Leaving on a jet plane!!

[zexersix]

Hello there.......i have decided that trucking would be the best thing for me, at this time of my life. In fact tomorrow, i will be leaving this island paradise, and flying to the mainland to start my journey in my new career.

I picked Swift for 1 reason, and that was because they had a terminal in Ocala, FL, not alot of companies where able to offer training and have a terminal in the sunshine state.


You might be saying there's better companies out there, but i believe home is what you make it. The first couple of months are going to be the hardest, ill still be a cherry, until i establish myself in this industry.


So for those people that will be attending the Millington,TN acadamy this upcoming Wedensday, let me know.


I forgot to ask my recruiter what exactly do they mean by V.A benifits at the Millington Acadamy??... if anyone knows,please let me know.
I am ex-Army, but when i tried to use VA here in Hawaii for CDL school, they basically told me to go screw myself...YOU must pay $3000.

If theres any Swift veterans out there, plz let me know, i wouldnt mind, finding more info about Swift from the horses mouth, and before you ask,Swift doesnt exist in Hawaii.

Forgive my spelling errors, they look right to me, they also look wrong.....might be the fact that im getting my Alcohol in before i attend school.

[One]

Cool, I just dont know about Swift...OR Florida for that matter....

[Windwalker]

I forgot to ask my recruiter what exactly do they mean by V.A benifits at the Millington Acadamy??... if anyone knows,please let me know.

VA benefits should mean the G I BILL paying for part of the training. I know of a school in WI that used to advertise that you could use G I benefits for school there. Don't know if any of that has changed over the years. Unless the school there isn't approved.

And, YES!!!, you certainly could have made a better choice. I know that HEARTLAND has a terminal in Jacksonville, FL, but I don't know if they do any training.

[zexersix]

I forgot to ask my recruiter what exactly do they mean by V.A benifits at the Millington Acadamy??... if anyone knows,please let me know.

VA benefits should mean the G I BILL paying for part of the training. I know of a school in WI that used to advertise that you could use G I benefits for school there. Don't know if any of that has changed over the years. Unless the school there isn't approved.

And, YES!!!, you certainly could have made a better choice. I know that HEARTLAND has a terminal in Jacksonville, FL, but I don't know if they do any training.

Heartland does not hire Cherries, do not worry though, i have been drooling over there new pay plan.

[One]

Heartland may pay well short miles, but will run you in the NE a lot and low miles from what I hear....You can always go to LTL after 6 mos.!

[marcel27208]

Wow... hawaii........how often did swift say they will get you home?????

[Windwalker]

Wow... hawaii........how often did swift say they will get you home?????

[golfhobo]

Wow... hawaii........how often did swift say they will get you home?????

And do they let you drive the truck home??

On a different note..... what kind of trucking opportunities are there in Hawaii??

[lifespalette]

ahhhhh.......a new milington student....... :shock: :shock: :shock:

First off be prepared.......Millington ain't gonna be nothing like Hawaii.......mater of fact, I'm not sure Millington is like anything else. I didn't go through Millington, in fact I didn't get my CDL thru Swift, but did drive for them. They're not the worst nor are they the best. It's gonna be what you make it and that's the way it is with any company. Like my trainer with Swift told me, there ain't no best company, just the one you work for.... it's up to you.

I live in Memphis and to tell you the truth, I avoid Millington period. I didn't lose anything up there and there certainly isn't anything I need from up there. One thing I do know, is once you hit the streets for road training.... they love to take you down town Memphis, seems they love to circle 201 Poplar (down town Court and lock up central). I suppose it could be that the intersection of Union and 3rd is always crowded, lots of traffic and most often you'll find a vehicle double parked just beyond the intersection.......if you're coming up 3rd street and making a right hand onto Union (which is what they usually do), it's a tight turn due to the traffic coming west on Union...........just don't get in a hurry, start your turn and if you have to sit a wait for the inside Union lane to clear .....do it......ain't nobody gonna push you into it from behind.........it's three lanes north bound on 3rd and they can go around you if they want, that's their problem.............I'm pretty sure they use it to weed out students, I've been out there watching a few times (my wife is a PD down there) and it never fails ...........lunch time traffic and here comes Swiftie........I've only seen one student who did it right and waited for the traffic to clear on the inside lane......most just try to go for it and that's when they get into trouble..........unless you can use the inside westbound lane on Union, you're not going to make it.

I've watched some catch the inside corner with the trailer, one flat out snagged the street sign.......and a couple clipped cars in the Union lane......bye bye............if you find yourself on 3rd street heading north, just be prepared .........I'd be willing to bet they're going to have you turn on Union.........set up hugging the lane line, not the curb.....you've got two lanes east bound on Union and the parking area against the curb.....watch the cars along the curb, it's police parking and more often than not you'll find unmarked cars parked right up to the corner. Start your turn later than sooner and if it's not clear to use the inside Union lane, stop and wait till you have a break in the traffic............you're not going to make it any other way.............be prepared for pedestrians crossing Union in front of you jaywalking.......it's a busy part of the street and I'm pretty sure if you clipped the corner or a car, you're getting a one way ticket back home.

They do alot of training on site as I think it's part of the old base..........while you're in school you might as well just hang out at the Academy.... you're not gonna miss anything of interest in Millington that's for sure and if you don't know where to go downtown (which the cab fare isn't the cheapest), chances are you'll end up on Beale street and it's mostly joints that will tempt you with the forbidden beverages........save that for the last night, besides it's expensive.........and the BBQ isn't all that great, they cater to the tourist..........if you want good BBQ try Nealy's on Jefferson.

Just keep in mind, Memphis is rated #2 on violent crimes in the Nation (thank you Mayor Thug) and there are parts of Memphis that it's just not safe to be lost in day or night. Remember you're here to get schooling and your CDL...........save the sight seeing for later, chances are you're going to be assigned to the Memphis terminal on Brooks, so you'll get plenty of opportunity to visit downtown later in your career if you work thing right...............BOL, I think you'll need it at Millington.........from what I've heard from the orientation road test instructors at the terminal, the product coming out of Millington isn't the best, hopefully, you'll get a good trainer during your 6 weeks, if not, keep asking for another one. That's where you're going to learn to drive.............Millington is just a step to get you your CDL.