Werner Enterprises has been ordered to pay a massive $40.5 million judgement to the family of a woman who was killed in a fatal crash caused by a brand new truck driver. The jury found that the driver’s lack of adequate training and proper supervision was a cause of the accident.
In February of 2017, Werner trainee Felipe Johnson had just graduated from Roadmaster Drivers School. He had been hired as a student driver by Werner just eight days before the fatal accident. The megacarrier also owns Roadmaster, so the lawsuit claimed that the driver, Werner, and Werner’s training practices were all factors in the accident.
The crash occurred when Johnson’s truck crossed from the right-hand lane of I-10 Eastbound near Las Cruces, New Mexico, all the way across the median, entered the Westbound lanes, and struck a vehicle driven by Kathryn Armijo head on, killing her.
Johnson’s trainer was required to be observing him whenever Johnson was behind the wheel. But according to court documents, in the eight days from February 16th through February 23rd, neither Johnson nor his trainer had logged any hours as observation time. Instead, the complaint alleged that they had been given loads which essentially required them to run under co-driving conditions.
“The accident that resulted in the tragic loss of Kathryn Armijo was the result of a brief moment of operator error by the Werner driver,” said Werner President and CEO Derek Leathers in a statement according to Overdrive. “The Werner driver was not distracted, fatigued or impaired in any way. In every sense, it simply was an accident.”
But the jury sided with Armijo’s family. Their lawyers argued that Werner’s “inadequate operations and training programs for its student drivers via Roadmaster Drivers School, had a systematic disregard for basic safety policies and training of new drivers.”
The jury awarded Armijo’s family $42.5 million in damages. $10 million of that is considered punitive.
Source: overdrive, freightwaves
Beginners behind the wheel MUST be watched as are beginners in any other skilled profession. I spent two years as an instructor with Chauffeurs Training School and some of the students who met the minimum requirements for graduation made me almost give up my driving license entirely. New drivers do NOT have the skills necessary to drive without supervision, not even the good ones. Werner gets to bite the big one this time. It was their practices that caused this wreck, at least in the most part. I wonder why nothing was said about what the other driver was doing that prevented her from taking evasive action.
The training must be longer then 3 to 6 weeks! I drove with a permit for 4 months before I got my CDL in California in 1989. After that I was on my own only because of the one on one training I got from the owner of the truck. After that I got great help from my co workers about driving. Just because you are a trainer does not mean you can make anyone a Driver! You had the right to say NO to the ones who did not have the Basic skills of a driver and your company should have given you that Authority! You could have also been sued in court for allowing a poor driver to get behind the wheel. But I do understand your frustration with the BS you have to put up with from your corporations and their desire to just pump out drivers as fast as I can. Instead they just need to retain the drivers they have and pay them a better wage for that stay at your company. I ended up driving for Con-Way Freight for 99% of my career because LTL trucking pays some of best!
You’re talking 3 weeks not enough? How about NY state (I don’t know about others) that gives CDL whoever passes a test, and that guy or gal can go driving on her/his own? I know the guy who works for the driving school- they charge about $300 for training you for one or two lessons. When you come to him for training that guy says: “I’m not going to teach you how to drive- I’m going to teach you how to pass a test. ” So he is doing exactly what State examiner doing, that’s all. After you pass a test – who cares how you’re going to drive.
Trainers are some of the worst drivers, employees and just plain bad people.
Not everyone requires 4 months of behind the wheel training. If a trainee has demonstrated the he/she has the discipline and skills necessary to operate a Commercial Vehicle, they should be given the opportunity.
A current SHP not enough time to react.
I have been a commercial driver and I can attest to the fact that the trucking companies…all of them large and small..dont care about safety. They only care about making money in the shortest possible time.
If shippers want their loads delivered fast why don’t they just fly them there? Much faster and safer. Even railroads are safer. Railroads still swap train crews every 150 to 200 miles…Fact!
Not only do the trucking companies not care about safety, they don’t pay drivers for all hours worked…That also happened to me..with every carrier I have been with. They cheat drivers anyway they can.
I disagree for one thing trains change at such short time periods because the short distance they cover because of the stops they make. You can’t compare trucks to trains maybe you want to look at local drivers that make 30 or more pick ups or deliveries in one day safely. Every day. Not all companies are unsafe. There are a many companies that I am proud of I just retired from trucking after 36 years and was never told I had to do anything stupid.
It didn’t matter what she was doing.
The Werner driver crossed the median and into her lane of travel head on which she lost her life from the crash.
So I ask you, if a vehicle crosses the centerline or median and is traveling head on at you in your lane.
Do you steer to avoid or stay the course and take the hit ?
You Stay The Course Driver
Big trucks have established their lane of travel there’s no steering to avoid for another drivers negligence.
Same applies for a car when that Werner driver was in the wrong.
What?!? Are you saying that if a semi crosses the median, you are going to just stand your ground and be hit? Are you retarded? I’m gonna swerve like a mofo to avoid that hit!! It ABSOLUTELY is YOUR responsibility to make up for other drivers mistakes. That is the #1 job of a professional truck driver…or any other driver by all means! The ONLY time you stand your ground and maintain course of travel is with animals like deer jumping out in front of you. Lord have mercy!
Correct!!!!
You are ABSOLUTELY right. Stay your course, that guy is a friggin nut. And he’s a trainer. Lord help us!!
Jury’s gonna ask what you did to avoid. Better say you did something or be prepared to be homeless. As for driving a four wheeler, that’s called defensive driving. Holding your course is called suicide.
