Gettin Ready to go!!

By being accepted to a Swift Academy you are guaranteed you are accepted to a Swift Academy. There is no guarantee of a job offer however I have not heard of anyone who successfully completed the school, obtained the CDL and went to orientation who was bounced. There are big "ifs" involved with the main one being that you are completely truthful on all of the background and job history questions.

It is also important to realize your JOB INTERVIEW with Swift starts the day you arrive for school and continues until you are assigned a driver number. Be positive, carry a good attitude and be a sponge in class, on the range and on the road. Relax and enjoy; Swift Academy really is fun. Good luck!
Frank

 

Good luck BBMan! Make the most of every situation and you should be just fine!

 

Good luck brother and keep us updated on your progress

 

Good luck, I am starting next week and very excited about it. I will be a sponge in school and learn all I can. I will keep everyone posted on my progress...

 

Since you already have a CDL, you won't be tested in Michigan. You'll probably just do the road stuff and maybe get OTR sooner.

 

It took me just a few days between sending in my application and getting the go-ahead to get signed up for a class. I had to get a DOT physical and my CDL permit, but then I found out that they give physicals at the academy to anyone who doesn't have them, and since you already have your CDL-A, you should be set already. If your recruiter scheduled you for a start date at Swift Academy, that's it - you're in. Give your 2 weeks' notice at your current job anytime.

As A21CAV said, you're not guaranteed a job on acceptance to the academy, or even on completion. However, I also haven't heard of any academy graduate that hasn't gone on to be hired by Swift. One of the people in our class grilled the instructor about that, and she said that in many years, everyone who graduated the academy was offered a job at Swift, but perhaps some didn't accept.

There is no "gotcha" with the $3900 if you are honest on your application. If they send you to the academy and you sign the papers and pass the drug test, you're in. They do all the pre-employment screenings they need to before asking you to sign anything.

The school is 3 weeks, or 17 days of instruction. If you start Dec 19, you'll graduate Jan 6 (ignoring any breaks for the holidays - I'm not sure how they handle that). For most students, graduation is followed by the CDL test at a location in your home state. You won't need that, so once you've completed the necessary hours in classroom, range, and road, you're done.

Orientation will be at your home terminal (your recruiter assigns this to you based on your home zip code) and can be scheduled anytime within 30 days of graduation from the academy (usually the week after). Most terminals do one orientation class per week. If you graduate the academy, you won't need a road test at orientation - that's only for non-academy people.

At the end of orientation you get assigned to a mentor, based on availability. Then you go driving with your mentor for 240 hours or six weeks, whichever comes first, pulling regular freight. It's slow in January and February so be prepared to sit a little, but you'll be getting $450 a week (actually $64.29 for each day you're on duty) so it doesn't matter. When you have 240 hours and your mentor gives you a vote of confidence, you get assigned your own truck. That's when you start getting mileage pay and are a regular driver.

As others have said, a positive attitude makes a huge difference. Don't get too discouraged or ####y - just be ready to learn anything, anytime. Good luck!