Can Driver Trainers Learn From Trainees?

Let me begin my story by telling you a little about myself.
While driving for a large, family owned trucking company based out of Green Bay, Wisconsin, I was tapped on the shoulder to consider becoming a driver trainer. At first, I wasn't interested, but the company was persistent and I accepted the position. I found I really liked that job. Being unmarried, I also found I was assigned mostly female trainees because the other trainers were married and their wives didn't cotton to the idea of their husbands being alone with other women. Go figure.
On the plus side, I found that the females were among my best trainees.

One such adventure had my trainee and myself dispatched to Carlsbad, New Mexico to load potash from a mine. We arrived at the mine around sun down and passed about 10 or 12 trucks parked outside the gates. We drove up to the guard shack to check in. Upon entering the shack, we were greeted by a man behind a glass partition. He asked for our pick-up number and we gave it to him. He excused himself for a moment while he checked the logs. When he returned, he told me the load wasn't ready yet, and that the trucks we passed on the way in were all ahead of us to be loaded. He figured the wait would be around 12 hours for us, IF everything went smoothly. Seems the loading equipment had broken down and was yet to be repaired.

He seemed stand-offish when he mentioned that fact to me. All I could think of to say was "really?"

I called my trainee over to the window and asked him to repeat what he had just told me so she could hear it too. He did so.
With the three of us standing there, I looked at my trainee and she at me, and we began to laugh, which seemed to surprise the guard. He just looked at us like we were crazy.
Perhaps we were.

But before long, he was laughing too. Not just any laugh, but on of those belly-laughs that are contagious. We had tears rolling down our faces as we stood there, bracing ourselves up by holding onto the counter. As the laughter subsided, the guard mentioned that was the first response he'd received like that.

"What do you mean?", my trainee asked.
Well, just about every driver yelled at me and some cussed the day I was born, --- and they stormed out of here all mad after I informed them of the wait.
"It wasn't YOUR fault, was it?", the trainee inquired.

No! Heck no! I had nothing to do with the machinery breaking down. I'm just the messenger. I felt sorry for each and every one of them, but there's nothing else I could do.
We assured him that we didn't blame him in the least, and asked what WE needed to do at this point.

He told us to go back to where the other trucks were parked, set the CB radio on channel 5, I think it was, and wait for him to call us in when it was our turn. Might as well get some sleep, he told us, 'cause it's gonna be awhile.

Neither my trainee or I had eaten a decent meal in the last 30 hours or so, and I figured the guard might know of a GOOD place to eat. I asked him if we could drop the trailer and head to town for dinner. He said "sure!" Then he mentioned a nice place where he and his Mrs. liked, and gave us directions.

On our way out the door, my trainee stopped and said, "just a minute."
And she returned to the window.
You look like a pie-man, she said to the guard.

HuH?
What do you mean?, he asked.

You look like a man who especially enjoys pie. Can we bring you back a slice when we return? What kind do you like?

Well, I,.....Uhhh, that is --- I'm partial to apple pie.

Okay then, apple pie it is. See you as soon as we get back.

The look on that guard's face was priceless.

We dropped the trailer, quietly, so as not to disturb the other drivers and proceeded into town, found the restaurant and parked. That guard was correct! The restaurant was excellent and we both enjoyed our meal and the pie afterward.
As we were about to leave, we ordered TWO slabs of apple pie --- to go. The waitress put them in a a single box. I tipped her, paid the check, and we headed back to the back of the line at the mine. AFTER first stopping to deliver the pie to the guard.

After many thanks, we said good-night to him and went back to hook up the trailer, again, quietly.
At that time, we were in a cab-over, so I gave the bunk to my trainee and I took sleeping on the dog-house, --- first making sure the CB was on the proper channel. As my head hit the pillow, and I was pulling the blanket over me, I heard the CB crackle.

"Schneider! Bring 'er in now."

HuH?!

I grabbed the mic and asked who they were calling.

"Schneider! Come on in. They're ready to load you NOW!"

But,....... I thought,..............

"Well, quit thinkin' and get 'er in here, 10-4?"

10-4!

My trainee asked if she's just heard what she thought she heard.
'I think so", I replied.

I fired the truck up and proceeded to the gate by the guard shack. It began to open as the guard inside motioned for us to pass through. As we passed him, looking at us through the window, we noticed a great big grin on his face as he held that box with his pie in it, taking a big bite of apple pie as we drove by. He saluted us as we passed through the gate about 10 hours earlier than we expected.

Now, do y'all reckon that apple pie had ANYthing to do with what happened?
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm

Star Spangled True Story, folks.
And a lesson I've never forgotten.

