swift orientation

I found a .pdf file with all this information on the Swift web site. I downloaded it and it answered most of my questions about what to bring to training.

The food costs during school: do they buy lunch, and we buy breakfast and dinner? How does that work? Some have said the food is terrible, which implies they are providing meals at some point...

Can anyone with recent Swift training/orientation answer this one? I am trying to calculate my actual costs while in Swift training.

 

Well, I don't have "recent" experience but I can answer the questions for my experience which was, ehhh, 16 months ago or so?

During academy, you have to buy _all_ food. They provide everything else.
During orientation, they buy lunch and you are responsible for all other food. They supply everything else you need.
During flatbed training (Phase I) they provide all food and everything. All you need to bring is yourself. You usually go right to this straight from orientation. At least, I did.

 

Also, the meals they provide during orientation aren't the best. However, it's free so I guess it's better than nothing.

During flatbed training (Phase I) we would take a company van (only 6 of us in the class) with the instructor and go places around Memphis and eat. Usually hit a cafe or diner in the morning for breakfast. At lunch we ate at Subway every single day during training. Then for dinner we would go to local restaruants. We went to Chilli's one day. Catfish Cabin another.

 

Thanks. I know what orientation and training are, but I have no idea what academy is--or how long it lasts.

Could you enlighten me?

 

Academy is the 3-week training/school you attend where you get your CDL and all of that. It's the longest portion of the whole ordeal.

Orientation is 3 days. After you finish the academy you will go home for a week and then come back to do your 3-day orientation which is a bunch of paper work, more or less. At the end of which you get your CDL. Some people will head out with a mentor right then, other's will be sent home to wait for one.

If you elect to go flatbed they will bus you straight from orientation to a first class hotel where you will stay for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. During that time they pay for all of the hotel meals, the continnental breakfast and dinner. You supply your own lunch during that time... all I did was went and got my breakfast then took a bowl of fruit with me when I was done, back to my room. Around lunch I snacked on the fruit and that was my lunch.

Anyway, on Monday you'll start flatbed training. Learning how to tie down loads, tarp loads and all of that good stuff. You'll do some more classroom work and I _think_ it lasts three days. It was three or four. Then you go home and wait for a mentor.

During flatbed training you are an official Swift employee so they treat you a 1,000 x better than during the other two stages. You're even allowed to go out to the bars and drink (if you so choose) during the weekend and pretty much "vacation". The only requirement is that you be totally sober and do not drink once the flatbed tie down classes begin.

Any other questions feel free. Like I said, I did all of this 16 months ago so it could have changed by now. I also went to the Memphis Academy which was just raided by the FBI for handing out CDL's to illegals, so I don't even know if that place will be in operation much longer. So, not sure how much help I can be... but that's how my training went.

 

got news for you...your not going to the Swift school in Memphis TN...google Swift Memphis FBI and see what you come up with.

That school is done! Finally too...thats the school that puts out cattle not CDL drivers.


As far as orientation, dont lie or hide anything on your paperwork, they will find a mistake if you lie...dont fail a drug test, should be obvious.

Rather than that get ready to watch a bunch of boring video's and horrible "free" lunches.

 

Thanks again. How and when are you actually paid? A full week later after you arrive, then each Wednesday following until the end of academy?

The training/orientation starts on a Wednesday, so when is the first pay?

Is it provided in the form of a machine generated company check?

 

Swift pays on a weekly basis. Wednesday is the cut off for checks and you are paid the following Tuesday. I'd have to look back through my pay stubs but I believe I didn't get my first check until two weeks after Orientation. I could be wrong on that but I believe that was the case.

I have my checks directly deposited into my bank account and then I have a check stub (I posted some for you to look at once) mailed to my house. I believe your two options are having the check loaded to your ComData card (I advise against this as they are fees for withdrawing your hard earned money -- it's a scam in my book) or get it directly deposited.

Maybe someone else could help you there as I don't know for sure... but I don't believe there's an option for an old fashioned check or anything else. It's either direct deposit or comdata, I believe.

 

That is what I was looking for, so it sounds like they are no different than any other employer. They pay two weeks after the first days in orientation and academy. So you end up out of pocket by a fair bit: $150 to start, food costs (breakfast and dinner for two full weeks) before they ever give you a cent. First check is something like $900 less taxes, but all the trainees have to fend for themselves for two weeks before any form of reimbursement comes their way.

Is that right?

 

I'd agree that the Memphis Academy was a joke and it has definitely been the worst part of Swift so far in my experience. However, they have put out some good drivers. I mean, I'm 16 months in and have managed to pass two DOT inspections with flying colors, survive two manual audits with nothing more than a few minor infractions (15 minutes off on when I went through a toll booth and I got my timezones mixed up once and logged fueling an hour in advance). I didn't get fined for either and was told "if only all drivers logged as well as you do..." so I take it my logs were pretty good. And I have been HIT but I hadn't hit anything, yet.

I have a few friends who I met at the academy who are also doing just as well. Although, the Memphis school does put out some ###### drivers who should _never_ be put behind the wheel of a truck. But, like all things in life, I believe it was as good as what you made of it. The training sucked but if you push yourself you'll do fine. I spent every minute I could in a truck while there and even went out to the range and practiced my backing with a few of my buddies when everyone else was back at the hotel partying like they were on spring break. I still didn't feel like I got enough drive time in but I got significantly more than your average Memphis Academy graduate and that's because I went the extra mile myself since no one there seemed too keen to teach me anything.