The further adventures of Texas-Nana at the Swift Driving Academy

Right on Nana! I'm happy for you.

 

Good for you Nana, when I went to school (twice) the first was in 87. I had a hard time with the parallel parking. I could help others, but not myself.. I was unable to test as I was in a bad wreck, that nearly claimed the life of my wife. I was laid up in the hospital for a week, she 3 weeks, then months and months of rehab.. When I went back the school was closed because of tax fraud go figure..

Next it was in 05 after loosing my job, and once again parallel parking was my weak link in the beginning.. Once I knew what to do it was simple and hit it every time.. Then on testing day I failed, and I was so disappointed. I retook it a week later and passed on the first try, one pull up.. So If I can do it you can.. Swift academy in AZ sounds like a great school, (very few out there) and when there done with you, you should be well on your way to a great career even though the economy is not doing so hot.. I enjoy reading your post here, and on the other topics..

Yes this is a great place to make friends and gets lots of help or to be able to help others.. Your are considered one of my friends, and glade to have come here to meet people like you.. Now before my post gets to long, congrats again, and keep on knocking those hurdles..

 

hay Nana glad to see you are doing great. And always keep your attitude. you will pass with flying colors. I'm pulling for you and don't worry about the examiner at the dmv think of them as a passenger when your taking your CDL test. Thats what I did and everything worked out great for me. PS: I love your post I read the hole thing. And your right about Swift instructor they won't pass you if you dont know.

 

A bit about the examiners you'll see... Now, it isn't guaranteed that you will get these guys, but they are the consistent ones that show up to do it.

Basically, it will consist of doing your pretrip inspection, completing your range skills, then the short road test.

Things to know and pay attention to during it:

1. During your pretrip inspection, when you get to the cab part, check ALL of the instrument panel lights (not just the turn signal and headlights, etc. that is outlined on the sheet). I personally know for a fact that at least 1 examiner looks specifically for this as a kind of "extra credit" and wants to see it. You don't have to name them all, but simply say the ones on the paper, and then say "and then I would actually check the remaining lights and make sure they are working correctly as well"

2. 7 Step - Don't miss a step. Common things forgotten: To start the truck (yes, I know it seems obvious, but I'm sure they've mentioned it to you by now). Also, the tug test is commonly forgotten, believe it or not. I came seconds away from forgetting it. Automatic fail if you miss a step, and you come back the next day to try again. Don't get upset if you miss something though, because then it will burn into your mind like a beacon and you likely won't forget it again.

3. There are three questions on a sheet that they give you when you start the road instruction week. Learn them word for word. They aren't hard, just sit down and write them out until you can write them from memory exactly word for word. That way when you are asked to answer them, even if you miss a word or two, you will still know the right answer.

4. They will almost always take you on the on-ramp there at 75th Ave. Even if it is a different on ramp, remember the numbers 16'3" or 16'5". Commit it to memory as best you can because you may not even think to look up at the bridge height because you will be so concerned with merging into traffic, using your signals, reading your mirrors, and shifting as you pull out. What they will do is watch your head, and if they see you with your face in the mirror, they will ask you the question (or they may just do it regardless). They just asked "Can you tell me the height on the bridge we just passed under?" I just happened to know that all the bridges on that section of road were like 16 and a half feet or so, so I said "I glanced and saw that it was over 16 feet, something like 16'3" or 16'5" and saw that it was safe to pass under" They accepted this as a correct answer.

5. Read every road sign you see. Read it to yourself until you get into the habit. Practice on the way to the school even, just read every single sign you see. When you go on the road, do the same thing again. When you are doing the exam, they will ask you things like "What is the speed limit on this road?" or "Are we in a school zone?". If you read all the signs, you'll know the answers.


Two of the examiners:

Sandy - He is an older gentleman. He is very consistent and, honestly, kind of like a robot in the sense of how he conducts his examination. Just be very thorough and try to do your absolute best with him. He isn't a mean guy at all, and is pretty nice for the most part, but I don't know if it's his age or that he is bored, or that he just takes his job so seriously (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, considering what you are testing to operate), but just be nice and don't let him intimidate you. If you are first on the list to take the test, you will likely wind up with him.

Jose (I believe was his name, but it make have been Julio) - This was the examiner I had. He is a latino guy, obviously, and wears a cowboy hat when he comes in. This guy is super nice, and he is very laid back when he does the examination. By far, I would say hands down, this is the absolute best examiner to get. He will take you through the range skills, then you just go out for a ride. With him, just keep your cool, pay attention to your turns, and you should be fine.


As far as road instructors... I would strongly recommend getting Jerry (the older guy always in a red cap). He was my road instructor and was probably the best case scenario road instructor I could imagine. He was very even tempered, calm, and extremely nice and knowledgable. He had so much patience... it was amazing. Some of the others... well, I've heard bad stories.

 

Way to go, Nana..

Ice cream's on me. You pick the flavor...

 

Also, a bit of a fun fact...

If you WERE to get Sandy... don't tell him to put out his cigarette. LOL

If you heard the story, the guy was in my class. He went to take his test and Sandy got in, they were about to head out to the road, and the guy tells him "You can't smoke in my truck".



Yea... he failed. Had to retest.

 

Texas Nana , what does the "work well test" consist of?

 

Kenmar is from Washington............... They don't know about Blue Bell ......LOL, if they did they would all move to Texas..


Nana................A question that has little to no bearing:

Why the AZ School, versus the San Antonio School ??