Just yesterday,I was travelling southbound on US 95 between Beatty, NV and Tonopah, NV en route to Nellis AFB in Vegas for pick up, a car hauler traveling northbound entered into my lane, and yes I veered to the right as fast as I could, the driver kept moving along. Most likely he was distracted while operating the semi. If I had stayed the course like Red’s suggesting, most likely I wouldn’t be posting this comment today. BTW,that stretch of the highway is two-lane road and the speed limit is 70 MPH. You do the math Red.
My apologies, the comment was directed to Jaebro. Sorry, Red.
Well said!
And truckers are wondering why insurance rates are soaring!
Tragedy like this, are not the “primary” driver for the constantly increasing cost of insurance rates. Smaller crashes, which happen with enormous frequency and citations with no form of uniform designation of severity would be much bigger causes. Hell, insurance company greed would be an ever bigger factor…similar to the always consistent rising cost of health insurance.
Can’t compare truck insurance to health insurance driver.
Your forgetting, a truck driver is a trained driver to operate in truck with the motoring public under all conditions IN CONTROL.
That’s how you obtained your CDL.
Unfortunately there are MANY driver who DON’T operate that way and put themselves and the public AT RISK.
You have a driving history of accidents your insurance rate will go up.
No carrier is going to hire you to drive for them. YOUR A LIABILITY.
You’ve done it to Yourself
Bad driving skills not excuses.
This training thing, possibly takes on a new light.Dispatch bad , training bad, trainer bad KILLING BAD….WE are suppose to drive for the 4 wheeler, and it looks like they need to drive for truck drivers. The trainer should be sentenced and imprisioned.
When you’re behind the the wheel, who’s driving the truck ?
It’s not your dispatcher telling you to drive unsafe is it ?
It’s not a driver trainer who you observed their bad driving habits when they were driving is it ?
Your in control of the truck.
You’re trained to Constantly make adjustments to maintain Control of the truck No Excuses
It’s not an Oversized 4 wheeler that can make quick lane changes quick stops from following too close on the vehicle ahead.
Stop trying to Blame someone else for your bad driving skills
THERE NOT BEHIND THE WHEEL.
It starts with YOU
Take control operate your truck safely !
While you have a valid point, there is a valid counterpoint. Did you consider that deregulation is also a contributing factor? Everyone wants Cadillac service & performance @ Chevrolet rates.
Wow . So this is the true story behind this… but still how can a car loose control, run off the road and hit a truck in another direction of the divided highway, trucker and trainer not at fault and not cited, and the people in the car still win the case $$$ ???
If thats the case i guest the comedian Kevin hart should of loss control and hit a warner truck to get more money$$$
The TRUCK went across the median into oncoming traffic, not the car.
Since they were driving like a team looks like the trainee fall asleep.
Can you read???
No bout
Exactly ‼️
@ Torrain Benton I think you’re confusing this Werner-related incident with the Werner-related incident from 2018 where a jury decided Werner should pay $90 mil for hitting a car that crossed over a median into the Werner truck’s lane. I don’t get how Werner had to pay anything, let alone $90 mil, for that one based on what I have read. On this one, and I’m not saying Werner should have to pay $40 mil, but they had someone driving who was supposed to be observed but instead Werner chose to run as a team. These nuclear verdicts are hurting the industry but the industry, and more directly Werner, failed in this instance, in my humble opinion.
Read the story again it said the Werner truck ran off the road crossing the median and hit the car.
You should read the story again driver
Your not in the proper lane of understanding who was at fault here.
LOL
Jaebro lmfao
Not everyone requires 4 months of behind the wheel training. If a trainee has demonstrated the he/she has the discipline and skills necessary to operate a Commercial Vehicle, they should be given the opportunity.
Congratulations to the Amijos family!!
Read it again!! The Werner driver crossed the median into oncoming traffick, hitting and killing the woman driving the 4 wheeler. I hope you don’t drive like you read!!
Maybe her was driving while he was reading
I have been a driver and instructor at several companies and schools and these new schools are way too short and don’t/can’t spend the time needed to properly train them. Companies want to crank out drivers as fast as they can and dispatchers don’t care if you are training someone or not, if there are two warm bodies in the truck, that’s close enough. You gotta move that freight. New drivers with their trainers should only be dispatched on single driver loads, so the trainer can properly teach.
We all seem to think the CDL schools ‘train’ the driver.
They don’t.
Their job is get the student the license and then it is the training company’s responsibility to train the driver before setting him loose.
Even after 160 hours behind the wheel (I recall that is the minimum for the Feds to reimburse the training company) the drivers are still green.
We need to go back to the apprenticeship system where the new driver drives much more (under the guidance of the trainer) before he/she solos.
But the industry pays so poorly, especially for the newer drivers, that there is a constant turnover. And for the same reason, training companies lack seasoned drivers to train.
I work for a training company and I shudder at the lack of experience the trainers here have. So how will they train the newby??
I am not a pro union person, but one of the greater losses with the demise of union shops is the lack of training.
I started driving in 1972. I had a trainer in the truck with me for the first 6 months. The first eight weeks, he had to be in the jump seat observing and mentoring when I drove. After 8 weeks I was allowed to drive on my own from two hours before sunrise to two hours after sunrise. Then I was pretty much on my own for the last two months. I had to display (like a final exam) how to complete the most common requirements of a driver. (hooking trailers, balancing a load, inspections, etc).
