Being a trainer

You're right, there aren't too many from Layover here now-a-daze, --- at least not that use the same handle as they did there.
Did you notice post #4 in this thread, by FozzyNOK? He's one from Layover; there he went by Fozzy.

It was no-mans-land there for awhile, --- unmoderated.
It went downhill after Bruce sold the site. Layover could get pretty wild back in the day. But it became a virtual ghost town in the end.

I have fond memories from there, as it was the first website I joined and participated in when I got my first computer.

While Layover was fallin' apart, TTR was rapidly building the better website. I'd say they did a good job.

 

I was a driver trainer for Schneider, but I gave it up to go local. One of the worst decisions I've ever made.

I didn't set out to become a trainer and never really considered it. I was running as a team, had a good co-driver and was doing pretty well with consistently good miles and pay checks.The front office was impressed with my performance and offered a trainer position to me, which, I declined. A few weeks later I was again offered the trainer job, and I again was reluctant, --- until they offered me a deal I couldn't refuse. That being flying me to Green Bay to attend driver trainer training, and pick up a brand new Big truck. I told them if they'd allow me to take the Big truck home with me when I had time off, (against company policy), they had a deal.
To my surprise they agreed.

They also had a (little) surprise for me, --- there were quite a few females being hired at that time, and the majority of their present trainers were married men; and being alone with a female in a Big truck hundreds of miles from home didn't set too well with wives. I, on the other hand, wasn't married.

At first I wondered what I had gotten myself into, but I discovered it was one of the best decisions I'd ever made. About 75 to 80% of the trainees were female. I found their attitudes very good and they were eager to learn. Guys sometimes had a higher opinion of their abilities, --- which were generally lacking. They often didn't listen to instructions or follow directions. Female trainees were the opposite.

As a trainer, they learned quite well about the operation of a Big truck. On the flip-side of the coin, I learned a LOT from them from a different perspective, not necessarily Big truck related, but adaptable. Things I incorporated into my life that I still use to this day.

One of the reasons I was hesitant to become a driver trainer is because I only had two years experience and wondered if that was enough time to be a worthy trainer. I wouldn't recommend becoming a driver trainer with only 90 days experience, or even six months total experience. A year to 18 months is, in my opinion, the minimum amount of experience for most new drivers with no previous experience. Some trainees pick it up quicker than others and no two trainees are alike, so a one-method-for-all training style doesn't work for every trainee. The better a person is at recognizing what each trainee needs to improve and structuring the instruction(s) to fit that individual, the more effective and complete their training can be, --- and the more likely they'll be successful after training, hopefully remaining with the company.

There are some trainers who use a trainee for their log book so they can keep the wheels turnin', --- it's all about the miles and money to them. Not the best learning atmosphere for a newBee, who often is left alone, unattended, while the trainer sleeps in the bunk. Running like a team from day one isn't a well rounded training, --- IMO. Many trainees burn out early as a result. But that type of "trainer"(?) makes more money, --- at the expense of the trainees.

If you think becoming a driver trainer could be in your future and you aren't going into it just for the potential monetary reward, give yourself enough time to be confident and comfortable in your abilities as a Big truck truck driver. If you can imagine yourself being a successful trainer chances are better that you'll succeed. If you can't picture yourself as a capable trainer, chances are you won't be all you could be.

That being said, don't fly under the radar, seldom visiting the office and/or dispatchers. If you're doing a good job you want the front office to notice that you're capable of gittin'-er-dun without having to rely on a dispatcher to hold your hand. Don't whine about problematic loads, and thank 'em when they dispatch you on a gravy run. NEVER leave a bad taste in a dispatcher's mouth. A dispatcher can make, or break, a driver. Don't give 'em any reason to flex their muscle. It also would benefit a driver to be aware of what a dispatcher's duties include so as to better coordinate schedules.
Report shippers and/or receivers that are a hassle, and not in the form of complaining, just a heads-up FYI for future reference. Dispatchers appreciate information like that to help in planning any future visits by other drivers, --- to be aware of what to expect and react accordingly. The difference that a competent dispatcher makes is well worth any effort expended to remain on their good side.

Many Big truck truckin' companies have a "first in--first out" dispatch system, to be fair. But the reality is, if a dispatcher has two loads available and two drivers for those loads --- one load is a dawg load and the other is a gravy run, --- one driver seldom, if ever, whines or complains and the other is a headache, --- complaining, acting mad if everything isn't perfect.
You're the dispatcher, --- which driver gets which load?
Your decision.
When any driver constantly complains about their dispatches, there's usually a reason and that reason is usually self-inflicted. Don't let them influence you. Best to avoid that type all together. If you think you can convince them to change their ways, you'll most likely be disappointed. They'll probably tell you that you're wrong, --- they're right. Don't believe it.
Virtue is doing the right thing, --- even when no one is looking.

If you should discover that you don't really enjoy training, you probably won't be as effective as you could be. Not fair to the trainee.
Before accepting the position of driver trainer, be sure you understand a company's training/trainer preferred methods. If you don't agree with their preferences, and the company insists on their methods and won't reconsider your recommendations for any deviation from their methods, do yourself a favor and decline the position of trainer. An example would be, IMO, a company that allows or encourages a trainer to sleep while their trainee drives, --- like a team operation, and you wonder how a trainer can properly train while they sleep. Reality is, they can't. A trainer needs to be flexible to be most effective.
Not everyone is cut out to be a driver trainer. There's no shame if one isn't. The shame is if they don't realize it, or refuse to excuse themselves from the position because they can bring home a larger paycheck being a trainer. It isn't about the trainer, --- it's about the trainee and their needs.
Egos are best left at home.

 

Very well stated.

Couldn't have said it any better.

 

I appreciate your complement, FMJ.
But, ........................
I feel it's the way you read what I wrote that made the difference.
So, I say, very well read, amigo.
Me?
I don't read what I write, so,
without feed-back from those who do read what I write,
I'd never know if I wrote anythang at all..

 

I found it informative. Probably the single largest takeaways are:

1) Don't become a trainer unless you fully endorse and support your employers methods and initiatives. There are always paths to disagree and suggest change, but not with a trainee.

2) The focus is always on the trainee. I personally have had thousands of different training opportunities (both giving and receiving) and I can tell you the most successful ones were the ones where the trainer took the initiative to be complete, and find a way of getting the trainee the information.

So thank you for your reply!