Phoenix Swift School

I was on the range in March, it was scorching on the range. It's just hot out there. Freezing in the morning, scorching in the afternoon. yay AZ lol

 

I hope the temp will continue to drop.

 

Hey, I'm actually at the school now. Bring a hat and a water bottle! It's extremely hot standing around for 9 hours a day in the sun. Your first day will be quite possibly the most boring day of your life. Terry will most likely be going over some paperwork with you and introduce you to a few people. Our class was extremely small and we could have finished the day by 9 if we went straight through. If your staying in the hotel be aware that the address is 8225 not 18225. Our class has found spelling mistakes on every paper they have handed out. It strikes me odd that a company this size can overlook the spell check button. A couple things that they have probably not told you is that you can wear shorts and regular t-shirts as long as they are not offensive. Also bring a really good pair of comfortable shoes. Standing is what you will be doing while everyone else performs the maneuver. Usually there is 2-4 students in a truck the first week so well over half the day consists of standing on blacktop in 105 degree temperatures while your shoes feel like they melt into the ground. As far as the instructors go they are all really helpful. I enjoy talking and chatting with them when i get a chance. They are for the most part truckers with many years experience. Keep that in mind while they are helping you on the range. Just because you know something does not mean it is easy to convey how to do it. But still everyone tries their best and that is all i can really ask of them. If your staying in the hotel be ready for the bus at 4 am. It will leave without you. The building you will stay in is building 8 and the bus picks up at the south end. The first day as i said will be a paperwork day. All day. Also if you do not have your medical you will take it there sometime in the day as well as a drug test. They give a 5 dollar token for the on-site diner called the jake break. School hours are from 5 am to 3 pm. The second day an instructor by the name of mike will teach you about logbooks and some other things. I have found mike to be the instructor with the best ability as far as communication and interest in teaching goes. He is a really interesting guy with some good stories and ability to keep your attention and not put you to sleep. A nice recovery from the first day. The third day if you are not from AZ you will go take your permit test and get your AZ license and permit. Then you will rejoin the class in doing straight line backing. Straight line backing will encompass wednesday and most of thursday. Thursday you should also learn how to pre-trip (inspect a truck for safety basically). Thursday after lunch you will be tested on your straight line backing and hopefully move on to drop and hooking trailers. If not thursday then friday morning. Friday morning will start with pre-trip, maybe some drop and hook, then possibly on to offset backing. After 2 days of straight line backing its good to actually turn the wheel more than a quarter turn. That's the curriculum that i know so far i hope it helps. Remember keep a positive attitude. There will be an eclectic group of people. Someone with a positive attitude and the willingness to learn will stand out from the crowd. Also Texas mentioned Robert and Tom. They are both quite nice as well as Howard. I cant say i have had the privilege to meet the rest of the team yet. If you have any questions before you leave just post and ill throw a reply. That goes for anyone else that has questions ill be happy to answer to the best of my knowledge.

 

Thank you for the information and the hotel info. I won't be staying in the hotel, as I live in Queen Creek, AZ. I am intrested in the start time. I was told to be there a 6:00 am, not 5:00. I hope this is right. I would hate to show up late the first day late. I am looking forward to going on Monday. Thank you again for ALL the great info.

 

Great post there til, I was told to be there at 4:45 gecko.

EDIT - AM that is

 

Yah, I think I am just going to be there at 5:00. I don't think I want to be late for the first day. I could always check out the area while waiting.

 

Got my permit today, all set to go for the class starting on the 11th!

How did the first day go Geckolyn?

 

Well, start time was 5:00am. All went well. You will be bored the first two days. All paper work and drug testing. All went well. The 2nd day you will get into logs and start using one every day. Today, the third day, you start driving. Only straight line. ALL DAY 9 hours. It's true, bring a hat and suntan loation. They will have ice water on the range, but if you want to bring some, go ahead. Tomorrow we do more straight line and test. If you fail, you spend more time on the range backing. As I said, all is good. Looking forward to doing a little more in the upcoming days and will post more then.

 

Sounds good, bet it's nice having the temp in the upper 80's. Can't imagine that place in mid summer.

geckolyn, the instructions say to have gloves, flashlight, calculator, etc. You don't need that stuff day one do you?

 

Azs, you do not need a flashlight and gloves on days 1 and 2. You might still want to throw them in your backpack because the instructors might raz you for not following instructions. Most likely not though. I always bring my dc backpack to school and carry it around with me. I like to keep my logbook and other such things in it. Also a good supply of mountain dew to keep me up while doing the same thing 90 times a day. It gets old and i need a pick me up. The situation might be different though if you have a hard time backing up in a straight line. And a calculator is needed for your logbook if your not very good at basic math. I have one on my phone so i just use that when i decide i want to be lazy. Also bring a good pen. Any one that you decide you like it doenst matter. You have to use a ruler and draw lines on your logbook and it has to be in blue or black ink because its a legal document. Bring a couple actually in case you have a problem with not putting them away in your backpack like i do. lol Oh i have to say packing a lunch after day 1 is a good idea. Once you get out to the range its like a quarter mile walk to the little cafe. Not to mention it opens at 11 which is when we go to lunch. So after that little walk there is always a line by the time you get there. Anyway ill see you out there next wednesday. Im in the dc backpack and black hat if ya got any questions feel free to tap me on the shoulder. You too gek.