USA needing trainers would u or would u not!

I think all those complaining about USA's training program should just leave now and go to CRST where students train the students, but they call the one with 3 months driving experience a trainer. And there are a couple of other well known companies that do the same thing. USA's training program isn't perfect, but it is a start and a lot better than most. And as always you'll get out of it what you put into it. If you go in a whiner and complainer thinking you know it all then that's the way you'll come out.
Anyone that goes in for upgrade and doesn't think they are ready for it should just open their mouth and say so. They will be glad to set you up with another trainer for awhile longer. I go into the terminals and listen to all the newbies complaining about having to wait for a trainer to become available and deciding to go home to wait. Then they complain because they sat at home while others that waited went out sooner than they did. Think about it, if you can't be patient and wait for a trainer how in the world are you gonna sit and wait to be unloaded/loaded in some of these places that take 10 hours or more to do so? What are you gonna do when you are laid over for the weekend?
Trainers sleeping while you drive? They must feel you are competent enough to drive without their supervision, or that if you have a problem or question then you would wake them to address it. If you feel that you aren't ready to drive by yourself and need your hand held longer, then SPEAK UP! Tell them so, whining here does you no good. It's too late to voice your complaint here. You need to communicate with your trainer or liaison.

 

My 1st phase trainer picked me up from orientation and put me in the seat, watched me drive for 30 minutes and retired to the bunk, where he remained for the next 5 days I was with him. Didn't bother me, I didn't need my "hand held" but I look back now and wonder what his thought process is? I ran into a couple of drivers at upgrade who had this same first seat trainer and they had the same experience as me. I followed them after upgrade and they were fired or quit for various reasons.

I'm a mechanical person so driving a big truck, while it's a big deal, came pretty easy to me. Of course I was nervous once on my own but I made decent decisions using common sense and it worked out. A critical part of the training process should be the trainers ability to determine not only a candidate can drive but also that they are able to use common sense and good judgement while doing so. Most trainers at USA were not doing that, possibly why that is the reason that many have been demoted so that better methods of "best prectices" can be put in place.

I can't imagine a person I have never seen before, new to the job, driving down a winter road while I am sleeping in the bunk. That is not good judgement, it's also not paying forward the future of the Company. The trainer is developing what should be the future of the Company, the new driver. But instead, it's a money thing to some (and the money is not that good for being a trainer), or others it's a EGO thing, which is worse in my opinion.

My 2nd phase guy, Rick Miller, he set a good example for what I now know to be a good trainer. USA is returning to it's core and that's a good thing, the drivers of tommorrow are impacted by the trainers of today and if self centered folks with the wrong intentions are doing the training, WHERE ARE WE TOMMORROW?

btw......Marc McKracken, Travis Kabisch two more fine trainers at USA, both friends of mine

 

I have no direct knowledge of this, but I understand USA Truck allows ( or at least allowed at some point) someone with 6 months experience to be a trainer. Is this so? If it is so there really is no actual difference between 6 months and 3 months.

In my opinion NOBODY per Federal rules should be a trainer till thy have at least 2 years of safe, ticket free, dot writeup free, accident (dot reportable or not) free OTR driving and be at least 30 years old.

I am very serious about this. The company I drive for now does this same thing and I get at least 4 or 5 q-com messages a week about some driver &^%$#@'ing up somewhere. An example is the driver at a Walmart DC that did not set his brakes before they got out, and the truck rolled into a building there doing serious damage. I am far from perfect, but this crap has got so bad I honestly wince up when a fellow company driver moves his truck anywhere near where I am parked. I think the FMCSA needs to get involved in this and set some realistic minimum standards for trainers and training curriculum, and mandating what officially constitutes finishing a training program.

 

Why do you keep posting in the USA thread (exray)? I'm wondering because you speak so factual of the things going on at USA, or sound close to knowing.

Are you not a former employee?

Further, why do you endorse further regulations? Don't we have enough micro-management in our lives?

just sayin.......

 

check out what happened on youtube,trainer asleep in bunk while on mountain and trainee passed driver who was videotaping the right way to go down the mountain.Trainee loss control and drove right off mountain,killing both drivers

 

goodchoice10 are you the official thread umpire? Or an admin of some kind? I do not have to explain myself or my postings to you. As I have said in at least 2 other posts, if my posting bothers you please feel free to ignore them. Just saying.

 

As to me being an ex employee this is correct. I have never made a secret of being terminated by this company. You seem to want to say something about this but for some reason you hide behind metaphors. Also if I am not mistaken you are also a former employee at this point. So why are you posting here?

 

I can't get to bad on this trainer, he did pay for his possible mistake with his life. Without more information about this situation I don't know if this is a training mistake (don't know if this said trainee had drove down this pass before, and if so how many times) or a situation where the team was being pushed by their company to get the freight there on time.

 

One last thing about my posting here or anywhere. If I see hyperbole in defending USA Truck or their actions I will call said person out on it. I also will call you out on broad general sweeping comments negative about USA Truck. I still do have contacts and friends that drive for them as well as friends that work inside the terminals. I did not just arrive on a load of turnips. I have also been in touch with USA Truck (through a trainer friend of mine) about one day returning. I was told the way back was clear, but I want to drive for my current company for at least 18 months because I don't want a lot of under 1 year employment periods on my DAC. I am also waiting on 2 other situations that will remain private to pass. If after these upcoming 18 months to 2 years go by and the situation at USA Truck has got better I might come back. If by then I have not decided to go to work for a local ready mix company hauling portland cement.

 

Nope, not the thread umpire. Just wanted you to say it so that readers knew the background. Fun leading folks to where you want them to go, wouldn't you agree? No need to further trample a persons dignity. Preventable accident in March right? Then APU problems and some yelling or something at Steve Anderson, my memory may be slipping a bit.

I return to work 12/26. I was was re-hired already so that makes me an employee. No, I'm not saying "naa na, naa na, boo boo", I just find it odd that for a person that clearly has outlined their distaste for management and the company in general, continues to writes comments that seem to support the company? Almost like a "know it all" type, sorta?!

My DAC report is clear, I don't speak in metaphors. I just am trying to figure out why you think you know so much about USA?

I also don't want to get into a P*@#$%^ contest with you.