That's the best decision you've made, Billy.

Keep in mind who that instructor is instructing for. I imagine the stress he's under is a lot like the rest of the C.R. England employees, and he relieves that stress by doing what you've described.

During the time I was a driver trainer, I heard many horror stories about what some of the other driver trainers did. But what you've related here is right up there with the worst. Yelling and tempers have nothing positive to contribute to the learning or testing process. And to reach across to cover the instruments and shifter is going waaayyy too far.

I'm a pretty mellow guy, but I'd have been tempted to feed that clipboard to him in one piece.

Seriously? I don't think he has ANY business being a trainer. He sounds waaayyy too high-strung for the job.

Probably a good thing. The word filter here would probably block it anyway.
Ya reckon?

I doubt Utah is aware. As to the number of students who've encountered his wrath, Heaven only knows.

You're probably correct. If C.R. England hasn't already poisoned your DAC report, no doubt they would if you did file a report.

He may be capable of standing in judgment, but he certainly doesn't seem capable of instructing properly.

ANY time. And, yes -- especially during a test.

Are you serious? What are they doing? Trying to get you used to the cold so you won't idle their Big truck -- saving THEM fuel money? Dirty socks?! Yuck!

Not to gross you out, Billy, but rumor has it they serve road-kill.
Jest keeding!

Only you know if you made the right decision. Especially if you enjoy being home every night. But if you can make that kind of money driving a taxi, I'd tend to believe you did make the wrong decision. Then again, how would you know if you didn't experience it? I think you just chose the wrong Big truck truckin' company to start out with. Believe me, they're NOT all as bad as C.R. England IS.

Shux Howdy!
I would too!
If I were you, I'd do some serious soul searching before making a final decision though. You've come this far -- it'd be a shame if it were all for naught. Well, except for the experience and lessons learned. Is it really a mistake if you've, at least, learned SOMEthing?

See above

Ya think?

I'm goin' out on a limb here, but I think you're making reference to me, Shakey AfterShock. And I'll refrain from saying "I told you so" -- 'cause you already know. I'm truly sorry you had to learn that the hard way.

Give yourself some time to calm down and reflect. Remember what other's in this thread have said about Big truck truckin' being more of a lifestyle than a job -- a lifestyle not EVERYbody is cut out for. Especially if they prefer being home every night. There's no shame in it if Big truck truckin' isn't for you. If that's the case, it's much better to find out early than to waste years coming to that conclusion. In fact, I'd consider that fortunate.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg, Billy. With the direction the Big truck truckin' industry is heading, I think it's safe to say it'll only get worse before, and IF, it gets any better.

Hmmmmmmmm
How 'bout an apology to those who tried to steer you AWAY from C.R. England? You know, "arrogant morons" like me.

Gee! What did he do with all his spare time?

Look at it this way -- perhaps being rejected by C.R. England was a GOOD thing for him. He may not realize that yet, but my guess is he WILL.

That's right folks,
LISTEN TO BILLY!!
NOW, he knows that of which he speaks.

Go Billy, GO!!
It sure couldn't hurt -- and just might prevent others from making the wrong decision. Welcome to the bandwagon.
Well, judging from the number of folks who ignore good advice, I wonder if they'll listen to you? Like I said, it couldn't hurt. And if you reach just ONE wannabe, it'll be worth the effort, no?

I don't know if RollingThunder still has me on "ignore", but if anyone will suggest he remove me from ignore, at least long enough to read this post, I'd sure appreciate it.

My only intent was to try to convince him to give C.R. England a second thought before packing off to Salt Lick, Utah for training. I think he took my warnings the wrong way, being somewhat headstrong. I hope there are no hard feelings betwixt us, and I sure hated hearing his experience with C.R. England was less that stellar.

Billy!
If you're reading this, I'm really sorry you had a bad experience -- especially when first starting out. I think you did a stand-up thing by posting your experiences, and I commend you for doing so.
I wish you luck in the future and the best of success.
Sincerely!

__________________
Pontificating Dogmatist

I hope you will accept my apology. You were trying to warn me about CR England and I took it the wrong way. I thought you were just trying to discourage me from the industry all-together, but you were not. You were trying to warn me and I did not listen. I am sorry I misunderstood you and took it the wrong way.

Mostly, I was under a lot of stress since the moment I arrived at that facility and I didn't want to believe that I made the wrong decision. I did not want to hear anything negative and I just tuned it all out and even got nasty as I assumed that anyone who was trying to warn me was people who just wanted to ruin my ambitions.

Still, with my CDL, I still am a beginner. And yeah, I guess I still am a wannabe lol... but I at have the license at least and will hopefully get a local gig sooner or later. I won't allow CR ENgland to ruin my trucking ambitions all together.

