Probably fired and want more training

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by They Call Me Miss Frizzle, Oct 28, 2020.

  1. FozzyNOK

    FozzyNOK Road Train Member

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    Its the main reason I got out of training OTR... there is no way that some dude (or dudette) sitting in an office can tell someone who is in the truck with said trainee.. when they are able to operate a truck all by themselves. Got tired of them insisting that their time frame worked for everyone.
     
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  3. They Call Me Miss Frizzle

    They Call Me Miss Frizzle Light Load Member

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    Two weeks experience: a semi failed to yield so I hugged left right before getting TBoned. I took a mirror off another truck and popped a tire. 2nd: construction signs directed me on a non truck route. They had just gone up. I popped a tire on a tight turn because I had to hug a curb. 3. I backed and hit a trailer door. It was at low speeds so some rivets came loose. I could have screwed them back in. No damage to other trailer.
     
  4. truckdriver31

    truckdriver31 Road Train Member

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    following
     
  5. Qbf594

    Qbf594 Road Train Member

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    It sounds bad, but I wouldn't tell a mega anything I didn't have to. When I got the idea of driving I happened on a website that is geared towards people considering the career. The main moderators are extremely vocal about honoring the commitment to the company, paying back the time in the contract, etc. All ideas that I was 100% behind. Until I was working in the industry.
    My 1st ding was a truck in the fuel lane. Might have been a setup in retrospect but he wanted 50$ for the incident. I reported it to the company. Thought it was the right thing to do. My 2nd entry on my DAC is a lie from Schneider that I hit a stationary object. That was my tire, a series of chips taken out on a curb. I told on myself or they'd never known.
    At this point I won't give a mega any ammunition to casually destroy my career. They truly don't care. We're like farm animals to them. Oh, that #5376 broke its ankle, best put it down....
    I've hired and fired in a previous life. I have some awareness of practices to train and retain new workers. These companies are subsidized by the government as apprenticeships. They get money for the churn, they're not interested in retention. Whole different world here.
    My 3rd ding was not minor. I squished a mirror. I gave the driver 700$ on cash app. He told me he wasn't getting it replaced with KW parts but IDC I caused him headaches and he had to do some creative duct tape work to be able to leave the facility. The $ I paid was the cost of education. That driver has a truck sitting, he says he can't find a driver with a clean enough record for his insurance. It's a racket, and he totally understood my request to keep my ## off the record.
    All that being said, I'd recommend keeping your mouth shut and if the company won't teach you ask other drivers for a few minutes of guidance and suggestions. And start looking for a new company, easier to get remedial help when you are new...
     
  6. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Yeah, with 7 mos. experience, she'll be back on the road soon.
     
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  7. truckdriver31

    truckdriver31 Road Train Member

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    i would start by looking into the mirror. then stop doing 45 backing. set up is everything.
     
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  8. Professor No-Name

    Professor No-Name Road Train Member

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    I'm not sure what advice to give regarding other companies. I learned how to do this hands on working with a city driver at a customer. What i can tell you is #1 slow down an take your time to do things right. When in doubt get out an look. Be patient. Maintain spacing around your vehicle the best that you can. Try an give yourself plenty of time to react to situations around you. The more reaction time you give yourself then the less you will panic an have more time to adjust. As far as backing , find some place on your time off that's fairly open without a lotta cluster going on an practice backing. Inform safety an dispatch that your using your own time to practice an find out how they want ya to go about logging it. So what if it causes ya to have to run off recap hours for a week or so. The practice will pay off in the long run and you'll end up being a safer more accomplished driver. When setting up to back up always use all of your safe available space and be sure to pull up an stop so that your trailer is aimed or situated in direct correlation with the spot that you are backing into. You want to be lined up with the spot in such a fashion as to have as few maneuvers to make as possible to put the trailer in the spot. I hope that makes sense and is of some help. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Don't be afraid to ask other people for help when you find yourself in difficult situations.
     
  9. Trucking in Tennessee

    Trucking in Tennessee Road Train Member

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    There are many tutorials on You tube that show how to back, but most are under ideal circumstances. But you better learn them because someday you are going to have a back into a space you 90% don't believe can be done. Do not report minor damage. It happens to most everyone, and if you sleep at enough truck stops you will find mysterious damage that you have no idea how it got there. The only real fault I can see is popping the tire going around the corner. Either miss the curb or go up on the curb but don't scrape the sidewall. If you go slow enough you won't hurt the tire. Someday when you are out on a Sunday and you find an empty warehouse take a few minutes and use it to back up to their dock. That way there is no pressure. Once you manage to do it you will have the self confidence to do it again and again. As a last resort you can find jobs that are simply drop and hook. I did that most of last year. I would meet a guy near Atlanta at a truck stop and we would pull beside each other. In 10 minutes we had traded and were on our way. Just a relay operation. Lots of mail carriers do it and it pays very well.
     
  10. Just passing by

    Just passing by Road Train Member

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  11. FozzyNOK

    FozzyNOK Road Train Member

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    Wow... Knights of the road have become rather tarnished.. "Tear stuff up because you can't drive... run off like a coward... claim you're a professional?" LOL!!!
     
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