From Military To Trucker | Swift Truck Driving Academy

this is intended for any military [Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Gaurd] considering discharging|separating out the armed forces and wanting to pursue a career in the trucking industry...also, for anyone who is interested in joining swift transportation and|or just interested in the swift truck driving academy.


**please bare with me as i complete this extensive thread via my iphone...also pardon any misspellings, anyone with an iphone knows auto correct is never correct lol**


i will be making periodic updates to this original post as more information becomes available and i will edit this post to include a date and time stamp in regards.


for my military brethren, if you are inquiring about trucking or any employment for that matter at 12 months or more out from separation|discharge...you are already taking a step in the right direction! your termination date comes quick! and it's never to early to get the ball rolling, but it's never to late either, so if your days, weeks, months from it...get your butt in gear and get moving already!


first things first, if your in a transportation career in the armed forces and you already have tractor trailer or bus on your government|military license [like i had] trucking school|academy is not required to receive a CDL license and you can waive the over-the-road skills test at the DMV|DPS...federal law states that military is exempt from over-the-road skills test and you would only need to take the written tests to receive a CDL...of course, DMV|DPS won't just take your word for it so you will first need proof you served or are still serving...each state does not have the same requirements though; if your still serving you may need your military I.D., a master driving record indicating you are licensed on tractor or bus, training records, skills test exemption letter which you can get online and signed by a commanding officer...if you are already out of the service, you will need your dd form 214 along with other documents that may or may not include what i mentioned above like the driving record..it's easier to complete and push through if you are still serving! if you take this route you will only need to take the required written tests for the CDL from your state, and you wouldn't have to get a truck to do a over-the-road skills test because it has been waived.


if you can't get a waiver for the over the road test, and you are in a transportation career...instead of spending hundreds renting a tractor and trailer, you can legally take a government|military owned tractor trailer for free to take your CDL test...please go through proper military chain of command and routing before doing so but as transporters we are afforded that right; perks of the job!


next, don't let a recruiter tell you that going this route is bad! i had a recruiter tell me if i went this route and didnt have a trucking school, nobody would hirer me...NOT TRUE!!!


Schneider, Swift, Stevens, J.B. Hunt [pretty much all big companies] all said they would hire a veteran with no trucking school and with a CDL...


if you are military and have no trucking experience and getting out to pursue trucking...or looking for a good military friendly company, look at all the veteran programs and compare! Schneider in conjunction with the Veterans Assistance, will pay you an additional $1240 a month on top of your pay for being a vet, but only for the first 12 months! also, Schneider requires no experience if you are a vet with cdl with no experience if you apply through their veterans apprenticeship program...im not going to list every package with every company but a simple search of the company site will yield you all the information you need or want.


i would like to warn you about swift's veteran scholarship program, i reviewed their whole scholarship information fine print and all via their website and asked every question i could think of...at first glance, and even reading everything to include talking to a recruiter, all you need to qualify for the scholarship is a dd form 214 and an honorable discharge....i have both! and after reading the website info i was good, after talking to the recruiter i was good, but once i got to swift truck driving academy on day one...not good! they had a new application for the veteran scholarship...must have been discharged no earlier then 30 MONTHS ago [i was discharged 60 DAYS ago], also they required that you had never had the g.i. bill and that you have used up all of your post 911 benefits [i haven't used any of my education benefits at all]..this is information i inquired about and information i informed the recruiter about and all he said was i was qualified, then approved, and that i got it and wouldn't have to pay for anything...got to the academy and found out i was lied too, felt like the recruiter told me whatever i wanted to hear just to get me here, knowing when i got here i was going to end up staying regardless! get everything in writing if the recruiter makes promises, guarantees anything, you can use it in defense...im currently working to get my scholarship still


anyways, any military out there wanting to know more please feel free to private message me or email me at LeftEyeDaTruckr@gmail.com


...now onto the Swift Truck Driving Academy Review [Specifically Corsicana, Texas]


required documents to attend [dont leave home with out it, or you may get sent home!]


