Swift Orientation | 🤯 Things they don’t mention during orientation
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- Опубліковано 20 лют 2022
- Quick video I made explaining a few things not mentioned during orientation at Swift Transportation. Hopefully this helps anyone interested in joining swift!
I was a dedicated mentor. Trainee hours were definitely not OTR. My guys were home every other day and weekends.
What Swift doesn’t tell you is that while they have very good paying dedicated accounts, you won’t be allowed to drive them unless you live close to a terminal. If you’re more than 50 miles away, you don’t have any good options. Best to drive somewhere else.
Very good info, I’d just add to the mentor part make sure they actually teach you. I had one at CRST that wouldn’t show me how to back or let me practice when we had no load because he wasn’t making any money. So make sure they teach it. It’s a dangerous industry.
Ya that’s for sure, my original OTR mentor I was supposed to go out with on Wednesday seemed that way. Long story short they had me take an experienced road test since they confirmed my previous employer finally and since I got that down and did the backing on the first try in one shot now I’m supposed to get started on Sunday on a 50-100 hour mentor so just 1.5-2 weeks. It’s been an interesting start to say the least. New mentor sounds a world of difference and from what I was told cares about his students. Hopefully the case 🙌🏼
@@TruckerChubs awesome. Yea I had a late start but it’s all good now.
Great info
I like to drive for swift transportation especially they have a terminal in Laredo Texas because I live 50 Miles from there
I finished Swift Academy in early March 2020. At that time COVID just hit so we didn’t go to orientation, they just gave us all the paperwork and we had to figure it out once we got a mentor 😂
Good god lol
I actually recommend the swift academy. Then run with them after get experience
I cleared up the employment history verification before agreeing to the orientation but now they can't seem to get my Medical Documents from the Doctor that they sent me to even though I have Photo Texted them from 2 different phones. I have Faxed them to no avail and now I have Express Mailed them but no response yet on my Pulse App.
Hello, the recruiter told my I am going to be out for 5 days a week, back home for 36 hour reset, lane- VA to MD, PA, NY (not NYC) and back to VA. How this work? I have orientation Monday can I change the account for local?
I went thru swift academy. Pass my cdl went with a really awesome mentor he did shuttle express. Home every day 200 hours then I upgraded. To a driver after went on road test pass I been with swift over a year now
It is a good company to start ?
What’s the road test on
As a Swift driver your allowed to wreck only 4 truck a year other than that everything else goes good luck and try to be safe lol
Lmao damn but thanks. No longer with them
Only 4 crashes?
I got up to orientation but the pay is too low can’t do it ,I have a family and that isn’t going to cut it
I hear ya on that one
So even if you choose local loads plan on doing your mentor time OTR? How long?
200hrs
The time you waited for a mentor , did swift pay you ? if so how does that work ? Thanks
Unfortunately no, pretty much only paid when actually in the truck and getting in some miles.
Today the told me I will have to pay back CDL academy and the HOTEL AS WELL, do you know anything about this??? I know you did not do Academy I just wondering if you knew.
Thanks for the info homie❤️💪🏽
What’s up! Not that I know of. The academy yes you’d basically be paying that off as you work. They’ll take a very small portion of your check each week to cover that until it’s paid off. The hotel I don’t recall unless it’s included in the academy reimbursement deal. Welcome to swift btw!
Did you pass??
Is he saying that the mentoring part is a consecutive 4 weeks away from home??
Yes most likely OTR BUT I'm told that some are local now. Depends
I want to be a trucker driver I need your recommendations about getting my CDL, is it better to pay for your own CDL or go to a trucking company and get it through them?
I'd say pay your own and go local or find a small company BUT if money is tight there is no issue with going to a mega carrier like swift or Werner and getting it through them
@@TruckerChubs thanks
@@khanrahimi pay for it or get a grant from the state that will pay everything if you qualify . I paid 4500 and got back 2k form taxes this year. I take home 1300 to 1700 a week . Depending on the miles for the week.
Are you a refugee?
Dang bro. A friend is worried because he left some info off his application. I figured if they found anything inconsistent, even if the found it after academy, they’d fire you and make you pay that whole $8000 or whatever it is. How did that conversation go when it came up for you? Like we’re they cool about it or really put the screws to you?
Also man, when do you become liable for that $8k? Is it in the application process? Orientation? First day of class? Last day of class? Like when do you actually sign on the dotted line if you remember.
It was an issue for me because I came in as experienced or just having some experience they wanted to confirm. If similar there's a way around it so no major issues they'll handle it. If he's going from scratch then I don't think they'll care much tbh as his CDL wouldn't be involved. Unless they're similarly as strict then same thing they'll code it a certain way to cover it as they couldn't confirm or reach a reference.
