Major carrier training nightmare...

I did the Trainer gig for 3 years and only kicked 2 guys off my truck in that time. That said, the vibe Im getting from the OP is that of an opinionated arrogant jerk. If I had to deal with you I would have put you off on the side of the road in the middle of no where. All the noobies that think a trainer owes them an easy time don't know ####. Trainers are putting their lives on the line for you to learn a trade, if you cant respect that and suck it up for a few weeks then you don't need to be on a truck. This business isn't for #######.

 

Face it OP, your a whiner and everything hurts your feelings or aggrevates you


Grow up and get a set and get your training done or quit and go home

Oh and the reason the other carriers wouldnt hire you is because of that open court case you had; what was the court case about??

 

I agree with you totally but on one count I think you missed the point a little.

Not every company does this, but when a new driver is paired with a trainer they are expected to operate as a team, at least in a few companies. The trainer is expected to get that truck to team status as quickly as possible. The pressure is administrative as well as economic because these companies generally pay a training salary to the student and mileage for all the miles the truck runs to the trainer.I don't see the point in being paired with someone who only has six months or a year experience. You might as well be on your own, for all the good I could have done you back when I was just as green.

Maybe its a little off topic, but this is a fairly common practice in civil aviation. You go for your airman's medical certificate and student pilot certificate. You go through the process of ground school and flight instruction at whatever hours the FAA requires (I'm too lazy to consult the 2007 FAR/AIM that's 5 feet away from me, and its an outdated doorstop anyway) which includes local and cross country (>50 nm) solo time. When you have sufficient time and the instructor feels you're ready, you go for a checkride and hopefully get your shirttail torn. If you want you can get an instrument rating at the same time, and after a certain number of hours (again, lazy) you can get a commercial pilot's license, and after not much more time, and its not a lot, you can get your certified flight instructor (CFI) rating, thereby allowing you to get compensated for flying (which requires a commercial license) while building your hours to get into a jet school and get a turbine rating (much different than piston engines).

The point of all this is that the FAA is in the process of changing the rules governing minimum hours to obtain a CFI rating because they are concerned about the quality of flight instruction being given. Maybe the FMCSA needs to do the same relative to driver trainers, not only from a quality of instruction standpoint, but also to keep a few companies and trainers from taking advantage of a new driver.

My employer started a training program last year for those with less than a year experience, and the trainee is paid a weekly salary while the trainer gets paid an extra flat daily rate on top of the mileage for each day the student is on the truck. The truck is limited to 14 hours per day so they are not run as a team. That's how it should be done.

I hope you have (or had) an easier time of training than I did when I was starting out. But that's a story for another time.

 

All those start out company are not good for the drivers , it is just the way it is. They are only aimed for the $, not for their drivers. Just sticking to it for a couple years, then you will be OK. If you go to somewhere else now, you will be trade 6, for half dozen . They all are feathers of same bird.

 

I thinks its fairly simple there is one common demonitor with all the problem mentors you are haveing.

 

I understand the dilemma, but the facts are the ones with experience and skills won't put up with the BS associated with working for a training company when they can make more money and have a better life with far better companies. The Swifts and Schneider's can only blame themselves for the situation they created..

 

You sound like a real quality trainer. I got that impression when you implied that you'd throw a student off your truck in the middle of nowhere, even though it's prohibited and grounds for immediate termination with nearly every carrier in the country. Generally, the only reason these so called "Trainers" put their "lives on the line" (dramatic much?) is for the all mighty dollar. They could give two ##### about whether or not anyone learns anything. You were new once yourself too, bucko. Everyone was at one point or another. Try a little empathy. And for somebody who chose to critique me for being arrogant and opinionated, you're pretty brash yourself. Have you heard the one about the kettle and the pot??

 

What BigBluePeter is saying is the trainer puts his/her life on the line by trusting YOU the "trainee" to have enough ability to not wreck the truck and/or at least a small amount of sense enough to listen when instructed. Now I had a trainer who had about 20 yrs experience(which I am very thankful for) but that was 18 yrs ago and companies have lowered their standards significantly since then. What most are trying to get you to see is that you may have had problems but so have we all and you really need to stop the whining about it. I have heard dozens (or more) stories like yours and those drivers just moved on,you will not get many people here to justify your complaints. Most of us will say the same thing continually, suck it up and move on.

 

An alternative solution would be to just duke it out with the trainer. Round up a few hands, such as CR England drivers waiting for loads to make it a "lumberjack style match". There should be plenty at the next truck stop. Then, just go at it. I mean tear each other up. Keep fighting until the other taps out.

You might think I'm crazy, but I've actually seen this work. A Werner trainee crawled out of his truck at a Flying J outside of Atlanta, with his trainer screaming and cussing him out. Apparently, they had been arguing for a long time. To the trainees credit, he tried to walk away. The trainer grabbed him by the shoulder, telling him not to walk away from him. The trainee turned around and hit him right between the eyes, putting him on the ground. He gets up, swings and misses at the trainee, and the trainee hits him again. And again, put him on the ground. By now, they have an audience. We are telling the trainer to stay on the ground, but he doesn't, and guess what? He got hit again. Thankfully, he was done after that.

Point being, that trainee just had his fill of crap from that trainer. Had that been the county jail, that trainer would have been giving the trainee a pedicure before going to sleep. So, in short, if you think you are in the right, quit barking like a little rat dog, and start biting like a Doberman.

Or, you could chalk it up to a personality conflict, laugh about it, and move on. Trust me, if you get your feelings hurt easily, you are definitely in the wrong business.

 

Trailer's hooked up, Son, I hear you can drive. Let's see. Get after it, I'm taking a nap/ closed the curtain.