Gifts for new driver to give trainer?

Never trained but if I did I would think the best thing would be a phone call from you a year down the road letting me know you were still driving, still learning, still patient and hadn't broken stuff.

If you're trainer is one of those six month wonders the megas use though, cash is probably what they need.

 

The Network. I have a network that I've built up along the years with the OSOW crowd. Drivers that I've met along the way. Some of us use to work together, some I met at shippers and ran with down the road. They reccommend everything from repair shops to watering holes. Most importantly, they tell me where the freight is. Every Monday, I go through the list and start calling Criminals (Criminals are always near money) and see where they are located.

Years ago, I talked to a Criminal that was running a load to Nova Scotia from Wisconsin. The load paid him $15k to the truck, general freight. A few weeks later my travel agent offers me a load from Wisconsin to Nova Scotia.

Agent: Six, got a load for you. Pays $5500. Interested?
Six: Pass.
Agent: It has $1000 repo.
Six: Pass
Agent: It has $1000 detention.
Six: Pass.
Agent: Why wont you take this load? It pays well, and you have your passport. What's wrong with this load?
Six: That load pays $15000 and you just offered me half.
Agent: How did you know?
Six: Trucker internet.
<CLICK>

A few minutes later, the travel agent called me back because somehow 'we got disconnected' (actually, I hung up the phone). The agent offered me the load again, this time for $15grand. IMO, a network is an invaluable tool.

 

Less than $10 and it's one of the handiest things in my cab. It has velcro straps that wrap around the sun visor and he'll never have to fumble for a pen again.

http://www.amazon.com/Cocoon-Innovations-GRID-IT-Organizer-CPG30BK/dp/B003IG7LJ6

The picture shows it holding all kinds of crap but it's great for pens, markers, etc.

 

This was how I liked to part with a great student when I was a trainer. They'd made money for me, in addition to being attentive and professional. In return, they were usually testing out in a terminal far from home and about to be assigned their first truck. During our time together I tried to determine what they lacked for essentials to go solo, and get them something significant to make sure they were better prepared to be on the road. Training pay is limited, and while I knew they had certain items on their "hit list" for purchasing within the next weeks or months: forty foot air hoses, 12v coolers, sleeping bags, work gloves, set of screw drivers, etc. etc.

Sometimes a trainee would give me a parting gift as well, but it certainly wasn't anything I felt was necessary. Often when I gave a parting gift the trainee was a bit overwhelmed, and I always asked that they pay it forward.

I stay in touch with several of my trainees. Some are still with Swift and working toward their goals, others have moved on to other companies and some have tried to recruit me. It always pays to network and keep in touch with drivers you meet.

 

A gift certificate for a date with Caitlin Jenner.....

 

Considering MOST of the trainers I've either seen or dealt with personally, the best gift would probably be a swift kick in the teeth from my steel-toed boots!

I realize there are decent trainers out there, I just never see or deal with them. I get the idiots, knuckleheads, and suicidal/homocidal morons! Heck, I had to TRAIN one or two of them on how to deal with slippery roads/icy conditions!

 

Getting him a gift would be really unnecessary but a nice thing to do.

I don't think it will really matter what to give him but the fact that you did, that's a little unheard of.

You definitely get karma points.

 

Eh. Don't let the gift do the talking. "An old student got this for me..."

Let the situation do the talking. I made fun of my trainer's torn apart, missing pages, and well-used atlas constantly. He'd poke and prod at me (jokingly) for using "too many" pull ups while backing. I'd always fire back that at least I don't have a busted up atlas!

We had fun. So I figure the most memorable gift I could get was a replacement atlas. He's more prone to remember me because that atlas is tied to a memory and not just another student.

Call it what you will, but anytime we see the other it's just like seeing an old friend.

 

Gifts for new driver to give trainer?