Any Questions for a Driver Trainer for Maverick?

Maverick tries to match up a student with a trainer that lives nearby so when the trainer gets home, the student can go home too. Orientation is two weeks then 3 weeks with a driving instructor, if a student is not with an instructor that lives near them, that's 5 weeks away from home and family.

When a driver becomes a driving instructor they are asked if they would be willing to take smokers, female students, etc and that's also taken into consideration. I myself dont smoke. I'm currently teaching my 3rd student who smokes "a pack a day". all i ask is that they crack the window when they light up, and please dont burn the company's seats, door panels, etc with their cigarette

if a student is assigned to a trainer that just isn't a match either the student or the instructor can request a different instructor. You are together for 21 days thereabouts for at least 5 days at a time driving during the week so do you have to become best friends? No. But should the instructor be professional enough to try to teach any student the right way of doing things, yes. To me that is much easier to do if the student gets along with the instructor and vice versa but i have yet to have a student that i had to pass off to a different instructor.

I set the ground rules for the truck i'm assigned from day one with a hard copy of "great expectations" and ask the students assigned to me to give me a written copy of their expectations of me and set personal goals for themselves as well.

Should a student of mine want to lose some weight and is complaining that for example he drinks too much soda each day, i simply make a new rule with the students approval of course, "no soda's will be consumed inside the truck" there you go. easy peasy. and both he and i agreed to the rule. (this really happened with one of my students) saw him wednesday, he told me he's lost over 40 lbs! 15 of which was while in the truck with me because we worked on his diet as well.

Maverick's trucks are governed at 68 but will lower themselves if a driver is deemed at having too low MPG. truck will turn itself down to 65, then 62, then driver will have to do MPG training to try to be taught to drive more efficiently, will be given ample time to improve his driving habits. improve? alls well. don't improve or get even lower? terminated. Termination for low MPG is a last resort and drivers have had ample time (a year) to improve before being terminated. There's no reason why a driver's truck should show 60 percent idle time and an average MPG of 5.5 for over a year.

NO i don't think they will increase the fuel bonus as prices rise. They'll keep a better eye on drivers with low MPG (6.5 or lower) but it would be nice if cascadias and columbias had the same columbia model fuel bonus rates. 7.5 in a columbia model is 4 cents per tariff mile fuel bonus as compared with 7.9 in a cascadia model for the same 4 cent per tariff mile fuel bonus. Its well known that cascadia model trucks MPG drops significantly when the temp is below 40F. I watched mine drop .5 miles a gallon when the temp dropped 10 degrees. I think it has something to do with cleaner emissions but have yet to find someone with the answer.

 

better insurance rates. lower csa points for eobr vilations vs paper log violations. and its the latest technology and Maverick wants the best for them and the industry.

If all companies would go to EOBRs, and O/Os would be required to have them as well,(subsidised by the govt by tax break for the amount of the eobr of curse) the driver with 2 or more logbooks who couldn't run legal to save his life and continues to run illegally and keeps freight rates down in doing so, is gone.

It makes the industry safer and on an even playing field for every driver out there on the road today.

 

with 3 years OTR you'd have to attend Maverick's extended training , one week, (securing/tarping) and then you'd be issued your truck, BUT you can request to go out with an instructor if you choose

We have beanpoles to butterbeans out there as drivers i'm 6'0", 175(summer)-185(winter)lbs

and 57 is by choice was the sweetspot, "money-maker" speed in 27833 (my columbia trainer truck) so just chose to continue at 57 in 11812 (my cascadia trainer truck). Columbias were governed at 70 but would turn themselves down to lower speeds if MPG dropped to low. My Cascadia as are all Cascadias is now governed and will do 68 and will also cut itself down if MPG drops too low.

 

The cascadia models have a digital dash that allows you to follow one of 5 screens, odometer + target MPG screen, outside temp, tank mpg, legal trip time and miles, and trip time and miles. the driver can cycle thru the screens and select whichever they prefer.

The colombia models do not have the above mentioned digital dashboard readouts.

Whichever model a driver is assigned to i encourage them to figure out their fuel milage each time they fill up the tanks. A sudden consistant drop in MPG could be the first indication of something wrong with the truck. Even in a cascadia model, do the math and figure out the MPG at each fueling for a driver can almost always put more fuel in the tanks than the dashboard says they have used.

Since October of 09, Maverick loads have been dispatched based on an average overall speed of 48mph. This includes stops and starts not just average cruising speed. So add 9mph to any drivers average moving speed and you get the speed at which they normally drive down the road. 48+9=57. The driver no longer tells the csrs when sending in their empty call how many hours they have available to drive. This was done in preparation for CSA 2010 and to give the csrs (the customer service reps who dispatch the loads) the information they need to dispatch the loads so they could be delivered LEGALLY. Also it was to get rid of the "11 hour cowboys whom always had 11 hours available to drive when they got empty.

Even my 1st quarter in my own truck, having never driven OTR before, i was 7th in the company (of over 1300) drivers at the time for highest MPG. The lowest i ever finished a quarter was at 7.2. (thermostat was stuck open for a month) the highest 7.92.

The dollar amounts i mention are always net figures btw. I dont see driving the speed i do, being one of the best at the company for over 3 years in what the company strives for, good MPG, setting myself apart from any driver who simply hauls butt where ever they go with no regard to the company's expectations of their drivers as a loss at all.

Believe it or not, i get just as many if not more miles as other drivers, have always got an excellent fuel bonus 12 straight quarters and am one of the driver's Maverick will have you call when you need to get your fuel milage up. The hardest thing to do is change drivers bad habits that they have had for years is proving it can be done. The driver has to want to change from what i already know they are doing: foot to the floor, in automatic, never turning the truck off, etc etc etc.

Sewerman also drives 57 and there are a few other drivers whom have also seen the light. We have set ourselves apart from the norm and are proud of it and will help anyone do the same.....if they are willing to change.