When the government deregulated trucking, this type of training disappeared.
Now we are all paying the price.
Maybe the trucking industry needs to go to simulator training first just like airlines. And it should be at least 6 months with a trainer in the jump seat too.
Perfectly stated deregulation is when this industry went downhill !
Yup. Just to get a license to fly your own butt around, in a small plane, on no set course or road requires all hours to be logged, tests passed, and every new price of equipment to be tested on etc etc and so on. Consequence of s crash? Most likely a broken tree and a black mark on the ground. Why our training isn’t more rigorous boggles me. Our primary job, the one we are certified for, is to protect the public from the huge weapon we drive…. not to deliver a load. Go to work with that mindset and things will get done safely. And without a 40 million lawsuit to pay, make money too.
“When the government deregulated trucking, this type of training disappeared.
Now we are all paying the price.”
My point exactly!
I am a 21 year CDL holder. I have done Fuel Tankers, Flatbeds, Maxi, Reefers, TWIC, everything.
I am a trainer with Knight.
I drive about 7 hours, my trainee drives for 7 hours while I teach, and we shut down for 8 hours every night.
We train new drivers for 4 weeks, after they go to school to obtain their CDL.
Split second decisions are crucial in this business.
I have taken new trainee drivers back to our terminal and they were dismissed from our company because they did not have the attitude or mindset to be a driver.
To be a Professional Commercial Truck Driver requires a highly diverse and special set of skills and abilities.
Not everyone can be a truck driver.
Sad for the family.
However, Corporations and Stockholders are not helping the freight movement industry.
That’s the way it should be done
I’m not going to point fingers or lay blame for I do not have all the facts for the accident. Just because a jury ruled the way it did does not lay grounds to that is the actual problem. Did Werner have a mentor program for a driver that was fresh out of cdl academy? Was it lack of the academy instructors or lack of mentor direction? To take it a step further I can tell you from experience in this industry that most carriers sign up mentors based solely on their years of experience BTW. (Most) drivers after getting their cdl do not take the time to keep up with changing standards, changing regulations or new matierals, they view that because a state issued them a cdl that declared them a safe truck driver. That in itself is one of the biggest misconceptions in the industry. Next yesr the FMCSA is changing the training standards for cdl instructors, I say great, bring it on; But that by itself is not going to fix it, they also need to push a standard for carriers to recertify and continue education of their mentors annually
My uncles taught me to drive and one day sent me across the Sierras Nevadas. Never drove a car through them let alone a truck. They told me just keep it in 9th gear,keep Jake on and dont panic
Everything went well and 20 years later I’m still here
Lol that’s good deal give it 20 more years and you can put it in auto pilot and jump back in the sleeper and go down the mountain
I got the same advice from my 72 year old driver mentor when I first started trucking 21 years ago…
Served me well.
I have never smoked my brakes or had any brake related emergency….
Many of theses young drivers don’t understand the physics of a 75,000lb 18 wheeler….
Since you’re a coward and a fool I will lay blame and point fingers for you
Idiot drove across 3 lanes of traffic and into oncoming traffic. He is at fault, 100% and is to be blamed
Does he still work for Werner lol
Nah once you’re fired from Werner, you’re immediately qualified to drive for Swift.
Or after a month they hire you back
Lmao ‼️👍
Joe I bet you actually believe what you posted. Good thing you don’t drive a CMV.. The possibility of mechanical failure is there too but hey you know every thing having the gift to know it all by reading a brief story.Who needs the FMCSA with you around? When is the next CA earth quake due?
More like he slept across three lanes if traffic
You make some good points. I visited a driving school with permission of course. of the 13 students only 3 could read an atlas. Those three did figure out a paper log book. From what I have observed over the years a majority of these driving schools are owned by major trucking companies. They are subsidized by the govt for school. Then as a trainee driver.. These companies are NOT going to give up this money with out a big fight. It covers a very large part of the trucking companies expenses.. Drivers wages. Quality is not the ultimate company goal. That continued subsidy check is. we are all paying for it. One way or another.
Absolutely right on all points Rocky !
New drivers tend to stop learning after the get out on their own….
Worst mistake.
I learn new things every day in this business, even after 21 years with a CDL…
The practice of running a trainer and a rookie driver as a team operation is all too common among a majority of your mega fleet companies. Often these mega fleet companies allow drivers to train when those drivers barely have 4 seasons of driving under their belt, some even less. These so called driver trainers see it as an opportunity to make addition income without having to do additional work for it. Matter of fact, you get the rookie to do your work for you since your training him, what can be better than that?
It is very unfortunate this accident occurred and our hearts go out for the family of the who lost their lives one because of this practice. Maybe now the government will start cracking down on these Mega Carriers ( many of them belonging to the ATA) and their unsafe practices
Excuse me. Have you ever driven a truck? I doubt it.
If you have then you are not very good at it. What I can’t figure out is the old school drivers had less training than me and they are doing fine. Most of the time they are the ones saying drivers nowadays are not properly trained. I will tell you this, a lot of stuff I’ve learned our here on my own. Training only takes you so far.
Training teaches them the basics, as a rule.The rest is up to them to observe and ask questions. Todays drivers wont ask. think they know it all and refuse to listen when someone does try to help them. I have been at this game for over 50 years. Seen a lot, and today still try to offer help when I see it may be needed. Can’t force them to take the offered help so I move on. Attitude, upbringing and taking responsibility and respect. These need to be addressed. Respect especially.The complete lack of a work ethic is glaring.
