Swift Richmond, Va. Advice For A Female Headed To Training.

Hey TT, I hope everyone is doing well. I'm headed to Swift's Driving Academy in Richmond VA on the 28th of this month (Sept), and I was wondering if you all could give me a bit of advice. It would also be helpful to connect with someone who has gone through the Richmond Academy as well.

Things like: What to expect the each week. What happens after graduation. How to cope as a female driver/trainee. How long will I be training during the day. (i.e. Hours) etc.

This site is great, and I'm sure you all will have some great advice.

Thanx in Advance,

Qwa

I start there the 22nd

I THINK they are 11 or 12 hour days monday though saturday. It starts at 6am not positive then it ends

I start there the 22nd

Oh wow, SWEET. We may bump into each other. And I think they're about 12 hours as well, I'm just not sure.

Well best of luck to you both!!!!! I may also be going to Swift only in Arizona.

Well best of luck to you both!!!!! I may also be going to Swift only in Arizona.

Good luck to you 2. Hope to see you out some day...

If you haven't started already, get in to that High Road Training Program starting tonight and get as far as you can as possible.

Don't flirt. Don't flirt with teachers or students. Don't dress provocatively. Don't allow anything to even appear close to romantic. Barriers up. Not even an appearance or illusion of you and a guy liking each other. This job belongs to you and you're there for you. Be professional. If you have to cry out of frustration when you're having a bad day or whatever, do it in your room alone. You're kinda' one of the guys now but in some ways, kinda' not. If you don't understand something, ask. There might be things, terms whatever, that you don't know but the guys might, just because guys get exposed to stuff a little more than we do. I didn't know what a bushing was. I asked my instructor right then and there, after he'd shown us a pre-trip inspection. I looked him straight in the eye and let him know I was genuinely interested. He looked back at me, straight in the eye and answered respectfully. It was very cool. Be interested in the material. Some of it's really cool. I'd always wanted to know what a Jake Brake was. We watched a video on it. It was genius! We watched a video on differentials. Really cool, scientific, engineering type stuff. Get into it. Be part of the group. Sometimes you may think you're asking a dumb question. Ask. Others will appreciate it. Maybe they were afraid to ask.

In the world of male-dominated professions, you almost have to do better than they in order to be accepted. I'm not saying compete with them but be sure you're at the top or close to the top of your class and always do your best. A lot of times, the females can be a great source of morale for the guys. They'll see you do things that are pretty tough and they'll think, well if she can do it, so can I and they go out and try. I've usually found most men in groups like this to be very respectful and supportive. They take us "under their wing" just a little and they're proud of us. As often as you can, volunteer to do as much as you can. The more hands-on, the better. You'll learn more by putting yourself out there. Be enthusiastic. Pull your weight and show that you're a team player. Don't be the lazy chick who makes the women look bad. I know you won't. I just know that sometimes women let the men help them out. Don't get ticked off at the men for offering to help with stuff - they only do it out of habit but just politely let the guys know, hey, it's all good, I got this, thanks.

Remember, everything you say and do, in your on- and off-time, is being observed and noted. I'll give you an example. I had commented to some people during my training at my last company that I was tired. In the 4th week, I switched over to the night shift for line-haul and I fared pretty well but had made this comment and it got blown so far out of proportion, I was appalled. Couldn't believe it. It made its way all the way to the terminal manager and he questioned me on it. Unbelievable. I thought in normal conversation, people often talk about being tired. Holy cow, I got lectured on how sleep was my responsibility, and we expect you to use your free time wisely, lalala, and I thought no s***. I was doing all that. It's just that they took that comment way too far and misinterpreted me. Sheesh. You can be responsible about your sleep and still be a little tired but this was way out of proportion. Be careful what you say and to whom.

You may find some instructors don't like women in this profession at all. Sometimes, you'll run into prejudice because of this. Don't get sucked into it. Stay professional, don't be intimidated, do your very best, try to keep a little distance from these types, don't bother trying to change their opinion, you never will, just concentrate on doing your very best, and get past these types without letting them interfere with your goals to be the best you can be. Don't give them any reason to find fault in you. Don't ever be late for these types, don't be disorganized in front of them, have all your ducks in a row, and get passed them as best you can. You'll feel it. You'll know which ones they are. Don't tell them anything personal about yourself. Get through it with them and graduate.

Attitude, attitude, attitude. If it's consistently a positive mental attitude, you'll do well. You'll make mistakes. Learn from them and move on. You may have instructors push your buttons, bark at you, upset you. They're doing this on purpose to see how you can handle stress. Steady as she goes, stay strong, and don't let the small s*** get you down. You can do it. Go with the flow and if today's a bad day, it'll be over soon, get through it without hitting anything, get to bed, and start all over again, tomorrow. Don't b***h or complain about anything at school, to your classmates, or teachers. If you have to blow off steam and complain about stuff, get online and do it here. We'll support you all the way. Let everyone at school see that you have your act together and if you fall apart, do it here, so no one at school sees it. Most of us have already been through what you're about to do and we're all here to help.

If you have any questions, need advice, need to complain, - we got your back, Bam-Bam!

Good Luck!

-mountain girl

What MG said I have never been one to write books on here so Ill just say this respect yourself and keep a positive attitude. This job is hard to learn at first. Afterall its not just a job but a lifestyle. Stay focused. Its a rollercoaster out here. You have ups and you have downs. Learn from the downs. Dont harp on them. I tell all of my girls. If you are struggling before you go to sleep at night think about your day. All the stuff you did right and wrong. Think about ways to make yourself better and implement them tomorrow. There is no right way to do this job. There are a million ways to do one thing. Only thing set in stone is DONT HIT ANYTHING. Everything else is subject to interpretation. Ive never been one of the guys. Im girly girl to the max and im out here doing it. If I can so can you. Good Luck. If ya need anything Im a pm away. And thats for all of yall.

Girly-girl/tomboy all in one, over here.

Yep. Red Gator's awesome. Her trainees are really lucky to get to learn from her. She's a great source of support and input. I like the "respect yourself" mentality. I'm keeping that one close to home.

-mountain girl

Did swift teach you how to drive stick or you already know and maybe do u know by any chance if swift will teach thier drivers how to handle manual properly