Swift driver training. What to expect.

She did have a few problems but nothing that obviously couldn't have been overcome. Perhaps there were things going on that no one else knew about.

The trucks at the school are Freightliners and Volvo's. Most have about 500k miles on them. I was told today that they got in their last FLD and from now on they would only be getting Volvo's. I asked what Swift has on the road and was told "a little bit of everything." At first I really liked the Freightliners, but, after driving the Volvo's and using them to back with, I changed my mind. They turn quicker, shift easier, and have more power. I was in a Freightliner on the road until today and I got to drive a Volvo. I really liked it. They all have 9 spead Eatton transmissions.

 

Day 17- I passed the test! I went up to the Nez Perce, County Sheriff's office and got my CDL. I also got the doubles/triples endorsement on it. I was given an orientation date and in it they as that you get that endorsement for the Costco heavy haul. I don't have any idea what happened to the guys from WA as I left right after I tested. It seemed pretty apparent that the WA tester was a real stickler and took a long time. One of the guys said that he may be held over for another day because it was taking so long.

The WA State tester came to the academy on Thursday and stirred things up. He basically told them they were teaching the students the wrong stuff. He also complained that the cones were the wrong color. He wanted yellow instead of orange. He is a third party tester and according to a reliable source, he has a bad attitude towards Swift that stems from when he worked in Idaho. If you get a choice ask to go to Pasco to test. I have heard the guy there is nice and does everything he can to get you through the test.

All in all it was a good experience. How can I complain, I passed the State test and my goal was accomplished. It is a cram course and very intense. A lot of backing. You will want to throw yourself under the truck just to get a change. Just do it, it really does help in the end.

The instructors will help you in every way they can. The academy has an open door policy and you can walk in and talk to the director if that's what you need to do. There are a few things the instructors do need to change. One instructor will not give you his name. No first name or last name. I was told he wants to keep students at a distance and doesn't feel they need to know his name. He will also not call you by anything but your last name. No biggie there. I can understand him not wanted to form an attachment to any student, however, by only giving you a vague nickname, he takes away from the credibility of the school. Other students said he does a lot of barking in the truck and constantly tells you what to do, even after he says he isn't going to say anything.

My one and only interaction with him was when a student had heart burn and asked him if there was some anti-acid in the first aide cabinet. I had been given some Tylenol from the cabinet and it has EVERYTHING in it. The instructor told him that he couldn't give him anything from the cabinet because of liability. (I understand this argument.) I told them that another instructor had told me the same thing and has also said that if I (student) got the meds then it would be ok. He lost his mind over this and said that could not happen. WHY is there a first aid cabinet at all? If an instructor can use anything from the cabinet on a student, and a student can't use anything from the cabinet on themselves or another student, the cabinet is a waste. This makes no sense.

The instructors all spend time telling you things to scare you. They do this about traffic law, Swift's authority over your CDL, and their own authority over you. Use common sense. If it doesn't sound right, question it. You don't have to do it in the middle of class. Wait until you are alone with that instructor and then ask them to explain it. Basically, they tell you these things to make the training a bit harder and keep you in a tighter line so you can pass your State test. The school is geared towards the WA test as OR, and ID are much easier.

If you have a problem with the housing, tell an instructor and they will pass the word up. It will be taken care of that day. Make it a valid complaint. Don't complain that the room is too noisy because you can hear cars. Buy some ear plugs. Deal with the little stuff. The school does operate using Big Boy Rules so wear your man pants.

Good luck to anyone who is attending the Lewiston Academy. Pay attention and you should do well. I start orientation on Monday and I'll start another thread on that and my mentoring experience.

 

Congrats on getting your learners permit, you'll do fine at Lewiston. By the time you get there, they will have fine tuned the driving and backing course so you can pass the WA test.

Do you have a sleep study? If you do, you need to bring it with you. I didn't see where you said that you had your DOT physical. If not, only go to the Dr. that Swift approves for you. I know it's a pain, but, things flow a lot smoother if you have that out of the way before you get to class.

I'm not sure I would worry too much about the gaps in employment. In the last few months they've taken in a couple of homeless guys and ran them through the course. I know one is out driving for Swift now. The other guy was in the class behind me and lived in his car until a church put him up in a hotel. Swift wouldn't pay for his room because he was from Lewiston. He's got a good thing as he has no roommate and he doesn't have to pay back the money for the room.

We never did get to drive in the hills around Lewiston. They said it was because of the snow. I spent all of my time driving in town, across narrow bridges, and making sharp turns. Like you, I thought we would be out on the hills. The class ahead of us was. I asked about it and was told they don't want us driving in the ice and snow if we don't have to.

I'm not sure how your orientation will work. I don't think you will have any problems with it. You get to pick when you go. You will get out on a Friday and orientation starts on a Tuesday. You won't have to crash on the couch very long before you take the bus for orientation. Don't start asking questions about it until the last day of class. They really can't tell you much until you pass you CDL test. Once you do, they give you the info you need.

Another thing I figured out yesterday. If you have heartburn, don't take Zantac. You will get a false positive for amphetamines in your urine test. Make sure when you take your drug test that you list EVERYTHING you took in the last 30 days, including any nose spray.

Good luck and don't sweat it. You'll do fine.

 

Thanks. It's good to read something about Swift that isn't bad. I start my orientation tomorrow.