It finally happened

I'd have a terrible time as a "mentor." By nature, I am NOT a patient man. I can see myself grabbing a student by the throat and beating their head against the wall/door/window/or whatever is handy. "CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?"

I would also have a hard time in sleeping at the same time they are! But I would have a WORSE time sleeping while they are driving, at least until I am sure of their driving!

 

Spoke with a friend last night who has been there for 5 years and likes it. Read other posts about bad experiences. Checked the Dac Reports. Overall is it a good company?

 

There is a shortage of trainers willing to train females & females who will deal with female students. I just completed some videos with a female trainer named Darlene on my you tube & she really just needed to vent but I turned the camera on her instead & it has been very helpful.

I also just had some new females recognize me at our carrier who watched my videos & arrived better prepared , rather than unprepared like one girl who came to my room last night & was just fired just a fe segments short of testing up to the next level.

I personally would not train people because of the quality of students that my carrier recruits but I have seen some who are better in past few months.

Still it's a crapshoot and we do run team freight so... no way do I want to be trying to sllep when someone I don't know is driving.

I just write & do my videos... That's my contribution.

Good Luck

 

At first (opening sentence) one would think that you want to be a teacher...a giver of information...one who wants others to succeed in a new career.

then reading on I see that you "are in it for the money...the quicker the better" (paraphrase I guess not a quote...but all know what I mean)...you see here lies the rub!

The definition of the word "Mentor" is:

When you say you only want the money side of the deal...you are admitting right off the bat that you will be another Mentor who only wants a second log book for your truck and miles. This is something we don't need or want out here...we (good caring teachers) have enough of a stigma to get past without another imposter who only wants the paycheck.

Just consider what has been spent to get the student to the point of getting on a Mentor's truck...and it doesn't matter who spent the money and/or time to get to this point be it the training company (Swift and the Swift academy), or the student out of their own pocket or through a grant or loan. The point is, someone has put time and money behind this student. This obligation needs to be met and addressed as well as acted on by continuing the education that has been started. By your statement and the intoned attitude...you will not be educating, but will be offering false goods and intentions...this is fraud...and unacceptable by my standards and by many others standards.

What goes into Mentoring/training/teaching the student?

The new student driver comes to your truck with only the basic skills of operating the vehicle. A little log and planning, along with some vehicle inspection and FMCSA Rules and Regulation instruction. But that is about it! You the Mentor now need to polish these skills, and add in some "real time" experience in the total environment of this industry.

1. Shippers/Receivers and interaction with them.
2. Truck stops, fueling, paperwork transmittal, personal habits.
3. Interaction with dispatchers, DM's, different terminals and their locations.
4. Safe courteous highway skills and techniques.
5. Time management, money management, family management.
6. Beyond driving highway skills...chaining, rain, wind, fog, night driving, city timing.
7. Above regular planning...alternate routing, authorizing out of route issues, detention time, breakdown procedures, accident procedures, random drug testing and it's implications.
8. Special circumstance planning...route restrictions in cities, bridge clearances, highway construction delays, accident delays.
9. The list is endless on what we learn after training and the rest of our careers.

Let me use Texas-Nana as one example:

This pointy-stick wielding lady of the highway had months of background information about trucking before she got her CDL. In this time she made some very dear friends that not only propped her up when she was feeling down but acted as Pseudo-Mentors once she started at the Swift academy...and it didn't end there, we stayed with her while she was with her Mentor....(now we warned her about sleeping with her Mentor, but some things just can't be helped). Nana is not a Mentor in the truck but she is one with so many Swifties on this Forum...she offers her advice from her training and education and knowledge of Swift and the industry she gained from her time here on this forum.

Why do I prattle on about Nana? Because she willingly passes her advice, her counsel, and her knowledge on to others without asking anything but kindness and respect in return...no remuneration monetarily...but I have heard she will accept cookies or ice cream on occasion.

INJUN...another who doesn't Mentor in the truck but offers sage counsel and shares her knowledge of this industry with others....whether they want to hear it or not....

Oldnewbiegonnabe...another one who through his endless questions before becoming a driver actually Mentored many by opening discussions on subjects about trucking and it's implications to the drivers.

