How brutal is the 4-6 week training period?

“Brutal.”

Anticipation of pain is usually worse than the pain itself.

 

Don’t pick a company where your sleeping choices are top middle or bottom bunk.. those trucks move steady

 

With some companies, the trainer doesn’t drive. Schneider is one is one of those (and road training is only 2-3 weeks). Not advocating Schneider, but they’re a relevant example. And I’m sure there are others.

 

At western express they do an evaluation and based on that you end up with zero to 200 hours of drive time for training. In that time frame you learn company specific Qualcomm use, how your DM works with the trainer and specific skills that you will be required to demonstrate to get your own truck. Near the end of training the truck runs more like a team. At the beginning the trainer reevaluates you and you can discuss individual skills you feel you need to work. I believe every trainee since combo vehicles were invented has had backing as one thing they wanted/need to work on. A good trainer will get you started, but it’s all up to you.

 

Well unfortunately if you get paired up with a "Bruit " it is going to brutal for you not sure how these companies decide who is a good trainer however you'd think one of the key requisites would be to have a good patient attitude and love to teach rather than put down new drivers.

 

To that I would add don't pick a company where the options are "spoon left" or "spoon right"...

...just sayin'...

 

You referring to CRST?

 

I was a trainee and a trainer at one time. The training part I always thought they just push you thru. The trainer I had did not explain a lots of things. He did pay for most of the food. So when I was a trainer I would pay for the dinner and breakfast and stuff.

I tried showing the new driver how to trip plan with map, this was before GPS. They did not seem interested in learning it. I always thought the hard part of training is the two people in a small truck 24/7. Their was not much privacy. All the thing people never thing about, like taking a shower every day. Washing clothes every week. You might be surprised to learn some guys never washed their own clothes before, or they are trying to save money and to avoid washing clothes they would wear the same clothes several days.

I had one guy that would sleep in all his clothes and boots. I told him after a couple days you don't have sleep his boots and everything and changing his clothes was ok because we can wash them at end of the week.

I had guys wives would call saying they need money to pay the electric bill. It would stress the guy learning to drive.

I had guy piss himself while he was driving. I never said we can't stop for bathrooms. I can look back now and see he probably was to shy or just seems weird to say I need to stop for bathroom. I don't know, he said he had weak bladder problem.

That's stuff you deal with when two people are living in truck and training. That's the hard part I would say.. I can show someone how to fuel the truck and loading and unloading and trip planning if they want to learn.

 

Way better than “big spoon, little spoon”.

 

I had one like that wanting out to bathroom long ago. Rocked that seat for 10 miles I finally exploded and not thinking, what is WRONG with you. You defective or something? (Or worse...)

His eyes got this big and said I gotta go. Fine here is next truckstop out.

Second day we did not meet our schedule. Why? Every truckstop. In. wait. Out. Why? He was nervous about the White Sulphur coming up. I turned him into dispatch when they started asking questions. I never saw him again. Thank god.

I refuse to paint a broad brush the poor bairns who are not men sufficient to take care of what needs taking care of with some fortitude.... sheesh.