Looking For A Company Sponsored School

Monday I started trucking school at Swift trucking. On Thursday we had 3 attempts at backing in a straight line. I had the truck and trailer at the last cone when the instructer blew his whistle. He said I had crossed his imaginary line. I was not the only one he did this to,so my question is, How do I go about getting a company to sponsor my training and go to work for them ?

Monday I started trucking school at Swift trucking.On Thursday we had 3 attempts at backing in a straight line. I had the truck and trailer at the last cone when the instructer blew his whistle. He said I had crossed his imaginary line. I was not the only one he did this to,so my question is, How do I go about getting a company to sponsor my training and go to work for them ?

I'm sorry this happened. Maybe you could work something out with your Swift recruiter where you could buy your bus ticket back to the academy and try again? Talk to your recruiter, don't give up the ghost with Swift. I will bet that by you offering to pay for your transportation it will show them that you're serious.

Linda, if you can't convince Swift to give you another shot then contact all of the various Company-Sponsored Training Programs and go with another one. This is very common. Almost any of those programs you attend will have students that were previously in other programs. So don't sweat it. Just start contacting others and take another shot at it!

Listen, everyone hits obstacles during their first few months in the trucking industry. Tons of obstacles. For some it's health issues. For others they can't seem to figure out shifting right away. For others it's family matters. Just expect it and deal with it one day at a time. Right now you need to get back into a training program. Just focus on that. Once you're in you'll face new challenges. No problem....one day at a time.

So don't waste any time worrying about what happened. It's not a problem. Just apply like crazy to the other programs and keep moving forward. No biggie.

Monday I started trucking school at Swift trucking.On Thursday we had 3 attempts at backing in a straight line. I had the truck and trailer at the last cone when the instructer blew his whistle. He said I had crossed his imaginary line. I was not the only one he did this to,so my question is, How do I go about getting a company to sponsor my training and go to work for them ?

I'm sorry this happened. Maybe you could work something out with your Swift recruiter where you could buy your bus ticket back to the academy and try again? Talk to your recruiter, don't give up the ghost with Swift. I will bet that by you offering to pay for your transportation it will show them that you're serious.

If I wasn't serious about doin this I would have never applied. I live here in Richmond, so I don't need a bus ticket,I need them to be serious about training me and not waistin my time bein an *******. I thought they were suppose to train you not pull the crap they did on us.

Linda, if you can't convince Swift to give you another shot then contact all of the various Company-Sponsored Training Programs and go with another one. This is very common. Almost any of those programs you attend will have students that were previously in other programs. So don't sweat it. Just start contacting others and take another shot at it!

Listen, everyone hits obstacles during their first few months in the trucking industry. Tons of obstacles. For some it's health issues. For others they can't seem to figure out shifting right away. For others it's family matters. Just expect it and deal with it one day at a time. Right now you need to get back into a training program. Just focus on that. Once you're in you'll face new challenges. No problem....one day at a time.

So don't waste any time worrying about what happened. It's not a problem. Just apply like crazy to the other programs and keep moving forward. No biggie.

I am not willing to go out of state and have to change my license to that state just to have changed back to Virginia

I am not willing to go out of state and have to change my license to that state just to have changed back to Virginia

We had dozens of students where I got trained in Indiana that had to do just that. It's really not that bad.

Monday I started trucking school at Swift trucking. On Thursday we had 3 attempts at backing in a straight line. I had the truck and trailer at the last cone when the instructer blew his whistle. He said I had crossed his imaginary line. I was not the only one he did this to,so my question is, How do I go about getting a company to sponsor my training and go to work for them ?

Linda A. I have seen many cross that line,depth perception is one of the hardest thing to get used to . the best way to concur that is to know where that line is supposed to be and image it in your mind. Swift claims to be one of the best,but i beg to differ.... but if you wish to stay with them,don't give up. But i will give you something to think about: Celadon has their own school right at the head quarters in Indianapolis,In. and has been rated at one of the best in the nation. all you have to do is stay 6 months with them and you schooling is free. they have dorms that they will put you in and all meals are provided. Well Good luck...

I'm curious about the line: where the "dock" would be or off track left or right?

