Im start school with swift in millington,tn july 29

That's great, good for you. Best of luck and please keep us updated on your journey.

 

There are no DOT standards or requirements for the training of CDL drivers only testing. You can walk into the DMV in your hometown and pick up the study manual, study the manual, pay the fees, and take the test. You will however need a truck to do the road test in and that's it.

Most companies that hire student drivers have a standard which is normally 150 hours from an accredited school. Every company is different so call around to a few companies you are interested in and see how many hours they require.

Why the short course vs. the long course:

Some students already have their class B and have been driving for sometime.
Some students are laid off or unemployed and need to receive min. required hours to find a job and return to the work force.
Some students have jobs and take the longer course to work it into their schedule
Some students want the full training and practice to have more jobs available to them and feel comfortable with the skills

Company sponsored training vs. non-company sponsored training

Their are far to many reasons to explain here why company sponsored/paid training is a very bad idea, if you really want to know there are a lot threads on this web site alone explaining the down falls and horror stories driver have been thru fulfilling those contracts.

So I will explain some of the benefits of attending a non-company sponsored schooling path.

1. Most accredited schools have FASFA and other financing options. Some state labor agencies even have free money.
2. Most schools offer lifetime job placement and normally know who is hiring locally before it is even advertised.
3. Most schools will have you pre-hired before you even finish schooling
4. If you attend a non-company sponsored training you receive all of the tax credits and deductions and NOT the company. Like tuition, books, maps, clothes, pens & pencils, notebooks, cost of a laptop/computer, cost of a printer, ink, paper, cost of the medical exam, permitting fees, meals, travel expenses, etc..
5. Normally you will start with a higher CPM rate than drivers coming out of their own school.
6. Most companies have tuition reimbursement up to $10,000 which is paid directly to you weekly or monthly with no contract.
7. You can leave the company anytime you want because you owe them ZERO!
8. When you are in school you may find you like hauling something different than what you thought or you may receive better job offers. You are not locked into one company for the next 12-15 months so you can do whatever you want.

 

I finished Swift training back in April in Lewiston. I found all the instructors to be very good and take their jobs very seriously. However, there's one thing you need to remember. They aren't teaching you to drive a truck. They're training you to pass your CDL test. They'll even tell you that. I didn't learn how to drive a truck until I went out with my mentor. You won't know a thing about driving until after your training, so keep that in mind (I still don't know hardly anything about driving). You learn how to drive over a long, scary, but fun period of actually doing it. I imagine I won't truly be able to call myself a truck driver for at least a year. I don't say this based on what people say to me, I say this based on actually being out there myself.

Long story short, Swift is good for what they do- getting you a CDL and a starter job. Keep in mind that you have a long road ahead of you (pun intended) and that your real training won't start until you start driving. It's an adventure though, and can be very fun most of the time as long as you keep your head on straight (and on a swivel). Good luck!

 

Good luck to you, I also like jowsuf went to the academy in lewiston, ID. Swift does some things that'll piss you off but just keep calm and don't blow up lol.

 

True. However, FAFSA approval takes months, and is generally not available for the 150-170 hour courses.

True.

I was pre-hired at four different companies before even selecting a school. I had three more pre-hires before graduating from Swift Academy.

True. Also true if you attend company sponsored training. I get to deduct the $3900 for schooling, the $500 for my room, the food, and all other expenses incurred in my training. I don't get to deduct my physical, since the company paid for it.

Swift will reimburse me for my tuition, but that reimbursement is treated as income, meaning I pay income tax on it. Hence, I can deduct it.

Not that I've seen.

SOME companies do. Many pay a lower amount. Some pay nothing. FYI, those companies would reimburse me for my Swift Academy training, as well.

I can leave Swift any time I want to. Yes, I will have school payments, but I would have them if I went to the local tech school.

You are not locked into driving for the sponsoring company. Period. This is the biggest misconception floating around the driver community.

My choice was this:

Pay the local tech school $8000 up front (which meant bank financing with interest), or:
Pay Swift $3900 over the next year with NO interest on the loan.

I read the contracts carefully before signing. There is NO requirement to drive one mile for Swift. In fact, I intended to go to another company straight out of school, but didn't for personal reasons. I will re-evaluate my options after six months of driving.

I was told at least three times by school personnel that there was no requirement to stay with Swift.

As pointed out by others, a school is solely to teach you what you need to know to get your CDL. You could go to a three week school or a three month school, and you will be treated exactly the same at your first job. Might as well get your CDL as cheaply as you can (from an accredited school).

 

Ummmm, yes, and for the tests as well. A good trucker always has a pen, black ink, fine point.

 

Get a notebook and some kind of binder or folder. You'll get some handouts and things you'll need to keep and study.