I've Applied To Attend Driver Training At Swift Academy Phoenix
Topic 32247 | Page 8
Hi G-Town! Everything is OK now
:)
Update to follow.
Michael… what’s going on? You’ve gone silent. Everything okay?
Thursday 13 October 2022
I passed my CDL exam! Yay hooray! I am so happy! The second time was the charm for me, because…
Things did not go as planned on Tuesday, my original test day. My nerves got the best of me and I became completely lost trying to do the air brakes portion of the pre-trip inspection. I even started over to try to sort things out. That made it even worse! It was heartbreaking being told I did not pass, and would have to try again in 48 hours.
I spent Wednesday at the academy, practicing the entire pre-trip inspection one-on-one with an instructor, and doing the air brakes portion twice just to make sure I knew what the heck I was doing. We found out that I did. I sincerely appreciate the school dedicating an instructor to me. Their commitment to my success never wavered. I also got to go through the backing maneuvers a couple of times on Wednesday. That extra practice on my offset and parallel was much needed and super helpful, as I found out this afternoon. Today's setups were not perfect, and I had to “fix it” on offset and parallel. Somehow, I figured it out, and I nailed them.
Excited KINDA begins to describe how I feel. It’s way more than that, though. I am eager to learn this trade, and to see the Lower 48, and to face all the challenges ahead with an attitude of “can do, will do, have done.” Thanks to all for following along!
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
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.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
I was wondering about you, too.
Congratulations!
Congratulations!!!
Happy to hear you prevailed.
Nice job! We understand about getting nervous. It happens to the best of us.
Congratulations!
Thank you PackRat! I appreciate your interest and support!
I was wondering about you, too.
Congratulations!
G-Town I am really glad I prevailed too! It's been quite an adventure!
Congratulations!!!
Happy to hear you prevailed.
Thank you Old School! I'm getting better at staying focused on what's in front of me, and that helped w the nerves on the air brakes test!
Nice job! We understand about getting nervous. It happens to the best of us.
Congratulations!
Micheal update for the group since he has been silent again. He has been texting me every couple of days. He is currently on his trainers truck, doing a dedicated Target account in the southwest. He has been doing good so far with only a couple of missed turns as he put it. He will be on his 3rd week this week and sounds like he is hitting his stride.
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Michael… what’s going on? You’ve gone silent. Everything okay?