Training?

What company you training with?

 

Listen and use common sense. I used to be a trainer and I had students that I swear must have had there heads used as basketballs at birth. However on your current question, yes there are horrid trainers out there that are only letting you on their truck for the money and will try to keep you on the truck for as long as humanly possible. If you have any issues with your trainer at all and I mean AT ALL, call your company and explain what is going on. If your trainer asks you to do something illegal like running on his logs, or vice versa. Call you company. If he makes you do something that you are not comfortable with, Call your company. You need to accept that yes you could receive a bad trainer, however for as many bad ones there are good ones. Just remember, if your company is worth anything at all, they will handle it and get you with a trainer that will actually train you to be a good, safe driver.

 

Don't let your feelings going into your training become self fulfilling prophecy. It is very easy to do. Remember you are a guest on that truck. Learn as much as you can and try to enjoy the time.

 

Be honest is the most important aspect. If your trainer is worth anything, tell them what you would like to happen. In my case, we are there as representatives of the company, we may co exist as workers in a small area. Yet I expect the coworker to be fully dressed when they come on duty. I dont need them telling me that something itches and they want me to scratch it for them. We are here to do a job not to goof off and have highschool locker room behavior.

The trainers that I have had all respected that. You have rights as a trainee. Dont forget it.

 

Eat baked beans, pinto beans, bean burritos and chili the entire time that you are with your trainer. This will help prevent him/her from keeping you on the truck after you're ready just to increase the paychecks.

 

Your not going to learn how to be a trucker in just a few weeks with a trainer no matter how good said trainer is. Your just starting to scratch the surface. Trucking is about experiences you will have and how you managed them. A trainer should show you how to do the basic backing. How to scale out a load. How to log and do company paperwork correctly and how to make sure your truck is road legal.