Swift Academy, Memphis TN
Topic 14074 | Page 3
Just wanted to say thanks to Errol for taking the time to come by and talk to me and my roommate for a few. It was much appreciated!
Did he bring BBQ. He should have, he knows where the best places are.
Just wanted to say thanks to Errol for taking the time to come by and talk to me and my roommate for a few. It was much appreciated!
Did he bring BBQ. He should have, he knows where the best places are.
No, he was in a hurry to get home to the wife, which I can totally understand!
Well, today was Skills training. All I can say is I am humbled. Offsets weren't too bad, but 90 degree alley docks were NOT pretty. I get the theory behind it, I just haven't figured out the execution yet. And judging by what I saw, I'm not alone. We're supposed to go over them in detail more tomorrow.
Well, today was Skills training. All I can say is I am humbled. Offsets weren't too bad, but 90 degree alley docks were NOT pretty. I get the theory behind it, I just haven't figured out the execution yet. And judging by what I saw, I'm not alone. We're supposed to go over them in detail more tomorrow.
That's right. A new kind of frustration. You (generally speaking, not you specifically, Lemmy) mail the straight back, "Piece of cake!".
Head over to the offset range, "Sure! A little left, a little right, Bingo!" you say. Not so much, eh?
The bottom line, it ain't you, it's the idea of turning & twisting that trailer to obey your will that you need to work on.
Today we had evaluations on our backing skills. We were told if we received under 10 points through 3 skills stations (straight line backing, offset right and 90 degree alley dock), then that would count as our test and we wouldn't have to test on Friday. I'm happy to say I passed all of them with a total of 8 points! A lot of stress is off of my back for now...at least until Monday, when road training begins. Until then I'm going to continue practicing my backing. 8 points is too many points in my eyes, and I want to get as good as I can possibly get before it really counts.
Congratulations!
Way to go, Lemmy. Good to keep practicing. You'll have more chances to do backing in your last week.
Then there's the DMV test. Once you've nailed that one, no, it's not over! In your mentor phase, he will be documenting 40 more backing chances.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
Ever since I passed the evals I was practicing my backing for hours on end. 90s were okay, but I seem to still have problems with my offsets. I bend the trailer and straighten up the tractor and then the fun begins. I'm usually pointed too close to the money cone and inevitably have to do a pullup (sometimes many) to get backed in. Kinda frustrating. I don't want to use up all of my points for the CDL test on something so simple (in theory) like offsets.
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.
"This is important...if you have a DOT medical card, make SURE the CDL Applicant/Holder box is checked Yes. If not you get to take another physical. "
Thanks alot for posting this!!I'm I glad I read this today.I checked mune and the wrong boxes were checked.Drive straight back to get it corrected.I start on monday at the swift phoenix terminal. 😅
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.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
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.
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Just wanted to say thanks to Errol for taking the time to come by and talk to me and my roommate for a few. It was much appreciated!