Swift training school any one out here been there.

They were paying for it, but would not pay for the one that was required to get my CDL permit before going to the academy. I was under the impression that once I got a DOT card it was good until it expired. My recruiter failed to mention that it would not be paid for and the fact that I would have to get a new to be hired by Swift. To be honest by this point in time I really did not care, it coast me so much just for living expenses in Lewiston, I was not going to fork out or lose any more money with this company. I know for a fact that I can get a job with a smaller company and they will accept my DOT card with no issues. That is what I fully intend to do.

 

Trucker_Chris, thanks for clearing that up for me. Other than the DOT physical issues how did you like the training in Lewiston?

 

To be straight up honest with you, the training in Lewiston was great! I learned a lot from my instructors and they did exactly what they said they were going to do. Swift got me my CDL. If I had to do it all over again, I would drive!!!!!!! If you take the Gray Hound prepare to spend a lot of money on food and pay dearly. There is no grocery stores around near by to buy food, so you are stuck buying it out of the truck stop near the school, the flying j, or walking the 7 or 9 miles to town to buy food. Like I said be prepared to live tight. If you can manage to make it through the Lewiston training for less than 200.00 I would be shocked...lol There is no transportatioin to and from the store like the recruiters say, the academy will only pick you up at the hotel at 4:45AM and drop you back off at 4:00PM. They were good, but like I have said before Swift itself has some huge communication issues. By the way if you have a valid DOT card issued, the academy will accept it... that is how I know mine is still good. The academy accepted mine, and now 11 days later Swift tells me to get a new one... I don't think so, I don't play games like that.

 

That's exactlly why you need to go to a school close to home. Call a few of the trucking outfits around your home and ask them if they have a school that they think is very good and that they will hire from, then go to that one. The money you pay, most of the time will be reimbursed by the company you go to work for. Plus you are close to home and don't have the added expense of buying food or riding busses. Plus you can apply to several trucking companies at once and probably get a letter of intent to hire from more than one before you graduate. I did this and had three letters of intent before I graduated. All I had to do is pick one. I also paid $100.00 for my physical before school, but all the rest have been paid for by the company. Make sure you get all the endorsements you can and get a Haz-Mat endorsement. This opens you up for more loads instead of sitting. Go all 48 because this opens you up to more freight. Do everything you can to make yourself more valuable to the company. In the end it comes out on your paycheck. Good Luck.

 

Thank you for the advice Marine but the sad part of this whole deal is the fact I have my CDL now. It would be pointless to go back through another school closer to home. I wish you the best of luck with Swift and hope they do you right... I guess basically if you don't play by there rules you don't work for them.

Good Luck!

 

Hey Kevin, I just went to orientation in Troutedale OR and I saw exactly what you are saying. Swift will BS drivers every chance they can get, and if you call them out on it they will fire you. I called them out on a medical card issue and they didn't even hire me. I am currently trying to get hired on with a smaller local trucking company. Just some advise and I am sure you know this by now, but make sure you check your kingpin and tandems every time you stop that truck. There are a lot of drivers out there that are trying to get back at Swift for what they do to us.

 

Got his own truck August 28th, and fixing to leave Swift and go somewhere else.
August 2009 ????????????????????????????????????????WTF over...........

 

That applies to ALL companies.

 

WOW! I am on the road for a few days and don't log into this forum and the thread explodes!

I said a long time ago that Swift was changing it's policy for the academy and the way the students pay for tuition. By reading the letter that denise posted, it looks like they are starting to implement the new rules. I must say, that letter is a lot more thorough than anything I ever got. I would also say if there is any contradiction between the letter and the recruiters word, the letter is probably not the one who is lying. I said a long time ago that the recruiter I dealt with neglected to share many of the important details!

I will say that a vehicle is a handy thing to have at the Lewiston academy. Our class only had a couple of students who took the Greyhound. I can bet that if you wanted to get to the store, another student with a car would be willing to give you a ride over to the NEW Super Walmart that just opened in Clarkston.

My experience with Swift has been great! I have been solo now for a full week, and in that week I have run 2760 miles. I have not sat anywhere, and I have a new load, pre-plan, ready to go long before I get to my current destination.

The trainers at the LEWISTON Academy are all very good, and I had an excellent mentor for the 6 weeks. There is no way to learn everything in all this training, but I can tell you from experience that there are a lot of Swift drivers out on the road and they are always willing to help with any questions!

Now to answer a question posted in this thread, I am not running heavy haul any longer. When I was released to solo I was sent OTR. Just to let you know, I went from Sumner to Minnesota to Chicago back to Minnesota to Michigan and am now headed to Ohio. My friend from the Lewiston Academy is having almost the exact same experience. We talk every day and he is running in some of the same lane as me right now.

Sumner is a unique terminal. All of the planners in Sumner only work with Costco. The OTR planners for Sumner are in Troutdale, OR.

 

So, when are you going to start posting your GPS record like you did earlier in this thread? That would be really interesting.