Update On My Quest To Trucker School

Well ladies and gents. I have been accepted to Swifts Driving academy. I will be leaving for school July 28th. I'm super excited but also a little nervous.

If any of yall can give me some good advice it would be greatly appreciated, I'm going into this with no experience but a very open mind. Please give me advice like what I should take with and tips to get me through the schooling. This career in trucking is literally life breaking change for me and my wife so it's super important for me to make it through. Thank you so much.

Well ladies and gents. I have been accepted to Swifts Driving academy. I will be leaving for school July 28th. I'm super excited but also a little nervous.

If any of yall can give me some good advice it would be greatly appreciated, I'm going into this with no experience but a very open mind. Please give me advice like what I should take with and tips to get me through the schooling. This career in trucking is literally life breaking change for me and my wife so it's super important for me to make it through. Thank you so much.

Jason...congrats! You're a step ahead of me so pat yourself on the back. When you read everything about trucking and the lifestyle change and the challenges, etc, etc, etc...its bound to make anyone nervous. Bottomline....as I've learned over the years...keep a clear head and stay focused on your goal. Take one thing at a time and I'm sure you'll do great.

Well ladies and gents. I have been accepted to Swifts Driving academy. I will be leaving for school July 28th. I'm super excited but also a little nervous.

If any of yall can give me some good advice it would be greatly appreciated, I'm going into this with no experience but a very open mind. Please give me advice like what I should take with and tips to get me through the schooling. This career in trucking is literally life breaking change for me and my wife so it's super important for me to make it through. Thank you so much.

Congrats. Maybe I'll see you there. I have my app in now and just waiting to here back. Ill be in the refresher course but might just see ya there. Good luck

I'll be attending a school just outside Atlanta . I'm hoping to meet some awesome class mates so we can help each other through the schooling.

Jason, and many others here, here is some advice...

1. Research, research, and then research some more! Ask plenty of questions so that you truly understand what you're getting into. You cannot do too much research, in my opinion.

2. Don't pre-judge the school or the company. Rumors abound on the internet, and then again at school. Remember, if people are happy with something, they tell one person. If they are unhappy, they tell between 8-10 people. And that statistic may have come before the internet. Now one disgruntled former employee or student can easily spread their news to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or more people. I heard so much trash about the school I attended, I was SCARED. But the training I received seems to be truly top-quality.

3. DO NOT LIE on your application!!! I cannot stress this enough! That seems to be the NUMBER 1 reason why people are thrown out of school. Be completely honest about any medical problems, criminal background, work history, infractions on your driving record, etc. They WILL work with you if you are honest. If not, you will be gone. The next most common reasons for leaving school seem to be a lack of general preparedness, the understanding, or an inability to perform the required tasks/skills.

4. Study like crazy and learn everything you can before you get there, the curriculum is extremely fast-paced! If you come there with some knowledge, you will be ahead of the game. Start by using our free High Road Training Program!

5. Do your best to have everything at home, plus all your finances and the required paperwork, in order before you leave. The recruiters are overwhelmed sometimes too, and complications can arise. But that will be less likely if you try to straighten everything out before you arrive at school. And you don't need extra worries to distract you once you get there.

6. Go there with a strong, positive attitude and a good work ethic. Do your best to be respectful, cooperative, humble (in spite of any previous experience) and grateful to be there. And don't forget to keep your sense of humor. People with bad attitudes also seemed to disappear from school.

7. Be prepared to learn fast, fast, fast and work hard, hard, hard! Try to stay calm and focused, take lots of notes, listen carefully and soak up the information as best you can. If you don't understand something, ask questions. Remember, everyone else there will be feeling just as tense and anxious as you may be.

8. If you're feeling overwhelmed, that seems to be common. You may doubt your ability to get through it, or you may begin to question whether it was a good decision in the first place. This is a normal reaction, but it will pass. You may be surprised what you can accomplish! Lots of people struggle all the way through but, from what I understand, very few of them are sent home as compared with those who are leaving for other reasons.

And lastly..

Really try to enjoy and take advantage of the last of your freedom at home. Rest up, relax, enjoy yourself. Save as much money as you can before you go. There are unknown expenses and it will be a while before your paychecks (once they begin) will reflect your hard work, especially if you're paying off the tuition for the first year. Try to enjoy school. It is a very unique, special enterprise that you will likely remember for the rest of your life. Don't forget, you are lucky to be there!

Good luck man!!

I really appreciate all that advice . I've learned not to listen to all the things people say. One thing I'm worried about is weather or not I'll be able to absorb all the info they will feed me. I know swift will take good care of me at their school. I'll just go in and try my best.

I won't say it'll be easy but thousands of people before you have done it, so shouldn't you be able to?

You can do this. Go in there and do the best you can! Its a ton of information to absorb, but that's why preparation in so critical. You need to go there way ahead of the pack. You absolutely must study or else you're setting yourself up for failure.

Lastly, here's a good tip. Observe the others in your group. You'll easily identify the ones who won't make it. They're probably complaining or not taking it seriously. Distinguish yourself from that group, you don't want to be labeled as one of those losers. Only surround yourself with the good students and leave the bad ones alone. The entire orientation and training is an interview. They don't hire whiners.

Do your best. And you better be on the High Road Training Program or you're already selling yourself short.