Anyway, again, I am sorry for being a jerk - I was just under a lot of stress being so far from home on my laptop and was expecting everything to be hunky-dory and I took it the wrong way.

Billy

Apology accepted.
Thank you.

I feel much better now.

I don't know if Schneider is hiring from your area, but if I were you, I'd give them a call. I know of a newbee who was just hired from the Chicago area right into their bulk division (tankers) and a wannabe who applied and was offered the same gig, including training. Sounds like they're in need in that area if you're interested.

IMO, tanker yanker jobs are better than dry van. More specialized and easier to unload. No lumpers!
Might even get you home more regularly, too.

It may require that you relocate to that area though.

If the training is in Green Bay, I assure you, it WILL be superior to what you went through with C.R. England. And you should feel more confident after their training.

Good luck and best of success!!

__________________
Pontificating Dogmatist

Schneider's training is pretty good i will agree with that. I was up in Green Bay for training when I first started out and I had fun up there too, you'll met alot of nice people up there. The instructors will help you out if you want the extra help. When i was there I was having problems with shifting so I stayed after class for about 2hrs 3 days straight and my instructor worked with me 1 on 1, he was a very nice guy and i got my shifting down pretty good, and I never seen a instructor blow up on any of the trainees, i know my instructor wanted to with me one time lol. One day I was making a right hand turn and I made the turn waaaay too wide and took out 6 cars lol kiddin no just took the left front tire up on the curb of the bolavard. I had to back up about 5 feet and i completed the turn and my instructor was calm and told me what I did wrong and we continued our day. Like I said it's a good place to learn, good luck

If you look around they are about third worst on this site, just one more crushed dream, or maybe, saved from one heck of a lot of aggrivation.

I had this experience at a PTDIA trucking school I paid for myself. I guess everybody is tired of my sob story, but this is an episode I haven't written about anywhere. I was banned, without any warning, from (Trucking website not mentioned) for telling the truth, which "experienced" drivers who went through training 10 years ago didn't want to hear/believe/lol - plus my political views, which related to the trucking situation, annoyed some. Free speech forum, right.

I'll make this story short. I was behind the wheel, with my truck school instructor in the passenger seat, and another student, sitting behind. This was week 3 of a 4-week course. I was going up a moderate hill, behind a farm tractor. My instructor (need I say, an older guy with an attitude) - My instructor told me to pass the tractor. This was on a 2-lane road. I explained that I felt, at the middle height of the hill, we were too close to the top of the hill, and I wouldn't be able to tell if a car would be coming over the hill towards me in the other lane, and it might be unsafe. The instructor was getting really impatient and he ordered me to pass the tractor.

I switched on my headlights, thinking that would help warn an oncoming car, if one came along. My instructor yelled at me to turn off the switch - now! He said it was too early. Actually, it was just coming up to dusk.

I said, still not changing my lane, "It's almost dusk." He said, you shut that off or I will, and he reached over violently, and almost knocked my right hand off the steering wheel. I took my left hand and shut off the headlight switch.

"Now pass that tractor!" he yelled. "Do it now or I'm taking you off the road for good!" This whole thing went by so fast! We were just at the brink of coming up to the top of the hill. I hesitated. I couldn't do it. I prayed.

Next, like a miracle, the farm tractor ahead quickly turned to the right, off the road, into a farmhouse driveway.

I was at the top of the hill. The instructor hissed, "Well, you don't have to pass him now." We went along to our stop at a diner which we reached in another 20 minutes. The other student took over after the meal break, as scheduled.

Back at the school the next day, I found out that this instructor put in a report on me saying I was following too close behind a tractor and almost hit it. I wrote out my side of the story and turned it in to the head of the school. He didn't believe me, nobody else believed me, and from that day on this gal was treated badly by all the teachers, and I was suddenly fair game for people to talk down to and make fun of.

I was a nervous wreck by the time I took my CDL test, and they all thought I would fail, and they wanted me to fail. This was school I paid for up front, remember. But I was a long way from home, and no one helped, except for some people at a little church nearby I was visiting on weekends.

The day of the test, I passed. I have my CDL. I went on to have pretty strange experiences with trainers at those big companies. But nothing, bad as it was, was ever as terrifying as that instructor, or as cruel as the people at that school. When I passed, no one congratulated me. I just smiled and was kind to all, because I know God is always with me. This happened in October 2006. It still makes me shake to think about it.

What about the other student with you. Didn't that person back up your story?

