Swift training academy in Memphis,Tn

Oh really? It wasn't Swift?

Here's where Swift settled a lawsuit for Swift's CDL fraud:

http://cdllife.com/2013/top-trucking-news/many-cdl-students-unsatisfied-with-swift-settlement/

Not TNDot's fraud. Swift's fraud.

 

Or even simplify the OP can just type in swift in that super cool search function here.

 

Run swiftly to swift, swift will swiftly train you to be able to swiftly crash a swift truck.

 

OP had been trolling a good bit here.

 

I just finished Swift Academy in Memphis, TN 2 days ago. It is a "swift" course. The minimum time spent there is 3 weeks. They put us in the Holiday Inn, no nearby grocery store, so a car would have been nice. New students are being put up in America's Best Value, walking distance to multiple restaurants and a Kroger's.
Before it begins, you are in a room with a bunch of students. Start finding out who is currently from each state. South Carolina has different rules than the rest of the states. DO NOT roomie with South Carolina if you aren't from there. They have more details to study, and they will be gone after the 2nd week. You want someone you can study with, who has to learn what you need to learn to avoid confusion.
Week 1 : you read a thick textbook that has slightly more details than your CDL Manual you got from the DMV when you got your CDL Learner's Permit. You learn a bit about "rules of the road" and driver's log. Wednesday you learn a bit about in-cab pre-trip inspection, brake tests and straight line backing. By Friday you will have had both the Straight Line Backing evaluation and the In-Cab Inspection/Brake test evaluation. If you fail, you get a 2nd chance. Fail again, and you have to go to AP - where this entire week is a repeat for you.
***With a heads up, I would have brought a digital camera or prepared while I was at home. Across the road from the Academy is a Volvo Dealership, next door to Burger King. You will drive Volvo's on the actual road. They hand you a pre-trip inspection guide with all the names of the parts and what they want you to look for and say about each item. It's confusing when you are in week 3 and you are trying to figure out which part is the tie rod and which one is the torsion bar. My advise? Before you leave home, see if you can get someone with a Volvo to let you take pictures of all the components. If not, wait until you have the guide, go to the Dealership and ask the salesman to point out each of the items and take a picture. This way you have "flash cards" to study when you are not in class. Under the trailer is not that hard, once you are familiar with the components under the tractor (truck).
Week 2 : You will learn Off-set backing and 90 degree backing. Wednesday is your 1st evaluation on both, but if you fail, you can re-evaluate on Friday. Those who pass on Wednesday will now be focused on the pre-trip inspection, and not interested in helping you learn these skills. Friday you passed your backing skills? Saturday is your written test about map reading and Driver log. (as long as you pay attention and take notes, you will do fine). If you didn't pass the skills on Friday, you will be in AP (academic probation) and will continue to learn and master the 2 backing skills.
Week 3: Monday you will learn how to shift up, shift down and take island turns. Tuesday you will practice shifting up, shifting down and dealing with a bit of traffic and traffic lights. Wednesday will be more traffic. Thursday is your pre-trip evaluation (which includes the entire truck and trailer, in-cab inspection and brake test) and your road trip driving evaluation. If you fail any part of this, you will retake your evaluation(s) on Friday. Friday is also the earliest day you will test for your CDL. (I had to retake 2 evaluations on Friday, then climbed out of 1 truck, climbed into a 2nd truck to start my CDL test.) If you fail the CDL, they will reschedule you. When you pass your CDL, you will fill out paperwork and depending on what state you are living in, you will be sent home to exchange the paperwork for your CDL license.
*At current writing, it is July 4th tomorrow. DMV is closed. On Tuesday I will get my CDL, then I am instructed to call and get setup with my Mentor where the real fun begins. (fun - scared out of my mind with all of my focus on being a safe driver)

 

Here is a list that includes what they told me to bring, what I did bring and what I WISHED I brought.
shorts/excercise shorts/pajamas and a couple of t-shirts - something to wear when you are waiting on your laundry to finish. You cannot wear these items on the driving range/road.
Shower Shoes / sandels / flip flops - a shoe that doesn't require socks to wear to the laundry room while you are washing your socks.
Work pants - enough to last 7 days
Collar shirts (work shirt with a pocket for your pen) - enough to last 7 days
Rain Coat or Rain Jacket - ponchos tear up so easily - even the weatherman isn't sure EXACTLY when it will rain.
socks and underwear - enough to last 7 days
comfortable walking shoes - preferably New Balance (If you aren't used to wearing work boots, don't start now - your feet will hate you)
Sunblock (at least a 10 oz bottle, re apply during every break)
Aloe Vera (in case you or someone forgot Sunblock)
Ibuprofen, Mylanta, and your daily medicines
Hat (baseball cap or a safari hat - keeps the sun out of your eyes)
work gloves & flashlight *Extra batteries for flashlight (never hurts to keep these around)
Sunglasses
Laser Pointer (great way to show the instructor the item you are questioning about without blocking his view while you are touching questioned item)
Digital Watch (break time, fill out your log, WHAT TIME DID WE GO ON BREAK????)
Vaseline (if you aren't used to walking all day in the heat, it burns down under)
A few FINE ink pens (really good for driver logs)
White Out (liquid paper)
Ruler, no longer than 8 inches - help make straight lines on your driver log
Calculator (NOT your phone - cannot use during the test, cannot use on the road)
Locking Storage Clipboard (office depot) - you have a hard surface to write on, and in case of rain you have a place to keep your papers dry)
Thin 3 ring binder - just to keep your notes organized
Clipboard and extra pack of paper (Oh, I didn't know we need paper, can I have a couple of sheets?)
Hygiene items (body wash, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, razor, shaving cream, hair brush)
Your favorite pillow (you are away from home for 3 weeks, your pillow smells like home)
Wide Mouth Tervis cup - buy a handle for it as well. There is an ice machine at the range, fill this cup with ice, then add water from the water fountain. Your water will stay cold longer than those trying to re-use their Dasani bottle.
*Gatorade is not the ideal drink ALL...DAY....LONG. At lunch eat a bag of chips - you are now restoring your salt level.
Can opener (you have a few around the house, don't you?)
Lunch Box / reusable lunch bag
Paper plates
Silverware/plasticware (you can also purchase this when you get there)
Tablet or a laptop - when you are in the hotel, you may want to have video chat with your family back home. You can also email your classmates those digital photos of the truck components.
cellphone and charger
A medicine bottle filled with quarters (laundry machine)
Laundry detergent (if you forgot to pack your own, Arm and Hammer pods are $9.72 for 72 pods at Wal-mart)
Collapsible laundry basket - less than $15 at Walmart, makes it SO easy to carry your clothes to and from the laundry room. While you are waiting for your clothes to wash/dry - you have your tablet to play with.
They told me to bring a sleeping bag - this is for when you go off with your mentor. I should have left it at home to have more room in my duffle bag.
They also said bring a battery powered alarm clock - again, this is for when you are with your mentor, which will be AFTER you have your CDL.

America's Best Value supposedly has a stove, microwave, fridge - I don't know, I was at the Holiday Inn. Stop by Kroger's or drive to Wal-mart? Here are some ideas:
Ramen Noodles
1 Loaf of bread
tuna cans/pouches
sandwich meat
peanut butter
Multipack box of chips (pack your lunch)
quart size Ziplock Bags (I fill 1 bag half way with ice to keep food cold. Pour ice directly into lunch bag will leak when ice melts.)
Ranch Dressing & Sriracha Rooster Sauce (red bottle with green top - find in International Food aisle) I squeeze enough Sriracha to fill the ranch dressing bottle to the top. Then I start shaking the bottle until the ranch dressing has a "cooked shrimp" color to it. Everyone that has tried it loves this sauce on their sandwich, even those who don't like spicy foods.

 

Did you get much time for practicing backups?

 

Just finished swift academy. But I'm SC. So mine was different. Cost 3900$ +500$ for hotel. Was it worth the cost, yes and no. I do have a cdl now. As SC resident test at the SCDMV. The rest of the school with exception to map readying was half ###. The classroom instructor should not be teaching. She confuses people, names truck parts incorrectly, does not understand logbooks, and is just rude. Then we move on. Wake up at 3:30am everyday catch a van from best value inn to academy. To wait in the cold for an hour, for instructor to unlock the door. Then be told to study a bunch of pre print packets for our written test. Fast forward to my last day at swift academy. Saturday, written test day. We go in sit down 2 test are given logbooks and map/trip planning.
Both test are poorly worded so half the question may have 2 answer. And knowing the instructor some have to be answered wrong. I do both test miss 8 total. And pass above an 85%. Then the bad news. Out of 26 students 4 passed. WTF. So they give the student back there test and say find me more right answers. Then more pass 1/2 still fail. Next the instructor say answer to 1 is A, 2 is B 3 is A and so on. Now all the ppl with perfect score where the dumbest in the class who failed twice already. Backing skills are two weeks. I did straight line, offset left and right, 90, and blind side parallel. I fell my road training was good as I'm an SC student so I had to pass at a real DMV test. From speaking with instructors and students. Our test was much harder. Mine was 17 miles 47 red lights 4 lefts 4 tight rights 1 bridge 7 overpasses, 4 school zones and was at 4:30pm in downtown Rockhill outside of Charlotte NC. I TOOK 1 hr to drive. And the test total took 4 hours. Your pretrip test is timed you have 45 min to do your Incab air brake lights ,engine compartment, and down the drives side of truck only steer axle, 1 drive 1 trailer as far as brakes wheels and rims go. Really could have been a better school tho. With all the time your doing nothing you could teach more.