Swift Road Test
Topic 16332 | Page 1
David, they aren't looking for perfection. I'm a little concerned with what type of training you got to get to this point. I've never seen a tractor rig with a six speed transmission. Even after you pass the road test you will be placed with a trainer, but you may serve yourself better by enrolling in their Company-Sponsored Training Program. That way you can be assured and confident with your training as you are getting started.
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.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
Hi David, are you in So Cal by chance? The initial road test really no big deal at all. You won't do the final road test until you after you have spent 4-5 weeks out with a trainer / mentor. You'll get plenty of practice. LOL
My school used 6 speed day cabs to pass the DMV as well. After you passed the DMV test you went back for several days in a 10 speed truck.
You'll be just fine.
JJ
Day Cab:
A tractor which does not have a sleeper berth attached to it. Normally used for local routes where drivers go home every night.
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.
A six speed transmission, did you train in a box truck?
Do you have a license, or permit, David V?
It appears you trained in a single drive axle day cab. Which is perfectly acceptable to get your CDL in, but it doesn't give you much toward being an over the road driver. Basically most schools don't really give us a whole lot of what's needed to be a successful OTR driver.
My main concern is that you have a training certificate indicating 160 hours of training. If you do, then you should be fine as far as being eligible for the job. You just don't sound very confident, and that is understandable - none of us were really ready when we started out.
If you don't have that certificate you will need to go through their company sponsored training , but since you have a class A license you will be fast tracked through so you can go solo as soon as you are ready.
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.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Over The Road:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Day Cab:
A tractor which does not have a sleeper berth attached to it. Normally used for local routes where drivers go home every night.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
David, they aren't looking for perfection. I'm a little concerned with what type of training you got to get to this point. I've never seen a tractor rig with a six speed transmission.
Hello old school, i got my training in Queens N.Y. and passed my test with a six speed transmission. I will look into the company training program and see if it's right for me. I am aware of the training that takes place afterwards. i want to thank you for your feedback.
David V wrote:
David, they aren't looking for perfection. I'm a little concerned with what type of training you got to get to this point. I've never seen a tractor rig with a six speed transmission.
If he has his Class A there is no need for concern. There are single screw tractors designed for medium duty local delivery and LTL P&D work that have six-speeds and a two-speed rear (not the same as a splitter). Schools will many times use a configuration as mentioned because they are less expensive to purchase, far cheaper to run and since they are never under a load, there is no need for the "beef" of a Class 7-8 truck.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
P&D:
Pickup & Delivery
Local drivers that stay around their area, usually within 100 mile radius of a terminal, picking up and delivering loads.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers for instance will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.
A six speed transmission, did you train in a box truck?Do you have a license, or permit, David V
Hello michael s , i have a CDL A class. The truck was an international model.
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.
Hello G- town, my brother worked for swift for a year and told me a bit about the road test they conduct. Can you elaborate on what i need to know before i head up to Syracuse and find out later i don't have what it takes to work for swift. All is appreciated, Thank you.
David V.
Hello G- town, my brother worked for swift for a year and told me a bit about the road test they conduct. Can you elaborate on what i need to know before i head up to Syracuse and find out later i don't have what it takes to work for swift. All is appreciated, Thank you.
David V.
They will take you in the yard where you will need to demonstrate your ability to back the truck, (45 degree alley-back) . Just remember to GOAL and make it very obvious. The road test will likely be about 5 miles, nothing more than what you did for your CDL test. Since you did not go through their schooling, they might ask you to perform a pre-trip inspection. Not really sure about that.
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
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Hello to all, i got my CDL A class license and i am looking to go with swift transportation. my main concern is the roadtest that swift conducts in order to work for them. when i spoke to a recruiter with swift she told me that i need to pass the roadtest with the truck assigned to me or go home and get more practice. she told me that swift has 8 to 10 gear trucks. i was trained to drive a 6 gear truck. any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks
David V.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: