3 months with Werner and fired

Don't snitch on yourself! Good advice from "HalpinUout".

 

what? I knew people in my CDL class that can back better than some of the more experienced drivers out there. It's different for everyone. Some people are just naturally good at it and others it's a learning curve and takes a bit to pick it up.

That's a pretty broad statement that doesn't apply evenly across the board to everyone.

Whether or not a person is qualified to be a trainer or not should be thoroughly evaluated with a road test and a backing test (45/90/Straight in tight and open spaces) at various locations in various scenarios to properly gauge the skill of the driver. at least 90% or better scoring on all tests should be required.

But if a person has the ability to drive, back and train a student, then they should be allowed to train based on the performance...not their experience.

 

Nope. Three months isn't near enough time as a driver to train others. There is no way, in three months, that a driver has the experience to pass on to another trainee, because, for all intents and purposes, he is still a trainee, himself. There's a whole lot more involved than just being able to back and keep the truck between the ditches. Unfortunately, too many don't seem to grasp that.

But, what do I know?

 

It's not one or the other but more a combination of everything. For example, I am a huge aviation enthusiast. I 'fly' on my pc's flight simulator and I am fairly well versed in how to fly a airplane. You could say I am 'book smart' about flying. But I would never jump into an aircraft without proper lessons and I certainly would NEVER teach someone how to fly. What I am getting at is, knowledge is one thing, but experience is another.

All that said, knowledge with time comes wisdom. Yeah, you can have a newbie teach another newbie, but he'll be just teaching the mechanics of driving but not the nuances like how to not get stuck on ice, how to get your tandem pins unstuck by yourself, or how to axle a load without a scale by sight.

I'm not against newbie instructors. I would rather have a patient competent newbie who can teach and show respect than a jerk of a human with a million accident free miles but has the personality of a snapping turtle. Most people react better with kindness than not.

Case in point, Whirlpool in N Liberty, IA, the lady in the shipping office always, and I mean always, calls me sir. "Yes, sir.", "Here are your bills, sir." Instant respect in my book. The reverse is true too. If you throw out a Sir or Ma'am, I believe it makes a difference on their end too. But now I am going off topic.

 

My intent was for it to be broad, I was using backing as an example... Joetro summed it up perfectly, read post below this one...

 

You all joking surely 3 months in the summer time driving, is more than adequate to be able to start training others drivers. Snow well it's just cold, frozen rain, mountains no problem either, why would you really believe that one cannot train after 3 months. As long as they have the backing and being able to go forward part down the rest should be good to go.

 

Lowa3468 your crack dealer must have supreme stuff... LOL.... Maybe 30 days instead of 3 months would work possibly? haha

 

That ruling along with hos and csa coming out next month. Great to see you helping the cause

 

to the OP... first, I appreciate and respect that you accepted your accountability in your mishaps....
I understand the thinking to just stick it out with whatever trainer you get.. but, that short changes yourself... there are some good and even great trainers out there.. and you deserve to have a good trainer and get good training..

One thing I am happy about, is that your trainer who failed to train you properly... will also get dinged for your mishaps and being fired.. trainers are and should be held accountable if they fail to train their students.. so kf there student has an incident, ticket, or accident within their first 30 days off the trainers truck the trainer gets dinged.. mah not be able to take another student for a period of time or until tne take the train the trainers class again wkth no pay.. on their own time and dime..

For newbies getting ready to train.. you deserve quality training... and shojld demand it.. do not put up with or stay with a bad trainer... so you know the process, because a bad trainer wont tell you..
If your trainer is not up to par.. let your SDM know.. talk to them daily.. then, if your trainer doesnt straignten up .. call your SDM and say hou want off this truck and with another trainer.. you and your trainer will get routed to a terminal. There will be a safety hold put on both of you.. until you both turn in your review sheets and talk to safety.. write down every complaint and issue you had with your trainer... even if you have to fill out a whole legal pad.. do this at a good pace, dont put it off and take too long, but do not hurry.. do this at hotel.. then take the shuttle and take it to safety for them to read and review.. why do this..

Lets say you tell your SDM you want another trainer and get routed to the terminal and arrive 3pm Monday after noon, tell safety you need time to write your review and have them check you into the hotel.. get up Tuesday morning go to the safety meeting and then to your roo. To write your review.. catch the afternoon shuttle to tne terminal and turn it I. To safety.. it is close to the end of their day so they will get to it Wednesday.. back to the hotel for yoj, wake up and go to the Wednesday morn safety meeting.. and then catch a shuttle to the terminal to talk with safety..

Now, it may not be until Thursday or even Friday that your safety releases the safety hold of you.. but, no biggie, you are still getting paid your training wage.. the trainer however, is stuck at the terminal sleeping in their truck not getting paid.. they cant roll until safety releases the safety hold... you will get put with another trainer, may have to wait, but will be getting paid.. your old trainer may not be allowed to take on another student for a week or more, may have to stay and take additional training on how to train.. but, at least they will be held accountable and have consequences for their poor training... even if it is just the three or so days of sitting with no pay..

You do nkt do yourself, other new drivers, or other drivers on the road by putting up with poor training.. and, you can make it more difficult for your self by having roomie misnaps and being fired..

Yes, there are bad and worthless trainers.. at werner and otner companies.. but you dont have to accept it.. just lime not accepting to pull a trailer that is in poor or unsafe conditions...

Too many new drivers give all the power to the trainers.. but the power is with the rookie and the safety department.. bad trainers need to be weeded out.. but, it requires rookies to not be willing to settle for less that a good trainer and quality training.... if too many rookies reuest off a certain trainers truck.. it is an inconvenience for the company to have to route the trainer and student to the treminal, pay the student to sit in a hotel, have a driver sitting not maki g money for themselves or the company.. so, the driver is no longer allowed to train..

 

The thing with not snitching on yourself...

This I good advice.. the thing that makes it more difficult to follow with werner are all of werners training wheels.. if you bump I to something it may log a critical event.. if you tell safety the critical event is because of something else and they dcover you lied.. you are fired...

My truck has reported critical event from things such as bumping I to a doc to hard, breaking when a car merged and cut in front of me and was k. No hury to get to spped.. safety will review the dash cam video or call and ask me about the event.. I have even had pot holes report a critical event on me.. three in a row one time..