Swift / Central Refrigerated School SLC,Utah

Topic 11411 | Page 1

Page 1 of 2 Next Page Go To Page:
William W.'s Comment
member avatar

Day one. Made it to SLC yesterday! Two days on a bus was horrible but we're here now! Today consisted of drug test and making sure cdl permits and dot physicals were all in order. We were told about pay and bonuses. Pretty good deal as far as money goes. Starting pay is 36 cpm. With quarterly bonuses based on performance. 2500 mile per week average. Not too bad for a first year driver from what I gather from this site and others.

Tomorrow we do all the nessacary paperwork and whatnot. Supposed to start in the yard Wednesday or Thursday.

Any questions. Just ask!

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

DOT:

Department Of Transportation

A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.

State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.

CPM:

Cents Per Mile

Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.

William W.'s Comment
member avatar

Day 2.

Today was another half day. Went over the shift patterns. Then we had to fill out "the beast" as they call it. It's just your contract for the school loan. No credit check or anything like that. $4400 total cost for school and room. Make sure you have at least 5 people's info to put down as contact info and their addresses. If you have any debt. You must list them all and know about what the pay off would be. Make sure if you rent or live with someone you have the landlord or owners info also. It will speed things up tremendously. Got out around noon and ate the 5.50 lunch (clamp chowder and a grilled ham and cheese, VERY GOOD) make sure to ask if you can go to the yard and check out the trucks while you have the free time. It's always better to actually put your hands on the components of the truck. Get in that thing and practice moving the shifter arouns and get a feel for the clutch. Go over pre trip inspection. If you spend a little time like I did it will be a cake walk. And also go and talk with the drivers! Some of them have some good knowledge and can help you! Go out and talk to the yard instructors and introduce yourself. Making good impressions on these guys might help in the long run. Oh and you will also receive some homework, wich I'm about to start now. Looks to be basic things that you need to know and all the answers are in the cheat sheets they give you from day one. But that's all for today! You get your first Wednesday off and class starts at 7 on Thursday. So I'll make a new post then!

William W.'s Comment
member avatar

Day 3. Day off!

Day 4.

Spent half of the day in classroom going over pre trip inspection. And making copies of your liscence and medical cards. Took lunch, then off to the yard to put our hands on the parts and actually do pre trip. No driving today. All the fun starts tomorrow!

William W.'s Comment
member avatar

Day five.

First full day in the yard! Straight line backing. It was a Cakewalk. I've had prior experience so most of this is normal for me. But most of us had it by the end of the day. As for tomorrow those of us that straght backed perfectly get to start offset backing and if we do good on that, parallel for the rest of the day!

That's it for today!

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
∆_Danielsahn_∆'s Comment
member avatar

Thanks for the updates. The Swift/Central route is the one I am going if I take the company sponsored option. The recruiter I talked with was very helpful.

William W.'s Comment
member avatar

Thanks for the updates. The Swift/Central route is the one I am going if I take the company sponsored option. The recruiter I talked with was very helpful.

No problem! I'll continue with this every day! Ask any questions and I will answer to my knowledge!

William W.'s Comment
member avatar

Day 6.

All day in the yard! Managed to maintain 100% accuracy today! Pulled off all three backing procedures perfectly 4 times in a row! Make sure to LISTEN to the instructors. They will teach you exactly what you need to know! Don't over think it, just do as your told. They have a system. It works! Day off tomorrow so back at it monday!

∆_Danielsahn_∆'s Comment
member avatar

I was out and about today, and saw a Central trailer being pulled by a Swift truck. Are they phasing out the Central trailers? Or just "repainting" them? Or, us Central still autonomous, but under the Swift umbrella?

William W.'s Comment
member avatar

From what I can see they are still under Swifts wing they are working on moving them out. There's a mix of Swift and central trucks and trailers.

G-Town's Comment
member avatar

From what I can see they are still under Swifts wing they are working on moving them out. There's a mix of Swift and central trucks and trailers.

Swift purchased Central Refrigerated in August of 2013.

Page 1 of 2 Next Page Go To Page:

New Reply:

New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features

Bold
Italic
Underline
Quote
Photo
Link
Smiley
Links On TruckingTruth


example: TruckingTruth Homepage



example: https://www.truckingtruth.com
Submit
Cancel
Upload New Photo
Please enter a caption of one sentence or less:

Click on any of the buttons below to insert a link to that section of TruckingTruth:

Getting Started In Trucking High Road Training Program Company-Sponsored Training Programs Apply For Company-Sponsored Training Truck Driver's Career Guide Choosing A School Choosing A Company Truck Driving Schools Truck Driving Jobs Apply For Truck Driving Jobs DOT Physical Drug Testing Items To Pack Pre-Hire Letters CDL Practice Tests Trucking Company Reviews Brett's Book Leasing A Truck Pre-Trip Inspection Learn The Logbook Rules Sleep Apnea
Done
Done

0 characters so far - 5,500 maximum allowed.
Submit Preview

Preview:

Submit
Cancel

Why Join Trucking Truth?

We have an awesome set of tools that will help you understand the trucking industry and prepare for a great start to your trucking career. Not only that, but everything we offer here at TruckingTruth is 100% free - no strings attached! Sign up now and get instant access to our member's section:
High Road Training Program Logo
  • The High Road Training Program
  • The High Road Article Series
  • The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
  • Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted

Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth

Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:

Apply For Paid CDL Training