My Swift Academy Journey. Will it be a swifty one or not?

Okey Dokey. It is the evening before I begin my Swift Academy adventure. I have arrived at my room and basically settled in, kinda. I was promised by both my recruiter AND the Recruiting Leader that I would get a room to myself. First strike of sorts is that didn't happen tonight and being Sunday, I didn't want to raise a stink about it for one night. My 'roomie' for the evening showed up a little bit ago and I think I'll be OK with him for one night. But, if this does not get straightened out tomorrow, I will walk away simply because I was promised something specific, tangible, reasonable, and realistic by 2 folks involved with processing me in and if they are not going to honor that promise, I'm gone.
But, I don't want to go off on a left-tangent and get needlessly huffy about it all this evening.
I live about 200 miles away from here and had a nice drive up here earlier today. Turns out, my roomie for tonight is from the same place I am. Good Omen! Anyway, The sense of adventure has a smile on my face. I'm reminded of the 'adventure' many years ago when I left for the Air Force.
I'm starting a 3rd career. I was an electronics technician for about 15 years, I was a cartographer for about 22 years and now, I have about 7 to 10 years before I want to completely retire and I am going to do something completely different. I already have my Medical Certificate and CDL Learner's Permit. And, this has been in the works of sorts since November 2012. I've researched all this, watched YouTube videos, read tons and tons of posts from this forum and contemplated it all to the best of my ability. As best as anyone could be informed and aware, I think I am.
So, I'm here and tomorrow it begins!!! Wish me luck!!!
(BTW, Thanks to all those who have contributed to this site, reading posts from folks doing all this, both the beginners and the old hands, have helped me have an awareness ond understanding that has helped much)

 

And..... It begins!!! The day went pretty much as expected. We might have lost one student, an older gentleman was not feeling well. He went home for the day, I don't know if he'll be back. Otherwise, misc. paperwork and introductory breifings. I guess about half the students have their learner's permits, and half don't (I do). So, next couple of days will deal mostly with medicals and exams for them. I think the rest of us will at least get our drug tests done.
Now then, the CRAZY part of my day. The room to myself! It looked like that went really smoothly at Swift itself. I was called aside by the lead instructor, who had already been contacted by the head of recruiting and the lead instructor told to go to the front desk when I got back to the hotel and I'd have X room assigned, to myself, for the duration. Seems they have no issues with honoring my request and their promise. And, they genuinely seemed sincere about it all. So, I get back to the hotel at the end of the day and go to the front desk and.... A Rolling Stones concert is in town for the night and a hella line is waiting for the front desk to check in. I wait in line for about half an hour and the room I am supposed to be assigned to (by myself) has 2 folks assigned to it and neither is me. So, I head back to the room I stayed in last night and I call the lead recruiter. I figured I'd just end up leaving a message on her machine, spend the night in the same room I did last night and hopfully tomorrow, finally, it could get worked out. However, she answered her phone. She wasn't happy when I told her what had happened and she had me hang on while she called and to see what could be done. Did I mention that a Rolling Stones concert is in town tonight? So, EVERY motel around is pretty much overbooked, including the one we stay at here in Phoenix. So, she calls me back in a bit and says they do have a room for me for the night, but it has a 'little bit' of tile damage in the bathroom they are getting fixed, but it should be just fine for one night. Go back to the front desk,....... wait about half an hour again for the Rollings Stone crowd....., get a card key to my 'new room' for the night. Go up to the room. lol. A Little Tile Damage? They have half the floor in the bathroom ripped up, the toilet isn't even installed anymore and all the things like the TV, fridge and microwave and simply gone. Back down to the front desk. Wait around some more and in the end a Concert goer who was supposed to get a no smoking room, ended up with a smoking room, he cancelled and didn't stay here. So, they let me check it out if I wanted it (I'm a non-smoker). Checked it out, and it'll work for one night. The rooms set aside for Swift students have more ammenities than their 'normal' rooms. Swift rooms have microwaves and refridgerators and regular rooms do not have them. So, they finally get me a room to myself, although it isn't perfect, it's good enough for the night.
Biggest pain in the butt is I still can't 'settle' in. We'll see what tomorrow brings. From what I have observed it appeaars the problem has arisen because in one room a gentleman was supposed to leave last Friday, and for whatever reason he is still there and that has had a trickle down, cascade of effects on several drivers, most impactfully me.
As for Swift, they do genuinely seem to want to honor their promise and seem to be being very supportive of all this. The hotel, IDK, the folks working here all seem to be doing their best to get everything to work. So, I do not know where the problem is and if it is an incompetent person or a flawed system or if it is in about a dozen or more different places.
I see every single person involved in this seeming to diligently try to get this straightened out and set right. So, I'm not really upset with anything specific, but I do wish I can get this finally straightened out tomorrow and have a room I can actually unpack and settled in.
But, it just isn't my day today I guess. After all this is over, I finally get into my room and I'm really hungry by now. Head to a local drive through burger joint (Whataburger) and order a burger (no cheese) Onion rings and a Coke. Get home, they gave me fries instead of Onion Rings. LOL. some days it just ain't worth the effort to chew through the restraints!! But, I gotta admit, it ain't all bad, NO CHEESE!! on my burger.
Despite All the crazy today, I feel it has been a good day. I have a room to myself for tonight. I'm feeling good about the school and looking forward to day 2!!!

