Trainer my Trainer - a lamentation

If your only issue with the trainer is a dirty truck... i say stick it out the 10 days. If the truck bothers you that much, clean it yourself.

 

Sounds like a guy in my class. Tow driver who seems to think showers are a "every couple weeks" event.

OP, unless you're doing team driving, you'll be in your own truck in no time. I'd just rock it out for the 10 days, then take care of your truck when they give you the keys.

 

I'm still stuck on the 12 days of training. Unless you have previous experience and the training is for tanker stuff?

 

Disinfect that truck or get another trainer. Do it for your sake. You don't know what is in that mess.

We cleaned our rig spotless inside at least weekly. It has to be clean inside when two people are living in a space smaller than most people's closets. 10% bleach solution to start.

 

If someone needs more than 12 days of training to drive a truck he has no business in a truck. This is a simple job, you shouldn't need momma holding your hand the whole way.

 

Actually OOIDA is pushing for more training for new drivers,

But OOIDA isn't providing or offering any help in new drivers getting the training.

So it will be left to the Mega companies to provide the training that OOIDA wants but won't offer.

Plus 12 days isn't enough

 

More hand holding is a band aid for useless steering wheel holders.

 

Are you kidding? Or am I misinterpreting you? You mean someone doesn't need more than 12 days as an experienced driver who already knows what the heck they are doing?

Because I am perfectly fine admitting I needed and wanted the 5 weeks of training that I received after CDL school. If I had received 12 or less days, God only knows what would have happened....and I'm positive it would not have been good...and could have been very very bad...

Handling a 40 ton, 70 ft long, 18 wheel vehicle is not a simple thing. Especially not at the beginning.

 

A dirty trk has always bothered me as well but I at least cleaned the guages my side of the dash and always made sure windows were clean.

 

I'm sure I'll get flack for saying this, but whatever. Perhaps we need to consider that letting people drive vehicles who need better than a month of training after having learned the basics of how to drive the truck might be a big part of the reason that the industry is in such sad shape. I can't even conceive of what one might go through in this sort of extended training. My 3 week cdl school gave me less than a day of drive time, most of which was spent practicing backing. Couple of hours behind the wheel. The rest of that 3 weeks was "practicing the pre trip". After I got my license I got a job, the only trainer I had was the guy who showed me the ins and outs of the route I was running. I think I was with him for two days, one day he drove and one day I drove. He certainly didn't give me any pointers on my driving. Then I was on my own. The job I'm with now put me with two different trainers for a week and a half, hoping to get me with a trainer loading coils, but that didn't happen so they threw some keys at me. Coils were no more complicated than I thought they would be. Those trainers were supposed to be there to make sure I could drive and to show me different types of freight we hauled, but they didn't have any problems with my driving and we didn't get the freight we were supposed, so oh well.

So I've never really had a proper trainer. I don't find driving to be complicated. It's a few basic controls. There's stuff you learn through experience. You learn how the combination handles in turns. That just comes with experience, no one can really teach you that. Either you get it or you don't. IF you d on't get it, then tons of training might help, but you'll never really be cut out for doing this stuff. It really isn't a complicated job.