Question:
ok, well i been reading everyones thoughts and opinions on different companies. though i think its kinda funny what people have to say actually. well the thing is i really didnt have too much of a choice so im going to swift may 2nd for schooling. i been wanting to drive truck the last 3 yrs now and finally might have that chance. i just want to know some more about the school and the company. dont tell me stuff i already know about how people lie and having to put up with the bs. i know that i worked for a couple of different temp agents the last 4 yrs and yeah dead end job with low wages especially factory work its just bs all around. though i know how to deal it with but i just looking for a change here. i love to travel, i am single almost 24yrs old and have a cat. with all the family stress that goes around this would be a perfect chance to get out and far away at times. so anyways if anyone of you know something about swift the school and the company. it would greatly be appericated!!

Answer:

Typical mega OTR Carrier training and company. The trucks are painted white instead of orange or yellow.
Answer:
I've been with Swift 3.5+ years and went to their school, whaddya wanna know? I ain't gonna blow sunshine up your skirt, I'll answer your questions truthfully.
Rebelram is right, when it comes to the big companies, stand 'em on their heads, they're all sisters.

Answer:
I've got a question Bill,seriously. I've been asked by a friend if Swift actually
trains any backing skills to Drivers. He claims out of the the mega Carriers
they are the worst he's ever seen. He says they never hit the dock straight or centered with the
plate. He's constantly repositioning trailers and it interferes with his nap time.
Answer:
Well, that explains the shocked and surprised looks from the recievers and dock workers when I put 'em in centered and square. Seriously, from what I've seen in the yards, I really wonder how they passed their road test after training.

Answer:
Was at a dock last month and heard this loud BANG. Everyone runs over to see what the hell happened and there's Swifty out of his truck staring at his left side trailer door laying on the ground. He blew that sucker clear off the hinges trying to back her in. Funny thing was that it was the driver's side door. I could kinda see if it was the blindside but the drivers side? C'mon how careless can somebody be?
A coupole years ago, I was backed into this little po-dunk food distributor in Oklahoma waiting to get unloaded and here comes Swifty. You had to back into this place off the street and he came in from the blindside. So he puts his flashers on, opens his trailer doors, and proceeds to start backing but couldn't hit that dock to save his life. People are driving by honking and flipping him off and getting pissed of for blocking the street so I get out of the truck and tell him there's a big lot just up the road he can swing it around in and hit it from the driver's side. He says thanks driver and takes off excecpt that he doesn't close his trailer doors. I see him go over a set of railroad tracks a little too fast and freight that was doublestacked came tumbling out of his trailer onto the road. It was boxes of laundry detergent and they broke and spilled everywhere.
Ok there's my Swifty stories. Anyone else got some?

Answer:

I could tell you stories concerning numerous Carriers and Driver mistakes. Why pick on Swift?
The training of Drivers by every mega Carrier is lacking substance.
Answer:

Exactly. I trained and drove for Werner for several years. No real difference. You've got to pull yourself up and learn the "craft" (like watching your doors ). You take what they teach you, expand and improve on it and turn yourself into a decent driver. Hard to explain to someone who hasn't gone through it -- but some drivers cut every corner and take chances, and others really try to constantly improve their skill and knowledge. You do the latter, and although Swift don't deserve it, you'll help improve their reputation and open better opportunities for yourself down the road.
.http://www.weather.gov/forecasts/graphical/sect...onusWeek.php#tabs

Answer:
GUILTY AS CHARGED:
about two months ago i was trying to drop a paperload outside sarasota .
instead of a dock they had a pit with a ramp that you had to back into and they come around a pull off the rolls.
well yard dog tells me to open up and back it in . only problem was the pickup truck parked in the ramp.
so i try to put it in and i almost had it . but i can see its getting very close to the pick up.
i jump out the truck and tell yard dog that the pick up truck has to go. why the guy picked a truck ramp to park is beyond me.
' 'you should be able to get it in the hole the guy before you got it '' yeah but iam not as good as the last guy , i tell him.
like a fool i get back in my truck and try to put it in . i can see the path my wheels are going iam getting to close , i atempt a pull up to make a angle correction . and the side of my trailer door catches the fin of the flatbed of the pick up as i moved foward and mangles it pretty bad .
just then the owner of the pick up comes out to move it . he witnessed the whole incident . and took it quite well . a lot better then i would have if are places were reversed.
not proud just fact

Answer:
I just want to know what im gettin into. i keep hearing alot of different things which isnt stopping me one bit. i already tried something hard in my life marine boot camp. so how much worse can this be? i just want to know what to expect in school and what they actually teach you? whatever you can tell me about the company would be nice as well?

Answer:
What are you getting into?
Just remember you deployments with the Marines, and you have the trucker life. But you can not shoot back.
After your training and your out on your own you'll have snobs in the 4 wheelers go by you giving you the Finger for no reason. Shippers and receivers yelling at you cause you were not there yesterday. You'll have dispatchers who'l sit on a load to long and expect you to pull tricks out of your hat.
You'll have to put up with those as you already seen here, same as you went through as a Marine witht he interservices Jokes and teasing. Just because the name on the Truck.
But one thing to remember, No matter what people say, it is up to you to make the decission to run or not, The Job will be what you make out of it. You can go broke, or you can make tons of money. You could enjoy it, or you can Hate it. It's all based on your attitude and determination.
Good LuckHonoring and Remembering Our POW - MIAs
Home of the Forget Me Not Challenge Coins
http://www.powmiaforgetmenot.com/

Answer:

Enough education to obtain a CDL. The learning experience takes place on the road.

The only fact to be told is they have freight to be hauled. Experiences differ,most folks find it unsatisfactory as shown by the constant recruitment effort.,not unlike EVERY OTR
training carrier today.
Answer:
Ok, here we go. School: Should be about three weeks long, an will teach you to pass the CDL test, not how to drive a truck.. Next will be orientation, three days in a classroom learning about the company, some logging, and mostly safety. Next you will be assigned to a mentor for six weeks of over the road training, this is where you really learn to drive a truck and it's up to you how much you learn.
You have to make sure the mentor is making you do ALL duties from day one including trip planning, map reading, and backing. You must be learning to back from day one and do all the backing during those six weeks. If your mentor is on a dedicated run, ask for a mentor that runs all 48 states or you won't learn anything. Six weeks is a very short time.
After the six weeks, you'll be given a road test, and assigned a truck, it's sink or swim.
What else?

Answer:
so your not really learning too much on how to drive the trucking during school. just more or less passing the test for your cdl. thats what i kinda thought and then the 6 weeks with the trainer is where you really get learn in a hurry. just that ppl dont how to drive those 4 wheel cars around its nuts. im not so worry about everyone else i think with a few months in the military as mention. i could definely handle the situation quite well. i learn alot in a few months in basic training before i got medical discharged. i dont let ppl walk so easily over me any more and then top it all of i had to deal with my x finace last yr and her family now i call that bs i was on a leash couldnt do anything. so enough of that anyways i do want to know actually what you might need to bring with u when you go to school? other then that i think thats it more or less i kinda have a good idea of what to kinda expect.

Answer:
BillP you get more making your routes doing the 48 state gig but more backing into docks on a lot of the dedicated runs. If the trainer is any good on the dedicated runs they will make you map out the routes so if ya work at it in some cases the dedicated runs get you more prepared to back into docks and that is where most of the new drivers have problems.