Swift orientation road test

Here at Lancaster you would test in either a Prostar or a Volvo both of which have the 8 speed (actually a 9 speed if you count Grandma Lo). Both are hooked to 53 ft trailers since that is what we pull most often. The orientation road test is just to determine what your skill level is, for instance coming to Swift with several years OTR experience. The tester would make a recommendation that maybe that driver would only need 50 hrs or less with a mentor due to skill level. pjay have no fear, you will get the full 240 hrs with a mentor. Don't be worried that the truck and trailer both are a bit larger than what you are used to, you will adapt quickly. The road test is probably easier than the one you had to take to get your CDL. Good luck!

 

Pjay
i went to orientation in syracuse in Jan . I did not go to swift school did it on my own so no oweing swift for school. I didnt have to test until i was thru with the 240 with my mentor. testing out is a piece of cake after driving otr with a mentor. Its basicly drive around the block & back into a spot no big deal. Syracuse is a small terminal. OH you may not test out at your home terminal i did my test out in columbus ohio & took the big dog ride home, but my whole mentor period was a snafu. out for 8 weeks 3 of them broke down.
DONT be afraid to ask for a different mentor if you dont feel comfortable. i made the mistake of not asking. The last 2 weeks of my training the mentor did no mentoring, he just slept & #####ed if he got woke up. Stay in touch with Dave he is the driver development guy. check out your assigned mentor (when orientation is over) if something seems off then follow your instincts.
sorry ive gone into an unintended rant
Enjoy the ride Lee
PS: if you testout in Syracuse you will probley do it in a volvo most of the trucks in syr are volvos older & mostly worn out

 

I had a similar experience as CNClee (without the breakdown though). My mentor didn't mentor, he just had me drive. I woke him up once to ask a question, when it was my time to sleep, he kept driving on the rumble strips. He was a real #$%.

I tested out far from my home terminal. Then they gave me a truck and sent me out solo. That's when I realized how much my mentor left out of my training.

Now that I am on my own, I am regretting not asking for someone else. Learning everything on your own costs you miles. You are not a team driver, you are a student.

 

I know this is old but I'm from Ma. & apparently heading to Syracuse on the 17th of August after my Army Reserves drill.

 

They are wanting to send me to Memphis, Tn to take the road test. I was trained on an 8-speed but would rather be tested on an Automatic, considering this what I will be driving. After passing the road test, I will be waiting on a mentor to take me out for training. I have two questions: will I be able to request being tested on an automatic, and can I request a specific trainer? Thank you

 

I just got off the phone with a recruiter. He said he was requesting an auto for my road test because I'm out of practice. Got my license in 2009 & barely drove. I just hope they dont restrict me from clutch. I need to learn both again.

 

I heard they are pulling their cameras from the trucks. It sure if it's true or not

 

Many swift drivers who post on YouTube,claim they deactivated them after drivers quit.

 

You can request a specific trainer and it helps to coordinate with that mentor so they arrive at Memphis when orientation finishes. Driver Services likes it when you do their job. My mentor years ago was someone I "met" here on TTR. The next two months rank among the top five worst experiences of my 67 years.

If you got your CDL in a manual there will be no restrictions on your license. All of the new Swift trucks are automatics but being a FNG you'll probably be assigned an older manual trans truck. However, you can request an automatic early and often when you upgrade to solo and you might luck out. A lot depends on what's available at that terminal at that time .

Yes, Swift has removed or disabled the driver facing cameras. There's never been a reason given but I would suspect it was giving opposition lawyers too much ammunition. I also heard from one of the safely coordinators at a terminal that there was substantial pushback from safety people required to watch videos of crashes, including fatality crashes. Remember the crash where the Swift driver rear ended a flatbed driving it into a UPS truck? I heard the video showed he was practically cut in half.

Best luck to you and welcome to the trucker's life zoo.

Frank