Go back to relay of loads and drivers go home daily..then the industry will keep better drivers….Fact…as soon as the industry lobbied for cross country single driver status that is when the turnover rate went through the roof. Now they can’t keep drivers. I make more money with a BA in applied math working fewer hours than I ever made as a trucker working 70 hrs a week.
So true
If you don’t love trucking like I do. 29+ years. Trucking will hate you by revealing to you negative consequences in the most unfriendly ways.
Amen to that Tanner! Amen!!
That’s a load of crap. The trainer is not required to observe the student once they have a CDL. However, they should be dispatched on solo loads for two to three weeks after the student gets CDL. Again it’s not mandatory. I know this for a fact because I’m a CDL instructor and driver trainer.
The fact is he lost control of the truck and hit someone head on after crossing the median. There is no lack of training here. It’s blatant disregard for the proper lanes on the interstate. How can anyone say it’s lack of training. We all know how to drive on our side of the highway.
Robert, Thank you for injecting some common sense into this thread. The driver panicked and froze. How do you train for that? That could happen to some one after years of driving. We could import all drivers then we would not need to train anyone.
I’ll say it again, he slept across 3 lanes of traffic
Guess what guys!
Werner is far from the only company that trains this way.
CRE is the worst.
And this is the pioneer company of elogs & “supposed” to be a good company to be trained at lmmfao, I’d rather collect a minimum wage job at a fast food facility than work for a mega carrier
When you choose to do what you know is wrong that choice has to be felt with the trainer should be jailed and have there licence taken away
Was it raining are did he hydroplane on the road..thats the money question..
My uncles taught me to drive and one day sent me across the Sierras Nevadas. Never drove a car through them let alone a truck. They told me just keep it in 9th gear,keep Jake on and dont panic
Everything went well and 20 years later I’m still here
You would think if a person can drive a 4 wheeler and keep it on their side of the interstate then there shouldn’t be a problem keeping your semi on your side of the interstate. Something seriously went wrong and this driver wasn’t properly trained to handle it. Some people should just stick to driving 4 wheelers and it’s during training when that should be determined. Werner/Roadmaster let one slip through.
Could very well have been a blown steer tire.Or tie rod popped or he may have been distracted by texting . Texting is the most frequent distraction today.I see it every day by lots of truck drivers, It is not just the auto drivers. No one is going to admit to texting . The accident is always someone elses fault.I have seen some watching movies while driving down the road , cars and trucks drivers alike.
WERNER was the first company I worked for back in 99′. They ran me and my trainer like a team after the first week. The trainer was paid team milage, and my net check was about $250.
I hate that a person was killed, but I’m glad their poor training practices have been blasted out.
Well said tragically though this (Accident). Changed Families lives forever on both sides! Prayers goes out to them!!
First of all . Having a CDL does not make you a truck driver. thisi a very good eason that children should not be behind the wheel of a CMV. Children is exactly what they are. if under 21 but really should be 26 years old to get a CDL non farm.
I trained for a mega company for a number of years. When I said send them home on a bus they got another trainer instead. Sometimes I was the other trainer getting the newby. I had one that had problems seeing what he was looking at in the mirrors. He looked in the mirrors because he was told to and why. In FLA on I 75 he was going to go from right lane to left lane. I reminded him to look in your mirrors. He looked that way moved left and ran a caddy into the median. He went home on bus that day.
These youngsters have no real world experience to teach them anything. Most have had little or no parenting to speak of.Putting them in a CMV is dangerous. Yeah I know not all are bad but enough to change the policies and age requirements to get the CDL. This is when SAFETY is just a word. It is used to give some that feel good feeling. Then it’s back to the same old stuff.
this is also why truckers should not be on chump t er s lol joking ha ha. good comment though your right
I agree. Do you think truckers can sign a petition to change the CDL-A to 25 or older?
I thought you had to be at least 25 in order for anybody’s insurance to carry you.
When I came back to driving by after a decade but third generation driver the trainer I had sat one hour on my first day driving again refresher he went and laid down called him out to make sure I was doing and following new rules he said I saw all I needed to see and went back to bunk area
Exactly what my trainer did, but I was a new driver. He spent maybe a day and a half up front with me, then stayed in the back after that.
No they should raise the CDL driving age to 25, English must be your first language, and the companies need to listen to the trainees. They only look at what the trainer writes about the students, whether truth or not. One of my trainers sat in the front seat two days with me and after that, unless he was driving stayed in the sleeper berth. He never checked behind me on anything or wake up to help me with backing or trailer connections. I taught myself or called my sister. The trainers at Werner are unprofessional and if you speak out about them, you get blackballed by the company. The day I quit there was an accident. The driver’s didn’t even know how to make a tight right or left turn properly and I did. Which I helped teach and I was just a student. It’s a company with a lot of money, but not integrity. I think money makes the human part of companies die.
That’s the truth
True, there are many lazy good for nothin trainers. When I trained I always observed from the passenger seat. I always stood outside the truck while the trainee backed up. Those were the rules and I followed them for many reasons, all related to safety…mine, the trainee’s and the motoring public. In addition, if the trainee reported otherwise, I would lose my position as a trainer. And I also wanted my trainee to succeed and become a safe driver. Any trainer that doesn’t do it properly has no business training. If the company told me to run as a team, I’d quit and report them!
