Is This Info About Swift CDL School Really True?

It certainly eliminates the "He said, She said", and "Hearsay" scenarios. In todays litigious climate, I can't say I blame them. I'm sure a Company as big as Swift has their reasons. Probably Millions of $$$ worth of reasons. Most lawsuits never see a courtroom, settled out of court, the one with the deep pockets pays. Cheaper than litigation, unfortunately. Even Slip and Fall Lawyers have to feed their families!

At Crst only about 11 made it out of about 138

Earl, it seems to me that these numbers are causing you to think that there is something inherently wrong with this whole program. You have got to realize that you have never been to one of these training programs and are taking your information from someone who is throwing the information out there as if it were the fault of the program itself. As you can see from some of the very successful Swift drivers who are active in this forum, the information you are getting might be a little skewed in it's own bias, for what ever reason.

I can tell you this from my own experiences with starting new jobs at various trucking companies. Close to 85% of the people who show up to these classes are never going to make it through no matter how the program is structured. This is one of the most misunderstood industries I have ever been involved with. It is no surprise either, there is a ton of misinformation on the internet, and much of it you have already exposed yourself to.

There is almost always a group of people at these training programs who showed up with out a dime in their pockets. You'll recognize them right off, they are the ones who are asking everyone they see if they can bum a cigarette from you. That group is pretty much history - they really only came for the free hotel room and a few hot meals. Then there is the group of folks who lied on their applications, there is almost always a large contingency from this group. I put them right up there with the ones who were celebrating with their friends by smoking blunts back home just before getting on the Greyhound bus to head off to truck driving school. Those two groups will usually make it to about the third day. Once the background checks start going through, and the drug tests come back, all those folks are done. Then there is always a few in the crowd who already seem to know more about the trucking industry than the folks who have been churning out a living doing this for the past thirty years. Those are some of the last to get weeded out. They are usually given just enough rope to hang themselves with, and then they are gone.

This is actually a very realistic picture of how many of these training programs get started each week. Notice that none of what I just described to you had anything to do with the company being evil or cruel in any way. This whole business is performance based, and there are very few coming in here who understand that truth. Most of them are looking for a way to have a job given to them, but everything about this business is set up to reward those who know how to make things happen. If a person wants to go through a Company-Sponsored Training Program they need to realize that it is something like a boot camp - only the strong survive. A big part of the strength that is required is the foreknowledge of what you are about to get yourself into. This is a great career, but every step along the way is earned by hard working professionals with grit and stamina.

4 out of 9 total in my class have received their CDL. The others are either retesting at DPS or have been moved a class back due to performance issues. Of the ones that went to DPS and did not get their CDL , I am confident that when they return to test again, they will walk out with their CDL. The Swift academy that I attended had forward facing cameras as well as driver facing cameras in the trucks and yes, the instructors wore body cameras. It all comes down to safety, which is taught to you from day one: "Safe by choice, not by chance."

I read the posting that you are talking about and some of it seems exaggerated. The academy that I attended did not have audio and visual recording in any classroom, break-room or common area. However, I did not go to the same academy as that person. If you focus on your training and focus on being a safe driver, you'll very quickly forget that the cameras are even there.

I am so glad I made the choice to attend a Swift academy. The training was excellent, the equipment was new and well maintained and the staff was amazing. For what its worth, when I tested for my CDL, the only students to pass all of the testing at DPS and walk away with a CDL were Swift students. There were quite a few other "private, non company sponsored" CDL schools there and not a single one left with a CDL (we were the last to test and leave that day). That being said, I'm sure this is not the case everywhere and with every class. Whatever school you decide to attend, you need to take it seriously and you need to study and practice. The instructors can teach you the material and the theory, but you are the one that needs to actually perform when it matters.

Its so hard staying positive. I dont want to be the one who gets sent home. The cameras dont bother me. In fact i welcome them. It's me, have doubts not making the grade. Its gonna be hard. Im gonna take it seriously. There are women out there, smaller, older (well maybe not older) but just as nervous! I was told I'll know within a day or 2, who to stay away from if I want to succeed. I"m gonna be as prepared as I can be. The doubts still creap in once in a while. At least once a day. Right now I've got a sponge for a clutch and a plunger for the stick shift at my desk watching a video on 10 speed transmissions. Coordination sucks. But thousands have done it before me. It can be done! I also have people rooting for me. Which is just amazing. A word of wisdom for people like me. Stop thinking about it and just do it. It can be done.

Its so hard staying positive. I dont want to be the one who gets sent home. The cameras dont bother me. In fact i welcome them. It's me, have doubts not making the grade. Its gonna be hard. Im gonna take it seriously. There are women out there, smaller, older (well maybe not older) but just as nervous! I was told I'll know within a day or 2, who to stay away from if I want to succeed. I"m gonna be as prepared as I can be. The doubts still creap in once in a while. At least once a day. Right now I've got a sponge for a clutch and a plunger for the stick shift at my desk watching a video on 10 speed transmissions. Coordination sucks. But thousands have done it before me. It can be done! I also have people rooting for me. Which is just amazing. A word of wisdom for people like me. Stop thinking about it and just do it. It can be done.

I never drove a stick and have so little coordination I can't even do the electric slide dance. Yet...here I am.

Break it into phases. Learn the written exam then concentrate on the pretrip inspection. Each step will build your confidence.

Most of the people who don't get through orientation either lied about the backgrounds, didn't pass the physical, did not bring proper documents, or failed the written.

The next bunch got eliminated by failing the pretrip.

Do a YouTube search for "Apex driving school pretrip inspection". It seriously helped me know the PTI before I got to orientation which left me so much more time to meet people learn and build a " trucker support system".

Once you get a trainer, explain you want to do all the backing and get a feel for it without guidance. Have him tell you to stop.if you are going to hit something.

Going forward is easy. Backing up takes time and the schools know it.

Good luck.

Do trucks in driving schools have a sloppy shifter from abuse. I went to Swift training and had problems with going into wrong gear and double clutching.

Ed D. asked:

Do trucks in driving schools have a sloppy shifter from abuse.

Only if your lucky.

The trucks at my school have definitely seen better days. I'm quite glad to be learning on trucks that are more difficult to operate that the truck I will eventually be driving:

It means that when everything else starts getting more difficult, at least one part will be getting easier.

I would think that we would all like to train as hard as we can, and under the most difficult circumstances that we can find so that we will be better prepared for anything that comes later on.

Perhaps I should have waited and signed up for the night class during the monsoon season...

Tell me what school you're going to, John. I'll be sure to avoid it.

Ed D wrote:

Do trucks in driving schools have a sloppy shifter from abuse. I went to Swift training and had problems with going into wrong gear and double clutching.

Difficulty in shifting and clutching has far more to do with the lack of experience and the inherent difficulty in learning proper technique than a well worn truck. The larger carriers do a fairly good job of maintaining their training trucks.