Released and ready to roll again..

Friday I went to my last physical therapy appointment and then to the Dr.s. I got released to go back to Full Duty... which I am very excited and happy about.. I thought I was going to be released two weeks ago when I went to the Dr.s didnt and had to do 2 more weeks of physical therapy.. but, on the bright side I got to be at the terminal getting paid my average drivers wage and during Driver Appreciation Week... so, I got a lot of good free food and plenty of freebies... hats, shirts, towel, coffee mug, pens, water bottle, shower bag, tote bag... even a CL Werner bobble head...

It was actually pretty neat getting to work at the terminal... got a different perspective on somethings.. getting to see it from the otherside so to speak.. it was also a great learning experience as I got to work with the Certified Instructors on the lower during the backing classes... and you know, every time learned something..

So, here is where it gets interesting. .. I have always done good as a solo driver with werner and have had no desire to train.. of course, being a good safe female driver with over a year of driving experience (got my CDL in 2009) and just abojt a year at Werner they have been talking to me about becoming a trainer as they need more female trainers. . This last couple weeks was a tough one in the safety offfice as they had to pull a couple female trainers from being trainer..

I told them i didnt want to be a trainer because for me a student will slow me down.. I have gotten to where I can do my pretrips, drop and hooks, fueling and such effeciently which helps me run all the miles I can... having a student take forever at a truck stop will slow me down... also, having to teach and explain the pfe trips and drop and hooks instead of just doing them is gonna slow me down.. as well as having the student drive and back up the truck... for me, it just never seemed worth it..

But, werner has been good to me when my dog was sick, whenever I needed to be home for my dad and when I injured my shoulder. . So, it does seem that if they need more good females drivers to train then I should step up..

One thing I am glad about.. is I can take breaks in between students.. so I can take a student then after that student I dont have to fake another for 89 days.. so I can run solo for a couple months then take another one...

Also, with the new orientation and training program I am more willing to do it.. for one, the Certified Instructors spend two days with ea h new student on their shifting and backing.. they also give each student a skills assesment.. a road test.. that they have to pass before they can get on a trainer truck.. so I dont have to worry about getting a student that cant shift, reasonably back up or read a map as they get a class on that...

Finally, there are check points during the training where the student is brought back to the terminal and the Certified Instructors check their progress... or, in other words, my training.. so, I dont have to worry if I am not doing a good job.. the student will be taken off my truck and put with a trainer who can better train them..

I am also fortunate that while I have been on Light Duty I have had ample time to really go over the training program, I have also get to watch the Certified Instructors work with students on pre trips, shifting, backing and right turns.. which has given me so e good pointer.. for those who may not know, a Certified Instructor has more training in teaching students then trainers.. as trainers we have ojr own knowledge and experience and then a few days in class... however, werner has just started to make trainers go through the backing class and test them on their backing skills... you can not train and teach someone how to back if you dont know how to yourself...

Anyway, that is where things are at.. next week I return to full duty.. I will attend the Train the Trainers class, be assigned a new truck.. a 2014 Freightliner Cascadia, start on a new account, and maybe get my first student..

I will share with you all how this new adventure for me goes.. I have to be realistc and know there will be ups and downs, pros and cons.. at this stage I cant say that I will enjoy or even be good at good at training, I can only say I will give it my best..

I am sure it will be a learning experience...

 

One thing that was good about being at the terminal since the beginning of August is that it gave me a unique and great opportunity to meet and talk to many drivers.. from day 1, fresh from CDL School to drivers with many many years of experience. .. I got to meet and talk with drivers fresh off their trainers truck and I got to talk with Trainers... some brand new to training and some with a lot of experience training. ..

I did get to meet a trainer who has over 2 million safe miles and was at the terminal because one of his students just hit the 1 million safe mile mark and being presented with his awrd and new truck...

So yes.. I will keep it professional... to me that is of extreme importance. .. I myself got to experience a trainer who was not professional and I remember how frustrating that was for me...

I have talked to drivers who tried to train and decided it was not for them.. I must admit in talking to them, there were a couple that it was probably more their own personality that was not conducive to training then the students... but, also true is that I met some students who I thought would be trouble or drama for their trainers..

What I do like and feel comfortable with in Werners training program is they understand that a trainer may not be able to get along with and there for properly train every student.. and that a student may not be receptive to a certain trainer.. so, it is best for the trainer and student to be able to say it isnt working and get the student with another trainer then have them rough it out... past experience shows that doesnt work in the long run..

 

To be honest... it is really more stupid and unacceptable than non-werner drivers realize... we do get backing instruction, there are numerous CBTs (Computer Based Training) that all werner students and drivers can access on the companies website, they even have handouts that one can utilize... also, any driver who feels they need more instruction in backing can get routed to a terminal and work one on one with a Certified Instructor. .

There just is really no reason for us werner drivers not to be good drivers..

I just finished my first day of class for train the trainer.. it was pretty informative.. also had to do several CBTs, got tested on my knowledge of trip planning, how to axle out a load, and stuff..

Tomorrow we will either be in the lower lot for backing or on the simulators. ..

It is interesting going through the class and learning how werner wants their trainers to train and reflect back o er how my trainers did things.. both my trainers had Rand Mcnally GPSs.. only one had and used the laminated Rand Mcnally in conjunction with their GPS.... But today in class they suggested we not use a GPS at all while training and just concentrate on teaching the student to trip plan and use the atlas..

Hopefully the poor excuse of a trainer that you just discribed is removed from training.. which, they very well may be.. if your student has an accident or incident it comes back on the trainer.. just today at the terminal there was a student and trainer who were there for an accident review... student was backing out of a space the trainer had pulled into.. not backed into.. pulled into...student had just 15 hours of training left... trainer went inside to get coffee and told the student to pick him up at the fuel island. . So, hmmm lets see.. no pre trip.. and.. students are not allowed to move the truck without the trainer present... both, were aware of this... dont know what happened to them as I had to get back to class.. i will try and find out tomorrow. ..

 

Very exciting day today... spent the morning in the lower lot working on close quarters maneuvers. . What we worked on was how to instruct trainees ib backing... werner wants the trainees to back 15 to 25 times a week.. so that is 3 to 5 times a day..

After that we were on the simulators... they had us do all sorts of scenarios.. fog, rain, snow, had people cutting us ocf, pulling out in front of us... even had a jeep pass me on the shoulder on my left while going through a construction zone... it is pretty cool... after that we took a road test...

But, the exciting part of today... i got assigned my truck. .. I had a choice between a brand new Blue 2014 Freightliner Cascadia with 573 miles on it.. or a Black 2014 Freightliner Cascadia with 213422 miles... I chose the Black one cause it has already been broke in, had alfeady been i n for the recalls and such anc it was well taken care of.. very very clean... I got all new tires one it and new matress on top and bottom bunk...