Damn…. Can we now bring suit against our Politicians who’s lack of experience cause us more taxes or fees because of their votes….? Sound fair to me….
There is no reason for anybody, even a moron, to cross 3 lanes of traffic, the median and drive head on into traffic in good weather and with no mechanical failure, no impairement and good health. The reason there are people like this genius here getting CDLs is that there are not enough quality people who want to become truck drivers. There are many reasons for it and they are systemic. Both the government and the mega carriers are responsible for it and it will never change, because it’s about the “bottom line”. A quality candidate should posess qualities, which with training would allow him/her to become a good, safe and proffessional driver. The training alone will never do it, no matter how long and how strict it becomes. Also, as in some European countries, a driver candidate should go through a series of psychological tests. It will never happen here, because the need to fill in seats is that great and the Big Boys have a powerful lobby in Washington. So what we are left with is trying to survive until artificial inntelligence takes over all vehicles on the road. Something tells me that artificial intelligence in our roads will be better than no intelligence at all..
You have no clue to what’s actually going on in the trucking industry do you?
No what????
Watched a Trucking Answers video about this story yesterday and the narrator stated the “Trainer” had been disciplined by Werner numerous times and suspended from training twice for violating company training policies and yet this guy still was allowed to have students on his truck? The monetary damages will likely be reduced by an appeals court and Werner will keep this case tied up in litigation for 3-4 more years so the plaintiff is unlikely to see any money anytime soon but I think the jury got it right. This verdict holds a mega carrier accountable for shoddy training practices.
The family deserves a monetary award that amount is crazy. The lawyer will get most of it any way. It needs to be reduced to a reasonable amount.With that amount grat times 6 grandchildren will never have to work.
Also once your hrs of training are complete you come back to test and your tested on backing up as well as multiple choice but don’t worry if you get something wrong you can take the test over again and again and again right then and there without more training, saw one girl stay with tester for 2 hrs until she backed up trailer once.
The nationwide shortage of good truck drivers may be the reason for his inadequate training. Which I don’t understand because carriers are shutting down left and right. Some of those out of work drivers should fill positions with companies like Werner.
OMG QUIT SAYING THERE IS A SHORTAGE THAT WORD HURTS WE JUST WON’T WORK FOR CONS!!!!
Driver shortage doesn’t exist
As a former Werner driver the training program is lacking in several areas. I was fortunate enough to have a great trainer we did not have to do the team driving because of the line that we were on. That being said after I graduated from training I was released to over the road driving without ever having spent a night in a truck drive through mountains or any of the other stuff that comes up when driving over the road. Werner dose have some outstanding experienced drives that helped me out. So when the the CEO said it’s just an accident I don’t agree it’s piss poor training.
As a former instructor for one of their well known major competitors, and no not swift lol, whenever I tried to tell the company that the student was not even close to performing anywhere close to my expectations, I was was told to just “push them through and keep my opinions to myself”!
I’ve witnessed this myself and I don’t rush to judgement ☺
You need to READ the article correctly. Everything you said was Wrong… Including Kevin Hart, wrong dude.
I just saw an oversized load truck that was hauling half of a house, flipped over in the ditch, with the half of house with it. This was on I 81 North in Virginia a few days ago. Right before I saw the flipped over truck, I was struggling myself with something in the road surface pulling my wheels to the left. I think the driver hit the same rough patch, tried to counter steer out of it, and the weight of the load took him over edge. A lot of road surfaces are not great out there. Now this was no student. This was an older, experienced, “professional”, oversized load hauler, Billy Biggrigger type. He probably didn’t go to school at all, his daddy taught him to drive a truck… in between beers. Who’s at fault for him? The truth is, new or experienced, the road does not discriminate for accidents.
This is a prime example why trucking companies shouldn’t be allowed to own truck driving schools and be reimbursed by the government, because they put profits over safety. That wasn’t a accident it was gross negligence by the company!
Agreed conflict of interest
I went to work for a company out of Springfield Missouri as a trainee. I had years of commercial driving experience but no otr experience so I had to go out with a trainer. I should have been the trainer and he the trainee. I woke up to his driving because he kept hitting the rumble strips. I peeked through the curtain and he had like a auto trader laying on the wheel reading it as he drove. Needless to say I got a pic of this on my phone and sent it to safety. I don’t do over the road anymore, bought me a logtruck and love it but I feel sorry for you fellas out there because as far as I’m concerned you should be paid for all time you are away from home. And it’s not going to get any better if they lower the age to 18.
Did he say he’s a trainer at 21 yrs old ? I’m not saying you can’t be a good or great driver at 21, but a trainer ? Just like they’re short on drivers, they must be short on trainers. Smh
I drove for Werner for 9 yrs. I was a trainer. Fatigue and stupid mistakes is the reasons why they lost there careers in trucking.
I had a student cross the medium on 287 southbound in Texas. In 2007 he fell asleep at the wheel. But he had all hrs in the time (only required 140 hrs.) He was done. We were heading for the terminal in Dallas TX. under a load. (Office Depot load)
About 36k in the trailer
In my mind and Werner he completed his hrs. So he was a solo driver.
I was up for 27 hrs straight before I went to lay down around Amarillo. I asked him before I did if he needed anything. A break, coffee, anything he said he was good. Yet he still fell asleep at the wheel and went thru the medium and hit a 4 wheel. He didn’t killed her. But he total the car and she was 6 months pregnant at the time of the accident.
