CRST: Taking a refresher, then hitting the road

as far as maintenance we basically went to whatever terminal that was close by while otr. When you get your truck assigned make sure you inspect it good. My first truck had the air lines cut behind the seats. Also as the shop when the next pm is due.

 

same here from my first exp everybody is pretty freindly there but it's always nice to no someone there

 

yea i just bobtailed my truck home after dropping my co-driver off at his place. Then i just backed into my driveway and cleaned up the truck for the next trip out! Usually theres paperwork you have to fill out but our dispatcher just let us do it anyways!

 

Looks like frog is from indy so Crst has a drop yard in calumet city IL. South of Chicago and one in Columbus ,Ohio that u can park trucks at after 6 months u can take truck home after u have paper work filled out that it is oked by local police that is the way it used to be have been with Crst going on 5 years 2 1/2 company 2 1/2 independent contractor
cedar rapids is the best terminal but they have just bought 18.3 acres east of the Fontana yard that from what I know will be set up like the. Cedar rapids terminal
Used to team with my wife she just left to stay home with the grandkids so I am back training I will say some of the trainers need training themself 28 days is not a long time so most student have trouble getting it all in some just are not made to drive a truck some get out here on the road and have no idea what they are getting into and can't handle it they just think that they are to hold a steering wheel then they find out that they have to learne how to read a map,drive and read road signs,winter driving in Wyoming , mountain driving, log books,just to name a couple things if u have 20 people in a class there will probably be 5 left after class and there 28 days on the road Crst has changed there training over the last year u are road tested after your 28 days on the road if u fail road test they send u packing it is not like the old Crst because the federal goverment is all the time changing they have to keep up with those changes
my last student lasted 1 week and went home he had no clue what he was getting in to he thought team co driver was one driving the other giving directions and did not know that when one was driving the other was sleeping after 5 days and one trip for 1800 miles he was found out this was not for him

 

moneymaker How do you sleep with a student in the seat?????

I don't trust myself being new... How can you?

 

my trainer trusted me after the first week, but then again i have trucker in my blood lol. not saying im perfect im far from it. I guess me and my codriver were pretty good seeing as the dispatcher approved us to take the truck home without paperwork. The drop yard in calumet is a nice little mud trap lol ive been there twice never liked the area. Never knew of the one in columbus would have been nice when I was in that area as we found a nice super small pilot in the area. i think it was near calumet? it was picking up at an r&l or was that in ohio. I cant remember. But yea there are some bad trainers out there and if you are unhappy at all request a new trainer.

 

Trusting a student is what u give them in that first week if I don't think the person is up to driving with me sleeping then we stop a couple
extre nights on the 3rd 4th 5th day I will lay down for a couple
hours each day And each day is a little longer for me
to lay down to build that trust they know I am only two feet behind them that if needed wake me up I would them wake me than do something wrong always like my first trip to go out west lots of driving to see how it will go
I let my students drive only from 4am to 4pm the first couple weeks this time of the year they will get some night driving in the
morning and it gets dark around 6pm so it is the the best time to get sleep because that is what they are use to The first week I do eveything to make them as tired. As I can to show them the extreame of how trucking is and to make that right choice to stop when they get tired every student must stop every 3hours after there first4 hours of driving in my truck and get out of the truck for 15 min.
I hope that Judith1962 your trust in yourself is growing because u have to grow that trust but never take that trust out of your comfort zone that is when u will get in trouble
My saying is slow and steady gets the gold
look up steady in the dictionary
firm; stable not shaky ; calm and controlled ; reliable
constant in behavior habitual or regular in habit
everything u need a student to be
almost 5years with Crst never drove a truck before and only have worked for Crst they treat me very will the other thing is is u find me the perfict trucking co and I may consider going to work for them
most people that have a problem with Crst are the people that will never be happy anywhere

 

Dang Money maker you broke his roes colored glasses

 

I have to some what disagree about the comfort zone as I think you have to push it sometimes in order to grow other wise you could wined up with a false sence of security.
My wife has been rear ended 7 time's while sitting at red lights and hit head on once by a drunk driver she is not a fan of driving or riding in small car's but put on the back of my Honda Goldwing and she will drift of to sleep ( doze off) it totally relaxes her. Ask her how she will tell you it's a comfort zone for her and her trust in me and my ability's.
I just ride/drive with commen sence I keep a safe distance from other vehicals dont run in blind spots or along side of other vechicals if i can help it. I have the mind set that no one can see me so I have to watch out for them and like you said Moneymaker I crusie slow( well the speed limet ) and steady

 

Judith1962 was saying that her trust in herself was well the way I take it was not all there not to take anything away from her driving I don't know her I can't judge her but yes u have to push yourself to that next level to build up your trust but smart enough to back down when u don't have that trust aka comfort zone
and Judith1962 don't take what I said the wrong way I am positive that your trust will grow in yourself over time the more miles u run