Prime Trainer can't train...

If someone gets in my face and starts screaming and cussing at me, then yeah, there's going to be a problem.

Have seen more people with this attitude or train of thought end up on the recieving end of the problem over the years.

 

yep...when someone is in my face doing all that cussing and carryin on there is only one thing to do....while he is jawwing KNOCK HIM OUT.....the only safe way to handle it...dont ever go into a fight expecting to win even if you are sure of it....bc there is always a factor that you cant predict.....you didnt put his pants on for him that morning and you dern sure dont know whats in em....

 

A good trainer will know when it is time to be in the driver's seat with the trainee sitting on his lap so he can "teach" him...

 

I give my guys 7-10 days, sometimes less, of riding in the passenger seat, just so they understand the basics. After that, any questions they have, I'll answer, but I'm not there to show you how to drive...I'm there to show you how to route, back and be as safe as possible.

 

When I start training someone, for the first couple of days, they get very simple interstate, with out much more than a few smaller cities. I usually try to get a load to CA out of Springfield for the first load, and get it to OKC and let them take over. There isn't a lot of sleep going on behind the curtain at first, just enough to make sure I can rested for my shift. Also, during the first week or so, anytime the trainee needs to stop or get off the highway for any reason they are told to get me up. I do this just to make sure that they remember to do their turns wide enough, and aren't going to take out anything like a fuel pump. Once I see that they aren't going to have any problems, I go to sleep and tell them to wake me up if there is a problem, or at a certain point when I know I'm going to need to be up to assist them with something.

 

Nicely said! But I guess some feel money is more important than safety. And as long as these companies and trainers continue to use trainees for cheap labor and an extra log book they are gonna continue to fail to get into this field, and therefore the accident/incident and turnover rates are gonna be thru the roof. Being thrown into a teaming situation doesn't give you the knowledge you need to go off on your own. TreyDavid I wanna wish you luck on whatever it is you do and just remember there are companies out there that train the right way!

 

Ok... so the question remains: When do you take the training wheels off?

Hmmm.... how about an answer all you supertruckers?

4 weeks?

2 months?

How about 7 years - is that enough training?

The OP is whining about the fact his hand wasn't being held enough. He was a graduate not of a CDL mill, but a COMMUNITY COLLEGE. That is supposed to be some kind of super trucking school. Yet here we are all patting his hand because the Super Trucking School didn't turn out someone who was capable of even driving down a rural, low-traffic density interstate on his own - no difficult circumstances involved - which is exactly what the holder of a CDL should be able to do.

 

If your 7 year comment was directed at me you can save it because my training aint in question...but if you must know it consisted of 4 weeks with my trainer and I running as a team for the last 2 weeks, doesn't make it right. there were things that I feel like I should have had a better grasp on in my first year, would have saved some headaches. But thats neither here nor there. I'm beyond that point in my life now. As far as your "supertrucker" reference it seems to me that thats what you money hungry L/O's are creating. They think just cause they made it thru training with one of you guys they can do anything and many times those are the ones off in the trees, on their roof, jacknifed on an icy bridge..I can go on for hours, but you guys dont think about that, you just wanna make them high ### payments on them lousy ### trucks while putting numerous lives including yours in danger.

 

Actually, it was just a number that stuck in my head...

Well, then you'll be happy to know that the trainees at Prime get quite a bit more than you did. Matter of fact, a ton more training than you did. Now, the OP had a CDL when he got here, so he missed out on the 4 - 5 weeks of mandatory 100% supervised driving with a CDL instructor. Then it's up to the trainer whether he gets more of that - and I don't agree with just throwing a guy in the left seat with no period where you satisfy yourself that he's qualified to run without supervision. But to the point... if the OP had stuck it out, he'd have had 4 - 5 months of training here. 80,000 miles, with an experienced driver at most 3 feet away. There's another thread here with a bunch of newbs at a different company who have been brainwashed into thinking CDL school and 10 days of orientation is enough... then out on the road on their own. Now that's a danger to everyone.

Well, all I can say to that comment is you are clueless about this company. Yeah, with as many miles as are run, there are accidents - but for example, we have a better safety record than say Conway has right now. That would be in DOT-reportables per million miles. And no, folks like Sazook and U2 are not putting dangerous, under-trained meatheads out onto the roads.

No we don't. We're just like you - wanting to make a decent living, and be alive when payday comes around to collect what's due us.