Trainers!!! How long before one should be a trainer

im sure i will get slammed for this not trying to be mean but as rw and giggs said not all are bad drivers but if you get 2 new drivers in a situation and theyn both say i dnt know then wat i have talked to drivers that are in it jst for miles and money not to help someone new they are out for themselfes thats a receipe for disaster someone who is gonna train needs several years and hundreds of thousands of all weather driving snow ice mtns etc.not to mention the overall exp. level somethings never seem to surprise me anymore because of the inexp. and they are training WOW and then the general public has that image in there vision but thats just my 2 cents if i offended anyone didnt mean to yall have a good day safe travels.....

 

here is a way I would like to see a qualified driver judged by Experience. Ever been in a TRUCK RODEO? Have 3 - 5 veteran drivers, watch a trainer
too be, run a Rodeo course, then we judge him by performance and technique. I was in a few Rodeo`s and have to tell you, SOME of the Best
darn Diving I have ever seen.

 

UM NO... The government needs to stay out of it...

On another note I would say 1 year with a company and 5 years driving experience..

 

I guess I'm looking at this from a different perspective....but here goes.

If you required trainers to have 5 years experience, even TWO years experience, to be a trainer, we would have economic problems like never seen before. It's hard enough finding someone willing to be a trainer as it is.

I started my career with PAM, and my trainer had 6mos experience when I got on his truck.

I'm willing to bet that 90% of PAM drivers have less than 2 years experience, and I'm willing to bet that 90% of their "trainers" have less than 2 years xp as well.

The turnover in this industry is SO bad, that if you took away a trucking company's ability to bring in new drivers, these companies would dwindle away so quickly, there would be massive shortages of products. You think there are not enough trucks right now as it is? Wait until this happens.

I'm also willing to bet that 75% of current OTR drivers have less than 5 years experience.

It takes a lot to be a trucker, and not everyone has it in them to keep doing it. There are probably countless people out there who have gone through the schools, went through training, put a couple of months to a year in, and then left the industry.

It is necessary for this nation's economic health, even imperative, that we continue to have a steady supply of new drivers ready to take the seat of those who leave.

This is why the gov't is giving mucho incentives for companies to put people through school and into a truck. This is why they are pushing the electronic logbooks, because they know what it is becoming, and how much worse it's going to get. The reason why they are pushing the EOBRs is because the average trucker has less and less experience, the roads are becoming more and more hectic and dangerous, more traffic, etc, they have to regulate the crap out of it to keep the transportation network at least somewhat sane.

It's a zoo out there, and they know it, and they have no choice, because otherwise there would be a desperate shortage of trucks, and prices of everything will go through the roof.




Of course, if all that does indeed happen, rates will go through the roof, and so will pay, and then eventually the market will equalize itself, but not before major changes to the transportation industry happen.


The problem in this industry is that there is too much of it. Too many vehicles for the roads we have.
I see freight trains making a comeback. We need to be able to transport more things in this country by means other than trucks...and I know some of you might not like hearing that, but from an unbiased, big-picture perspective, it's necessary.

 

That might work for vans but as a flatbedder, that is a recipe for disaster. At 6 months, the trainer has a 50% chance of never driving during the winter and will not have the knowledge of different loads to be able to instruct a student, much less learn themselves.

 

I agree with that. Even with my 3 years XP, 6mos of it with a dry tank, I have pulled a flatbed ONCE in my life, a load of bags of frac sand that had to be tarped and strapped. Flatbed is a lot of work and requires a lot of knowledge and skill.


As far as training goes, learning to drive a vehicle safely is something that a 23yo should already know how to do. If you have the dedication to drive your car in a safe, defensive manner, then take that mindset with you to the truck. What needs to be taught is the trucking life style and how to do your job better - how to do your logs, how to back, how to give yourself enough time, how to learn the road networks, what roads you can be on, those you can't be on, etc. Learning the atlas came naturally to me, as I was always interested in geography as a kid. I knew all the state capitals by the time I was 7.

To be honest, with the way I've seen a lot of truck drivers drive, I dare say there are safer 6mos olds, than there are 10+ year olds.

If you are going 60mph in a 55mph construction zone, you need to be retaught. And I'm not trying to flame up this thread, but it's things like that that need to be taught to the newer generations of drivers - how to be safe, and how to keep those around you safe - which includes NOT taking any unnecessary risks that in the long run, won't get you down the road any quicker. Think about it - going faster in the construction zone MIGHT get you there 1 minute quicker. MAYBE two. Compare that with a few years in jail for vehicular homicide.

Again, not trying to flame throw, but the #1 thing that needs to be taught to students is the discipline to keep yourself under control and be professional while driving. I wish I could stress that more without angering people.

 

To me weeding out those that are not gonna last 5 years is part of what this should be about. Slowing down this revolving door that artificially depresses rates running students as full teams, and some of these carriers sucking up unemployment and GI grants to aid their bottom line.


Yeah a lot of people do not wish to train, that may change when the investment of improving the student pool is made by as mentioned slowing down this cycle, and a lot more stringent criteria garnering some higher pay.


Maybe maybe not but people who do not have the full skills to operate on their own dang sure have no business training someone else.

 

Tazz - totally agree that training needs to get better, and even maybe to the detriment of the industry, but 5 years OTR xp is gold. I have 3 years myself with a clean record and have pretty much had my pick of jobs. Lasting 5 years is pretty good - it would be great if most students would end up lasting 5 years - but not to the detriment of safety.

Accidents happen, whether at fault or not, and although I feel blessed that I have not been involved in an accident, things can happen, we all grow complacent, and it could happen at any time.

The point is I think to ingrain that mindset into students to drive defensively and not take stupid risks, and wait to pass someone if it's not totally safe to pass them at the immediate moment.

What we don't need is trainers setting bad examples to their students, like tailgating 4 wheelers and cussing at them to move out of the way. Sure I find myself cussing at some stupid car who passed me, merged, then slowed down, but at least I backed off. I try to keep at least 3 seconds following distance. Road rage is dangerous and can spin out of control, but we need to keep a lid on those emotions and be professional and do our job - and teach the new drivers to do the same.

I would not mind being a trainer, even with my 3 years xp, I think I could be a good trainer, but
1) I would not sleep when my student was driving, at least not in the first couple of weeks, and
2) I would have to get paid at least $1,300 a week, which I don't think any companies are willing to pay that much for a trainer. And that's too bad, really, because I think I would find it enjoyable teaching a new driver how to back into a parking spot. The feeling of that accomplishment, for both myself and him/her, would be worth it.

Last week, I stopped at the J to get some lunch, and found an area to park where there were 10 empty parking spots in a row, so I blindsided it - and didn't even have to pull forward to adjust. I felt pretty dang proud of that, even if it did involve some luck, and I just felt the need to brag about it

Although I don't think I would even attempt at trying to teach my student how to blindside back. I've rarely ever had to do that, and if you have to do that, then it's pretty much GOAL every 5 feet.

 

Let me train one driver for 1 year, guarantee, he/she will be a great driver when I'm done with him/her. Then when he/she graduates, We put him/her at a company SPOTTING, for another 2 years. During his/her 1 year, In Chicago WINTER, We put him/her in the SNOW and ICE Driving. By the time 3 years is up, UPS would Hire him/Her, and He/She would be making 100K Per Year, Home every night, and Buy him/HER self a real nice home. We do fail to recognize our female drivers in this industry, and I strongly feel, they are just as qualified as the male drivers.