The Client at-a-Glance
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With Wonderlic: since February 2009
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Students: 650-1000 graduates
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Tuition: 23-day course is $3,900
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Course hours: 207
Affiliated with Swift Transportation
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Established:1966
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Employees: 22,000
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Revenue: $3.2 billion in revenue
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Terminal Network: 31 full-service US terminals
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Miles: 2 billion miles per year
The Client Success
One of 6 locations nationwide, Swift Driving Academy in San Antonio, Texas, offers students comprehensive a truck driving program with job placement within the Swift organization. Swift invests heavily in the students, so ensuring that students enter the program with the basic skills that predict success is critical. For example, while Swift’s tuition for the 207 course hours is $3,900, students who contract with Swift for 26 months, will see that tuition reimbursed in monthly installments, bringing their total investment into the program to around $150 per student. And just putting one student on academic probation can cost Swift approximately $1100.
Because of this investment, Joe Stone, Academy Director for the San Antonio location was looking for a solution that would further improve student admissions and retention when he contacted Wonderlic. And with previous experience as both an independent operator and a driving instructor, Mr. Stone understood that today’s industry required a specific set of skills to meet compliance standards and avoid heavy fines by thoroughly managing all paperwork – log books, maintenance documentation, and more. This brought him to Wonderlic and implementing the Scholastic Level Exam (SLE) for all general admissions.
“Since using the SLE for general admissions, we have not had to put anyone on academic probation and our retention rates have increased dramatically. I believe we have already saved roughly $26,000 in training costs alone.” “We have also had students who did not pass the SLE the first time out. It challenged them to go back and improve their basic skills to take the test again – passing the assessment and going on to successfully completing the program.”
