Don't Train With SWIFT!!!!!!!

I don't even know where to begin but here goes anyway...

I was a Swift Trainer for 3 years. I had plenty of good students and a few bad ones as well. The first question I'd ask the OP is did you communicate with you trainer that you were uncomfortable with the situation? Or that you didn't learn enough in school to safely complete the backing maneuver? Even though it sounds like your trainer was probably inexperienced himself (bad choice by swift to pick him as a trainer, bad choice by the trainer to go to the mentor classes before he was ready) even the best of trainers can't read minds and more importantly will expect that you've either learned the basics of backing or can communicate that you need more work to either the trainer or to driver services (who will set you up with backing and/or close-quarters training upon request. With no adverse action for requesting the help.

I am sick and tired of hearing new drivers blame everyone under the sun besides themselves for making mistakes. Part of what's expected of you as a new driver is to make mistakes. AND learn from them. Let's say, for example you made it through training with few issues and took a backing course at the end of training. A few months down the road you have a backing incident. What would have happened? Another backing class, a sit down with safety and you're back in business. Why? Because #### happens (if it happens repeatedly that's another story). If Swift fired everyone who ever had an accident they'd double their already high turnover rate for no reason. I can almost guarantee the reason you got cut loose is because you knew there was a problem and didn't speak up or make an effort to check on it yourself. If you don't understand the concept of Get Out And Look you may want to try a different career. I've been gone from Swift for about 18 months now but I can't imagine much has changed in the initial training aspect of things. Get Out And Look is not only drilled into your head at orientation, it's all over the training packet paperwork, it's in your driver manual and it's even on stickers in the #### trucks.

With all of that being said, take this as a learning experience, even if it was a crappy experience. You'll know better with your next job and hopefully you'll not make the same mistake again.

 

Theewukid, how's the job search going ?

 

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We work at US Xpress and are happy here. Look into them I've heard only bad things about Western Express.

 

Reminds me of the time my trainer (FFE) told me to park at a full truckstop in an empty space that looked like it was a gravel pit. I told him, hey, it looks like that won't be a good place to park. He said, it's all right. Park there. I replied, sorry, I am not parking there, you do it. I stopped the truck and got out, and he got behind the wheel. Then he parked in the gravel, and sure enough the truck got stuck there, and we had to wait around for over an hour for a tow truck. And yes, he had it in for me afterwards.

 

No rocket jockey 80 You're wrong. I've driven 15 yrs. out of the last 20 and last year I screwed up by smoking pot on my home time. Got back on the road and pulled in for a random drug test. I failed and lost my lease. Now I'm having the hardest time ever finding a job.

 

You sound like a greenhorn.. nrw to mud wholrs at the dock and gravrl lots at truck sstops
. give it sime time