Concerned student driver...

I'd rather my trainees go too wide than not wide enough.

Sometimes it seems like we are yelling but we are just making sure you can hear us...lol

 

The O/O is still getting the extra miles that the student drives which should more than pay for what he/she has to pay the company. My point is in your last statement, the O/O knows what to expect out of student drivers, therefore it's his/her choice to endanger their truck.

 

4 weeks with a trainer seems like a long time. There is a point where one who is new will yell at themselves and learn from it. A curb, dent, or tire can be replaced. i was with my trainer for like 10days and that we enuf. when I got out i my own I just had to learn the rest and do things slow. At some point you have to fly out of the nest.

 

Relax! Its going to take a good 3-4 months out there before you are comfortable in your day to day happenings. Its good to be cautious and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! You drive the way you are comfortable with and the hell with everyone else! Your license is your "bread and butter" and you don't want to do anything to compromise it.

I think also that once you are on your own you will be more relaxed because you won't have some trainer Nazi looking over your shoulder criticizing your every move.

Hang in there, take every day as it comes. You are going to learn something new each time you get behind wheel and things will gradually get easier for you. Till then drive safe...

 

trainer nazi....lol, i met a few of them. In a way I think the yelling is good as it gets the point across, mirrors for instance. My trainer was tough but it was pretty well known that it wasn't a personal thing. I'm thankful because I'm in my mirrors all the time now.

 

Its great to check your mirrors but even more crucial to keep your sights aimed as far as you can see in front of you. This is where the trouble is going to happen. By doing this and checking your mirrors you will constantly have a plan. When looking way ahead you don't always just look straight.... keep an eye out for trucks coming out of rest areas and/or trucks coming up the on ramp. If you can spot this early enough you can safely move over with plenty of time.

Once you have some experience out there you can start learning some jedi mind tricks! Yes that's corny.... however it is true... there are many things you can out there to make others do what you want. Put your turn signal on to move over and this will make the car in front of you speed up! Ride their butt and they will slow down. Ride close to the line when a car is passing and they will speed up to get by you. Lots of little things like that you can practice. Its fun to do!

Good luck man....

 

You're probably right. After 4 weeks you should know it all!

Seriously, sounds like you're beating yourself up over nothing. It was raining and dark and you made darn sure your trailer would miss the guard shack. That sounds like a good choice to me.

Paranoid and cautious are two different things. You should never lose a healthy respect for the vehicle you're driving, what can happen if you screw up and how your actions on the road affect everyone else. Paranoia will destroy you though.

Not sure how long you have to stay with a trainer but no matter how long it is the real learning will start when you go solo. I would've thrown my trainer out long before 4 weeks was up and I got along fine with the guy.

As long as you're confident in your ability to control the truck and make smart decisions you should be fine. The most important thing when starting out IMO is to be prepared to screw up. Everybody gets out on their own and makes mistakes. Some bigger than others but usually not that bad. What gets a lot of people in trouble is panicking when they make that small mistake and then turning it into a big one. Control the truck and use your head.

 

Yeah you may feel nervous for months but once you drive so much you know exactly how far your trailer swings just based on the tandem placement alone. One key is to use every inch as possible even before you make it to the turn if you are that nervous. A lot of trainers are not good mainly because the company struggles to find anyone willing to live in a small truck with another stranger.

 

My trainer would yell at me when I would grind a gear, and then each shift attempt beyond the mistake would result in another grind and more screaming. Then he would scream for another 30 minutes about my lousy shifting!

When he was sleeping (team driving), I could shift without issue.

I finally just asked him to ease off on the screaming, and that the screaming was causing me to make more errors that it corrected.

Most trainers wanna be good trainers. Just let him know what works best IN YOUR CASE and he'll probably try it if the result is: YOU STOP SCREWING UP!

Keep in mind, these guys have to train some guys that REQUIRE beating it into them ..... just let him know it may not be neccessary in your case. If you got it the first time .. let him know.

I asked my trainer to stop the screaming, unless I was making, or about to make a serious mistake. He accomodated my request and we got along great after the Face2Face.

Be realistic in your expectations. You are not going to feel "comfortable" for quite some time, and it will be months after you are solo before you actually know where the trailer is without looking. Take it slow, pay attention. The comfort comes later when you least expect it.... alittle at a time.

 

"If they tell you they don't get nervous, they're lying!" ~ Michael Andretti
(from the early years of his driving career, before he turned into a whiner)

Mikeeee