Tales from the Swift side

Well the wait is over.. School starts 6am tomorrow here at the Phx terminal. Lucky for me I live 10 minutes away and wont have to live in motel hell and share a room... sweet.!
After months of lurking on the forums here and reading all the pro/cons
of Swift, Ive decided ill get a lot out of this school, trainers, etc. Im going to put 110% into this and pray I get a mentor straight away to complete my 240hr otr training. Im just hoping all goes well, and dont get dropped for some BS reason (that ive read about ) as trucking has always been in my heart/soul.
Only wish I would have jumped on this sooner, as its going to be hotter than hell on the range these next few weeks. My recruiter told me to bring a jacket as the classrooms gets cold.. pffft, I welcome the AC lady, Im a carpenter(laid off one now) I look forward to relaxing sub-zero style lol...

If there is an off chance some students or drivers are reading this, gimme a shout..

-=Peace

 

Best of luck to you. Are you planning on going into vans, reefers, or flatbeds?

 

Best of luck to ya.

 

Best of Luck with your adventure

 

Good luck, and remember if you do get frustrated try and stick it out. It will pay off in the long run.

 

Being ill be the new guy, ANYthing they send my way that im able to haul.

My uncles and stepdad were all truckers back in the 70-80's and ive gotten some solid advice from all of them on keeping at it.. Yea there will be times when ya get pissed, turned around, or whatever.. BUT just keep at it and things tend to work them selves out and you end up learning from the mistakes and become better for it...
I mean I used to be amazed how guys used to build houses and read blueprints and know where this and that go, now Im one of those guys. Not compairing trucking to carpentry, just stating that if I keep at it and work hard towards the end result, I can do it..

Whelp its officially cooled down for the day here in Arizona, 93* so im off to ride the motorcycle one last time...

-=Peace

 

Like many have said. It is what you put into it, that you get out of it. Hard work, dedication, and the right attitude goes a long way. Any business you work in it does. Keeping a level head and not blowing smoke over the phone might be difficult at times, but pushing through it makes ya stronger.

 

You'll actually have a choice, and flatbeds will be open to you, as Phoenix is one of the major flatbed terminals. I'll leave it to someone current with the company to give a current version of how things go if need be, but when I went to orientation in 2002, at the end of it, they simply asked who was interested in the flatbed division, and they'd be sent off to another room to receive instructions to go to Shoals, Indiana (which is now closed.. if you went flatbed, you'd probably take the course right there in Phoenix), where we did the flatbed course. You don't just pick up any kind of trailer and roll with it. A flatbedder might get put on vans for a bit if they get injured or if there's no flatbed freight available, but it doesn't work the other way around.

 

Good luck! If big truck truckin' is your heart and soul, then you'll do whatever it takes to get out here with us.

 

I to was a carpenter/sheet metal worker before i to was laid off. I'm going to miss the work but I like the fact i get to sit in an air conditioned truck and drive while my past superiors are out workin on a scolding hot roof is pretty good, not to mention I'll make more than them in a year. I just graduated from my school and i have to tell you pay attention to what your trainer tells you. Its not as easy as you think. for one parallel parking a truck will make a man out of you. mind your pre-trip enrout and post-trip inspections and know your truck in and out. you wouldent beleave the things you can get cited for with a DOT licence, for instance. last summer i worked a temporary job with my buddy and his dad working on 18 wheelers (im a mechanic as well) He drives a big straight truck for his work that must comply with DOT regulations. Well 2 weeks ago i heard he was stopped at a weigh station for an inspection. not only was he overweight he dident have a fire extinguisher. Insted of telling the cop he dident have one and only getting one fine he said he dident know where it was so by not having one it was one fine. than another one for not knowing where it is on his truck. So just be careful also keep up with your logs.. those fines can get pricey.