Swift Academy Lewiston Idaho, my experience so far

I am currently attending swift academy in Lewiston, ID. Tomorrow will be day 4 of the first week. My class is pretty small, a total of 5 of us on our first week. The first and second days were spent in the classroom. We filled out all of our paperwork, took our drug screens, and took a few tests. So far it has been very fast paced, but also very clear and to the point. They want you to do well and get your CDL, the trainers are very helpful and also very friendly. I already feel like part of the family/team. I was really surprised at how awesome everyone is so far. Do not think you will walk in here and that it will be a walk in the park. You will work hard and learn a lot in a very short time.

Today, day 3, we learned how to couple and uncouple the trailers and practiced straight line backing. We spent several hours driving and practicing.

I highly recommend this academy, my experience so far has been great.

The hotel they put you in is not bad at all. Clean rooms, safe location, and plenty of places to walk for food. They pay for your room but do not assist with food, other than pizza for lunch on day 1 (day 2 for our group due to the holiday). I will try to update everyone as I go continue to make my way through the class. Also, if you have any questions, I'll be happy to help as much as I can.

 

The truck has a little weight in it. I think in total, the truck & load is about 34,000lbs. We went up and down Lewiston Hill. There is another grade, which everyone calls "oh #### hill" 18% grade... That was a lot of fun to go up!

The training has been great. I have 2 days left until my state test. After their training, I'm confident I'll pass with no issues. Swift's tests are harder than the state's tests. I was really surprised at how much I learned in 3 weeks. Lewiston is definitely a great academy to attend.

 

Update.

I graduated Swift Academy today and now have my Class A CDL! Pretty exciting. I had never touched a truck before or pulled a trailer of any kind before attending the academy. They taught me everything I needed to know to pass my state test. I was very impressed with the personal attention and help I received from all of the staff. I highly recommend attending this academy if you're from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, or Montana. They train for all 4 states! The state test took place on their property & for the road test we drove just a few minutes to Washington, drove about 15 miles and returned to Swift's property. The instructors want you to leave with your CDL. My class & the week before had a 100% success rate, nobody went home without their license!

I'm scheduled for orientation February 16. I'll then go on the road with my mentor for 4-6 weeks. After that, I'll go to the yard, pick out a truck, and hit the road solo!