Swift Academy Memphis Tennessee

So I started at Memphis and not gonna lie lots of people have told me how bad it is, the passing rates are pretty low and need opinions on what I should do? I'm currently there so any heads-up?

Start with a positive attitude is the key to everything from this point forward.

Watch, listen, and learn all that you are instructed. If you have questions, ask.

It's your training, so make the most of it.

So I started at Memphis and not gonna lie lots of people have told me how bad it is

Who told you? Reliable sources? Current Swift drivers that completed training there?

Nick I graduated from Swift Academy in Richmond. It was a positive experience.

Okay… reality the failure rate in every school is high. It’s not a reflection of the companies, but the nature of the trucking beast. It’s not easy.

Keep in mind many students are sent home for failing drug/alcohol tests and not passing the physical. Others leave because they quickly realize their presumption of this being a cake walk is false.

Pack Rat gave you great advice, STAY POSITIVE. Avoid negative people and find others who have a positive, focused mindset. Use your freetime to study the pretrip. It’s a significant piece of what you’ll be tested on.

Here is something that might help:

• Pre-Trip Inspection Study Guide
• Daniel's Pre-Trip Inspection
• Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist
• Pre-Trip Inspection Practice Questions

You have been given the best advice from Packrat and G already. Honestly you shoukd have been asking things before you got there, not after. It is a short period of time. Stay away from negative people, they are contagious. Do the best you can for yourself and don’t worry about others. All kinds of folks attend these schools from all wslks of life.

Be positive and let us know how it goes for you.

Thank you guys for the encouragement and thanks G-town and Old School I'll keep you updated.

So I started at Memphis and not gonna lie lots of people have told me how bad it is, the passing rates are pretty low and need opinions on what I should do? I'm currently there so any heads-up?

Nick C.; Welcome!

I'm not familiar with Swift, nor their academy, but many of our TT members have gotten WONDERFUL starts AND careers, there!

G'Town is a perfect example; I'll link more, shortly.

Have you looked at our 'howdy?'

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

We wish you would've stopped in here first, to see if this is even what you really want. Not just Swift, but trucking in GENERAL! Read the aforementioned links, as you have time, however.

Errol V. (another moderator on here) also had huge success with Swift; went on to be a CAR HAULER... and then back to .. training, at Swift.

Here's his beginnings, over 7 years ago: Errol V.'s Swift Orientation in Memphis

Big T. is CURRENTLY (last we knew) a TRAINER (you may even see him!) at Swift!

Big T at Swift

Pianoman, who is now doing flatbed with System, got his start at ... SWIFT!

Pianoman / Swift follies

Gladhand, who used to be a 'HUGE' presence on our forum ('til he got 'snarky') started there, too.

Paul ^^ probably still keeps in touch with him: Gladhand's Journey at Swift Academy, Phoenix

I could go on & on , but this is kinda time consuming; you've got a few names, and can continue to search.

I'll see if I can get Pianoman Paul to stop in and give his 2 cents, also!

Best wishes, man.

~ Anne ~

You have been given the best advice from Packrat and G already. Honestly you shoukd have been asking things before you got there, not after. It is a short period of time. Stay away from negative people, they are contagious. Do the best you can for yourself and don’t worry about others. All kinds of folks attend these schools from all wslks of life.

Be positive and let us know how it goes for you.

Exactly what I said too, PeeJ !

Anyone else you can think of, that I'm missing above ?!?!? LoL....

Hope you're doing great...nice to see you around, more often!

~ Anne ~

Like Anne mentioned I got my cdl through Swift and worked there for almost 2 years and my advice is the same as the others. I’ll throw in a little story if it helps..

I actually didn’t go to the Swift Academy. Where I live they actually had me go to a local trucking school that was in all honesty pretty sucky, but I listened to the advice everyone gave me on here and I got through it just fine. It’s funny, I honestly didn’t really notice that the school wasn’t that great at the time because I was so laser focused on just getting my cdl and passing the tests. School is just a very very small part of the journey of getting into trucking and becoming a safe and proficient driver and it helps to remember that while you’re in school.

A friend of mine recently went to that same school and as he was telling me about it I was shocked how bad it was. The equipment was just very old and falling apart, they couldn’t get required backing and road practice in because trucks wouldn’t start or were getting stuck in the mud, etc. and the school didn’t want to make up the extra time with the students. When I thought about it I remembered having the same issues when I attended that school but in the end those things didn’t keep me from getting my license.

In your case, you’re in a much better situation. Whereas a local trucking school doesn’t ultimately care if you pass or fail, Swift has you at their own private academy and the company ultimately wants you to get your cdl and be successful with them. Don’t get me wrong, this does not mean you have some kind of leverage with them—you’re still just one of dozens/hundreds of applicants that knows essentially nothing and has provided no value to them yet—but they are investing in you with the hopes that they will get a good return on their investment.

In short just keep your head down and work and ignore the complainers. This is YOUR career and opportunity, so don’t let some guys you’ve never met and know nothing about you get in your head and lead you to mess up a good opportunity. Trucking school is hard and a lot of people fail because most people have the misconception that trucking is easy. Get any potential misconceptions you have about trucking out of your head and you’ll do fine. Good luck

Swift catches a lot of flack via reviews, youtube videos etc. Top notch training company imho. Ignore the negative. Distance yourself from the whiners etc Best of luck to you. Hammer down

Hey just complete my CDL exam on zoom even though I already have it, next step is the theory test everything is going so far, just can't wait to get my pretrip inspection pamphlet and start on the trucks!