hey everyone,

i just got home from training from trans am. i got out of my so called coaches truck due to the following reasons. he was nasty. he would pee in gatorade bottles and poop in a bucket in the truck. he bragged that he could drive better than anyone while he was high and drunk. come on what is that all about. he wouldnt show me anything. he was to busy on the phone talking to his buddies. he slept 95% of the time and the other 5% he spent it on the phone. he would make fun of me when i asked him a question and we argued about 8 times and almost threw fist 3 times. he would sleep while i was climbing and going down mountains. now might i add never drove on mountains. the same goes for snow. the other night i was going through fort worth dallas on i 820 in tornadoes in bumper to bumper traffic and guess where he was yeah sleeping. i could go on and on about how messed up this dude was. i thank him for putting a bitter taste in my mouth for truck driving. im not sure if ill ever drive a truck again. but if i do i want to try to run local. i told trans am i was leaving due to my wife being pregnant but in reality i was disgruntled. i didnt want them to put anything bad on my dac report. they told me i left on good terms and i could return whenever i wanted to. i hated to lie to them but #### it seems they lied to me to. they told me he was their best coach. i hate to see what the worst is. sorry for the rant here guys but i had to get it off my chest. if anybody thinks i did the right thing or not by getting off his truck i would like to know what you think. thanks

Let me pose one thought here. You may have made the best decision for yourself, but what happens to the next guy that gets this goofball as a trainer? The company needs to know specific information. Pull a copy of your DAC report immediately (there is info on the site telling how) and as soon as you have it in hand, contact trans Am and give them the full story, preferably with details, and in writing. Address it to the company president and send it registered mail with a return receipt requested. In fact, I would send a couple of copies out and include a note on the bottom of the letter identifying whom else you sent the letter to so it can't be sat upon or ignored by any one person.

Right now, the only person who knows the specifics of this is you, and if you do nothing, then the situation will not improve.

yeah youre right burky. i hate to think of anyone else going through what i went through. one more thing i forgot to mention he loves to tell story about former students getting out of his truck and how he loves to fight with them. i figured it was useless to spill my guts to trans am about this because im sure every other unfortunate soul that rode in that truck with this sick individual has pled their case with trans am but he still remains a coach. ill never figure it out. i just hope i can get another job.

Man, that sucks...what a crummy first experience. Hopefully you won't have anything like that happen with your future trucking experiences. Think about it this way, you have just seen the worst the industry has to offer...everything else will look great in comparison! Good luck!

Could have been worse. This could have been a company that preys on noobies to do a lease while all of this is going on.

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!

OK...the bottle is sometimes necessary. But when it comes to #2, you can hang in there until a rest area. That's disgusting.

This piece of garbage should have his license yanked and never be allowed within a mile of a big truck ever again.

He's not qualified to be a trainer.

He's not qualified to be a civilized human being.

What jackhole thought this guy could train anyone to do anything?


Bro, you absolutely did the right thing jumping off that truck. What you've posted truly sickens me, and I certainly hope you take every opportunity to get that POS removed from his position, his truck, and the industry.

I'm completely stunned by this, and I've been around the block. That just ain't right, and it most definitely ain't how this business goes. You must have gotten one of the worst trainers known to man. Don't let it sour you--just find a company that hires civilized human beings as trainers, and keep on truckin.'

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No load is worth your life. Or anyone else's.

RON PAUL IN 2008!!

Yikes! doesn't speak well of Transam's program. If i remember correctly dljr, you went there on their dime? Maybe not... but if so how'd you drop out with out repaying for training? Burkey nailed it as usual, only thing I'll add is the importance of good training, ie schooling. Those who aschew driving schools with the idea that newbies will pick up everything they need to know from "coaches" may want to re-think it. BTW, Having survived the adverse driving conditions you went through, where did you pick up the skills that got you through it?

I think you did the right thing by jumping ship. But, by letting this slob off the hook for his actions was a foul on your part. I agree with the idea of getting your DAC and then dropping a dime on the trainer. How does it ever get better if folks keep turning a blind eye to these dirtbag trainers?

Just me, but I would have dropped a dime on him in a minute. And then I would have requested another trainer. The trainer was the dirtbag and he walks out scott free and now it's you suffering. Do you think thats right?

dude where do i start. i don't blame you for what you did. but i feel you could have done it differently. like maybe you could have driven to a terminal and got your stuff out of the truck and told safety to get you another trainer and tell them why. they would have gotten you a new trainer to go do your training with. one thing you have to understand is this business is frustrating and will put a bad taste in your mouth on occassions but you have to understand it's just a job and the first year is the hardest. you went through alot to get your CDL and i hope you don't make a rash decsion on this one isolated incident weigh you away from trucking. i get angry at this business on occassions, be it the shipper/reciever/so called super truckers/four wheelers but i get over it. i rant and rave and talk alot of smack, just ask Jen. but i get over it and move on. bottom line i love driving these big trucks. time is an essence right now for you. best bet go do it again soon and see how it goes for you. don't judge trucking by that fool. he's useless and should be reported so this doesn't happen to another driver. dude sit back relax, breathe and think about your next move and talk about it as much as posible with people and get there opinions.

thanks for all the great replies. i thought about dropping a dime on this guy but it appears trans am does nothing to correct it. i just got done talking to a driver from a local company here in zephyrhills florida. they haul 53' reefers. they haul mainly eggs. the driver told me he makes more there than he did otr with werner and hes home every night. i asked him what their requirements were and he said just a class a cdl and know how to drive a truck. well in a way im glad i had that guy for a trainer. sounds crazy but now i look back at it and the conditions that i had to drive in all by myself and not really knowing what i was doing i did fine. kind of boosted my confidence. so ill go there tommorow and hopefully get a job with them. if not i havent ruled out the possibility of going back to trans am with a new trainer. they said they would take me back anytime. so ill think about it. have a good night everyone and again thanks.