CR England: Told I can't upgrade

Let me guess... your trainer leased his truck? All you are to him is a source of extra miles. Or, as others call it, an extra logbook.

As a Swift mentor, I can honestly tell you that your trainer isn't doing his job. His job is to train you. Why the heck wasn't he out guiding you when you were backing that first night?

I repeat myself: His job is to train you.

Swift requires a minimum of 40 backs to upgrade. My students usually end up with far more than that.

Contact whoever it is that put you with this idiot, and tell them that you need a different trainer. If they refuse, then you need to find a different company. Honestly, I recommend you do so before you get another preventable. As it is, it's going to be difficult to get hired at any of the smaller companies.

I have mentored ex-CRE drivers. The training there is effectively nonexistent.

Do I recommend Swift? I absolutely do. Ignore the Swift bashers; they're just repeating what they've read on the various groups. If Swift was as bad as they say, they wouldn't have 20,000+ drivers out on the road. I've been with Swift for 5 years now, and haven't had a reason to go anywhere else.

 

The comments from the student.
Hit a pylon
Hit another trailer
Where was the trainer. I agree these are preventable but what responsibility is on the trainer?
Only two opportunities to get out and look on all maneuvers.
How is it appropriate to judge this student that is the victim of a CDL mill.
I see no one from CR England has made any comments.

 

Simply leaving CR is an upgrade

 

A lot of good info in this thread but I’ll chime in. Personally I would leave CR England. There are better companies out there. However, I realize that might be easier said than done so I’ll just leave that there.
If you plan to stay I would get a new trainer. Demand one and stand your ground. The guy does not know what he is doing. GOAL absolutely should be used ANY time you’re unsure about something. A good trainer will emphasize the importance of GOAL. It’s not just for rookies.
Don’t get discouraged. Hang in there, keep a positive attitude and hopefully you’ll get a trainer that will work with you. Keep at it and you’ll be able to back safely and handle tight maneuvers just fine.

 

I like how the comments are disabled on CR England's YouTube channel.

 

I'm sorry for your experience buddy because you really got screwed. Most of what happened really is not your fault. You need a trainer that actually teaches you and guides you and shows you the right way to do things. He should be responsible at least for some of that.

Listen to what we're all telling you. We all have many many many years of experience and all of us have times that we have to get out and look. We may have to get out and look multiple times depending on the situation and what is required to be safe. Always always remember that if you have to get out and look 10 times but you didn't hit anything you did it right.

The other guys can better help you as far as if you can find another job someplace else and that type of thing. However, if they keep you working, immediately go to your supervisor and demand another trainer. Explain to them what he's doing and see how lousy of a company it is or if they will pair you with someone that will help you develop the necessary skills to be a good safe competent driver.

It's one thing if this industry is not for you and you voluntarily choose to leave it. It's a whole other completely different situation to have a walking jockstrap like that force you out of it because he's a lazy ignoramus Pig that doesn't do his job.

If you can remain in this industry take the lesson of all of this to heart and never forget it.

NEVER EVER under any circumstances permit ANYONE to push you to do ANYTHING that will affect your license or your job. They will be long gone and you will still be suffering the consequences.

 

If he dos3nt wanna train you tell him to #### off you anit working for no traoner #### that douche. Call cr scamland and tell them to #### off too. Find u a new trainer. And g.o.a.f.l... get out and ####ing look lol

 

Have the rules changed?? When I had my learner's permit if you were driving there should be someone in the seat next to you. Of course that was in '88 for my B and '91 for my A. These Mega's are setting up to many people for failure! How can you train someone if you're in the bunk?! And it takes a real idiot to try and sleep behind someone with no experience! I have a hard time sleeping in the bunk while my brother drives and he's one of the safest drivers I know of and he's been driving since 1980!!!

 

OP I’ve been a forced trainer at England. When you hit 6 months yes that’s right 6 baby months I only really started to get the hang of backing we’ll at that time. At 6 months they force you to be a trainer. They don’t ask you they FORCE you. I asked to be solo but that company doesn’t like trucks running solo they want that truck rolling 24/7/365. Maybe he was in my situation. The difference is I’m more mature mentally and I just thought to myself if I’m being forced I’m better off making sure we don’t have another maniac around the roads. I really enforced GOAL. Backing practice was always in a big empty truck stop. I would purposely wait for them to hit the lines and have them stop and let them look to let them know if a truck was there he would have hit.

Anywho let me stop digressing. I’m just getting at he might be another disgrunted driver that was forced to be a trainer so he probably doesn’t give a ####.

My advice to you is try to follow whatever they’re saying the moment they put you in phase 2 and you have a load with ample time and find an empty truck stop work on your backing on your own there that’s how I had to learn more than half the trainers in England can’t back for #### theirselves.

 

And also OP you need to really get a handle of your situation. You need more awareness since you’re hitting things. Hitting things will mean you’re going to stay working with Megas or no truck at all.

Get out and look. Don’t worry what the super trucker on the cb is saying or if jimmy know it all is looking and gives you that face. They’re not paying when you hit something. This job is all about driving everywhere and not hitting things. Hitting is not good. Get out and look be 100% sure if you doubt it get another look. I have no shame in looking. Now hitting something it’s kinda hard to conceal that embarrassed look.