Any Questions for a Driver Trainer for Maverick?

Hey everyone, its Sarge

Since Jim the Hut's thread (excellent description of Maverick's Orientation, Securement Training, experience with his driver trainer, and daily travels once assigned to his own truck) is used quite frequently by drivers with questions about Maverick Transportation's driver trainers and what is required by the students once assigned to a driver trainer, i thought i'd start a thread specifically for such questions. Ask away and i will do my best to answer. Of course anyone is free to ask/answer any and all questions in this thread and please do.

If the response comes from me, i assure you, it is based on my requirements of my students with Mavericks requirements of me as one of their driving instructors. If you ask my "opinion" on something, that is what you will get, my opinion. Some questions that will probably be asked in this thread could probably be better answered by a Maverick Recruiter. In that case, i'll tell you to ask recruiting.

This is what i expect of my students once i'm assigned to them as their driver trainer. Each one of my students gets a hard copy of the following. I call it "Great Expectations"
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Great Expectations​

Welcome to truck 11812. My name is J.W. There are too many Johns in this world and most people p in them, so i prefer to be called by my cb handle which is "Sarge". You've probably heard horror stories about other students Driver "Trainers". First of all, i didn't train or teach them. i don't train people, i teach them. i've trained cats to sit-up, speak, rollover, and dance. and i've trained dogs to sit, speak, rollover, dance, stay, and fetch. Animals get "trained", humans get "taught or instructed". With that in mind, i'd prefer to be referred to as your "Driving Instructor" rather than your "driver trainer".​

For the next two or three days, you will not drive the truck, but may be asked to back it into parking spaces, loading bays, docks, etc. There is a reason why i do everything the way i do. You not driving for the first couple of days is to get you familiar with the sights and sounds of the truck as well as to retrain (re-instruct) your brain to recognize things going by at a slower rate. My cruising speed, empty or loaded is 57 mph. Most people are not used to driving that slow and will fall asleep if asked to do. i'd rather you fall asleep in the passenger seat than while driving.​

Hopefully, You noticed the company name on the door. It reads "Maverick". I am a company driver assigned to this truck, however, i drive it as if it were my own and take care of the equipment assigned to it, and manage the fuel i put in it as if i paid for it myself. i drive it as efficiently as possible and will teach you to do the same if you are willing to learn. ​

When i first found out you were assigned to me, i contacted You and asked You to make a list of expectations as to what You expect from me. the following is a list of expectations for you to follow while You are assigned to me:​

1. Watch and Learn
2. Do as i ask
3. Ask alot of questions other than "Why?"
4. Don't call me "sir" (or maam for that matter)
5. Take pride in your job and be professional
6. Dont use racial slurs
7. Keep phone use to a minimum when You are driving
8. Take out the trash whenever necessary
9. Don't eat my last can of soup or package of crackers
10. Dont drink my last powerade or drop of water
11. Brush your teeth and use deodorant daily (more often if necessary)
12. Don't pleasure yourself when i'm in the bunk below You
13. Don't wet the bed when i'm in the bunk below You
14. Use the F.R.D. (Flatulance Removal Device), crack the window, when necessary
15. Be safe
16. Have Fun​

i know a little about alot of things and will talk about alot of things but there are two things i really don't care to discuss; Politics and Religion. Why? There has been more bloodshed over those two subjects than about anything in history, and discussions about both tend to get heated with some people which causes most people to forget about their primary responsibility when driving a big truck. . . .DRIVING!!!​

i'm not a racist or sexist person. To me, it doesn't matter if you're male, female, homosexual, black, white, oriental, latino, WHATEVER!!! You are my student. i will try to teach you to be safe, have fun, and be successfull here at Maverick.​

Lock the door, buckle up, and Enjoy the ride
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Alot of drivers that are interested in Maverick ask what they should bring with them to orientation. To Orientation, ask a recruiter. On truck 11812 i will tell you All P.P.E., a pair of comfortable shoes other than steel toed boots, and at least one weeks worth of clothes, a laundry bag (non mesh style), shower shoes, sleeping bag, pillow, blanket, thermal top and thermal bottoms and a clipboard for your logs and student evaluations.​

For those of you who have never been OTR (over the road) in a truck but may have camped out before, imagine the floor space of a 3 man dome tent, add six inches to it, put in a dashboard, drivers seat, passenger seat, cabinets, and a set of bunk beds. That is how much space you have inside one of these trucks. Long story short, if you are not going to use it everyday, don't bring it. Leave it back at little rock and you can put it in your truck once you evaluate out. ​

Truck 11812 is a Cascadia model Freightliner truck complete with the new DEF (deisel exhaust fluid) tank, and APU heat and air conditioning. THEY ARE HEAVY. My empty weight with my stuff, minimum equipment and boards with a 102 inch trailer and full of fuel is close to 32,000 lbs. So leave what you are not going to use almost daily behind. ​

The APU air conditioning works well but the APU heater has not worked properly since i was assigned to it. On two seperate occasions, i have sat for one day each time trying to get the APU heater fixed, and am not going to waste any more time (which in my book is money) in a shop to get it fixed. I DO NOT IDLE and am a firm believer in Maverick's Fuel Bonus Program. In 2010, i netted (not grossed) over $3100.00 in fuel bonus alone. If you want to spend your money on candy and potato chips, whatever when you dont own any proper cold weather gear, don't complain to me about it or as i say bring some cheese to go with your whine. ​

I also bring almost all of the food and drink for myself for the week on the truck with me. If i do eat a sit down meal, it will be during my 10 hour break. Same goes for showers. If you are the type of person that requires a shower every time they break a sweat, let it be known that my showers are taken for the most part during my 10 hour break. Some drivers will shower after they deliver then after they pick up, and possibly in the morning or evening at the beginning or end of each day for a total of 2 or 3 showers a day. Not me. If You have a problem with that, simply ask Maverick to assign you to someone else. I would not be offended in the slightest. ​

 

of course it is but some drivers choose to get up in the am, shower, deliver, shower, drive to next load, load, shower, then park for the evening and possibly shower again. If your 14 hour clock has begun, you can figure on at least 40 mins or more from the time you exit the highway until you are back on the road after a shower.

Also for each time you fuel more than 50 gallons, you get one free shower (which as a driver with a student would be redeemed as a team shower. two seperate showers of course for the price of one). In the new trucks you can count on usually fueling over 50 gallons, once a day. Truckstops charge anywhere from 5 to 10 dollars for a shower if you dont have one on your card. Flying Pilots i believe are upwards of 10 dollars for a shower.

Time management is key out on the road. Once your day begins, that 14 hour clock for the day can not be stopped. I personally think stopping to take a shower everytime you break a sweat is a waste of time (which on the road is money). That is why, i try to plan my trips so when we stop for the night, a shower is available. It may not be a free one at a Flying Pilot or T/A. But plans are subject to change and we may end up stopping for a ten hour break at a rest area for instance where a shower is not available.