So, I've somewhat recently started training new drivers for the big evil Swift. Right now I have my second student on board. I thought I'd start a thread where the various trainers on this board can share their experiences and tips and hopefully help out a trainer make some improvements with their students.

My first student was brand new to the industry and had gone though Swift's horrible school in Phoenix. He was OK at best when he got on my truck and six weeks later was a much better driver. I call him every 3-5 days and he seems to be doing pretty well for himself.

My current student drove in '95 and '96. He is an OK driver on the highway but when you get him on city streets or backing and things fall apart rather quickly. The biggest problem though is that he just doesn't listen to much of what I say. Well, he appears to be listening but his actions don't make me believe he is listening. How do you deal with that?


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I drove for about 3 years doing local work in Seattle, mostly delivering to construction sites. I drove everything from Isuzu cabovers to 48' flat beds, just depended on what the load required. I also spent 2 months at a Target DC backing 70-80 trailers a day. I've been OTR for 16 months now. I've had a lot of people help out out in my teen years and I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. My way of giving back is to help students get a good start in an industry/company that isn't known for being easy on newbies.

You're going to have some like that. Hopefully, you're company will listen to you when you get to the reporting stage.

I had one like that. No matter how hard I tried to drill it in his head. He would not listen. He ended up being let go, on his final drop and hook.

I had asked him to move the trailer over. He promptly gased on it and took a hard right turn, while still in the hole. Luckly, he was man enough to admit he had lost sight of me during the safety review. Otherwise, he would have took me out the door with him.

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Insuring polititions fear that
which goes bump in the night.
Seek out their personal homes
and family members. -- SU 83
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I trained for 2 years. Im not sure this is the same as what you are dealing with. From training a number of new drivers I have found out that people learn by different methods. Especially backing. If he looks like he is listening to you but does not show what you are telling him he (1) Might not care and not want to learn because he thinks he knows already.If this is the case then you need to get rid of him asap (2) He might not understand what you are trying to tell him and is the type of person who needs to learn visually and needs you to show him while getting out of the truck while backing and show him what to look for and what it looks like in the mirror while driving. Esplain to him the difference of the pivot point and the push point and how they react to one another while backing. (3) He might be shy of asking you for extra help on things you tell him once of twice in fear of you might thinking that he is not smart enough to do the job. When you drive for awhile you have ways of doing things and newbies just dont understand. Drawing things on paper and explaining what you are talking about helps as well. As a trainer you have to learn from your students and continously have to learn and adapt new ways of teaching the same thing to a variety of different people from different places and learing abilities. Good luck and stay safe.

Nice thread guys...

My husband used to train at a truck driving school, according to him they would pass everyone whose loan/check cleared, regardless of if they actually got it, spoke english, or knew how to back. He said the hardest people to train were people with any experience at all because they would never listen and always thought they knew what they were doing.

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I am a Camaro Girl because IROC!

You have unlimited chances to go too slow, but only one to go too fast.

I can already tell this is going to be a good thread to keep up with. What NOT to do as a student. I start school on Monday so I need all the help I can get. Humble pie here. Appreciate all the info provided on here gang!

Hi there, I am certainly not a trainer, still going to school. This is my thought about your student not listening. When I was doing the backing skills, which I am still working on. This is what happened with me and possibly is with your student. I really was listening and trying to do what the guy was telling me to do. But sometimes it was like the brain and the hands werent working together or as fast as they should be. I honestly was listening but maybe not doing it as fast or as well as I was supposed to. So my teacher didn't think I was thinking and at one time asked me if I knew left from right. I can assure you that I was thinking and I do know left from right. When I did the alley/dock backing I could get it sometimes then sometimes I couldnt. Kinda like I got part way thru it and then couldn't think my way thru the rest of it. If anyone in my class is reading any of these posts, they will know who this is. LOL But that's my take. Also a friend of mine did the same thing you did and can back like there is no tomorrow, he can not understand why I can't just pick it up right away. Good luck with your student. Are they hiring grads? I was told that they were only taking experienced drivers.

All of this makes sense to me and I'm still a student. Too bad youre not my instructor... LOL

I,ve had a few students like that back when I was a trainer. you'll probably need to do some backing in different scenarios for him to comprehend. This may work. I think setting up is the 1st step

Many times you'll find an instructor, that is equally deaf to what their students are saying.

I spent 4 wonderful weeks as a second seat driver...training the first seat driver. He was pretty decent about it, considering he was supposed to be in charge. But I've seen those that let the authority go to their heads, and have to have things their way. Every time.

6 months doesn't make you an authority on anything. Neither does 23 years.

It doesn't work like that, unless you are preparing a student for a first time driving test (as your husband was) for his CDL at a state facility.

One mistake I see made often, by students and trainers alike. The holding of hands, for 4-6 weeks. There comes a time during backing, that a student has to do it by himself. If the student refuses to try it alone, or the trainer is always giving him input. Nothing gets learned...except how to listen.

At some point in training, the teacher becomes a stop sign. Only saying something when needed to prevent injury/damage.

__________________
Insuring polititions fear that
which goes bump in the night.
Seek out their personal homes
and family members. -- SU 83
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