My experience with swift cdl school memphis tn.

I am starting the permit class at the swift school in Memphis tn tomorrow Friday 5-22. It is a whole new facility from previous threads and even a different hotel, instead of amriality inn you are now staying at holiday inn which from pics of the previous hotel this one is a big upgrade. My recruiter made it fairly painless to get to this point so not much to say as far as that goes, some of the paperwork they give u is confusing one says everyone stays at this hotel the other says permit class(which is only 4 days and only offered to Arkansas, TN, MS residents) stays at motel 6 of Memphis well there are sever motels 6 in Memphis so i called everyone and no one knew so i went to holiday inn luckily i drove so i will drive myself to school tomorrow and see if i get in trouble lol.
It has been a long road for me to get here years of waiting for my mvr to clear up, and working on my work history not and easy task in a small town with no work. I will post what i can when i can and answer what i can when i can.

 

ok so update time. Would've like to update sooner but takes a min to adjust to waking up at 430 in the morning and spend 10 to 11 hrs reading lol. Swifts permit class, our class started with 9 ppl by day 2 down to 6 and drug test haven't even come back lmao. 2 just quit or something don't know they never came back to class. The third one argued her way out of school, lesson one don't argue with the book, that is what the test is on, on that note dont argue with the teachers either they will do whatever they can to help you succeed, but cause someone on greyhound told you something doesn't mean its true, these ppl been doing this for years or they wouldn't be there. So Listen and take notes(helps retention). 3rd be on time, you're not just gonna be a truck driver you are there to be a professional driver, you want a job you can get one at McDonald's, Driving a Commercial vehicle is a career and a lifestyle very important to remember.
So crammed cdl book into 3 days doesn't seem like long but its long enough, one of the rules is there are no stupid questions take advantage of that and don't be afraid to ask. 1st day of the academy is paperwork loan agreement physical if needed and drug test, then you start logs. Day 2 more paperwork homework that you do in class(cant take book home) and start a map class how to read them and trip planning.
Something the recruiter did not mention, You will be going back to a terminal close to your dmv location for road training, unfortunately this means you may wait to start road training, from what Ive heard longest is a week. Some of this has to do with scheduling someone to road train you and more importantly DMV schedule to take your test they are gonna want you to be fresh on your skills before you go to dmv no drive for a week and have to sit for a week waiting on dmy so it is for your benefit just stay calm roll with the punches. Also remember they are gonna try and give you worst case scenario info in the hopes that best case surprises you.
Warning Swift is very large company, If in the military will remind you of it in the sense that the right hand doesn't know what left hand is doing. Same as most government agency, keep a cool head stay respectful and dedicated to what you are working for and you'll be fine.
Lil info on holiday inn hotel, they are still setting it up for swift so you may be able to get a fridge and microwave but not everyone will so pack accordingly as far as food. There is no place within walking distance, there is a hotel shuttle they will take you to the store but you need a group so its not a wasted trip for them.
Other than that all is good, you have any questions I will answer what i can.
Till next time.

 

ok so first week done. Lil run down. first 2 days are classroom not much too it some homework to do in class while the instructor gets everyone's paperwork and physicals, and drug test done. in our class 10 ppl went home on these days. rest of week spent on range practicing straight line backing, for me was very easy but some ppl had a real hard time at it. range rules are very important you must carry them around with you at all times.
I thought it was really funny how some ppl compare the school to the military, for those of you about to embark on this wake up call its nothing like the military no even close, there are things that they are very strict about, range cleanness(it is a new 6million dollar range) and safety (which to me is very understandable). They also are big on listening and taking notes they run you thru everything step by step with very good instructions and then put you in a truck and let you practice, if you go to them and say I don't know what I'm doing or i cant figure this out they are gonna ask to see your notes. If you didn't take any or don't have them on you that is why you cant figure it out they are great reference material. They are not gonna hold your hand and tell you when to turn to make the movement when you need to, cause its on you to figure it out its your future they just give you the tools and information you need to accomplish it learning it thru hands on experience gives you the confidence to finish it. So dont waste your time complaining about it spend it learning the skills you need. That being said lil advice about the range rain gear is a must unless there is lightning then they put you in the truck to practice, another thing is sunscreen lol im lobster red and there is no shade out there lol, try and stay calm getting worked up cause your having a hard time isn't gonna help you and remember you are there for you, at some points you will feel like the ppl you are paired with are holding you back and they will if you let them. Other than that I'm looking forward to week 2 and feeling quite confident about my progress, will update as I can.

 

so another update. today was a map class and trip planning, not a hard thing at all just basically how to read a motor carrier map. the classroom work is very boring hard to stay awake but there isn't that much of it so buck up and get thru it. A lil info that is not released by recruiters or the school till its too late for you to do anything about it. You do your 2 weeks in the school then you are suppose to do one week road training at your home terminal to prepare for the dmv road test. what they don't tell you is there is a waiting list for this phase of training most areas a week. but for MS, TN, AK is up to 4 weeks o how quickly a 22 day course turned in almost 60 days hopefully waiting for a mentor isn't nearly as bad kinda makes you wonder if working for them is a good idea. but im gonna keep my head up and see where the road leads till my next update keep the wheels turning.

 

ok so update could've updated sooner but waking up at 430am to stand in a parking lot for 10hrs will wear you out. First off I don't think they are having a problem with mentors haven't gotten to that stage yet road training is merely where they teach you to shift and how to make tight right hand and left hand turns to prepare you for the dmv. But any who i passed all of my range skills in ms we have 6. I failed the first evaluation cause of nervousness but luckily they give you a second chance before putting you on academic probation. My advice is to just bs with the instructors so when it comes time to test, they are just spotters with whistles and the nerves problem goes away. They tell you to not watch videos on youtube on how to do the maneuvers but you only get about 2.5hrs of instruction then cut lose in the range to teach yourself and to be honest i had the principle and a lot of notes but watching a few videos on youtube i was able to nail it. Its all up to you for me it helped to see other ppls method and have a lil more visual instruction. been home for 5 days now was suppose to call and set up road training today but have been unable to get a hold of the woman that schedules it so will up date when i receive that piece of info.