10 day training? Are you high?

Even I cringed when another Werner driver parked next to me and I worked there, and a time or two I yelled at them and told them to just park somewhere else.

just some companies names come to mind when one thinks about truck stops and backing accidents, there are just some companies like swift, cr England, etc...etc.. That have had more bumps and scrapes in a truckstop then others.

the vinyl on the truck has nothing to do with a particular driver it's the reputation that the vinyl on the truck that makes people cringe.

 

Well gotta go gotta get some sleep got a pickup at 11am in sunnyvale TX tommorrow going to KS probably get up around 8 take a shower N eat some breakfast here at the flying hook do a pretrip around 930 R so N B gone it's only 20miles away from here. So sleep tight B safe talk some more tommorrow may B. I'm out.

 

But I don't drink coffee. Always been more of a tea person.

Agreed, and vinyl will make me wary, as well. But, in the end, what matters is that the person behind the wheel does their part to ensure that those cringing don't see their expectations met. If I hired on with Swift tomorrow, the vinyl on the truck I was driving would make others cringe in a truck stop. And you know what? I wouldn't worry about it. My focus would be solely on what's around me, getting backed into the hole, and that would be it. If there's trash talk on the CB, then there's trash talk on the CB... just don't pay it any mind, because it's irrelevant. What would be relevant is what I did. I know my abilities as a driver, and I use sound judgement behind the wheel. Wouldn't matter what company's name was on the truck. And the naysayers? Well, #### em. So long as I do my part as a professional, they'll get over it immediately afterwards.
So, in not so many words, what I've been saying throughout these posts is that one should focus on their task at hand, and focus on getting it done right, rather than who's peering out through their curtain as you back in next to them. If you do your part and do it properly - even if you need to take a little more time to do it - it's all good in the hood. What they think when they see the vinyl isn't so much a concern, so long as you don't reinforce their notion.

 

Sorta find this thread funny. My grandfather would complain to my dad about his generation driving a truck. Then my dad would say same thing to me. It boiled down to steering wheel holder, no respect for the truck industry and hauling cheap stuff and a lack of training. Irony my grandfather was given the keys and boss said drive the truck from Jackson Mississippi to Miami. And my dad pretty much the same training which was none

 

Trucking is like someone playing guitar or singing. You either got it or you don't. Some can teach themselves but what happens when no one is there to guide and help you? You do some sweating, worrying and figure it out eventually. I think at a very minimum a driver needs to be evaluated as an individual. Don't have a set training time but a real trainer that evaluates and says this driver is ready. Let him weed through the pile.

It doesn't matter if they have 10 days or 8 weeks if you are the one you are still going to run over stuff, back into things, grind them gears, damage freight, be late, get lost, blow up at customers, wreck, etc. the first year until you figure stuff out the hard way. That's where the term experienced or seasoned driver comes into play. They been there, done that and figured out how not to do it again. The repeat offenders will be handled by the safety dept. and the FMCSA. Even when a driver gets a fine it's not just a punishment but it's also training. Hey you screwed up, don't do this again.

Any driver starts out as a high risk and slowly becomes a lower risk over the next 3 years. Like others said there are some drivers that shouldn't be out there. They eventually get weeded out through their own mistakes. A big part of the high turnover rate is drivers that aren't cut out for it.

Back in the old as dirt days drivers learned from their dad or uncle. There was no schools, there was no FMCSA, there was no CDL. When I started in 1995 there was no 3rd party schools and only a handful of trucking companies willing to train drivers. Choosing a company wasn't hard for me because there was only a few in my area. They all had cabovers but one had condos and that's the one I chose, hence the screen name as I drove condos since day 1. That was unheard of for a single driver back then. My company had an 8 week training period which included 3 weeks of class and the obtaining the CDL phase, then 5 weeks on the road. I appreciated the training and feel it was necessary. The first time driving I was sweating bullets. By the 3rd week on the road I begged the trainer to cut me loose because I felt I was ready and she did. My first few loads I was nervous as crap hitting cold water but that slowly went away and I survived. Like others said a good driver cares about others, has common sense and takes pride in what they do.

The evolution of trucking schools and training companies is all about money. Take someone as big as Swift. They are saving about $250,000,000 a year training students with reduced pay. RoadMaster is making over $1,000,000 a school and there are a whole bunch of them. It isn't chump change. Now do you see why we evolved to where we are now? $$$$$$$$$$

All I can say to 10 day training... May the force be with you!

 

No, they weren't. Watkins Shepard no longer operates a truck driving school, which is a #### shame because it was probably the best training ever made available in the industry.

Tom Walter is arguably the best driver and trainer to have ever walked this planet, he's at Jones Bros. now. Mark Dodge took over, actually had a teaching degree... Jim Diamond, Macon Turner, all gone. I guess it didn't make financial sense to Kuntz to keep training drivers who so often thought they found greener grass, and he ain't stupid.

No, you didn't.

No, you're just functionally illiterate, and presumptuous. There's nothing to suggest Watkins Shepard would put a driver on the road who wasn't ready. It's not as if they promise to let you operate their equipment after 10 days of "orientation", you have those 10 days to prove you're ready to hit the road alone:

 

Did you mention how you don't recommend downshifting going up a grade...?

 

Shut up, some of what I said was a misunderstandingI meant to say I follow whatever the speed limit sign says and match my gear with that.I must be doing something right never have I lost control or smoked my brakes.Of course I recommend downshifting depending on how steep it is.I follow the speed limit signs and remain in whatever gear matches that and travel 5 or 10 miles below the posted speed limit depending again on the mountain.I have traveled alot of mountains including Canada which makes mountains here like a sunday drive/You read way too much into my post,I don't remember saying don't downshift going down a mountain.If youre in high gear like 9th or 10 you better downshift.I keep my trk slow and again im in gear whaich matches the speed and the mountain. So how about we not derail this thread???????????????????

 

For the graduates,why would they wanna accept a program like this?