-texas residents only need to forms of id: driver's license and|or cdl permit along with an official not laminated social security card


-oklahoma and louisiana residents need 3, drivers license and|or social security card and go online to look for 3rd acceptable document


**note: at no point in training did they ask to see my social security card but still bring it**


-high school diploma


**at no point did they ask to see a diploma too, bring it anyways**


-military people bring dd form 214, for veteran scholarship and|or if you want a veteran designator on your license


-bring dot medical card and the medical "long form" if you don't have it you will get one on day one


-money! bring enough to cover medical expenses, licensing expenses, and food|drinks for duration of school [3 weeks]


-texas residents, make sure you took all 5 tests before arriving other wise you will take what tests you didn't take on day one...if you fail any you get sent home [commercial rules, combinations, pre trip, general knowledge, air brakes]


-bring valid permit, make sure it won't expire before training and testing will be complete


Day 0
if you arrive via greyhound, you are dropped off at a gas station which is also acting as a greyhound stop [no greyhound terminal in Corsicana]...unfortunately if you arrive after 5pm, you will have to find your own way to the hotel at your expense...and Corsicana has no public trans, buses and cans included...exercise those Chevro-Legs! the only way you will arrive after that time is if your greyhound driver is running late.


if you make it in time for the hotel shuttle which only runs at two times of the day [i believe 1 pick up is at 3pm and the other is at 5pm] you will see a white full size van with two old white ladies...they will ask you if your swift students, if not ask them...that's your ride to the hotel.


now if you were like me, you did your research on everything...that includes the hotel, reviews and all! the Corsicana Inn on the normal 1 star to 5 star eating scale is at best a 1 star hotel, but in my honest opinion a 5 star crack house! come prepared!


when you first arrive the lobby and front desk may deceive you into thinking the hotel isn't as bad as stated...trust me it is! starting with check-in, the hotel staff do not take pride in their hotel, and the owner and manager for that matter and it becomes more and more obvious as you will come to find out...


while checking in we asked for a wake-up call, gave them our desired time, and the realized after going to the room they didnt have a phone in the room...went back to service desk to inquire about getting a phone for a wake up call, and the same person said their id no phones in the room [hmmm, how are you going to give us a wake-up call then!] after talking with all the students in my class, some students had no tv, some had no light bulbs or working light bulbs, some had no iron or ironing board, some had no fridge or microwave...swift description and recruiter description describe hotel as an extended stay and like a small apartment with a kitchen, not true! after entering my room for the first time i noticed several alive and dead ####roaches in the room, unacceptable! my other classmates reported the same in their room, found a couple in the shower with me the other night! all appliances look like first generation crap from the 70s and most don't work! your tv is a tubed box tv, and be careful adjusting the coaxial if you have reception problems...my roommate got electrocuted because the coaxial had no rubber coating it was exposed live wire duct taped into the back if the TV! if you don't see any semen or vaginal juice stains, get a black light, trust me they are there! and flip your mattress and check the opposite side, my roommates bed looked like it had menstrual cycle blood all over, or someone got murdered there..


ensure you secure your valuables but its best to not bring them at all...even though it looks like you will go a week with out room service, they go through your room and stuff everyday! there are swift employees that stay at the hotel and go through your room and stuff with house maids to check for drugs, alcohol, weapons and people of the opposite sex...one swift employee drive what looks like a white auctioned police cruiser with a black brush gaurd and the word "warrants" on the front bumper..he never comes out just sits in his room with his ipad, but yes you are being watched there


4 doors down from my room, there is a white dude running a tattoo parlor out of the hotel room...he accepts cash and trades, yes i said trades, he will accept food too...i would never get a tattoo from any place except a licensed professional at a licensed shop, but if you still want one don't do it...he showed me his book and he sucks! look at the tattoos on his body and be the judge he does his own tattoos..there is crack heads, meth heads, trailer trash, illegal immigrants, all living in the hotel there...they are loud and are causing disturbances through out the night...had tons of instances where cops are down there knocking on doors and busting those people..


also, just an FYI, if you drive here be careful...this morning one of the students in the class ahead of me had their truck broken into at the hotel, all his tools and some other things were stolen...busted out his window


stray dogs are everywhere and fighting through out the night, and their are hookers walking around and in and out accompanied by their pimps...the hotel staff does not care, and i truly believe this hotel only stays open because swift keeps their rooms occupied with students..


