SWIFT Orientation and Mentor A Diary

Well for those of you that are new to my story I graduated from SWIFT training last thursday and start orientation tomorrow.

Training was fine, fast paced and long days but they held up to their bargain I learned to dirve a tractor trailer well enough to pass my CDL A license exam.

After 2 days of orientation I head out on the road with a mentor for 6 weeks of OTR training. I have read all the horror stories about trainers but as long as he is decent and teaches me what I need to know, well then again SWIFT will hold up their end of the bargain.

Only hassle so far is having a roomate for oreintation that I dont know and trying to fit enough stuff to live on into one duffle bag. Oh well I have done worse things for 6 weeks.

Ill try to keep all of you updated as possible and if I get put off the truck somewhere in BFE could someone give me lift to the nearest Truck Stop?

 

Orientation Day 1

7 am to Noon, sat around and waited for others to have physical and drug screen, 28 of them

Noon -- lunch free pretty good

1 pm videos on the company, benefits etc.

3 pm O/O sales pitch

4 pm started road tests for those needing to do one
filled out Tax forms, etc

5 pm back to the hotel

all in all, boring, disorganized and useless

Will have to wait until tomorrow and see if it gets better

 

Day 2

More videos, more paper work, more road testing.

got our comdata card and local bank sales pitches.

we are supposed to go out with our trainers tomorrow IF they get us all our driver codes etc, and the trainer is here and has a load, otherwise we go home and wait.

sorry this is brief, had a bad storm this afternoon the hotel has no power and i am on batteries.

Ill up date you all later

 

Day 3 on the road.

Mentor picked me up at the terminal halfway through the 3 rd day of orientation. since I had a driver code by then off I left at noon.

12 hours later i am dropping a load in memphis and dead tired.

my mentor has been trucking for 10 years, articulate, my age, CLEAN and seems very knowledgable. I am his first student and he talks alot, but I think he wants to be sure I dont miss anything.

Have been hauling this load from mississippi to west virginia, loaded at 79,800. Nice for my first driving experience. only had to slide the tandems 3 times to get the weight right. ( i calculated wrong the first time)

Driving has been good, a few missed gears a few over revs a few over speeds but all the road signs are still in place.

currently sitting at a flying j on a 34 hr restart, with load delivery due monday at 0830.

living in a truck is not to bad, of course i figure it will get better when i am alone, the stuff is mine and i can listen to my music on the radio.

still satisfied with SWIFT and glad i lucked out with my trainer.

Will update everyone when i get a chance.

 

O/O salses pitch was low keyed, handed out a form with all the great money you can earn and given a card of someone to contact. yes they are wanting to lease the truck from them.

Today is the last day of my first week of OTR training. went from dallas to memphis to BFE West Virginia to Kentucky to Ohio to Florida now on the way to Pennsylvania.

Have been driving everyday, drove in rain, fog, smoke from forrest fire, 45 miles on a 2 lane road up and down the mountains of West Virginia.

I feel i am doing well but my mentor is one of these people that thinks no one should ever grind a gear especially in HIS truck. also have to clean, sweep, vacuum and wipe down the inside of the truck everyday. He also NEVERS gets out of the truck, I figure in one week he has been out of the truck less than 10 times for a total of less then an hour and a half.

I am getting to the point that I dont want to ask questions because a simple question gets a 30-40 minute rant about the subject and it is usally repeated 10-12 times over the next 2-3 days. but then again he has said no one can teach him anything about driving a truck.

He also has the habit of giving directions by saying go this way or go over there. very frustrating to a newbie trying to learn to control 80,000 lbs.

all in all I am learning and starting in 3 days we go team so I wont have to listen too much to him.

ill write more later