Traffic Jam And Swift Mentor
Topic 19857 | Page 3
6/18/17
Murderspolywog-thanks. Good advice! I appreciate the words and so applicable! Ha!
Well, I got the lawnmower running and everything is good here. It is a happy Father's Day and I hope each of you father's are having a nice day also.
-Traffic Jam
6/22/17
Ok!
Went to the doc today and everything is fine. His statement to Swift will go down on Mon. So I have the weekend at home. On Mon I will wait to see what Swift says after they review the statement and all.
Hopefully I'll be on my way first part of next week. Of the four who graduated with cdl I know of two who are on the road right now. Two from the original fifteen. Hopefully, I will make it three first part of the week.
- Traffic Jam
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.
6/27/17 I received the statement from the doc today. I'll fax it to Swift first thing tomorrow. Hope to be accepted and in the program soonest!
Traffic Jam
6/29/17, Thursday
I sent my documents requested from my Doctor to Swift on this last Tuesday. Wednesday they called to say they had sent them to their doctor that i saw who had requested these docs before he would release a DOT physical he did on me when i was down there two weeks ago. They told me he would call and let me know and then I am to call them back to coordinate a return (hopefully).
This is Thursday. I see Fourth of July fast approaching. This dragging out and I hope after all this waiting and expense and no reimbursement to anything, I am told no.
I am hopefully waiting, but have set a deadline for myself. If we reach it without hearing anything I will definitely move on.
-Traffic Jam
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.
Wow, man. I just went back through this thread and I have to tell ya - if you have to be talked off a ledge every three days you're not gonna be in this industry for a month anyhow. You've gotta learn to relax.
You also have it in your head somehow that this is all everyone else's fault. It's your health that's holding things up. That's on you. Own it. Keep in mind what's going on here. They have to verify that you're safe and legal for the highway.
And the idea that Swift and their doctors aren't jumping when you say jump so it must mean they don't want you badly enough is ridiculous. One of you two is the largest, most successful trucking company in the nation and the other one doesn't know the first thing about driving a truck. Who do you think should be the one jumping at this opportunity?
But hey, if you want to come this far with Swift and then bail out to start the whole process over again with a different company I'm sure you'll enjoy that twice as much as the first time. Personally I think you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself.
Besides, it's a holiday weekend coming up. You're probably either going to be sitting at home or spending a bunch of time in a hotel anyhow.
You have a long life ahead of you. You have plenty of time to make all the money you want, unless of course you give yourself a heart attack worrying about nothing. Then you'll need more prescriptions, and you know where that leads.
Relax. Read a book. Knit a blanket.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
6/29/17
Well, this IS a diary.
I have had a lot of patience and have gone to expense they said they would reimburse, and have waited. But perhaps you are right. I appreciate the feedback. I do hope it will work out.
-Traffic Jam
Traffic Jam wrote:
6/29/17
Well, this IS a diary.
I have had a lot of patience and have gone to expense they said they would reimburse, and have waited. But perhaps you are right. I appreciate the feedback. I do hope it will work out.
-Traffic Jam
T.J. unless you are a service veteran, if you quit now Swift will expect you to pay for your schooling, and not at the 50% discounted rate. Do you have $3998.00 you want to part with?
When I graduated school I was bused from Swift's Richmond Academy in VA to home. Passed my CDL tests on a Friday, waited over a week for an available mentor in the Jonestown PA Terminal , then they decided to bus me to Greer SC. Once in Greer, waited another 3 days before I started with a mentor... Upon completion of mentoring, I tested out, was promoted and again bused back to Jonestown PA to wait for a truck assignment. After another 2 days I finally got one. Thought about getting a frequent flyer card for Greyhound.
It's common for there to be delays. Get used to it, it's how this business is.
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.
7/6/17
At motel in Lancaster. Meet mentor this afternoon.
-Traffic Jam
7/6/17
At motel in Lancaster. Meet mentor this afternoon.
-Traffic Jam
That's progress. Best of luck!
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Swift has 14 foot trailers most of them are on dedicated routes in the northwest.
Traffic jam, fitting name, don't get to bothered about this set back. There are many traffic jams you will hit in the next year. Mental ones, at shippers, waiting for loads, at truck stops and sitting for hours in traffic jams. And the list goes on. It gets better as time goes on. So enjoy the wait, there will be times you wish you were waiting more.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."