Hey all!

I've just been "accepted" to do take my CDL training through TDA, and contract out with Swift, despite what I've heard about them on these forums/elsewhere. Actually if im not mistaken, I read a good thread on this one about peoples experiences with Swift. Im just trying to put myself in the mindframe that, if Im there to work, and I do my job, things will be just fine with this company. Typically when I see someone complainin' about a company on the internet, it's because THEY had a bad experience with them, and it normally isnt j*just the company's fault. Haha.

So, I turned 22 today, so I'm a young guy, and I'll be training here in Sacramento. I come from a family of truckers, my grandfather owned a successful machinery moving company near San Jose, so thats where all of my family learned to drive, and has driven out of until more recently. Unfortunately I wasnt of age to drive or even really work before the company was sold, so I'm looking to get my CDL, and make a nice living, and a career elsewhere, Swift seems to be step one. Im really just looking for some beginner information, anything that TDA might gloss over? Any protips, anything thats not just common sense? Fill me in! Anything helps. Just wanted to say hows it goin', and that I should be browsing around here for a while

Good luck and best wishes as you start out!

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Texas-Nana on the Christmas Road!
(for your own safety get off the sidewalks)

Greetings and welcome!

Good luck - I too will be starting my training soon but at their Lewiston, ID location.

Keep us posted on your progress.

~Jason

Hey hey! Look at the replies haha. Yeah Ill def Update this with everydays experience, once I get behind the wheel, or at least if anything significant happens.

Anyone driving for Swift better post up here! Haha, I want some real life feedback on the company, not I got fired from swift for doing dumb #### comments

I had considered going to TDA as well, however i also met with the folks over at Western Truck School in West Sacramento and decided to go there, partly because I did not want to get stuck with Swift, but I also felt better about the training I would get at Western T.S.

There are other companies out there that I think are better than Swift that offer training courses as well. I think Stevens Transport, Watkins Shepard to name a couple. I am sure others could elaborate on those companies as well.

Also, I didn't like the fact that I was going to be stuck with one particular company for at least 1 year if they trained me and you can still get tuition reimbursement with most training companies out there.

I just started at Western T.S. this week and am going in to the DMV for my permit tomorrow morning, and will start driving next week (woohoo! I can't wait). So far I really like how things are going there, the staff on campus are really cool and friendly, but very knowledgable

Just my two cents worth. Back to studying for me

Good luck!

Hey Java Joe,

That's awesome man, i dont really mind the being stuck so much, Im gonna be somewhere right, hopefully I just get back what I put in you know. A friend of mine moved to LA for cl englund (sp) and hated that company so much he just dropped the keys off and flew back home haha, so Im hoping its not something similar for me. How much are you paying for permit over at that other place, if any, if you dont mind me asking?

Well ive been with swift for three months now and so far so good. Got decent equipment well maintained, and I love driving the volvo its so quiet and pretty smooth compared to the freight shakers. Now I run regional midwest so I get about 3000 miles a week, but most of my trips are 400 to 700 mile trips, usually one trip a day or so. But its different if you run all 48, ran 48 with my mentor for two weeks and we got pretty good miles, we were pushing about 4200 first week and about 4500 the second week. Well good luck with your adventure with swift, and keep an open mind. Oh and one thing if you get a bad trainer, or if he leaves the passenger seat at all that first week or tries to run as a team, PLEASE PLEASE report him so another student doesnt have to go through with that. They are trying to weed out the bad trainers right now and get some decent ones. So just report him and they should get you a new trainer.

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Keep them wheels a spinnin, and the beavers grinnin, IM GONE!!! East bound and down..............

The cost for the four week course at Western T.S. was $3500, although you have to pay a few other fees amounting to around $150 or so, this includes the DMV fees. And the companies that will reimburse, typically will pay $100/month up to $4000 or more depending on the company. If you can front the $3500, then you can essentially get an extra $100/month income or at least that is my optomistic look on it. LOL

I am with you though, I think a lot of people who have problems, generally bring these issues upon themselves. Not all, but a lot.

Hey, brinkj

It's awesome to hear some good feedback, yeah I'm excited about the trucks, I wish I could get an inside view of the Volvo NOW, and now have to wait , take some interior shots and send me 'em haha. When you say if he leaves the passenger seat, or tries to run as a team, what do you mean? I thought he always just sat in the passengers seat, since he getting paid for the mileage we run anyways while hes with us. I'll be running regional 11 westerns - You said you ran 48 with him, is that what they do for that training period? or do you get to pick? Just curious, Thanks in advance for the additional feedback

Yeah I leave on friday so i can take some interior shots and how I got mine set up once I get rolling again. During the training I ran 48 with my mentor and then went midwest regional. Not sure how it works but usually most mentors run 48 but they have some that run regional. Usually dont get a pick its just who's available for a student at the time your ready. Now when I was finished with my mentor they were leary at letting me go regional because of the tight schedules and said usually you should train with a regional trainer if your gonna run regional. But they let me run regional cause I said hey thats what I was hired on for and I hate the eastcoast, plus I have driven otr before so I had a little exp. During your training you will run as a regular solo driver for the first two weeks, then as the trainer gets more comfortable with you, you will start gearing towards a team truck. When I went with my mentor I only had to go out two weeks so first week was solo truck second week was team truck. But youll probably have to go out with a mentor for 6 weeks. Good luck to ya.

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Keep them wheels a spinnin, and the beavers grinnin, IM GONE!!! East bound and down..............