Werner trainer not fair ???

Some people are oblivious to the dates on post

I don't think Werner even has a training program anymore...

 

I trained with Werner 10 years ago. The trainer I had liked to switch drivers going down the road. He griped me out once for pulling in a t/s for a pint of milk. It took about 6 minutes. I told him I will pull in for something to drink whenever I like. He didn't like that. I drive for somebody else now.

 

Trucking "llife" isn't putting up with someone's crap like that...There is NO reason to not be able to take care of hygiene and at the same time, grab a cup of coffee...I don't care what someone else's habits are, there are basics that must be met(coffee of course is not basic but can usually be taken care of when stopping at a TS)...

Thankfully I didn't have to deal with that at WS as we do no driver/trainer time...

We have to put up with ignorant shippers and receivers(to a point) and company issues but we DON'T have to put up with someone that won't even take care of basics(especially hygiene) or that won't respect someone else's desires to do so as long as it doesn't make us late or run illegal...No excuse for that power tripping we read some of these trainers impose on new drivers...If a trainer is not into compromise, they shouldn't be a trainer as they have a quality that shows lack of good judgment and teaching skills....JMHO...

 

Thats what sucks about being a trainee....you have to deal with someone who may or may not be a complete a-hole. Companies expect their trainer and trainee trucks to be run like a team. Brings back bad memories of two of the trainers I had in my first job. First one was a complete a-hole and the second was a crackhead. Literally. But its part of the process you have to go through. My advice is to make a few adjustments in what you expect life to be like during your training period and just grin and bear it. Life will get better when the training is over and you get assigned to your own truck.

 

As far as having to use the restroom, you gotta go when gotta go.

 

I trained with Werner. I let Safety know before I was ever assigned to a trainer that if he did not behave himself and adequately train me to drive that I would have know qualms in kicking him off his own truck....you can't scare me, I have kids! (teenage boys to be more specific who say yes ma'am). I can roll with the flow to a point at which time I have no problem stating my grievances in very explicit terms.
I was fortunate that my trainer was a consumate gentleman who had been training for 8 years. He had rules on his truck but made it clear that if I needed to stop for a pottie break to just stop. When we ran, we ran hard as a team. I became accustomed to the irregular hours and doing all my business during fuel stops, etc. Just part of the job.
That being said, if you cannot come to terms with cohabitation with your trainer, then you do what you can to get another trainer BEFORE you leave the truck. If not, suck it up, put your big boy panties on and finish training. Then you don't have to deal with a ****head for a trainer any more.

 

bathroom issue? i agree with you on, being tired and having a bad attitude regarding advice from your trainer? someone call for a waaaaambulance?

sorry bud doesnt sound like the industry for you

 

Dought.......

 

Don't think I read his post nearly the same way as you did, because I really see this as being more the trainer's fault than the trainee.

I do not see wanting to wash your face and getting some coffee in your system being unreasonable, especially during the first few days of the job. Sure, you may not always have access to a sink or a shower, but there should be a real easy way to get a rag wet with some bottled water and be able to wash up a little bit.

Also might not have coffee, but it's possible that the trainer might have had soda or energy drinks in his truck as a substitute (I keep energy drinks just for this situation). If not, he should have stopped to let the trainee get a cup. Keep in mind just how dependant some people are on this stuff, and how out of it they are without it. Sure, it sucks having to make an extra stop in the morning, but it's better than the alternative. I sure as hell wouldn't want someone driving me around who was falling asleep at the wheel of a company truck, and have even more reason if it's my truck. Remember that this is no longer a 9-5 job and part of being a trainer is getting the new driver used to the change in lifestyle, and it's not something that happens overnight.

A good trainer would also have brought up the food issue at that stop, making sure the trainee grabbed a few sandwiches to get him through the day. Goes back to the change in lifestyle and making sure you are thinking ahead for the noob, while he makes the transition. Remember that it's his first day on a truck, and he does not have the benefit of years of experience in knowing how to stock up a truck to live like you need to.

Bathrooms breaks are yet another thing that sucks to deal with, but must be allowed. I think a lot of us have forgotten just how our bladders were before we started driving, and remember that normal people can't always make it 14 hours without taking a pee somewhere. You stop as often as necessary, then encourage the noob to make those stops less frequent, and as fast as possible.

That also relates to the amount of hours we work. Once you get used to it, and learn to drive the truck, 14 hours days are pretty easy. But, as a trainer you must remember that those kind of hours are pretty severe to someone used to a 9-5 job and it takes a little while to get used to it. They also need to remember that, while it's pretty easy for an experienced driver to operate the truck, it's really #### hard for someone fresh out of school. That means they be working harder, resulting in less stamina and longevity throughout the day. You need to start them off easy and work up to a truckers schedule, while their body gets used to it. The goal is to keep them safe and alert, and make them stop driving the moment they are not.

Another thing that we sometimes forget is that it's not easy for a "normal" person to sleep in a truck. Being in a strange space with a stranger just below you, the movement from a truck idle, all the noises at the truckstop, etc. We take this stuff for granted and don't even notice it, but it's not easy for a noob. Trainer need to expect that the trainee will not get a good nights sleep in the beginning, and compensate for it. Goal is safety and getting the trainee used to being in a truck.


I am a trainer for my company, but I am also very new at it and still learning how to do it well. But, I can see a lot of things that were done here that I find unacceptable. Trainers need to realize that they are training as much for the lifestyle as they are for getting the truck from point A to point B.

 

It doesnt look like the trainer was bad IMHO. we dont have the whole story. Was Trainie 001 stopping every hour for a 15 min break. I had one like that, smoker that asked for a non-smoker trainer so he would quit. /GRRRR Youve got to get these guys to learn how to produce or they will just get weeded out by the dispatchers later. Trucking isnt for the thin skinned. The only thing I see that was an issue was the bathroom break. The coffee in the morning? sorry dude thats on you to get up earlier and get it done. you know when your 10 hours is up and if you dont want to get up at 9 hours then go without your coffee.