BILL:
The guy your talking about that you put on ignore is "Aftershock". He told me about your post.
Man Billy I'm really so sorry about what you went through. Life has to be tasted, but you don't need to be slapped in the face.
I've been with bad companies too, but $.26 a mile. that's terrible.
All you out there I know Rolling thunder and worked with him. He's a super guy, great Taxi dispatcher, and one fun guy to work with. Internet stuff, he's super and a extremely bright guy. I always made money with Billy when I drove a cab. He doesn't deserve that at all.
Billy get your butt home and listen to this Ma Monster. Maybe Jimmy will give you a job hauling gas, Ask Kevin, you know the ropes.
The thing about advice is that a person just has to experience it first hand. I told you how hard it is to do that job, and it takes a lot of driving to get real good at it. It isn't that you couldn't do it, it's what companies expect from you and they are short on patients.
Now you see why I'm not over the road anymore. I'll tell you what they did. They made you fail on purpose, cause they got your money, and they don't need company drivers. I bet you said you weren't going to lease a truck, and the word came down to the instructor to fail you. You can't sue them, cause as you say you have the license so their obligations are over.
Billy to make it simple. You didn't play their game, so your out of the ballgame in their terms. I thought that was a little strange they take newbie's into company payroll. Why?
You own the truck, you foot for the repair bills, you crash the truck, you pay.
Company driver, you get benefits (if Any) and they have a salary to pay. All companies limit the amount of drivers they have. I'm not surprised. But they tell you they don't need anybody, there's the difference.
They did tell you that on the thread, I can't tell you that, cause I never dealt with CR England. I worked for Coggins in Florida when i did over the road , and they were just was pleased as punch that you had the load on time. different company policies, paid good too.
You didn't know, but I drove a few days every now and then for a buddy out east on my taxi days off. He's out of it too, I think the company is out of business too that we worked for, the owner retired "Mc Donald Sullivan".
Rough business, you tried billy.

Billy put it right. He had hopes, we all know that feeling to be shut down. Like I said with Billy I knew where he was heading and he doesn't change his mind that quickly. He's a better person for the experience, and a little wiser. That's a positive way to look at it. We'll never improve without mistakes. If you met Billy, you'd like him, and you can tell how much of a man he is. When he's wrong, he says so. That's a great guy there.
"NEVER KNOCK A MAN FOR TRYING"

Aftershock--your ok---life is too short buddy!
God Bless
Ma Monster

Thank you sir!
I appreciate the flowers, and ESPECIALLY the God Bless. Truly, God IS good.

I hope y'all realize I wasn't "knocking a man for trying" -- just trying to cause him to realize he might be headed for a heartache. This is one of those times when I wish I was wrong, rather than right. I wouldn't wish the treatment Billy received on ANYone -- especially when just starting out. I imagine this experience has left a rather bad taste in his mouth. Hopefully, his experience with C.R. England, if shared with others, will prevent another wannabe from going through the same thing.

And I agree with you when you opined that had Billy not mentioned not being interested in their lease/purchase program, things might have been different. I think you've hit the head right on the nail -- C.R. England isn't really interested in company drivers. Company drivers are a headache to them. They'd rather put all the hassles on lease drivers and avoid the additional responsibility that goes with employing company drivers.

How C.R. England stays in business is beyond me. Likely it's because they prey on the uninformed newbies with stars in their eyes. Chew 'em up and spit 'em out. If/When they fail, it's the NEWBIE'S fault, not the company's. A total disregard for the well-being of the person, and/or how it will and does affect their lives. Many have a hard time recovering from the ordeal, often taking years. Destroyed credit, leaving them stranded, putting bad reports on DAC records, lies, false hopes. That's shameful.

No surprise C.R. England finds it necessary to hide behind metal detectors and armed guards. Desperate people do desperate things. Intentionally pushing a person into a desperate situation doesn't seem to phase those folks at all. Makes me wonder if they derive pleasure in doing that. They sure don't seem very anxious to change their policy, knowing full well how destructive their practices are to other, unsuspecting people. Imagine being lied to just to sucker newbies in, only to be rejected for believing those lies.

If one believe one reaps what they sew, I can't help but believe when the powers that be C.R. England meet St. Peter, their names won't be written in the Book of Life. Either that, or there'll be the word REJECTED next to their collective names. Could we call that "justice"? Spending eternity in the Lake of Fire.
HeY! The Golden Rule. Do unto others,..... y'all know the rest, right?

God Bless you, too, Ma Monster.
And you too, RollingThunder.
Keep the Faith.
All things happen for a reason.
We don't always know why right away, and may NEVER know why. Just trust that the Lord DOES (know why).

Side Bar:
HeY Billy, can I have my green square back?

__________________
Pontificating Dogmatist