If I wasn't serious about doin this I would have never applied. I live here in Richmond, so I don't need a bus ticket,I need them to be serious about training me and not waistin my time bein an *******. I thought they were suppose to train you not pull the crap they did on us.

Linda, it's understandable if you are upset over what happened, but let me just say that we all have to jump through some hoops to make this happen. I can say these things with some authority since I got rejected three times when trying to start my trucking career. If anybody knows how frustrating it can be to be giving your all, and then have the people who you are hoping will give you a shot send you home, it's me - I was the poster child for rejected truck driver wannabes! I wanted it bad, but kept running into obstacles.

First off I want you to realize that when you go to a Company-Sponsored Training program it's not because they "were suppose to train you", and "not pull the crap they did on us". Your new to the industry, and what you have to understand is that when they invite you to attend their training program, what they are really inviting you to is a two to three week long interview. They are watching you and every other person there for any indications whether you have the qualities that might make a good driver, or whether you might just be exhibiting some characteristics that give them pause about hiring you. That is just how it its, I know this, and see people get themselves sent home all the time while trying to break into the industry. That seemingly innocent straight line backing exercise is their first effort at weeding out some of the folks who they see as either problematic or as maybe those who are going to require extra effort to get them to the point where they need to be so they can be trusted out on the highway with an 80,000 pound giant vehicle. If there is any reason that they might think someone is going to need a lot of extra effort they might not be willing to put forth that effort in that type of training program.

You say you are "serious" about this, but then you make this puzzling declaration:

I am not willing to go out of state and have to change my license to that state just to have changed back to Virginia

Linda, that is a simple act that literally hundreds of thousands of current truck drivers have done because they were "serious" about getting into this career. Well, maybe I shouldn't call it a simple act - let's just say that it is one of the many hoops you will have to jump through to get into this career. I think you should step back and re-evaluate if this is something you really want or if it just seemed like an easy way to get a job because of the demand for drivers. There is a great demand, but the reason that demand is there is because it takes some special people to fill the shoes of a professional driver. If it were simple and easy, with little or no sacrifice, all these driving positions would be filled tomorrow because there are lots of people out there needing jobs.

I don't know your story Linda, or the whys or hows you came to be interested in trucking, and I'm thinking that you are fairly new to this web-site. If you are then I would recommend you step back and do some more research before you try this again. Try working your way through our Truck Driver's Career Guide, and then study up on our suggestions of How To Choose A School.

I don't know what really happened in that straight line backing test, other than what you've told us, and I've no reason to doubt what you say, but I sense from your comments that you weren't really prepared ahead of time for what you were going to face at that training. That is understandable to all of us, and that is the driving force behind what Brett has done here with this web-site. We understand the struggles that people go through trying to get into this career, and we know that it doesn't have to be so confounding to people if they can just get started out with the right understanding of what to expect, and how to conduct themselves when they are in the firestorm of the whole training experience.

So, I'm suggesting that you mark it up as a lesson learned and start again, but this time arm yourself with a little better understanding of what you are up against and how to be better prepared as you embark on this adventure. It's worth every effort you can put into it, but it won't be handed to you with ease. You will go through some very frustrating steps to make it happen, and we will be just as proud of you, as you are of yourself, when they hand you the keys to beautiful American Big Rig and send you off on your first solo run.

You can do this Linda, but you've got to understand what you're facing if you plan on succeeding.

Monday I started trucking school at Swift trucking. On Thursday we had 3 attempts at backing in a straight line. I had the truck and trailer at the last cone when the instructer blew his whistle. He said I had crossed his imaginary line. I was not the only one he did this to,so my question is, How do I go about getting a company to sponsor my training and go to work for them ?

Linda A. I have seen many cross that line,depth perception is one of the hardest thing to get used to . the best way to concur that is to know where that line is supposed to be and image it in your mind. Swift claims to be one of the best,but i beg to differ.... but if you wish to stay with them,don't give up. But i will give you something to think about: Celadon has their own school right at the head quarters in Indianapolis,In. and has been rated at one of the best in the nation. all you have to do is stay 6 months with them and you schooling is free. they have dorms that they will put you in and all meals are provided. Well Good luck...

Thank you, but I am not willing to give up my Virginia License to go to school there but I will consider it