I spent 16 days with a swift trainer and fully documented the experience: using the Qualcomm while driving, lugging the engine, feeding the bears, and other amusements. Follow the link.

*** Part II: I've gotten back on the truck. Stay tuned for days 17-42...

I think you made it worse that it really neeeded it to be. You worried way too much about what your trainer was doing. If it was so bad, why didn't you call Swift and request a new trainer?

By quitting like you did in the middle of training, you've severely limited yourself. Some companies will hit your DAC report with abandonment. With abandonment on your DAC, you'll only be able to get on with companies WORSE than Swift.

Your time with a Swift Mentor was not really a "Horror Story". It sounds like what 100's of students at big trucking companies experience everyday.

You really should call Swift's training department and see if you can get another mentor and finish your training with them. After you get at least 3 months experience under your belt, you can then go to a better company if you like.

Right now, your options a very limited in the OTR world. If you do get another company to hire you, then you will have to go out with another trainer and start ALL over again. :sad: If you somehow can get your job back at Swift at least you will get credit for the time that you already spent with your 1st trainer. Once you get your own truck, life will get a little better.

Read his other posts:

http://www.classadrivers.com/phpBB2/...r=Wile+E.+Mile


Not everyone is cut out for trucking son. Sounds like OTR really isn't for you.

You're right--I haven't learned how to key on the Qualcomm, text on the cell phone, and drive at the same time.

Why? Because I complained about my trainer doing 15 over on tight curves? Am I the first person to document these things?


Did you open the speadsheet? Look at the mileage columns. I was doing standard shifts past the third day.

Again, worry about what YOU do not your trainer. By reading your journal, you were way to wrapped up in how he talked on the phone, used the qualcom, text messaging, etc. You should have requested a new trainer.

Now your screwed. Like it was said, you will have to start all over with another company. That's IF another company will take you and IF your DAC doesn't have abandonment under load on it. You should suck it up and beg Swift to take you back.

:shock: I read your diary blog thing, It was pretty entertaining to read actually lol.

You just nit-picked the hell out of that guy! Sounds like you didn't want it to work so you found any excuse you could to validate getting off his truck and quiting!

Wile E. Mile:

First off, your trainer was correct in telling you to mark your non driving time as "Sleeper Berth" time.

Secondly, as far as the quality of your trainer, could he have been better?? Sure!!

Could you have done worse??

Mr. Mile, you don't know the meaning of the words "Rude Awakening"!!

The only person you have screwed here is yourself. Abandoning the tuck, even as a trainee, is one of the Cardinal "Thou Shalt Not's" in the trucking industry.

As far as his experience as a Driver and an Owner/Operator leased on with SWIFT??

Well, I have been blessed with considerable success in my life; far, far more than I ever deserved, and I'll tell you a little secret........

......If your trainer could drive as an Owner/Op for SWIFT, and still keep the ink on the bottom line black, he's probably a better man than I am, and he might just know a few things that we don't!!
:wink:

Your "mentor" is a "goat". He is running an illegal log book, either because he's just stupid or because he thinks he can get away with it. "Rolling resets" are not legal. At least not to my knowledge.

At any rate, your single greatest error was not calling Swift and requesting another mentor..... You gotta love that word!! You may have screwed yourself "royally"......but then again...CRE will probably hire you....if you lease a truck.

Thats all I'm going to say.... other than: Boys and girls, if you go out with a trainer....and thats all they are, even if the company calls them "gazorps", and you know the gazorp is doing something wrong or unsafe, make the call, and get away from that person as quickly as possible, period!

100 students, 99% retention???? :dung: :dung: :dung: :dung: Or does that mean that he "passes" 99 out of 100?? Did he have a t-shirt with this on the front? :withstupid: