Prime Cuts: Alec's Trucking Adventures

Believe me you will be nervous, no doubt about it. I sure was and still am haha; just do your best to relax.

Sounds like you found a really good trainer.

 

Welcome to the insanity padawan... it all comes with time! Good luck!!

 

Sounds like "all systems normal" here to me.

With an added dose of healthy respect for all it involves.

Your doing just fine.

Definitely ain't gonna all come overnight. I think they call it training, or something?!

 

What FMJ said. Hell, I was convinced for the first while that I was going to get someone killed because it all seemed like way too much for me to keep track of at once. That's why you are there with a trainer instead of getting turned out on your own with a fresh CDL and 10 hours behind the wheel. That's one of the things I really liked about the training program here at Prime. It takes 3 people, your trainer, your FM and you to all feel you are ready before you get turned loose on your own. Keep working the process, it works and it sounds like it is working fine with you. You'll pick it up quicker than you think. I know I did.

 

Congratulations on the success this far! I will be in Sprimo in a few weeks to begin my process. Hope to have the same type success!

 

You need someone who is a real CDL instructor... not an amateur who is pretending to be that. So... go back to the yard, and make sure you get someone who knows how to instruct, not just a guy who throws you in the deep end. You'll get past this.

 

Don't give up! I would tell your instructor the same thing. Being his first student is hard on both of you. My first student while driving in circles and making right turns around the training pad at prime east took out the front end of one of the training trucks with the side of the trailer. He wasn't watching his mirriors while making the right turn and I as the instructor couldn't see it at that point until after he hit. That was our first day out on the pad together. It got much better after that and he is about a week away from finishing his TNT phase.

IP does have a point, not all instructors are good instructors for every person out there. If your instructor has never taught anyone how to do anything complex before, teaching someone to drive a tractor, watch the trailer, shift in the right gear, maintain your safe following distance, check your mirrors every few seconds, remember the pre-trip, check those gauges to make sure you don't have an air leak, not going to fast or to slow, and maintain lane control. All of that and more is a lot to teach someone at the same time while driving down the road.

How long were in you driving for? Before you started driving, did you instructor tell you what he was doing while he was driving (think SMITH system video where that guy is telling you exactly what he is doing with every move and why)? How long had you been in the driver seat before you hit the hills? Had your instructor explained how to shift while going up a hill? Were you both busy talking about non-driving related stuff or listening to the radio?

Many factors play into how successful you'll be overall and with each situation. Even still to this day after 2 years of driving (all you longer experienced drivers don't give me cra p about this) I shut everything off, radio, end any phone calls I'm on, turn the CB off, GPS off, cab lights off, anything that can distract me before I begin my backing manuevers, when I'm about 5 miles out from my destination so I can focus on the directions and look for street signs, when there is traffic, and when the road condtions get bad (ie. rain, snow, bright shiney thing in the sky that is blinding you). It takes focus and just a second of lost of focus is all it takes to miss a turn. For example, I was driving from Seattle to Portland last week and pulled over in a town called Tumwater to submit my trip paperwork for payroll cut off and stop by the DOT office to get a permit and sign up for the NORPASS system (it's like pre-pass but works in areas pre-pass doesn't). Well I was on the phone when I left the DOT office and thought I had been following the signs for I-5 south so I could head to Portland. It wasn't until about 30 miles later I noticed the Tacoma Dome on my left side (for those that don't know where that is, that's NORTH of Tumwater). I hadn't missed the correct on ramp and heading north instead of south. All because I was distracted just enough on the phone (this is why I usually end all calls and turn off distractions when making turns and manuevers).

Open road, no traffic and fland lands are the easiest out here. You can set cruise at 55mph and go. But with when you hit hills, mountain passes, traffic, or even weather, it requires a lot more of your attention. That is why they tell you in the PSD phase no radio or phones allowed while you are in that driver seat.

Don't give up! When you get back to Springfield, you and your current trainer need to spend sometime on the Pad with another experienced trainer for a few hours and learn from them. That's what helped me when I first started as a trainer.

Sorry, I would offer to train you PSD but right now I'm spending time in the PNW region to be close to family. If you are about a week out, I might know of a trainer who does both PSD and TNT that will be looking for a student around that time. PM if you would like his contact info.

Good Luck to you!

Redoctober

 

When i went thru training my instructor would not let me use cruise until the tnt stage. I thought he said psd students were not allowed on cruise