becoming a driver trainer

Every company has different rules and regs. Some require you to take a class. Some pay bonuses, some pay you for all your trainees miles. If you switch to a company, most requier 6-12 months with them before letting you train. Contact whatever company you work for and ask them about their trainer program.

 

A guy I went to trucking school with became a trainer at Conway after only 1 year of experience (LOL). Last time I heard from him the pay increase is huge (an extra 10cpm) so as he put it: "I get .49 to sit on my arse in the passenger seat and play games on my phone".

 

You've got too much experience - nobody will even look at you.
Get busted for DUI and drug possession first. Spend money on getting the charges reduced, but make sure your CDL gets cancelled.
Then apply for CR England. Go through orientation and drive for 3 weeks, lease a truck from them and begin training drivers.

I know, I'm full of good ideas. You're welcome!

Seriously though, good on you for wanting to train drivers. Chinatown will probably wake up soon, stumble across here, and tell you the companies that actually train drivers - side by side - both drivers down for 10.
I wouldn't accept driving for a company that wants you to run a team operation, let alone a 'super single' operation for at least 6 weeks.

Good luck.

 

TMC does 2 weeks of training where the truck stops every night. (not team) Then the last 3 are team but trainer is up when off highway.

 

Before you commit to becoming a trainer with any company. Think of this.
Do you have patience. These students can be very trying on you. Just when you think they are getting it, they forget what they learned and you have to start all over again. Many come from CDL mills and insist on trying to drive the way the mills taught them. That just don't work, you end up untraining them first, then training them right.
Backing up is a big, big problem. Even after a couple weeks you will need to be up with them when they are
backing.
Then remember also, you lose your privacy, half the space in your truck, and when they get sick, you often catch what they have.

In return you make slightly more money, your hair turns gray, and your blood pressure goes up. Just food for thought. I still don't know why I do it. Just a glutten for punishment I guess.

 

You are so right about the schools not properly training the people. Back in the early 90's. I was an instructor at MTA in Elizabethtown, Pa. The standard instruction was yard training in a dirt lot where the students would get the "feel" of the truck. Hard to do when you can't go over 5 mph. Then they would pile 3-4 students in a truck with the instructor, and take turns driving on local roads.
I used to take my students on the roads during the week, and on the weekends, I took them to an industrial park in Lancaster to a closed warehouse, and they would practice backing into loading docks, and straight line as well as corner backing on the park roads. I was the only instructor that did that. The other instructors just sat in the seat and let them take turns. They never bothered getting out of the truck and helping the students figure out how to back up. I was told by the other instructors that I was crazy for doing it.
I used to tell my students that in six months, they'll find that they really didn't learn much at the school, as it was work experience they needed. I ended up quitting because I couldn't afford to live on what they paid us. But I did enjoy it. Of course, I always was a little crazy.

 

Thats why i always tell people, it doesn't matter what school you to. The school it to get a price of paper saying you can drive. You learn to drive at the companies and they show you their way of doing it. I was legal to drive a Semi as soon as I got my CDL, but I certainly was not qualified to safely operate one on my own. I didn't even know how to log from school. I learned a bit on my own and a lot when i signed on to TMC.

 

Lol normal driver responses most negative. Lol I know this is a old post but I'm going to respond for future folks.

I trained for 3 years and contemplate training everyday. It has its ups and downs. But it's great watching drivers grow. In 3 years I only had to put 1 off my truck he became combative. And failed 1 who needed more training. It's nice not being alone and looking at everything with 2 perspectives. Most training companies though are hard to work for they have fresh meat and could care less about their drivers for the most part. I don't work for a training company any longer. But it was good times. Some companies will let exp drivers train after 30 days. Like us express some after 90 days. Some after 6 months. Everyone is different........... most don't allow pool to train with any major accidents in last year. The definitions of major vary by company. Normally it's anything that's dot recordable. It's good to have a lot of patience and you have to be able to safely control a truck from the passenger seat. Anyway hope this helps future viewers.