I was in the sleeper I felt him hit the medium. But the forced of rough medium pinned me to the back wall of the Freightliner Century Class tractor. After impact I ended straddling the gear shifter on the floorboard. I jumped up immediately asked him if he was ok. He said he hit a car. Not sure where I was at or where the car was. But when I looked out the windshield. We were facing northbound traffic in the hammer lane of North 287. The car was behind us. So I flew out of the truck and went to check on the woman. The car was still intact but mangled from the impact. She had a seatbeat on. And she said 3 words out of her mouth. (I am pregnant)
It’s a scary thing to go thru. If you have never been in this type of situation then you have no idea what it like to be there. I trained for 5 yrs of the 9 I worked for them. I have drove for 20 yrs in all. Before I hired on with Werner I had 6 yrs under my belt. I worked for Werner for 2 yrs before I became a trainer with them. I trained over 200 students in 5 yrs. I failed about 20% of that number for different reasons. I was also a coed trainer. And to be honest women are a lot easier to trained then men are.
When C.L.Werner control the company things were a lot different. But when he turn it over to his son Greg Werner. Which C.L. Werner had a CDL. And his kids don’t and never have drove a truck in there life. There 4 kids the 2 older boys are in the company. Neither have a CDL the daughter is a CPA/Lawyer And the youngest is a drug addict and don’t work for the company he was booted from the family. There is so many stories on the Werner family.
As for there training dept. They tried to overhaul it when I worked there. It didn’t work. I am so happy they got sued and lost. Maybe they will look at more closely and change some of there policies. I trained most co drivers meaning they had hrs with other trainers and that the student didn’t get along with. No big surprise there. I feel like all students coming into the industry should go thru a college course at least 6 months or longer before they eligible to drive. But these mega carriers are only looking at the cash flow and tax breaks the government pays them to trained students like a production line.
Most students have 60% chance of having a accident in the first 4 months of driving solo.
40% chance of becoming a professional driver. Not good set of numbers there.
The government pays them and gives them a tax break on all students. The mega carriers to trained them. And also if a student total a truck while in training the truck is cover 100% thru government and the insurance company. Most mega carriers are self insured. So if the student totals a truck the insurance company will pay for a new truck and then the mega carrier will still keep the wreck truck and repairs other with parts off it. Pretty good deal I guess.
And the student is fired on the spot and bused home and black balled out of the industry. And have to find a new career. Which I think is a good deal.
Students should pay attention more and stay off there phones or laptops driving these heavy equipment down the highway.
They should always think about there family being on the road at the same when careless drivers are out there.
While Werner is clearly responsible for not providing continued training for a novice driver, the company I work for throws you to the wolves after 2-days SHOTGUN – you don’t even get to actually drive with a fellow driver. You just sit there and learn about the customers and how to get as much work done as you can.
Our drivers write off trucks all the time and the worst offenders are from their own school. What I don’t understand is, the school is good. It’s very good. They just have a habit of hiring drivers who are lazy and don’t understand a lot of what they should understand to be a professional truck driver and won’t properly discipline them.
The jury as with most of the juries in cases against truck drivers are BIASED. All they can think of is how they hate large, slow, loud trucks in their way and side with the public, even when the truck driver and company are not at fault at all.
They should be forced to put 6 truck drivers on the jury every time and you’ll see a real balance and most cases will end with a hung jury. The truck drivers know their position and what motorists do to them every moment of the day.
I truly believe actions such as dive-bombing, cutting-off and slamming on brakes in front of truck drivers should be an immediate license suspension. I believe if my dash cam records someone doing things like that, whether the owner of that vehicle is driving it at the time or not, that plate and the subsequent vehicle should be blacklisted from being insurable for 5-years.
Start making the real culprits pay for their actions. Truck drivers aren’t all innocent of deadly accidents, but the public puts them selves and us in danger THOUSANDS of times more frequently than we do them. It’s time to start protecting us, the commercial truck drivers.
It seems to me 95 percent of this was not a person ‘s lack of training !!! How many well experienced CDL drivers have fallen asleep and got in an accident.. You have a great training plan and the person is a great performer and 4 years later he falls asleep and runs head on into the opposing traffic and kills someone, WOW now your training is at Fault. I see big money in this situation not the REAL cause of the accident…I believe driver fell asleep and this can happen to us because of the distance and hurry and WAIT. Remember the faster we get the load there the quicker we get to wait!!!
Looks like Werner has a nice tax write off for the next few years.
Which they never would have gotten if they only hired high dollar professional drivers.
Rookie drivers are very valuable to mega carriers like WERNER, SWIFT, CR ENGLAND, US XPRESS, FEDEX, MARTEN, SCHNEIDER, PRIME, otherwise they would all be out of business.
Agreed
Get em team driving!!! Get the $$!!! That’s all the carrier cares about!!! Sadly for that lady the greedy carrier did not get away with it this time!!! But they will keep doing it!!! Money first!!! Safety maybe a distant fourth???
It has even well overdue. For years the mega company been eating away whit murder..shadowing drivers lives,cutting rate.
