't want to make it seem like it was a big issue. Swift is a huge company and sometimes things get lost in translation between departments. It happens. They weren't even that big. My comment was more a stream of consciousness and that was just an observation that I made based off a few different minor experiences. The company I came from was also very large, so I am used to it. No harm in goin' with the flow.

Overall - as I had stated - it went well and has been going well.

Thank you for your feedback.

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. I went into the DMV to take my written tests on general knowledge, air brakes, and combination vehicles on Thursday. I passed all three on the first try. My instructor was very informative and entertaining and was really good at giving us the information that we needed.

I was able to come home for the weekend. It was really nice to see my family and relax a little bit.

I start the ELDT program on Monday and then off to driving school. I'm getting closer.

Keep us posted on your progress man!

I may bump into you Tuesday afternoon. I’ll be rolling in there to Fontana. I’ll be the only flatbed in there with 2 vans on a flatbed trailer. With an American flag flying from the headache rack. If you see me stop by and say hi.

I may bump into you Tuesday afternoon. I’ll be rolling in there to Fontana. I’ll be the only flatbed in there with 2 vans on a flatbed trailer. With an American flag flying from the headache rack. If you see me stop by and say hi.

I hope to see you. I will be out and about every hour or so as they have us on break, I'll be the guy vaping clouds that are obnoxiously large.

04/20/23

The last week was very slow up until today. We have been doing the ELDT program and boy is it slow! Today is the last day before we ship out.

I have been worried all week about the logistics around me leaving to school. I came to Fontana with my motorcycle and have been trying to figure out what to do with it. I spoke with the training managers here and they spoke with some people at the Jarupa Valley terminal to allow me to leave my helmet and riding jacket with them. That's one hurdle down.

The training manager also gave us our assignments today. At first I was going to go to Memphis, TN. That sounded so cool. I was very excited. Then he told me I'd be leaving Saturday morning instead of Sunday morning. I had planned everything at home with leaving on Sunday. I have to remember that I have a family at home that I am emotionally responsible to.

I was able to switch with another student and am now going to be flying out to West Valley City, UT on Sunday morning. I am excited for the new journey, and I can't wait to actually start on the trucks!

Thank you all again for the motivation and kind words.

Good luck with your next phase. Being away from family will be a challenge for everyone involved if you haven’t done it before. Try to take it “one day at a time”. Don’t fixate on how long you will be away.

Good luck with your next phase. Being away from family will be a challenge for everyone involved if you haven’t done it before. Try to take it “one day at a time”. Don’t fixate on how long you will be away.

That's what we've had to do. It's gonna be tough! Thank you for the encouragement.