Best time of year to begin training ?

Im im hoping to go in mid march, phoenix acadamy. That's when freight begins to pick so you can get your mentorship wrapped up quicker. Don't want to be stuck in a snow drift with trainer.

 

The best time is just before winter hits full on.
So, right now.
That way you will be with your mentor during the worst weather conditions.

It is always better to learn with an experienced partner.

I started driving in early December. That meant that I would have my mentor with me during the heavy winter months.
It helped in many ways, the least not being chaining up in those storms.
Having someone along to help in those conditions goes a LONG way.

Even so - been there, done that.
I'll not chain up to get through. I'll stop before I have to and sit it out.
I've seen too many trucks in the ditch, and I don't intend to be one of them.

But you NEED to know how to do it correctly if you get in that spot, and using the chaining wheels at a terminal won't get you there.
You need to do it in the actual conditions - first hand.

 

The best month to start is the month before you run out of money.

 

what moose said. also, pheonix will be cooler in the winter months and early spring.

 

I did Swift Academy San Antonio in November, mentor December and January and soloed the first week in February a few years ago. It was a piece-o-cake and I highly recommend starting in winter for the reasons Moose mentioned but most importantly, why delay the fun! You'll be doing what hundreds of thousands of drivers have done before you and by starting in the worst weather conditions with a mentor you radically decrease the chances of doing that bad thing tens of thousands of drivers have done before you as well.

 

It's slightly an old thread but I'm with the others. Now is the best time to learn. Freight is decent since you will be teaming. Last year I did training around this time with my mentor and we sat once for 3 hours with no load. That was after he called and asked for a little less miles because we were both exhausted. He did have a real good relationship with his dm, though.


As far as closures go;
Roads rarely close, and when they do they're not closed for very long. Plus since he's a mentor he's also probably an owner/lease operator so he will be able to reject any loads going to the bad spots.