Mentoring

I would never use a shock collar on a dog. People? Now that's a different story...there are some really annoying people out there.

Remember to share the taco advice. And as you mentioned in another reply...a sense of humor is a must, not just for life in general but for teaching/training also. Not mean humor, but fun humor. There is a difference.

Sirscrapntruckalot -

 

Train only women, as there is a great need for that.

 

That could be taken for an axiom, but in so may ways.
Most, not good.

 

Be able to dumb things down, just because it makes sense to you doesn't mean it'll make sense to a trainee. I'm in school right now and they just hired a new instructor. He talks to me like I've been driving as long as he has, I remind him I don't know #### about #### when it come to driving. Listen to the mentee and know when they need advice of just a foot in the ###. I was a mentor in the military, I had some great ones and some bad ones, they all taught me something though.

 

Three years OTR and you want to train at a mega!? Oh Lordy. At least negotiate a really good wage. No reason to do that job for anything less than 2k/week. I talked to this Schneider driver team with three years experience that was happy for 1800/week. I didn’t really say anything to them just smiled and nodded. Coulda went to the UPS Chicago hub and cracked 200k

 

This seems odd to me. Mentors have heart of teachers, not necessarily just profit driven. We constantly see you super truckers on here gripe about Mega's and their rookie drivers being "high risk", "incompetent", "Steering wheel holders" and then in the same breath you want to chase people that can help change that course of those results away by saying "go to X instead". Makes no sense. Granted monetary gain should be a factor but not primary. Filling a need in the industry to try and create safer drivers should be the driving reason. How many Swifties (and similar) could have avoided being on Youtube if they hade a good mentor that was interested in TEACHING, and not just profit? OR how much lower could driver turn around be saved if we have good mentor/teachers out there?
I am considering the same thing for Schneider myself. To become a TE. Trying to get my dedicated account to adjust some processes where it's comfortable for me to do so. Would I like the 6 figure income- sure. But not as much as I like the thought of having safer drivers out there with a good base of experience and knowledge to start their driving careers from.
Sometimes I wish folks would realize it's doesn't always have to be about the "me" or the "the money".

 

Please, please, please be very patient and understand everyone learns differently, at different paces, and everyone's personality is different. Actually explain things and if someone doesn't understand something, try to find another way to explain or teach it....repeating yourself is not going to help them if they are having a hard time understanding something that was said and it isn't processing right. @OLDSKOOLERnWV was one driver on here who helped me quite a bit....when I had a lot of questions or when I still wasn't quite understanding something and he would fine another way or another video to try and explain something. It really helped me out and made me feel like I wasn't dumb. Many guys on here have actually helped me. Everyone has different ways. If you want to teach, just understand that you yourself should also take advice and learn how other drivers do things so that you can also give different techniques to help your students. There isn't one way to tarp, or one specific way to back, etc. It really helpes to have different POV's If you want to teach OTR and not like helping people to get their CDL but to actually be like a driver trainer for a company or something.....you shouldn't let your personal problems get in the way. I had a trainer (woman mind you) at my last company who idk what her deal was or if she had a bad past, but I had another driver trying to help me back at a truck stop and she flipped out. Didn't like any drivers trying to talk to me or help me and left me about 850 miles from home. That kinda ruined my view of women in the industry even though I am one (and I've had a really rough childhood/adulthood). I found a company that I love and got to kinda learn on my own and train with a male driver a bit and I love it. From that experience alone, I will never go to a place if I ever had to for any reason where I had to train with a female (which is most places) because the issues that can arise from having opposite sex trainer and student together.

 

Also, sometimes you just need to let them kind of learn on their own. It might drive you crazy to have to take a step back and let people learn but it helps. When in school I constantly wanted my instructor helping me to back but I couldn't ever get it. So he left me to do it and said it would eventually come. I had a really rough time. Days of crying and being pissed off and overwhelmed and TRYING TRYING TRYING. And one day....it clicked. I got it. Without him ever being there. The anguish omg I tell you BUT I finally understood the whole, you just have to do it. No amount of help or explaining will truly help. You need what @CAXPT? .......time in the seat LOL Also I had another trainer who just kept always telling "turn the wheel to the left. Turn the wheel to the right. Blah blah blah." trying to reach me how to back (when finally on with company) and they got pissed off at me when I finally just didn't listen to a word they said.....when I did that, I actually backed in for the first time good!! Sometimes you need someone to just watch and make sure you aren't going to hit anything but let them take charge. I GOALed a few times and did it by myself. And and they don't seem to reach chaining really.....please help students learn this!! Especially so they don't get screwed when they go out on their first run by themselves and don't know how to chain and they end up in a bad winter storm. (Personal experience)

 

I started out at Schneider. I’m not decrying working at a mega. UPS is a mega. Walmart is a mega. I’m just advocating better pay and treatment for top drivers. The fact that Schneider makes you sit through an anti union video in training and tells you that they can terminate you for discussing wages is criminal. I’m not saying don’t train drivers. I’m saying that a woman mentor SHOULD command a six figure salary.