Question:
Hi ya all,,,,,
I'm new here and have a question.
Hubby is presently in training with swift in Memphis.
He has done well so far,but has trouble with the dopple clutching and shifting.Everything else,,i.e. turning,backing,stopping,written test, etc,no problem.
So my ? is,,how strict is swift at the final roadtest?,,,,Is it a common problem?
Guess i'm just worried, that he may not pass.His training is finished wednesday,the roadtest either monday or tuesday.
Would love to hear from other drivers,thanks for any advice.
Manny

Answer:
ARe you talking about the final road test Swift gives before upgrading a driver to full solo status, or is he attending school through Swift and the final test before he gets his CDL?
As far as the final road test before being upgraded to solo goes they are not real strict. What they are looking for is a reasonable amount of competency in driving the truck. Can he get the truck moving without a lot of difficulty, shift the truck without causing potential damage to the drive train or upsetting the load, and the biggest thing they are going to be looking for is how safely he drives the truck.
Missing a shift is not the end all on this test. Every driver out there misses shifts from time to time or scratches a gear once in a while, even those with a million miles or more of experience. What is going to matter more is how the driver recovers from the missed shift. If he has to come to a stop and start all over again then, yes he probably will not pass any kind of road test. If on the other hand he can quickly get the truck into the proper gear there wont be much of a problem.
As far as any testing at the end of school (to finally get your CDL) this is more of a state and examiner issue then anything else. Some examiners are 120% by the book types and other will let what they consider minor things pass if they feel the student is trying and is capable of operating the vehicle in a safe manner. Where the state comes into play at is the set the amount of points you can accumulate on the skills test before failing.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
When I took the CDL road test, I shifted horribly. I ground that transmission so bad I was sure there were no forward gears left working. I thought for sure I failed; but, I passed anyway.
.
The big no-no's are: do not shift in an intersection and do not shift while turning a corner. Get across the intersection then shift. Make your turn and get straight then shift.
.
You lose points for bad shifting; but, you do not lose points for each and every single bad shift. In football, you can miss every point after touchdown and still win the game. In basketball, you can miss every free throw and still win the game.

Answer:
You forgot shifting while on a railroad grade crossing. Big no-no. BOL

Answer:
Hi,,,,
I meant the roadtest swift gives you at the end of the 3 weeks,before the 8 weeks of OTR training.
(4 weeks with a Trainer and 4 weeks with another newbie.)
He tells me he that he can recover the truck ok,when he does miss a gear.He is just not used to a dopple clutch.
I know he is nervous and i try to support him.
Not easy when i don't know anything about driveing a truck, (LOL)
Thats why Trucknet is a cool place,someone is always willing to help and answer any questions,,,,,Thanks!
I'll pass your reply's on to him,maybe it will relax him to know ,he don't have to be a 100%perfect in everything and still can pass.
Manny

Answer:
This week in school we learned how to shift and I couldnt believe how bad I did.You got the instructor yackin and hes got you going through a obstacle course at the same time, shoot for a minute there I didnt know what state I was in much less gear I was in ,he had me so nervous. The secound time out wasnt much better. Third time it was just me and another student and I was hitting the tach just right on the down shifts and rembering to hit high and low range when I was suppose to.I dont rattle easily but I got to tell you those first two trys wernt pretty.Just thought I would post to see if this brought back any bad memories of school past.I think the next time the instructor rides with me again Ill be allright the last trip helped my confidence.Hopefully I will put him asleep and have him drooling on the window.RIGHT

Answer:
Dont worry. During the road test they will be looking for a basic understanding of operation only. They (the examiner) know that few students at the end of school are going to real smooth in shifting.
As already pointed out as long as he avoids the BIG no-no's during his driving exam he will be just fine.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
I suppose that would be which terminal you took it at---I took mine at the Dallas terminal and I never left the terminal property.It kind of went like this---Myself and the examiner pre-tripped the truck and then I drove around back of the Central Freight crossdocks(Swift is at the same location as Central)never getting out of 4th gear,located an empty trailer and hooked it up,pretripped the trailer,drove around the yard and backed the trailer into the same spot I found it,un-hooked and returned to terminal.Total test took less than 15 minutes and I never got out of low range gears and total mileage was maybe 3/4 mile,examiner wrote down 30 miles,went inside and they gave me a set of keys and a tractor # and I was ready for first dispatch.This is a TRUE story and so now what do you think of Swift?All I can say is I am thankful my trainer was great and taught me well.
Answer:
So Gov,
Are you stating that Swift issued you a CDL A? In other words, they administered the test? If so, were you under a obligation to work for them for a specified amount of time?
The reason for my inquiry, is that I have a screwy friend who needs a CDL, but conventional school isn't right for him.

Answer:
Wesley,
I went through Tri-State Semi-Driving school in Palmer,Tx.The course was 17 days straight,10 hours each day.The last 7 days was driving training consisting of city driving and highway driving.Upon graduation,all students had their Class A CDL with all endorsements.Iwas hired on with Swift and after three days of orientation Swift administers a road test.Mine went like I described above.I then went out with a trainer for four weeks(my trainer was an O/O and was great);we rolled through 28 states in 30 days in the middle of the winter so I was able to drive quite a bit in icy,snowy conditions.I then went out for another 4 weeks with another newbie driver which was a nightmare as he had two accidents in that time period.After that I was issued a 2002 Columbia and put on a Wal-Mart dedicated account running 8 states.I think my co-driver was terminated.I paid cash for my school and the cost was $4000.00 dollars.I hope that sums it up for you?
Answer:
So, basically the driving school did all the testing, not Texas DMV?

Answer:
Wesley,
All of our testing both written and driving were done at Department of Public Safety(DMV)in Waxahachie,Tx.I am not sure I am getting your point in these questions.I can't speak for other states but if you pick up the study guide and devote some quality time to study it,the written exams are a piece of cake and the driving is too--at least in Texas it is.I passed all the test first try,but I studied it for three months prior to enrolling in school and I drove a 10 wheel dump truck back in the days before they required a CDL in Tx.
Answer:
Hi you all!
Hubby called this morning and he PASST!!!
I'm so happy and he is too,,,,whewwwwwww(lol)
Next phase,,,8 weeks OTR.
But right now, he is on his way Home for 7 days.
THANKS to all of you for your reply's,it helped.
I'm sure i'll be back with more ?? as time goes on.
Be safe out there.
Manny

Answer:
What a joke, mine was, I you can get that big monster out of the lot and back with out runnung over anyone or anything, your a driver. I could'nt believe it, but maybe mine was an execption. Swift is hurting for drivers their turnover is crazy.

Answer:
More than likely your hubby will be home for 7 days then go back to Memphis for orientation for 3 days then get sent right back home to wait for a trainer( out of the 67 that were in orientation...only 4 got trainers the last day of orientation) How do I know? I am back home till tomorrow morning after doing my first 28 days with my driver trainer. And I as well attended the old MS carriers driving academy in MIllington,TN. I never did get a trainer out of my home terminal. I had to come home after orientation in Memphis, then I made several phone calls to try and find out what my status was. Finally they called me back after I was home 5 days after orientation and I had to catch a bus the next day to Greer,SC. So just tell your Hubby to relax and go with the flow and it will be over soon. Best of luck to both of you. I know being apart has to be hard for both of you.