Some trainers have their own interpretation of "legal." In truth during your time with a trainer you will probably not get ten un-inerrupted hours of sleep. I did not drive when I was tired, or when my logbook was not current while with my trainer. Safe and Legal starts with you and if you are unsatisfied with your trainer give him a chance to correct matters by talking with him. If he refuses then talk to your training coordinator. There are a lot of people who would rather quit and find another job than talk about the problem.

It is very difficult for anyone to drive over their hours at TMC as the computer system keeps track of you now through the qualcomm and notifies safety.


Well nobody is going to magically fix your tires or anything while you sleep or while you drive. If any tires on your truck are defective you only have yourself to blame for them not getting fixed. If you pick up a trailer that needs tires then get them fixed. If you want a tire replaced on your truck or trailer you can get any tire that does not meet DOT standards replaced at any TA truckstop. The downside is that you need to carry the old tires around until you get to a terminal to drop them off as they are worth $90 to you and TMC. It is up to you to get them fixed, so if anyone complains about bad tires that means they are too lazy to take the time to get them replaced.

I believe that TMC is a good company to work for. I do not believe that you can find a much better company that will hire students and train you on flatbeds.

I have been treated fairly by TMC. I accept that I am one of 2800 drivers, and sometimes one of them has a more urgent problem than I do. TMC does not expect me to do things that are illegal or unsafe. If they ask for the impossible I simply tell them the earliest safe and legal time I can get it done by. If that doesn't work for the customer they can find a driver or team that can legally do it instead. I also give them the option of splitting the load halfway or something. Inform them up front what the best you can do is and they will not hold you responsible for any problems. If you have an 8am appointment and you tell them at 7:59am that you are running 3 hours late someone might get upset.

My fleet manager always knew me by name and only asked for my truck number the very first two times I called him, and a couple of times after I switched trucks he kept remembering the old number. My fleet manager never lied to me, but he did pass on incorrect or outdated information from time to time.

So I like TMC and the way they do things. I have no intentions of leaving TMC for another trucking job anytime soon.

__________________
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

-- J R R Tolkien

I just recently started training, the HoS is actually hard to get used to. I manage my own log book alot better than i can keep up with both mine, and my trainee's, theres a learning curve there if you want to teach someone the correct, and legal way to do things.

It is hard, though. I will let my trainee's sleep in if they wish (and allow them their full 10hrs) but the down side to that is that they won't be learning things as i'll be the one outside the truck doing them. A good example of this is when you're on team status and your trainee get's to the consignee late at night, you both lay down and then get up the next morning. It probably won't be ten hours (It's fine for me, i'm used to 4-5 hours of sleep a night) but i try to ease them into the entire thing.

Thing is, if they continue to sleep (which is fine) they won't be learning the fastest, most efficient ways to deal with the unloading / putting away process. Either way it works out, is fine with me. But i try to teach my guys how to make money when they're ON THEIR OWN and not get them used to having a second guy (me) there all the time. It gets tough.

I'd never ask a trainee to drive illegally. Even if they're tired, or diddn't feel good, we'll park it. That simple. Ofcourse, it does depend on alot of situations.

As far as Rawlco's last post, i agree 1000000%. And, since uncle Harrold has taken over again, i've been averaging about 55CPM, not counting tarp and stop fee's, or bounce pay (When applicable). I do expect it to slow down again once winter gets here, but i'm having a hell of a summer.

Hey eckz,

I had a question about being based out of Grand Rapids, but the thread hasn't received any more responses. If you get a minute...
[LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

I called recruiting last week but have not heard back from anyone yet. I tried several times before actually leaving a message yet I always got an answering machine.

yeah,,i've noticed they're really bad for not calling back like they say they will.

hey eckz,
i currently drive for TMC and I was just wondering... have you ever considered not drivivng team status? this is an issue i keep bringing up in driver issue meetings. WHY oh WHY would a veteran driver let a trainee drive while they sleep and vise versa? Maybe i'm just old fasioned , but I've learned over the years the best learning experience for any newbie is one they areactually awake for. I've been driving only for 7 years now and not just for "Old man Harold". I contantly learn new things in this career. Any driver worth his salt will say the same. This is the only company that I've seen that actually encourages their trainers to run team with their trainee after 4 weeks!!! If you got into the trainer program to train...then train and run that truck and your log like you are the only one in it!!! Period!!! Training should always and foremost be about training the new ones to be better and more efficient drivers. NEVER should training be about making more money! TMC should pay their trainers more per week to encourage better training and not giving incentives to those who put up a lot of miles as a "team". Maybe, just maybe if they did that, then their turnover and safety status wouldn't be so high!!!! But to qoute Terry fitzgerald "Thay are only worried about putting butts in the seats... and if you tell anyone that I said that, I'll tell 'em your a liar"

__________________

-it takes a much longer time to train flatbed -there are way more variables than box/reefer etc. If you had hand over hand training for weeks the trainee and company wouldn't make any money.

The best way to learn is by doing it yourself and thinking about the situation -the trainer is their to answer your questions and help transition you into your job.

badsey,
The incentive to training the right way versus the fast way is that,yes, during the training process the company isn't getting the productivity of 2 qualified drivers in the truck running as a team. However, in the long run they are gambling on the supposition that the new guy has been trained right and wont cost the company money for mistakes in driving or load securement.
As far as a trainer to be there just to answer questions and help the transition into the job...well,that is helpful. But, if an experienced driver doesn't help and show a driver how to do things the "right" way,well, then things can go terribly wrong. What happens if you're not awake to tell the trainee a "right" thing and you both end up in the median on the roof.
That trainee might have thought about the situation and made the wrong choice. You may be willing to throw you or your family's life away on a bet that someone you barely know will do the right thing while you sleep and he/she drives but, I'm not.

__________________

for Grand Rapids, MI try Gainey Transportation (GTS)

Benny:

When I was a trainee I figured that if my trainer didn't trust me to drive while he slept after 4 weeks, then the other 2 were not going to help any. Of course my trainer didn't really sleep, but he took naps during the boring stretches.

It is of course up to you. If you as the trainer feel comfortable having a nap while your trainee who has now driven at least 8,000 miles is at the wheel then go ahead. If you are nervous about that perhaps that trainee will not be ready to drive on his own in another two weeks.


If the trainees do not get at least a few minutes on their own then how do you know if they will perform well later when they get on their own. With children you trust them a little at a time, you don't just let them drive, drink, smoke, and date when they turn 16 do you? You watch them learn how to handle responsibility a little at a time. I subscribe to the POOF theory where if you coddle and protect kids and then suddenly push them out of the nest they will get overwhelmed and fall flat on their face. Teach and trust a little at a time for the best results.

By the way my trainer Frank had a trainee after me crash the truck. The trainee fell asleep at the wheel 7 miles from their destination. Frank was in the passenger seat and had his hands on the wheel quickly, but still ended up hitting a concrete T-barrier head on, causing about $7,000 in damage. Frank's reaction time did not change how much damage there would have been, so he might as well have been in the bunk. He was not as it was the trainee's third week and they had not started teaming yet.

__________________
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

-- J R R Tolkien

If i sleep, i nod off in the jumpseat. I've trained 3 guys and ran team with one of them. It just depends on the person. Most people learn better by making their own mistakes, in 5 weeks with someone there is no way to cover every base, they will be learning 30 years plus into this career, what's 5 weeks? I agree with you. Which is why i don't make any more money with a trainee than i would as a solo driver.