 

Good story and should be a part of all our everyday lives! I love laughter and it is very contagious!

 

Aftershock, what a fantastic story!

While I was training with my trainer (a fantastic guy), we arrived at a shipper for a pickup of a couple of skids going to the USA from Edmonton. When we arrived, the shipper had 4 kids running around her feet, all demanding attention from her, the phone didn't stop ringing off the hook, and she was just frantic. As soon as she freed up enough to greet us, it came in the form of a bark. Boy I was taken aback.
However, my trainer, basically looked past the exterior at what was really going on, and found out that she was worried about the freight charges. He got on the phone to our dispatch office and cleared all that up right away. Then we found out that she didnt have a forklift and couldnt load the skids. So he went next door and asked if someone there could help us load the two skids. They were quite happy to help, and we got them on the trailer, and done.
Finally, the shipper was smiling (almost laughing) and I felt so grateful that I had witnessed this event. It could have become a petty feud, but my trainer turned it into a positive event, where the shipper ended up feeling light hearted again.
This is only one of my experiences with my trainer, and he certainly taught me more than just driving skills in my time in the cab with him.
Heres to learning from each other, and really listening to each other before judging!

 

Thank you, Attitude!
I agree.
And if things go as planned, I think I can provide you with at least SOME of that laughter you crave, --- and deserve.
Laughter IS the best medicine and y'all don't even need a prescription.

 

Right On Etosha!
I always say, do the unexpected when things seem to be going wrong. Why get all up tight? It doesn't usually do any good anyway.
Right?

Of course, there will always be those folks who will try to anger you no matter how hard they have to try. I wonder how they feel when they don't succeed?
I KNOW how it feels not to let them ruin MY day.

Hey!
How's the weather up north?

I'm down here in "Sunny" Southern California. But today, it's raining.
Imagine that!
By golly, we NEED it.
(To make lemonade --- doncha know)

 

Hey Aftershock... its cool up here... feels like winter is approaching, although summer isnt officially over yet. Our Thanksgiving is in 2 and a half weeks, so I guess all the harvesting will be done by then (although most looks like its been done already).
Today is overcast, but not wet (yet anyway) and just kinda dreary. Although, even at -30C (-22F) we usually have sunny days and blue skies which is great.

Another story my with my trainer...
There is one shipper who has a yard full of stuff, dispersed everywhere, especially where the truck has to maneouvre. Anyway, I didnt ride with him everyday (I only went on my days off). So, he was there on one of my work days to pick up. They asked where I was, and he explained to them that I had become terrified to come to their yard because of the nasty pieces of metal and other things waiting to bite the truck as I was trying to maneouvre the trailer into their door.
Apparently they took it to heart, cos on my next off day we were dispatched back there, and their yard was immaculate, especially the area where the truck does its thing!

 

-22 degrees F?!!!
That's c o l d!

Last week, here, we were just getting past a heat wave. Temps here were around 115 F, I don't know the conversion to C.
Then in a matter of a few days, we're in the 60's and rain.
That's a tad sudden.

I well remember my first sub zero encounter.
Being born and raised in SoCal, I'd heard my relatives in upstate New York talking about their cold weather, but I'd never experienced it before.

Then, on a trip to Wisconsin, I stopped at the T/A in Illinois to eat and shower. Afterward, I returned to my truck and did my walk-around to be sure everything was as it should be. It was.
Well, except for when I got in the truck and ran my fingers through my hair.

W H A T?!
I don't use hair gel! Why is my hair so stiff?
Hmmmmmm
Seems I should have dried my hair a bit more because it was frozen.

N O W I understand what my relatives were trying to tell me when they said it was COLD!
After that experience, I showered BEFORE eating. And dried my hair completely before venturing out into the REAL cold.

That was back in the day.
Now-a-daze, I reckon spiked hair would be a fashion statement.

 

Dont worry, its not in the minus temps yet... probably just above freezing today! But its coming!
Yup, wet hair... I wash my hair the night before I leave the house! Otherwise I go with dirty hair in the winter. Can hide it under a toque anyway.
Ever get that wierd feeling in your nostrils, where the nose hairs are starting to freeze? And when taking a breath through your mouth hurts?
Oh boy, lets not go there... its coming soon enough here!
Usually by Halloween the white stuff has set in for good...

 

With an attitude like that, your trainee will do well in life. That is the way to live.

 

Man that was a good story. I like to chat it up with the security guys. They are usually pretty nice once they find out you're going to be nice to them. I would hate that job actually, too many ####### drivers cursing at them and acting like its their fault when a load is screwed up or they have to wait a bit.