the free complimentary breakfast is two eggo waffles in a zip lock baggy, coffee and OJ, thats it...but don't worry every Monday and Thursday there is a shuttle that will take you to wal mart at 6pm and you get an hour to shop! the hotel washer and dryers, don't work and haven't worked for 7 weeks now, so on Fridays at 6pm is laundry day, shuttle comes and drops you off at a laundry may for an hour..i suggest bringing bed sheets and pillow sheets because they don't clean the sheets on the bed at all...bring some towels they are stingy with their towels


the bathroom in the rooms are disgusting, i have to flush 3/4 times to get stuff to go down, hotel won't fix anything even if you make a complaint! and the shower and sink water smells like fish tank water, get some bottled water to brush your teeth, and to use for noodles if you buy ramen for your room, you can smell the algae in that water..


swift knows about this hotel but the fact of the matter is you will have to deal with it regardless unless you want to come out of pocket for your own hotel somewhere else..and they will also say you are here to learn trucking all you need is a place to sleep, wow! im not asking for a 5 star hotel but ####, can i get a room thats at least clean and free of ####roaches! i been to more up to standard living condition lodging in iraq when i was deployed there, and Iraq is a hell hole!


i almost forgot about the white trailer trash chick that tried to get in my room last week, she was fumbling with my door handle for 20 minutes in the middle of the night...i woke up and opened the door, asked her what she was doing and she said she was looking for bubba and ran off!


this place needs "Hotel Impossible" BAD!!!


you will run into other students during break, and at the hotel that are further along...pick their brain and study and prepare!


Week 1
Day 1


since my class started during summer months, swift school is on summer hours, except for the first day and last week...summer hours means bus picks you up at 3:30 am and you get out at 2 pm, but the first day you get picked up at 5:30 am and class starts at 6 am...you will see a school bus or a white van, if you miss either start walking...if you miss one day, your done, if you miss up to an hour your on probation, second time, your done!


first day is filled with in-processing stuff l, filling out paperwork, going over rules and expectations, and the first day the will supply like 4/5 large pizzas from little cezars pizza for lunch..everyday afterwards you have to being your own food..first day of class is with Rita, they say you need to wear pants and a collar shirt, but first day you can wear shorts, nobody there cares about collared shirts at all for the whole duration, you can wear regular tees..


at around 8/9 am your class will be transported and dropped off at the medical office to get your drug testing and dot physical if you hadnt already...this is like first thing you do when arrive on day one, after you leave the drug center and get back to school, they will call all the students out who failed and will be asked to leave...if you did drugs, why waste your time and show up, they get results here within minutes


the rest if the day is completing paperwork like loan agreement, academy rules, and some more


also, after drug testing...you will stop by at DPS to check and see if the Texas residents have completed all 5 tests


Day 2
this day is in class room as well, Mr. Calloway will in instruct all in class room work and some outside range training as well as road testing...you will learn about logs and start that day by doing your own for each day at the academy, you will learn map reading, and you will receive some trucking information, history knowledge...bring black pens, white out, and notebook paper as well as a folder and calculator...they will supply a ruler, but bringing your own will help for days you need a ruler and your not in the class room


you will also be issued tons of study materials, all of which you will need to write down or can keep, but study because they test you on everything! you will get their pre trip swift version and you will definitely need to study everyday, it's around a 180 item inspection which doesn't include in-cab inspection or air break test..


everyday you get two 15 minute breaks, one at 7am and one at 12pm and a 30 minute lunch at 10am...this is for summer schedule hours


before i forget to mention, all the instructors and staff are hella cool, funny, knowledgeable, experienced, and helpful...you really do get a quality education and training here


Day 3, 4, 5, 6
these days are the same, they are all out on the range...first day you will learn straight line backing, and you will do it all day...one person per truck, and one person as a ground guide to walk up and down next to driver side cab [this gets old] and you will do this all day for 2 or 3 days till they test you and teach you the off set, parallel, and 90 degree backing maneuvers.


the trucks aren't as bad as expected, they are all within 3 or 4 years old and they make road master trucks look like they were built in the 70s! some of them have their own quirks, since they are only range vehicles they won't really get fixed...also on the range you can't use accelerator at all so you will at the most only move as fast as the idle speed..


you will do this straight line backing and possible the others from Tuesday to Saturday..5 days! range training is done with Randy or Mike or both...both are cool and funny and helpful!