 

OK guys. Sorry if I don't explain this better. For reasons which are personal, I have/had apprehension amd concerns involving sharing a room during training and being on the road with a trainer. I did not expect or 'demand' a room to myself during training. I shared what was going on with 2 different recruiters and the lead recruiter during the process of getting here. ALL of them stated, after hearing my concerns, that they would simply get me a room to myself during training and ensure I got the appropriate trainer.
Now then,I was hoping my concerns could be accomodated, but I was not demanding special treatment. After THEY told me that I would het a room to myself during training, a 'promise' was made and I had a reasonable expectation they would keep that promise and if they did not, I would probably walk away. Not because I was demanding special treatment but because I was given a promise and if Swift wasn't going to fulfill the promise they made to me, I would walk for that reason.
I hope that clears up the confusion. I am not a prima donna drama and think I am better or 'special'.
I do have a reasonable and legitamate concern, but I'm not trying to get unreasonable special treatment.

 

Day 2! First off, in the room situation, it has all finaly worked out. I have a nice room to myself. And, in the end I have to give to the folks at Swift that helped work this out. At no time did anyone even hint at not providing me the single room and to fullfil their promise and were only apologetic it was being more problematic than it should have been. It is these kinds of things that give me reason to be loyal to a company. I will remember this and sincerely appreciate their efforts.

OK. Had a big day, but not a good day. We lost FOUR students today on Medical issues. Our class is down to 12 now. Those students who did not have a medical certificate yet, got those (or left becuse they weren't able) and the rest of us did our mandatory drug test. Both Urine and hair. I've always wondered if dying your hair, as I do, will effect a drug test and never seemed to be able to get a straight answer. The test technician told me today that as a test technician they are trained to use dyed hair and are not trained to use any alternative hair site when a person has dyed hair, so it seems reasonble to assess that dyed hair doesn't effect a hair follicle test. I am unsure how long it takes to get the results of the test. I take sudafed commonly for sinus issues (yes it is 'real' sudafed that you have to get from the pharmacist, not the fake sudafed you get off the shelf) and I've heard both that it could effect a drug test and that it doesn't. IDK, we shall see.

Besides all that we reviewed the CDL manual to help folks prepare to take their Learner's permit test. Those that need the permit, go down on Thursday to take the test. I'm still glad I already had both my physical and learner's permit before I got here. We wouldn't have lost the 4 students we did to day if everyone showed up already having their physical and learner's permit. My opinion anyway.
Still feeling good about it all and excited. Only 'dread' I currently have is being outside in the heat most of next week. I see the folks from the class a week ahead of us out in it this week and I feel for them. They are getting cooked royally! Today it was 111 degrees and these folks were out standing on black asphalt without any shade structure. I personally think it is a stupidly unsafe thing for Swift to be doing. A student drop dead from heat stroke and the school isn't gonna have any reasonable defense against a hefty lawsuit in my opinion. Just my thoughts. The students that have to get out there could start at 4AM instead of 6AM and miss 2 hours of some of the hottest periods of the day by stoppin at 2PM instead of 4PM. Mostly only effects week 2 of 3 and only in the hard summertime.
One Day at a Time!!! It's all good!!!