Help with Swift Training...

Have you read up on their threads . . . above in forums . . . ?

 

RE West in Lebanon will hire & train you. Their main terminal is in Ashland City.

Paschall Truck Lines in Murray, KY website says they hire & train if you have a CDL already. Their trucks have APU's.

 

no apu's, up to a 400w inverter, yes they have their own school called swift academy, orientation paid NO, training YES, usually with no endorsements .25, time with trainer btw hours 160/bout 6wks-8wks(can't remember exactly been a minute on btw hours), they have several types of trucks I trained in 9, trip planning comes with experience(you get a load find out how long its gonna take you to drive them miles, figure out how many miles u plan to drive in one day, then figure out where that is gonna put u for stopping for night, etc), your trainer will teach u the QUALCOMM majority of them have same apps with little difference. some of the questions they should have taught u in school when you were getting your cdl.

 

listen to Chinatown..stay away from Swift..

 

240 hours behind the wheel

 

240 hrs behind the wheel.
First 50 hours mentor is supposed to sit and watch you drive.
Rest of hours you can team IF YOU THINK YOU ARE READY.
That includes backing up to docks, parking, going into shippers, etc by yourself.
You're supposed to complete at least 40 backings. I did at least that many, but wasn't enough.
My mentor is one of those helpful guys, had a hard time letting me do things by myself, liked to keep going and would do Qcom stuff before I had a chance when we changed drivers. He wasn't being mean or anything, just over helpful.
I still can't park worth a crap, but am getting help and suggestions from almost everyone I ask.
Driving is easy, finding a place to park at night is a crapshoot.
I'd love to find someone I could team with, at least for a year or so.
No APU's. No company inverters... Most guys have a small one, like 200-400 watts.
Bunk heaters.
Trainer ..Swift calls them mentors...supposed to teach HOS, QCom, etc. while training.
I'm not really good at speaking Swift yet....

http://swift.drivers-central.com/swift-transportation/cdl-training.cfm

Just call Swift. Not the greatest, but not the worst. I keep finding people that flunked out of CR England. Met a lady yesterday, she's in her 60's never used a stickshift, driving ok, but was put in a 13 speed. Couldn't pass the test at CRE due to shifting, was sent home. And then got the bill. (No idea, I've never had a 13 speed, only 8 and 10). She said she called CRE because it was the first listing on the net when she looked up cdl schools. ( I was nice and didn't comment. She's only had a computer for a few months, it's still all really new to her)

She said Swift was the only one that would take her after flunking out of CRE. Said he first trainer at Swift seemed pretty good at training, but had a jealous wife (this is a lady in her 60's! and not the glamorous type...sheese!)
2nd trainer now likes to tell students once and expect them to remember everything. If they don't he yells. And thinks it's ok if they cry.
I told her to yell back and get a new trainer. Trying to learn something new when you're old ( I'm even older...poo....) is hard enuf, let alone when someone thinks it cute to yell. But that's an individual, not Swift. I've talked to at least a dozen past and current Swift trainers, all of them that I've met said that no mentor should ever yell at student, that teaching is not yelling.

So far, all the people I've dealt with at Swift are helpful. Even when I walk in and say I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. With thousands of drivers and personnel, no one is really in a big hurry, but things do get done. I'm satisfied.
Even with my old 444,000 miles old truck. The few minor things got repaired/replace, and even tho it's a Volvo which has a small sleeper, it doesn't use DEF, so I don't have to mess with that. Cummins, so decent pulling power.
Now if I could just figure out how to use the friggin digital controls on the bunk heater, I'd really be happy.
Going on my 3rd week solo. So far ice, snow, sleet, rain, wind and mountains. Driving in Va and W Va is harder than driving out west. And that was my first two days. And a blown radiator hose. Interesting if nothing else.
Y'all take care, stay safe and warm.
Mary aka Krashdragon

 

Is it paid orientation/training? Orientation is 3 days. If you are more than 50 miles from the orientation site they will provide a Greyhound bus ticket. You will be provided a hotel room with a room mate during orientation. Day 1 you will have a road test, physical, and drug test with some class room time. Day 2 is more class time. Day 3 more class time. You will be paid for Day 3 at minimum wage for your state. Typically half those that start orientation will finish and qualify to be trained.

How long is the class and how long with a trainer? You will be paid minimum wage while logged On Duty Not Driving and minimum wage plus $1 for Driving time. The first 50 hours you will be driving with the trainer in the passenger seat. If the trainer thinks you are ready after 50 hours then you qualify to drive team. You need a total of 240 hours behind the wheel before you qualify to take your final road test. You will also have a written test before you finish 240 hours. Getting 240 hours and testing out to qualify solo takes about 4-7 weeks, depending on loads and how your trainer handles your training.

Does Swift use 10 speeds or ?? Swift has a variety of trucks and transmissions set ups. I've drive 9 speed and 13 speed so far, and know they also have 10 speed transmissions. Swift has Freightliners, Volvos, and Kenworths. If you train with an owner/operator they may have a truck that is different than normally found within the Swift system.

I already have a CDL, but I have no OTR experience at all. I regained my CDL early this year after letting it lapse from decades ago. My brother, an O/O with a small company, helped me regain my CDL and I drove team with him for three months prior to hiring on with Swift, they accepted my 3 months experience in lieu of graduating from a school.