Newly trained drivers should be driving local for a few months or a year before allowing them to drive over the road, but these companies are desperate to fill the vacancies that occurr during drivers coming and going, no one committs to a regular carrier any more, it’s a fact of life, that someone will screw up and hurt, name, or kill someone one day, this can be also speed related, but there will always be drivers not paying attention, texting, talking on the phone with no headset, and watching TV while driving, I’ve seen this first hand, drivers with their feet on the dash or by the window, instead of being professional, you see first hand the ones wearing flip flops, come on now, it’s just pure ignorance and driver’s not doing their jobs, if you plan to operate a big rig then you best understand what you’re getting into, pay attention to your surroundings when you’re on the highway, constantly look to your left and right, because it’s your job to look out for those not doing their job and possibly colliding with you or others, I drove for 26 years and you see first hand what happens around you, makes you wonder how or why these people got their license
It is crazy how many companies force their trainers to drive as team not giving the proper anount of supervision an instruction. I was a driver trainer in a school setting a few years back, it was to be a 12 week program. I had a class of 4 and failed 2 of them, the owner of the school responded by saying pass them or be fired. I quit on the spot, he signed thier certificates and both were the cause of serious accidents their first week
No surprise when big company’s own the trucks and the training facility that they would rush drivers though schooling just to get them on the road to earn money considering how all of them are hurting, a bad investment, I went to a private school owned by drivers and all the instructors had to have a master’s degree I learned more then I would ever use out here but I’m glad I went to a good school it’s kept me safe and efficient, and I was taught to say no to disparch/And so on, can’t say that school is still around tho it was bought out by Werner a few years after I graduated and drivers have been on the decline around here in quality
The job of the schools is to teach driver how to be professional, types of equipment, history, how to handle the road, laws regulations how to deal with various issues including bad employers,whistle blower protection, driver Wright’s, and so on. …..You know the book not going to spell it out
“You are the Captain of this Ship Own it”
The job of the employer is to verify they can handle the road and manage them selves , now they are trying to train a breed of drivers that don’t fight back and will do as they are told even if it endangers everyone all because they don’t want to pay drivers right and treat them with respect I’ll prolly never work for another company outside of unions or gov. Again due to lack of safety and policies that protect the driver from being fired for saying no…Noo
Its Werner
The biggest undercutting company out there
And there are people out here that actually believe putting 18 year olds behind the wheel of interstate trucks is a good idea.
I’ll throw my two cents in as far as the proper training angle. It may not be mandatory or it may be that is for the two people to run as a solo driver. I’ve been CDL driving for 20 plus years. The company I’m at now let me train my wife to drive. All school taught her was just enough to pass her road test and the written as well. They didn’t teach her how to back into a dock because Illinois only requires you to offset back left an right on the skills part along with doin a pretrip and straight backing. Also then the actual drive test. My wife and I ran solo for six months and I was required by my company to be in the jump seat whenever she was driving. Some say 6 months is a little long but at least that allowed her to get some mountain and winter experience in. Now we’re teaming and she is doing a great job. Running as a solo with trainer actually training is the way it should be and it should be made mandatory in the dot regs. Hell they regulate everything else we do why not the proper training as well.
First of all, trainers usually take on the training job because they are underpaid, they cannot justify driving for the pittance they are given; so the first problem is to pay the drivers better, and you won’t have half-hearted trainers.
Secondly, Werner should be on top of who is sleeping while they should be training. I trained students for them and became so tired after a while, I wondered how all the other trainers went so many days/months/years on end with the extra responsibility (I did the job correctly). Shame on those trainers for not doing their jobs correctly! I guess you don’t value your own life either.
Third, the student deep down knew better, but was doing what he thought necessary to graduate and believed must be happening throughout the company; so it put the student in an impossible position. Werner is culpable for that.
Fourth, how in the world does a company become so negligent as to let a trainer/student drive as a team? They deserved the lawsuit-every penny-for their calloused greed.
Fifth, I don’t know how things have changed since I retired, but what I liked about Werner was that the e-logs prevented greed through log fraud, permitting drivers that wanted to drive safely do so, after proper rest; but I can see Werner just found another way to cheat the system. Shame on Werner! Those are human beings that you are murdering and mutilating on the roads. Reprehensible!
So now when companies cave to driverless trucks, and the public assumes the non-manned trucks couldn’t be any worse, all drivers pay. This is a sad way for the trucking profession to fade into non-existence.
It behooves all drivers to speak up, else you won’t have a job to come to.
Something certainly happened to make him leave His side of the road. He must have been sleeping or driving too fast for conditions. Hate a woman had to lose her life.
impact. He had to have been sleep or to fast for conditions. I know what can happen when drivers go to sleep behind the wheel.
Companies are too quick to get rid of good, older, experienced drivers so they can half train young inexperienced drivers so they can save a little money. I worked for Schneider 9 yrs from 1994 till 2003 took time off to care for my husband that had worked with Scnheider for eight yrs till he got Lugerics and could no longer work. I drove 1 year after he guit and came off the road to take care of him. Long story, but I went back to Schneider yrs later. After working 2/5 months a Fed-Ex driver rear ended me after I got completely into the highway and the officer cited me for failing to yield the right of way and illegally parking. He said because the other drivers went to the hospital and the accident was so bad they had to sight someone. When my court case come up they threw out the failure to yield so I had to pay $166 for court cost and fine. Because of the two tickets Schneider fired me the next day. I feel I got thrown under the bus by Schneider. I am willing they could h as very beat that case with the circumstances of the accident because that Fed-Ex driver had to have been sleep because I saw he was well over 2tenths of a mile behind me when I pulled out and he only hit his brakes seconds before the inpact.