Day 7
back in the class room with mr. calliway...all day you will test, 5/6 tests on general knowledge, map reading, and then you will have safety and hazmat class via PowerPoint and video, there will be tests on those as well...if all goes quick and well, you will leave early


Day 8
more in class room training with me calliway...subjects include life on the road, defensive driver training, etc...during all training there is q&a time, some story telling occasionally...my calliway keeps it entertaining and interesting, and everyday your still taking notes and working on logs..also while in the class room pants only and no open toed shoes, they don't care about collared shirts...on the range you can wear shorts anytime, but not athletic shorts


**make sure for range training you bring hats, wet weather gear just in case, gloves, flash light**


Day 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
these days are all out on the range conducting more and more and more backing maneuvers, you will need a minimum of 35 hours drive time to get to week 3, and no everyone does not drive as much or at the same time due to numbers of reasons so keep track and keep up, don't be lazy! the instructors only interact if they see you having problems with the maneuvers...


on day 10 you will be tested on all backing maneuvers, off set, parallel and 90 degrees, and you will test blind side and sight side except on 90...you test on straight line in week one


on day 12 you will test on pre trip, in-cab, and air brakes, study, study, study! if you fail twice you will redo the whole week! there was someone in my class that had been there 5 weeks, the school is only 3 weeks...


day 13 is more driving to make sure you have enough hours, any retests, and a short class on what to expect for 3rd week...


Sunday after day 13 is not considered day 14 because...its
your only off day, rest! you will need it after those two weeks! it's exhausting and monotonous! and study for week 3!


**i will make updates as i complete each day|week and i will update this original post to keep from people having to scroll through finding the rest of the review**

 

thank you, i know it's kind of lengthy but i figured if i can help somebody prepare and not be blind sided or surprised by what is really going down then i did my job...id be real interested in hearing about your swift experience

 

oh ok ill check it out now, i actually already got my cdl before arriving to school i just need to complete school...i already got all my endorsements as well, i utilized my military waiver rights lol im attending school because i knew jack about logs, and pretty much anything commercial trucking wise...i just knew how to drive and inspect vehicle

 

sorry i tried to make edits to the original post but apparently it won't let me now...

Week 3
Day 15
This day starts your week 3 after a day off, and the day off simulates a 34 hour reset. The instructors you have for road training will either be Mr. David, Mr. Robert, Mr. Calloway [i believe he trying to switch from class room to road], and some other instructor i can't remember his name at the moment. each truck is divided by state [Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma].

**Note: Keep in mind, i went to Corsicana, Texas Swift Academy**

i was in the Texas truck with Mr. Robert, a Chicago native, he is knowledgeable, experienced, and hilarious. the two previous weeks from here you will train in nothing but international prostars...but 3rd week you train in volvos, they say they are more forgiving with shifting. the first day, you will travel around corsicana texas going up and down service roads, rotating drivers, practicing up shifting and down shifting...day 16 and 17, you will travel to Dallas/Fort Worth to get city driving time and highway driving time to practice shifting some more and applying everything you learn to real life situations...your skills will be tested! we went to Dallas cowboys stadium, the airport, drove during business rush in construction zones, you name it we did it! day 18, Thursday of 3rd week is road evaluation..you get two try's to pass or you will stay an additional week and be put on academic probation, we had one person not pass. after road evaluations are done you will continue to practice the rest of the day because you must have 12 hours driving time in 3rd week. day 19, test day! Louisiana people will leave at the butt crack of dawn, and drive 3 hours + to their DMV site, texas is just up the road about an hour north in waxahachie..from what we heard, Louisiana folks just need a pulse and they will pass, texas is real easy too...but they are fixin to make is harder which will take effect September 1st this year, and Oklahoma people have it rough, everyone in the class ahead of me failed! so they all came back, and the Oklahoma people in my class had to stay an additional week anyways to test because Oklahoma state says you have to have your permit for 30 days before testing..

