My Experience at the Swift Academy >>> Corsicana, Texas

Day 3:

I was so sleepy. But I got up and made it to the hotel lobby in time for some apple juice & waffles. I knew I'd need my energy for this day and I was right! We began straight backing this morning. It was freezing outside. The wind wouldn't stop blowing...and it was so miserable. But anyway, enough about the weather. We got in the truck (International ProStar Eagle). Did our 7 step air brake checks...one by one. Then, it was time to get moving. I chose to go last of the 3 ppl in my truck. Finally, I got in the seat and my mind went blank. My good buddy Adam was right there yelling the steps to do what I needed to do. I made it to the front, from the back of my straight backing lane. The instructor was extremely kind. He got in. Looked at me. Smiled and said. Its ok. Relax. You can do this. I had the jitters really bad. But the instructor put me at ease and after that, I was straight backing like a pro for the rest of the day and I never hit any of the orange cones.
By the afternoon, the sun had appeared and it warmed up tremendously. This made my day so much better. Everyone kept telling me how well I was doing. We did straight backing all day. So much so, no nervousness was left. If you put me in a truck right now and told me to do this, there would be no hesitation. So making a long story short, we have an evaluation of it coming up tomorrow. Then we are gonna start coupling and uncoupling followed by the beginning of our 90 degree backing or something like that. I'm still excited. I didn't get to drive the Volvo, but the International didn't treat me too bad either. That's all for today folks!

 

Commuting everyday will be very draining on you. I don't recommend that you do it. It does take up your whole day. Class starts at 6am. Your day ends there at 5pm. When school ends for the day, you really only have time to shower, study, eat, and crash. Your day will begin early. The bus picks you up by the hotel lobby by 525am. At 531am, he pulls off. So be up there no later than 5am if you want breakfast. It isn't much, but its food.
Good Luck!

 

Day 4:

The studying load gets heavier and heavier everyday. I'm struggling to get it all in...but I'm not giving up. No way!
Today we got evaluated on our Straight Line Backing. I got a 5 out of 6. It could have easily been a 6, but I panicked. How crazy is that? Anyway, we went through PTIs today (Pre Trip Inspections)...a 45 minute one at that. It has to be memorized and commentated. Man oh man... Then we were shown how to couple and uncouple a trailer. It seems easy enough. I need to retain to memory and be able to commentate the 7 Step Static Air Brake Test and the Pre Trip Inspection...I declare I will do my best to conquer these two things. I think the rest will be easy enough...that is until we go on the road and actually drive in real Dallas traffic!

Hey, its gotta happen eventually anyway right?

Well, that was my day in a nutshell.

 

Day 5:

This day we teamed up in trucks in the back on the range. The previous practice was done in the front lot. Well, we began offsetting. I was like "Oh Geez"... before lunch, I did really good. After lunch, I had lost it. Lol! I have no idea what happened. Some actually started the 90 degree turn...(backing in a right degree angle). Most of the day was spent outside on the range, logging hours, and going over pre-trip.


Day 6:

Well, today was draining. We were put in trucks alone and had more time on the range. We went over a full pre-trip and 7 step air brake tests before we got in our individual trucks. Warning...the clutch can be a booga-bear. My knee is killing me right now. But its all gonna be worth it in the end. I just need to stay focused and not stress over it.

 

6 Day Recap:

Long story short. I have been to tired to even get on the internet these last 6 days. So here's a recap. Lots of evals were done...including 7 step static air brake, pre-trip, 90 degree backing, same side parallel, etc. There was alot of practice going on on the range, drama in the class, etc. Alot of hard work, practice and teamwork going on. My knee is swollen from all the clutching I've been doing, but I'm doing it still even though last week, I wanted to quit. Then I thought, I've come wayyy too far to give up now. So this is what it is. This day is a half day for us. We will be doing our 34-hour reset. I'm so excited. I need more sleep and to put some ice on this knee. For those who have been following this thread, I promise to do better with keeping up with it. If you have any questions just ask.