I am surprised I haven’t heard more horror stories like this one . I see an awful lot of non fluent speaking young people operating tractor trailer in an unsafe non respectful manner. . And I am Not talking about the Mexican population! Back when I was in training I spent two and a half months with an owner operator from Oct thru Dec of 1980. and that is just scratching the surface, I am still learning . Been accident free ever since. Unfortunate for Werner and all involved. Only solution I know is extensive all season, all terrain operation driving light to heavy loads in and out of cities and country throughout a minimum 2 to 3 month period
People can’t even stay in their own lane when they are diving on the proper side of the road.
I am constantly having to dodge other drivers both trucks and cars that come into my lane sometimes to the point that I have to go onto the shoulder to keep from getting hit, and it’s just getting worse. I have been out here since 1977 and it’s getting worse. I’ve had about all the fun I can stand I’m about to give it up I think I’ve had enough it’s time to do some serious fishing
Some people are not safe drivers no matter how much training they recieve! There are 6 mega carriers that have driver training programs that also treat their driver trainer and dtiver trainees as co drivers. Bad practices from all aspects. No doubt.
More verdicts similar to this are on the way…If the law passes, which it might, 18 to 20 years old will be allowed Interstate…I think I will go local because it, unfortunately, will become a GRAVEYARD on US highways..All this because of the driver shortage or is it PROFIT SHORTAGE?
Substandard training practices from many schools. I see it constantly. 5 weeks is all they get. Where’s the pride in teaching? I don’t see it. I hear a lot of complaining from students about schools having instructors that don’t know how to train or teach in detail or with good explanation. You need to be able to explain everything in detail. Problem is there’s not enough time for that. They only get 4-5 weeks. They get 160 hours of training. Not enough to be a safe or productive driver of an 80k lb rig. That does not compute to 160 hours of real training. They get enough training to inspect, backup, and pass the road test, but sometimes only get a couple of hours of real driving time. And what about fatigue? If you tell your manager you are fatigued, they will cut off your head!
The FMCSA is unveiling new rules for trainers and instructors of “Entry level drivers” in February 2020. I hope this will create some positive changes in the industry and before they get with a company, they will be more qualified.
After reading all the comments in this thread, I want to add my thoughts. There are too many big trucking companies and shippers that do not value the driver more than anything else. The drivers are their most valuable assets, so why dont they put more time and effort into their drivers by polishing and showing them off rather than pushing them to their limits and breaking them?
There are too many big companies that put their own pocket and wellbeing first and treat the trucker like slaves from before the Lincoln era. On the other hand, there are many CMV drivers that have no common sense, no manners, no courtesy, not willing to learn, and down right unprofessional attitudes. Not all new drivers are this way. But, big companies do a lot of bad and not enough good. Don’t they realize these are new drivers and are not use to all the rhetoric that goes on in this industry? The training needs to be at least 3 months with a mentor driver that supervises and only operates as solo. What good is a trainer in the bunk? Why dont these megas look at new drivers as an investment? Thank God for the mega companies or there would be nowhere for bad drivers to be hired. Actually, if the student does their research they will find there are good schools and companies with integrity.
I’m an instructor and I tell many students that have poor qualities in attitude, etc, that if I were a company owner, I would not hire someone like that. I also explain in detail as much as I possibly can but I also make sure that they understand that the student must do their homework and research.
The big companies play hard ball when it comes to recruiting and throw all kinds of lures out there to hire drivers from going to their competitors. Sometimes the big companies get lucky and find a really good newby , but due to a lot of companies’ negligent and uncaring practices, they loose them to better quality companies or even worse, the new driver quits the industry altogether and yes, that does continue to build a larger shortage of great professionals.
The article that is being commented on here is about a 40m dollar lawsuit due to poor training practices and because the mentioned school that is owned by the mentioned mega-carrier does have a rather poor rating of quality CDL holders coming from their school. I have spoken to many of their former instructors and some former students who really don’t have much good to say about them in all aspects of their business and/or their schools.
If they were to run their school business more like a trucking school and increase their pay for the instructors, they would probably produce a better quality driver. And then again, it’s all about attitude. Make the student feel good about themselves only happens when the instructors com to work loving their jobs and feeling good about what they do! Take care of your people right, pay them well, and your people will stay, train them right, make examples of the bad ones, and watch the ROI go up.
Come on people…driving a truck is something no one on GOD’S GREEN EARTH CAN TEACH YOU…US TRUCK DRIVERS HAVE TAUGHT OURSELVES…NO ONE CAN PREPARE YOU FOR THIS JOB…IT IS A NEW DAY EVERYDAY IN THE TRUCKING WORLD..GOOD LUCK TO ALL THESE COMPANIES THAT HIRE A STUDENT THAT DON’T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE…I HAVE TAUGHT MYSELF…AND DISPITE A ACCIDENT FREE HISTORY…MY EX COMPANIES HAVE ABOUT RUINED MY TRUCKING CAREER…BUT THANKS TO GOD HE IS FOR ME…NOW I AM READY TO MAKE SOME BIG MONEY…THE HEC WITH ALL THESE RINKY DINK COMPANIES THAT DO NOT WANT TO PAY US FOR WHAT WE ARE WORTH WHO HAVE DENIED ME EMPLOYMENT AND WANT TO HIRE A STUDENT OVER ME…THANK YOU JESUS…HE IS WITH ME THROUGH THICK AND THIN…
I was a trainer for one of this countries major trucking company for 15 yrs what these companies call trainers is a joke I was probably the only one that had a state license to train their policy was that if a. Truck got into an accident to just say we were co drivers and not to admit either one was training the other.most of these companies trainers have little to no experience?