Me? OTTER?....Yes, for 12 years I was a trainer/Senior Mentor with Swift. And since I have not been with Swift....3 winters now...I have still managed to hold "chain classes" at the bottom of Siskyou, Donner, Cabbage, Snoqualmie, and Vail...not only to Swifties, but any other driver who needs some help or instruction on chaining, backing, and I don't limit myself to the highway...I am still here offering advice and some "different aspect" of the argument. But I am a Mentor...and proud of it.

So if all you want is the extra dollars being a Mentor has to offer, without having the forethought to offer more than what you are getting paid to do...please do something else! Our new students need to be taught as much as they can absorb, as much and more than one person can teach...we are a community who used to help each other without having to be asked or paid to help.

END OF RANT....And by the way.....Texas-Nana is and was before her training...married to her Mentor/Husband!

Thought I should clear the air with that one....

 

You just cracked me up Otterhalf LOL



Oh, the sexual harrassment I endured from my mentor!!!! *flings my lil hand over my eyes and swoons a tad just like Scarlet O'Hara* It was........................wonderful! LOL

And yes, there were many (including Otterhalf) who patiently aided me every step of the way including the times when I seriously considered murdering the aforementioned mentor. It takes more than a person just saying they're going to drive a truck. It takes........well not a village but more like a truck stop!

I still seek information from this forum and the WEALTH of knowledge that lives here (amongst the cow pootie). What drives me nuts is the people who like me are new and know very little about the industry yet unlike me spits in the faces of those they ask advice from.

There, that was my own lil rant.

 

Nana NEVER spits in anybody's face. But never, EVER, forget her pointy stick!

 

I always laugh when I read a post where someone tells someone else "don't take offense". Uhhhh riiiiiiight. We're going to tell them something insulting AND we're instructing them to not take offense.


I'm sure I've done it as well, but it's really funny.

Now, Edward......don't take offense but many of your posts are very rude and insulting. How long have you been a driver? Are you actually a DM in costume? Do you really work for Werner? These are all things we want to know. Please do explain when you became a driver, who trained you, where you went to school, how many miles have you driven, how tall you are, what is your shoe size, did your mama beat you when you were little, what color is the wallpaper in the driver's lounge at Edwardsville, and are you a graduate of Wendy Ward's School of Genteel Manners and Modeling?

But.......don't get offended.



*The above sarcasm was brought to us by "Lil' Ol' Ladies R Us".

 

Well my reply to all of you high and mighty people that have decided to judge me on one post; especially you---> otherhalftw.

I was only asking about how much it paid! Now for a few people; I can see how if someone ask how much something paid that you would think that is the only reason they are wanting to do it. Yes I'm in it for the money. However the fact is I wouldnt want to do something I wasn't good at no matter how much it paid. Now at my last job my title wasnt a MENTOR but it was LEAD SUPERVISING TRAINER so yes I do know just a little bit about training and what it take to train someone.

And yes the reason I have decided to become a TRUCK DRIVER is for the money. It sure isn't because I want to be away from my family for 2 or 3 months at a time. How about you EdwardTheTrucker? Do you drive a truck for money or do you do it for free???

Anyway to end I was only wandering about the money. Having been a training supervisor for 3 years I love talking to people and sharing anything I know. How ever for me to live with someone I don't know for 5 weeks I would expect to be compensated for my time.

 

Just because someone asks how much something pays dosent mean that is the only thing that's on there mind. Are you and mind reader? When you hired on with Swift before you knew anything about the company did you not ask how much it pays???? So if you did was that the only reason you hired on with Swift? Please

After reading my post I can see how some of you would think that was all I was thinking about money. Yes money is the reason I'm becoming a truck driver and yes if they didn't pay me a little extra then no I wouldn't want to be a mentor. But that dosent mean that I would be a bad mentor. It just means I want to get paid for what I do.

Now tell me this if your DM calls you one day and says I want you to take this load but we cant pay you for it; are you going to take it? I think not. O but wait you love the company so much why wouldn't you. I decided to go with Swift for the training and the money I can make. How about you???

Give me a break here guys I was only trying to get some information.