Swift training school any one out here been there.

So just a quick update on my training status. I have to say that I am very lucky to have the mentor that I am with. He has not tried to run us as a team, even though it would have helped him get the miles. I am learning about all the Swift policies, and the almighty Qualcom.

As I said earlier we are running with the Heavy Haul division in Sumner WA. We are in and out of Sumner every day to load at the Costco DC and have been running split loads to stores in Eastern WA. Since Costco loads do not run on weekends we are off till Monday. Instead of sitting at the Petro in Spokane all weekend, I decided to go home for the weekend.

We got stuck in Lewiston Friday afternoon with a load of paper to t-call in Sumner. Since my mentor would not be able to get back to Spokane Friday night, he had the tractor serviced in Lewiston. He was going to take the load and park the truck for the weekend at a drop yard in Spokane. I hitched a ride with another Heavy Haull guy out of Lewiston. This was a great experience where I got to talk to a driver who is just struggling to get by. This guy was telling me about how he is on manual audit because he has log violations, and he is just waiting till he gets fired.

So I will meet up with my mentor again on moday around 1400 when he gets back into Sumner.

I say I was lucky to get the mentor that I have. My classmate from the Academy got on a truck with a mentor and got off as soon as they arrived in Phoenix. They ran as a team the entire trip from Sumner to Phoenix. He was told to just drive and not to worry about the details. Now this guy is sitting in Phoenix waiting for a new mentor.

 

Ah, 10-4 on the new policies for mentors. I forgot to mention my info was 2 years old.

Seems like they did raise the pay for students though. I could have sworn I got like $350 the first 2 weeks, $400 the next 2, and $450 the last 2. Or something close to that.

And right at the end of when I was with my mentor, they was some buzz over a new policy that the mentors were gonna be forced to run the truck solo for at least the first 2 weeks, then it was up to the mentor to run as a team or not after that. With mine, he was happy enough after the first week of seeing me drive that we ran team after that. He still sat up with me on occasion though, especially when we were at a customer or in a nasty driving area.

Can't say enough good things about the guy I got, his name was Thomas and he was leasing a T-2000 from Swift. Wish I still had his number.

 

im scheduled to start school in san antonio on 8-19-2009. my recruitter said that the lodging was paid for me, the cost of the school was charged back to the student at $25-35 a week for 13 months, basicaly you pay back half of the cost of the school, but if you stay emploteed with them ffor 2 years they credit your paycheck back the half you paid during your first 13 months . Is this different then what other new acadamy-ers are hearing ?

 

Ford can you tell us about the idle time... are you able to get any sleep on the rig?

 

Hey Ride be sure to read my thread on Swift San Antonio.

 

Thanks bullt tooth.

I did read your post on the academy in san antonio . My ss card has been lamanated for 20 years and i wont have time to get a replacement before I have to leave for sa, tx . Will they really send me home for such a thing ?

 

I can't be 100% sure on if they will send you home for it. But I remember the swift instructor specifically said no laminated cards. I was too busy with my paperwork problem at that moment to find out if that was a problem that would get you sent home.
My advice is to call them to be sure. The best person to ask would be Debbie the Academy Coordinator there in San Antonio. The last thing you want to happen is getting sent home for something like that. Because if they do send you home for that you will have to pay for your own ticket home, then have to pay your own way back to San Antonio... If you still want to go back. Keep in mind this is not a Swift directive it is a State of Texas thing. Swift just knows if it will fly or not and if they say it won't pass muster then they take you to the bus station. I was there with a dude that has a Spanish kinda name one that can be spelled one way or the other, well the spelling was off by two letters on his LA DL and didn't match up with his Birth Cert. and they sent him home. Two letters and he had to pay his own way back to Louisiana. Weak.
Let me know what they say and Good luck.

 

What is a wia grant and since i live in texas would i apply to this grant

 

I have to tell you that I am running from Sumner WA to the Spokane WA area for the most part. So not being in the high desert heat, we run all day and usually stop around 2100 or so. The sun is down and the air is getting cool. We sleep with the windows down and all the vents open.
With no shirt on and starting on top of my sleeping bag, I have been very comfortable and able to get to sleep just fine. We do not idle the truck if we are not sitting in it. If we stop at a T/S and have to wait in line for fuel, we just roll down the windows and turn off the truck.

One thing i have noticed is that a 12V oscillating fan would make the sleeper very comfortable in this climate.

So, that is what I have experienced so far. When I see something different, I will be sure to let you know.

 

They'll send you home for the laminated SS card. Go into the SS office right away and you should get your card within a week to two. I got mine in 4 working days.