Going to the TN Academy this month...

Just got the go-ahead to make plans to go to the Academy in TN. Just wanted to know what other Swift drivers have gone through it and their opinion.

Wife and I already got our DOT long forms, but I hear about having to go through a physical at the Academy? What's up with that? Drug test I get, but what's the extra physical all about or have I heard scuttlebutt from other drivers (shock horror gasp!)

Really looking forward to starting our careers with this company, from everything we've researched, they seem to be pretty decent.

 

Wife just set me straight - apparently some states don't require a DOT physical before school and can do so at the Academy. Wife and I have our long forms from a company approved location so we're good to go.

So with that out of the way...anyone have opinions and feedback on Academy training in TN, mentor program or the company in general?: )

 

Yeah, I agree with you 100% on this. One of the reasons we picked Swift is because they seem to have a pretty high load ratio to drivers. That tells me they should be able to keep us busy.

I'm just curious what any drivers who have gone through the Academy training think about it - and you're all welcome to PM me if you don't care to say it in here.

 

Thank you for the compliment.

Several mega-carriers do have a decent load to driver ratio by the way...Our choice was decided over several factors, though:

1) Coverage of training. Although my wife and I have CDLs and up-to-date DOT physicals, that means nothing since we've been off the road for six years. Both of us agreed a refresher course at minimum, full school at best would be a wise choice for us. Also, we didn't want to have to shell out $7k for the two of us to go through a school before getting hired on. Granted, that would give us a wider choice, but we're on a tight budget as it is just to pay for the food, cover our rent and bills during the time we're in training and on the road before we get a real paycheck.

2) Load to driver ratio. If they've got a lot of drivers sitting, why would they want a couple more? If we can't make the wheels turn, we can't make the money, no matter how motivated of a driver I am.

3) Maintenance program. Same reason as #2.

4) Coverage area. We don't want dedicated runs that cover 3 whole states that you get to see every single day. We want to hit all 48.

5) Forced dispatch. It's a bad idea. No company should have it. 'nuff said.

When we added everything up, Swift stood out over the others. They're willing to train without a penny out of our pocket up front (critical) they have a good load to driver ratio, they have a reliable maintenance program, they run all 48 without forced dispatch.

Last but not least, we liked the look of their trucks. Decent logo and they seem to have a nice variety of equipment.

Of course, the bottom line is how they treat their drivers and I'm sure just as most mega-carriers out there, your mileage will vary on this factor from driver to driver.

 

Thanks for the feedback driver. I'm looking forward to getting back out on the road.