My Swift Experience

I do not want to hear those words out of you again. You have other options sir.

FFE
Trans AM
Western Express
Con Way
Schneider National

I know Conway has a student OTR program. But you gotta be a recent grad. I don't know if they would hire me but I can always try. I tried Schneider but they said I gotta take a refresher course. FFE is better than CRE?

 

I didn't do one last year in orientation in Memphis.

Just had my DOT physical done again a week ago in Memphis. No work well.

I heard they did one in Gary from an old timer who might have been lying.

Remember the "L" in CDL is for lying!

 

Danny take FFE you can run solo. CRST is all teams. And they put 2 rookies together. live 500 mi. from you teamate too!

Get a refresher course if possible. Swift might not require it. Your refresher is possibly when you are with your mentor. Call and ask.

 

No Work Well for my orientation last June. I did have to get my own coffee, though. Oh yeah, I had to walk all the way down the hall for a whizz quiz too.

 

Hunter last night on the phone you asked about getting home for your birthday? Don't even discuss it with the recruiter or anyone else at Swift. Mention it to your Mentor. As a student you don't have the option to request home time. Plan on 6-7 weeks of being gone. If your truck gets into the neighborhood? Good deal. I got home twice and was out 7 weeks. The company never knew it. It's good to live 4 miles off I-40 in the middle of the country! I've been home twice in the last 2 weeks for an over night visit. Under a load.

You are going trucking. You are going to miss family events, holidays etc.

You made the choice.

 

Absolutely right! When I was training/Mentoring with Swift, I would only take students from my area for that reason....home time....I made it a practice out 10-14 days 2 days AT HOME, not my home but the student went to his/her home while I was at my home. There is no excuse to leave a student in your truck while you languish at your home...I did have a couple students who I put up in a local motel for their sleeping and showering while we were at my home for days off...but they were always welcome and enjoyed their meals with my family. If they wanted to "help out" with my honey do list of course they were welcome to! Deb and her family really enjoyed the company from my students who came over too!

And if I had a student from an outside area (other than my home zone) I would make it a policy on my truck to give them the same "home time"...it never bothered me to take a couple days off at a truck stop or at the local terminal...and it made their training/learning a much better environment.

 

My mentor put me up in a motel in Lauglin NV. He offered to let me stay at his place. I did a little sight seeing. Got some walking in. I did help with his chores too. His family was nice. We even took a side trip to a small town in AZ that had wild donkeys walking around in it. Had lunch and a couple of beers.


BTW they tell the Mentors NOT to take you home! Too many jump off the truck!

 

Well that would make sense to me...if they find this is not the job/lifestyle for them, better to have them home rather than stranded many miles from home. But logic has never been the strong suit with management...now has it?