texas dps students, my test consisted of an air brake check that started from pushing both red and yellow knobs in, no in cab, no cab, and no pre trip inspection...you will see other trucking schools there too...mostly c.r. England..you will do a short 10-15 minute drive testing your turning and shifting, didnt need to commentate either the whole time [tester said she can tell if im doing what im doing]..you will do a straight line back, and a blind side parallel...don't cross white lines while backing and don't cross yellow while moving forward! i scored a 98 out of a 100, i missed two points because i forgot to signal on my first turn i was so nervous lol

after the test, got my cdl, then drive back to corsicana...at the school house, you will sign some papers, you will receive a conditional hire email from rita, and you'll take the next greyhound out of corsicana to go back home..then you will take a greyhound on Monday to your terminal to start 3 days of orientation [tuesday, wednesday, and thursday] Friday you pick up your mentor...i will post updates about orientation and mentors when i complete it!

also forgot to mention, on test day, Friday of 3rd week you will arrive with everything, luggage and all, because if you pass texas dps test your leaving that same day at around 1pm..i tested at 8am and left at 1pm, then got back to San Antonio at 10:30 last night...

i also forgot to mention when you go up towards Dallas you will also go to the Lancaster swift terminal as well and get to see what the terminals are like, pretty cool actually if you have never seen them before.

 

you are correct, and you are also not correct sir...

see there is only 4 swift academy locations: idaho, arizona, texas, and tennessee

each academy covers a number of states, but they don't in fact cover the whole united states...since each state does differ on what it requires to get a cdl and what they test on to get a cdl, each academy has to accommodate for each state that it covers...for example, corsicana texas covers oklahoma, louisiana, and texas...this school will tailor it's teaching to a certain degree to ensure that all students learn everything they need to know to become a trucker but they tailor it as well to ensure that each student can pass the dmv over-the-road skills test according to the state they are from..

you would think that nevada would be covered by the phoenix arizona academy since the arizona academy covers california, arizona, colorado, new mexico, utah, and montana..but nevada in fact is one of about 19 states i believe that aren't covered by any swift avademy school...what this means to you is, if you would like to attend one of those academies...you would have to be licensed in the state the academy is in, because each academy and their curriculum is built around the states that it covers..if they picked up another state for their academy they would literally have to ensure their school, instructors, staff are educated on nevada commercial driving rules, laws, and etc...and would have to update their curriculum to ensure that you would receive the right materials and instruction in order to pass your dmv test..

unfortunately, not every state's dmv over-the-road test is exactly the same...most cover the same things, but they may cover them in a different order...a great example of this is, in the academy i attended..texas air brake test stated we had to watch a 3 psi drop in one minute as well as a 4 psi drop in one minute, oklahoma and louisiana only do the 4 psi drop...also, the service brake test while rolling slowly is completed at the end with texas and in oklahoma and louisiana its completed somewhere in the middle..

you can still drive for swift if you so desire, but like the recruiter stated you would have to be licensed in the state of the academy you are trying to attend or...you can just go to a different trucking school to acquire your license, and from there fish around for companies that will hire you...if you would still like to work for swift after you attend a school that isn't a swift academy, ensure that swift will recognize it as an acceptable school if you want them to pick you up and some or all of the tuition...

...now as far as spending $10,000 for a cdl trucking school, that is rediculous and way to much money! im not sure why they are charging that much, what do you mean by "private" schools...privately owned? keep doing more research for schools, even colleges don't charge that much for training..most schools i found in california and texas were charging anywhere between $3000 to $6000, and you want to find a school that only charges that much...and 24 weeks is way to long for a school, thats bout 6 months! if you cant afford the training at all and are going to have to finance the tuition, then you want a school around $3000-$6000 because most the trucking companies that offer tuition reimbursement are not going to reimburse up to $10000, schneider said up to $6000, some will reimburse full amount, some will reimburse a good portion, just depends..

here is a list of schools in your state:
http://www.dmvnv.com/dlschoolscom.htm

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