STUDENT: Observations After 3 Weeks Of CDL School With Swift Transport

Update... The bad DMV tester does not seem to be testing anymore. No idea what happened, but the DMV students are stating none of them got her.

It was a really good week, with no trouble from the instructor who insists on students turning off passenger side overhead lights while the student performs off set and parallel parking and backing, as instructors have rotated as routine and I and a few others have not got stuck with him.

My other 4 remaining classmates (9 expelled), are doing great as well. We had a minor speed bump when we got stuck with an instructor who sounds and acts like Samuel L Jackson's character in the movie "Pulp Fiction", and all admitted he was more of an annoyance that could easily be ignored or filtered out. This instructor is good at providing backing/parking instructions, but not road instruction. Contradictory orders such as "step on it step on it!" , then immediately stating "the speed limit is only 30 mph"! ROFLMAO We all keep out mouths shut and just accept the good instruction and filter out his bad instructions and do as the other instructors taught us despite him stating not to do it their way. The student with the medical condition that was being bullied got different roommates and the bully failed his DMV road test...thus, the bully will not be back. All the others passed. More about the student with the medical condition and the "bad instructor". We noticed he is the only one to "challenge" the bad instructor; for example, whenever the instructor tells him to do something he is already doing, he yells at the instructor "I already did that or I am!". Other times, he will yell at the instructor and say, "I already know that!". We find it kind of refreshing that he voices everything we would love to say but are afraid to, and when he does it the instructor backs down, oddly enough. This student also ended up as one of the best drivers at this point, and also one of the best behaved, mannered, good natured...just dont tell him the obvious! We got a new road instructor after a few days of "regression" with Samuel L Jackson, and instantly...let me repeat instantly...we ALL improved 4x! Like night and day and we are all ready to take the DMV test and passed all the academy tests.

In all, driving a truck is fun now and all admit this. 100% of the students and classes ahead of us that we spoke to all stated that the only really serious complaint by those taking the DMV is had they had the "same" instructor the whole time, they would have passed a week earlier, as many lost a week or two by getting stuck with bad instructors who literally caused the students to go from good to bad and cost them a week. And then after getting the original "good instructor" went back to being good and great drivers INSTANTLY. In fact, most of the instructors actually agree with this as well...the two poor instructors were not asked...

The thing to remember about these observations and what to take away is as follows:

1) There are good and bad instructors, if you feel an instructor is "realistically" not up to par, just ask for a different instructor. The academy will usually honor your request as they already know which instructors are good and which ones still learning to not so good. Remember, you are paying money for this course, and earning no money for every week in pre-,mentor training.

2) Training is fun when you are doing good and not fun when you are doing bad. Thus, you mist first determine what you can do to improve things, and then as a last resort "possibly" look elsewhere for the issue.

3) Training is a serious business, do not expect a bunch of peasant and funny instructors as they ALL do take their job seriously regardless of their level and/or quality of instruction.

4) Smoking and non smoking...many instructors caught the crud the students had and are either out sick or working sick. All of the students are no longer sick.

5) Various rules are still being cherry picked by certain instructors as to whether they will break them or enforce them. The rule seems to be that if the instructor indulges in a particular rule breakage, then he does not enforce it on others and vice versa. All you can do is stay away from and refuse to work with instructors that break the rules and smoke around the trucks. The academy will comply with your request.

In a nutshell, I feel the academy is VERY good in that 99% of students WILL learn to perform what is expected of you and pass both the academy and DMV. Those that do not pass either one, are pretty obvious from the get go. For example, if the student insists on calling right and left indicator lights "Port and Starboard" like the Navy does during the pre-trip inspection or calling the gear shift the "shaft" during pre-trip inspection because you think it's funny, floating gears , grinding gears while slowing down until slow enough for the grinding to end when it finally goes into gear, and hitting every curb every day and still passing the driving test, but then failing at DMV...well...you can see where that's going.

Vin wrote:

It was a really good week, with no trouble from the instructor who insists on students turning off passenger side overhead lights while the student performs off set and parallel parking and backing, as instructors have rotated as routine and I and a few others have not got stuck with him.

Vin as an experienced driver who has been around trucks for 40 years,...the above statement makes zero sense to me. What do you mean by this; "turning-off passenger side overhead lights"? Interior lights? Exterior? Work lights? What do you mean? And whether said light(s) are "on" or "off" has no bearing on your ability to safely perform a backing maneuver, especially considering you are doing it in day light. Just turn them off, it's a "nit" not worth the energy required to complain.

So your last post was another rant, and now this, better yes. However there is still content in this post that is of questionable validity and value. You come across like an experienced hand, critically evaluating anything and everything that crosses your path. For instance, what specific rules are the instructors breaking and the related inconsistencies? All I read was smoking policy. You are outside, in the fresh air. Please provide examples so we can address them one by one.

Refusing to work with an instructor? Horrible advice. Company Sponsored School is when the job interview begins and it lasts through road training (mentoring). If a student displays an inflexible, "my-way or the highway" attitude, a sense of entitlement it won't bode well for future employment prospects with Swift or any other company for that matter. Roll with the punches, be flexible and patient. Address the instructors with respect and professionalism, attempting to work out issues first with the individual instructors before running to superiors. Beyond training, the job requires that same approach each and every day.

Have you read any of the replies in this thread posted in deference to your opinions? They are all fairly consistent. You have yet to respond to any of them and just continue like a "movie critic" rambling on with complaint after complaint.

God Bless your Mentor. I hope for your sake he or she is one step from Sainthood and has an abundance of patience.

While backing the truck to perform offset backing during training, some instructors walk along side the truck. As I was backing, the instructor noticed that the overhead reading(?) light on the passenger side ceiling was on. It was probably left on during the early morning in cab pre-trip inspection and brake test. It was at that point the instructor demanded..yes...let me repeat demanded I turn off the light, for as I pressed the clutch brake to stop, he yelled "Dont Stop!", then "Turn off that light now!" I ignored him and continued backing, he did this a 2nd time, during my offset to the opposite side, and I ignored him. Finally, as I pulled up to finish, he said calmly, "go ahead and set your brakes and turn off that light". As I unlatched my seat belt, he suddenly yelled "Never Mind I will do it!" ROFLMAO Yes, God Bless us Students....hopefully that nutcase instructor will be fired. Another instructor in response to our complaints about him, told us that a week does not go by in which he is the only instructor to "get into it" with a student. Two other instructors mentioned in their replies to us, that they had almost come to blows with this instructor many times and have filed complaints with Human Resources. Apparently, he is on his way out as they have had enough of him and he will return to OTR driving, soon, according to the other 2 instructors. Imagine that....a driving school having bad instructors....

Okay...yes it's a reading light. Once the truck is moving it should be off. He's right and likely has gotten frustrated asking students to turn it off repeatedly. So if it's on, and you are about to drive, turn it off. Learn from it. Things like that left on overnight drain the battery. As far as getting involved with the politics within the instructor team, stay out of it. They are all evaluating everything you do...heed my advice in the previous reply.

What else?