As for when the money is owed back that I'm not to sure but I'd believe it's after you get your license with them.
@@TruckerChubs awesome man. Thanks for the info! I’m probably just trippin thinking like “when you get past that first year and they start paying you back for your school, that’s when they’ll say they found some discrepancy on the application and then can you so they don’t have to pay you back that money”. Ya know? Hope I’m just paranoid
Hey bro what was your out come with your situation
@@amandarobledo2772 *my friend’s situation*
When they officially graduated him, they printed up a more complete job history that included jobs he forgot to put on his application and had him sign it. It was no biggy, like he didn’t get fired from them or anything. They just had him sign it.
As for the $8,000 (really $10,000 when you include the hotel they provide), if you dip out of the academy in your first three days, then you don’t owe anything. After that it’s like each day that goes by you’re on the hook for another $500 until the end of week two, where you are responsible for the entire loan if you bail after that.
Honestly, I’d recommend getting your CDL learners permit before going into class because you can do that for like $20 at the DMV because that’s what they cover in week one and several students didn’t pass the first week and had to retake it. It’s just a quiz on the DMV computer and you get as much studying using apps as you do from that one week class at Swift.
I’d also recommend riding along with a trucker for a week if you personally know one before committing to anything. You don’t know if you’re gonna be any good at trucking or even not hate the job until you try it. And you probably want to know that before getting into debt.
Do you go to orientation after you finish the swift driving academy ?
What’s up! Yes you start right after the academy if you don’t have your CDL. If you already have your CDL it’s straight to the orientations
No you don't go thru academy after you pass test they hire you on. You go with mentor for 200 hours. Then you go to terminal take road test then you upgrade
At Central Refrigerated, training was fun, trainer I was stuck with for 5 weeks was absolutely useless.
Ouch, least you're solo now?
@@TruckerChubs yeah. Trainer had me navigating, drop and hook, fueling, etc, instead of sleeping. Rather do army basic again, than 5 weeks with him. Doing hazmat for small local company. Mostly Clean Harbors, US Ecology, etc.
@@richsmith7200 damn that just sounds like a terrible time. It's a good thing you won't go through that again haha
BTW thank you for your service 🙏
So, the thing is that pay is only for the 1st 40 hours of On Duty and Driving time on your log... Each hour after that is paid at minimum wage.. You left that whole part out
Is that for local? I’m paid by the mike same as OTR
@@TruckerChubs I was OTR when I was with Swift for training.. Back then it was $550.00 for your first 40 hours and then whatever the minimum wage was at the time for your residing state. Mileage pay didn't come into effect until after you've upgraded to Solo or Team driver status back then..
Now, this was 4 years ago
@@joshalex93 ah I see I get you know. Bit shocked they paid that low back then for training. Currently it’s $800 gross as long as you do 5 days in a week. All up until you upgrade of course.
@@TruckerChubs they only upped the pay to get more drivers in. This was before the Knight - Swift merge.
@@joshalex93 I’d say it’s working. I came back from my last day with my mentor and was shocked to see about 30 people in a group going by. Then I find out they’re all students. Couldn’t comprehend it. Hard to believe they can train each and every one of them in two weeks and get them enough drive time if I’m being honest. I can somewhat see a bit of the stereotype now and the reasoning for it.
So that 800 guarantee is all you get ?
Won’t you be working ?
You will be working basically running teams with your mentor and yes the $800 is all you’d get or max you’d get during the mentor portion of it all. For some that’s a lot, for others like myself here in California it doesn’t do much. Just have to push through it until you’re on your own account
How was the process of the drug screen? Did they test you before you started the orientation?
Yes they did, urine and hair follicle test
@@TruckerChubs Is the the hair a new standard? Didn't know about that 1
Many companies are doing stringent drug screens and random tests so if a person has concerns about that then trucking may not be the best career choice.
At 1:11 you said Gross and at 1:25 you said Net. So you had it correct and then turned it around after for some reason.
Yup! I caught that haha I tend to flip words around sometimes 🙃
I lasted a month at Swift, horrible company.
Damn that’s low pay
Even though it's training, ya it is low pay
Swift driver's scare the fuck out of me..
Amen though not all are bad
Want info on swift?? Watch bone head truckers
Used to watch those swift fail videos all the time. Biggest trucking company and they hire by the numbers weekly. Unfortunately that’s how those videos come to be. Honestly it’s been good so far no complaints. Pay is good at least on my account and it’s pretty straight forward
How many years job history did you have to go back? TY.
I only had 6 months experience or so. They'll take anyone though no experience too
So even if you choose local loads plan on doing your mentor time OTR? How long?
Yes no matter what account you get mentor hours are OTR at least here out of jurupa