Week One: Week one is in the books! As govt. mandated trainings go, this will work. I am not sure exactly what I expected but it is not Harvard. The instructors have a wide range of experiences to share with us. The Hotel is HMMM I guess warm and dry. Not the Hilton. Most instructors are nice. The equipment has definately been retired from the fleet for good reason. All in all it will provide the goal. As for Swift, I believe it will be a good company to drive for. Week Two: 120 Hrs in- all onsite backing drills are complete and tests passed with ease. All shifting training is complete. I really struggle with not floating as when I am driving and talking to the instructor shifting is second nature. "double clutch" "double clutch" "double clutch" At this point it feels complete but we are still 50 hours from the end. As far as I know there are no more written tests, I finished my Pre Trip test, I just need 12 more hours of road time and my road test. I should have brought a good book as I will spend 40 or so hours in the back seat "observing" while the others get their road hours in. I can't wait until orientation. Three days of training on the qual-com, paperwork, policies and such and then on the road with a mentor. I have not decided whether I can afford the possible, ok, likely delay of requesting a non-smoking mentor. Watching the students whom have never driven is a different story. They seem stressed a good deal of the time. They say it is a lot to take in in a short time period. It must be new exciting and fun for them. I wish my time here felt as short. The rules continue to seem a bit childish at times but I guess they have to assume that students are not aware of their surroundings enough to watch and stay safe without specified walking areas that may have you walk 500' to get to the truck in the next lane. OK that was whining- sorry! The time from home is easier if it seems to have more purpose. The time spent simply passing time is hard to take, but the standards for the school's certification require 170 hrs of training. Come on Friday!
Keep up the good work old timer. Yea the rules of Swift are more then not put in place because of past drivers that did not practice common since.:smt119
u sure are proud of your accomplishments and you should be at least until u graduate at which time u become thier puppet and they own you for a year the time it takes to pay back that tuition fee
