Swift Academy - Richmond, VA - My Experience Begins

My mentor is a good one. He's new to the mentor racket, but I still learned a lot. I didn't say much because it wasn't a first time experience for me. I think that may have been part of the reason I was matched with a rookie mentor. Truth be told, we taught each other more than we expected.

As far as the time goes. IMHO I think that for some 200 hours is woefully insufficient. Just the aspect of going from a 15 to 20 foot long 6 foot wide vehicle to a 70+ foot long 8 to 10 foot wide monster is a shocker and the realities of maneuvering one through some of the truck stops ... let alone some of the ridiculously tight shipper and receivers ... takes some real life practice. I would say that just about any trained chimpanzee can steer one of these down an empty interstate. But take it to Brooklyn, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, or any of the larger cities and that's where your skill and patience gets tested to the extreme. It's these skills that require the most diligence in a trainer ... I think. And we haven't even mentioned backing skills yet.

The mentor should be involved in determining the amount of real world training a new hire requires. As we all know you can't squeeze every human into the same nice neat engineered and calculated box.

Now as to the mentors, as I said mine was great. We got along, and that's sometimes the toughest part. The most important thing to remember is your mentor is allowing you into their home away from home. They are providing you with a means to fulfill the requirement that Swift needs before you get a truck of your own. Most are willing to teach you .... most ... and most are good people. That said there are some things that you may have to put up with in some degree, and some things that you just have to swallow and learn to live with.

Some mentors lack personal skills, and some lack personal hygiene habits. It's not personal, for some, it's just the person that they are. The reality of the job is that sometimes ... like I am today .... you're going to be stuck in a dirt parking lot with no shower facilities near by and toilet facilities that are dubious at best. (In my particular case ... the one sit down stall has NO DOOR) This is not a 5 star job where you get pampered and taken care of ... if you're expecting that my advise to you is to RUN AS FAST AND AS FAR AWAY FROM THIS AS YOU CAN!!!! For those of you that are a little tougher with a thicker skin then you may have found your new home ... only you can judge. Can you deal with two or three showers a week while with your mentor? Can you deal with someone that is nervous around you while you're driving for the first week or two (Can you really blame them?)? These are questions that easily effect the experience that you have or don't have while with your mentor.

Please, please, understand that you DON'T HAVE TO BE THEIR SLAVE. You are not there for the sexual amusement (this has gotten people fired by the way). They get paid for all the miles that the truck runs. You get paid hourly. I think that this is only right to compensate them for their personal risk in taking on someone that may or may not have been able to fake their way through CDL school and the tests that are NOTHING like the real world. Still, you are supposed to work together during this time to get your training done. The first 50 hrs is considered Super-Solo. This means that YOU will be operating the truck like it was YOUR OWN with your mentor acting as your guide and supervisor. During this time they are supposed to be in the passenger seat paying attention to what you're doing and helping along the way. From Hour 51 to 200 you are assigned team loads and are expected to work accordingly. You will most likely be working nights while your mentor works days. You will be responsible for pickups and deliveries on your shift as your mentor will be on theirs. And it's these 150 hours that can really test your mettle. I found it difficult to sleep while the truck was barreling down the interstate. Partly because I was being bounced around the sleeper like a jack rabbit on crack thanks to the wonderful roads we have in this country.

Being with a Mentor is a completely different experience than anything else you've done in your life ... and it's different still for each student. And no they're not all bad by far. There are a few winners out there, but for the most part the mentors are just hard working folks that miss their families as much as you will.

Hope that helps a bit in your decision. Until next time ...,