trainer pay vs company driver pay

If you want to "train" simply to make more money (and especially since obviously see trainees as "idiots") ... don't waste the companies or anyone else's time. You don't want to train.

 

OK, That just sounded like a real general statement on idiots. I can tell you that the number of true idiots out there are very few. There are a lot of under trained and even ignorant people on BOTH sides of the training fence. I do get a bit irritated when the topic of training is instantly mentioned with the world money. The fact is that with two people in the truck, there really is no way NOT to make more money. The real question (and I could rattle on and have for days on this topic) is A: will the company you work for train YOU to train and B: will the company then LET you train or are you going to get stuck in this farcical training team concept that is merely a means to generate revenue while basically not training anyone to do anything and trusting to LUCK that there won't be some disaster in the process.

You have to WANT to train to for a good reason. Mine was that I had been seeing the general quality of drivers get worse and worse and figured that if I could train a few to actually do things right, there would be at least a handful out there who did.

You cannot think just about the revenue. Training is a lot of work. Sleeping behind some poor fool who has no real idea what they are doing is a crappy way to make a few hundred dollars a week.

But I do stress that if your company is willing to invest in YOU to be a trainer and IF they actually allow training.. Go for it! BUT you will have to go back in time and remember the things that you were most worried about and be able to place yourself back in the shoes of the new driver.. You will be a mentor more than a trainer.

 

I trained for a year and a half. What some here are saying is true. Some companies will see you as a team. And, when you see the money you can make as a trainer running hard, it is easy to get caught up in the dollars. Just remember your primary job is to get the new driver started on their career. You are there for the student's benefit, they are not there for yours. If the company has you running too hard, put your foot down. I believe most safety departments will back you up if you tell them you are running too hard for proper training. I did that a few times with my DM, and he slowed us down. He actually told me there is no difference in the computer between team and trainer, both marked "T". So, if he wasn't there, or it is a weekend, planner/DM doesn't know.
Just keep the right attitude, control the pace and teach, teach, teach. It can be enjoyable. Also, I was fontunate to have only 1 idiot, but I got him trained anyway.
As far as the money, it depends on the company. When I trained they paid me a bonus for each student upgraded, plus a safety bonus for THEIR safe solo driving for 6 mos, and 1 year. That was in addition to the extra miles. So be a good trainer, and the money will come.

 

Well, I can say that I wanted to train because I've seen the product of bad training. I've teamed with a few of them. That being said, I wouldn't do it if I wasn't compensated properly.

My company pays me for all the miles driven by me or my trainee. They pay a small stipend per day and a bonus if the student does well on the upgrade tests. I also get a penny per mile for everything they do for 6 months. As you can see it's set up so the trainer is motivated to do a good job. Other companies just give the trainer an extra 6 cents per mile or something like that, which makes them want to run as a team right off the bat.

In regard to the comment about idiots...I'm more tolerant of a student than someone who claims to have experience but can't read a map.

 

I ALWAYS have preferred riding with someone who is a little unsure of themselves than someone who was completely sure of themselves.. I prefer newbies! They tend to still have a healthy level of uncertainty and maybe a bit afraid of making a big mistake.