First Ever Trucking Job At Swift Transportation
Topic 29469 | Page 1
So happy for ya, Colt ~!!!
Yeah, I get the 'mom' thing.. pretty sure I've got kids your age; and sending a son into the Army was no easy feat, either.
I'll be following along, eagerly!!
Best wishes,
~ Anne ~
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
sending a son into the Army was no easy feat, either.
Anne, my kid joins Airforce this March.
I have been at swift academy for one week now .. Next week we start learning pre-trip , backing and driving on the road .. I already had my Class A CDL but never had the air brakes until now, My old company I was only driving 5500 flatbed with 40’ gooseneck trailer hauling pipeline equipment.. Truck driving has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid and now it’s real .. I’m a little nervous but hoping to get some advice on what to expect so I pass my driving test ..
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
I already had my Class A CDL but never had the air brakes until now,
How did you have a Class A without the airbrakes?
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.
sending a son into the Army was no easy feat, either.
Anne, my kid joins Airforce this March.
Aubrey, that's actually exciting (and scary) !!! Congrats, sir!
I have been at swift academy for one week now .. Next week we start learning pre-trip , backing and driving on the road .. I already had my Class A CDL but never had the air brakes until now, My old company I was only driving 5500 flatbed with 40’ gooseneck trailer hauling pipeline equipment.. Truck driving has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid and now it’s real .. I’m a little nervous but hoping to get some advice on what to expect so I pass my driving test ..
Gillman, welcome to Trucking Truth; maybe you can start a thread about YOUR journey, at Swift?!?
COLT, still following your 'hijacked' diary, good sir~!!! (SORRY!!!!)
~ Anne ~
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.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
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Things have been going pretty fast for me. 3 days after receiving my CDL and I'm already set up to head to Lancaster Texas after 1 email with a swift recruiter. It's really the first time iv ever been away from home and it shows in the way my parents acted. Mom was tearing up every time she saw me packing more stuff into my duffel bag or every time she heard me on the phone with my recruiter. My dad was more proud than worried. He tried his best to instill as many life values as he could onto me before seeing me off.
The drive wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I left at 2 AM to get to the hotel by at least 5:30 AM. The contrast between the pitch blackness of I-49 and the blinding glare of I-20 West from Shreveport was kind of intriguing to me. The number of trucks filling up on ramps was also pretty neat. I neglected to make any pit stops to keep with my habit of being as punctual as possible; Even though my knee was locking up from being bent in the same position for 4 hours straight.
I barely had time to enjoy the hotel room after arriving before finding myself pulling into Swifts Lancaster Terminal. I anxiously stepped through the front doors and found myself blocked by an employees only sign. After a brief conversation with an employee coming in from outside, I made my way upstairs to the orientation room. Rudy.G from Driver qualifications greeted me and offered me a drink after taking my CDL. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since the day before, so I eagerly took him up on his offer. My fellow trainees arrived about 25 minutes after I did from the Hotel via shuttle. I had a wonderful time conversating with them and getting to know them better. Everyone at swift is so kind and polite. The safety team was a little overbearing, but they need to be. I can safely say that everyone iv met at swift so far has been a joy to work with and have done everything I can think of to clear up any questions and set my mind at ease. If my mentor is half as understanding as they have been, things are going to be a breeze.
After a long day of signing forms and watching videos, I was back in the hotel room with an extra pizza they let me take home and a 10 dollar gift card to the Cracker Barrel. I slept for the rest of the day and woke up early in the morning with nothing much to do. I spent the rest of that day shopping around. I picked up a cheap laptop to keep my mind occupied ( and so I could write this.) and looked around for some places to pick up dinner. If you haven't tried In-N-Out, I highly recommend them!
As of now, it is 8 AM January 22, 2021, and I'm just waiting to check out of my hotel room. all I need to do now is wait for my drug screens to come back and receive my mentor. If they can't find me one until Monday, I might just head back home for the weekend. I know I packed a bit too much for the trip and would like to cut down on my load. I will try to keep this Diary updated as much as I can. Thank you all so much for being there to help me through the stress of becoming a trainee truck driver. I hope someone will find something helpful from this and any future posts of mine.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.