COVENANT -- From a wife's perspective

Wife,

After reading all of the posts again, I think it may be in y'alls best interest if you call and ask for a different trainer. It may be that he needs to get off of THAT truck, not off of THE truck. Getting to a terminal and waiting for a new trainer for an hour, or a day or two, may help him to relax and regather his wits.

I personally think that being under emotional duress from a mismatched trainer is a form of abuse. There may be a history with this trainer that others have had to endure too. All drivers are not meant to be trainers. I am currently teaching my 15 year old daughter to drive, and quite frankly, I am not cut out for it. I don't like being out of control of the vehicle with someone with little experience. My husband does fine being her co driver. If he sits up front with her and I am in the backseat, I am not as frightened. Lol! He is much calmer with her driving than I am and she has not made any major mistakes to scare me. It's just my nature as the mother of four to worry,

I would want my trainer by my side during anything that stresses me until I can overcome it. Going through a tricky part (construction, steep mountain passes, raining at night), I want them there....driving on I-15 from Vegas to Salt Lake City, he can take a nap. He should also be teaching him proper logging, the qualcom, and company policy along the way. They can talk about those things on breaks or while one is driving and the other isn't.

A good trainer should be there to TRAIN the driver, not make a few extra dollars. I hope y'all are able to work this out to his and your satisfaction. I would hate to see a good driver quit due to a bad teacher.

Baseball Sweetheart

 

Hey Redcoat. I was asked to come and talk to you. My hubby is with Central Refrigerated. He had a problem just like your hubby is having. His first trainer was a nightmare. He wouldn't stop to shower or eat. He wouldn't let him sleep so he got like 4-5 hours sleep in 4 days. The guy told him to speed through construction zones. Never once showed him how to use the qualcom. He did nothing but constantly complain and yell about everything. On the 5th day, my hubby was so tired from lack of sleep, he decided to pull over (while his so called trainer slept) and rest. The guy proceeded to yell at him for it and was ticked off because he was gonna have to drive. My hubby had had enough. He told him to call the DM and tell him he needed a couple days off for family reasons. The DM said that was fine and the trainer dropped him off. My hubby called the DM and told them he wanted another trainer. The DM understood and told him that not all people mesh and would get him another trainer. My hubby came home for a week and was really upset about the experience. He actually had second thoughts of going back but decided to give it another try. He called the DM again and he said he had set him up with one of his best trainers. That day he left for Fontana Calif. to wait for his new trainer. The next day, he was out again driving. This trainer is 110% better then the last. My hubby is now happy with this trainer. They get along great and the guy just gives suggestions to help and doesn't yell. He is showing him the best places to stop for gas and to eat. He has even gotten him home to see me for at least a few hours in just the week he has been with him. He is gonna try and get him home to see us, even if it is only a couple hours once a week. Your hubby needs to tell them he needs another trainer. You have that right. Your hubby needs to feel comfortable with the person he is riding with. Good luck and tell him to request a new one right away. This will save both of you the stress and worry.

 

That is true that construction zones will not go away the problem redcoat is having is he wants to slow down to a comfortable speed his trainer chews him out for that.
A new driver should be allowed to drive at a speed that they fell comfortable with though a construction zone, rain etc.
I had problems driving through construction zones when I first started driving but I was able to adjust my speed to a comfortable speed After a while I was doing the speed limit through there.

 

If they want specifics, tell them you need him at home for your medical reasons for a few days. They don't need to know everything. I know it will be hard for him to go back. It was hard for my hubby but he did it. He did get offered another electrical job after he went back on the road, but turned it down. He wants to finish this. It helped that he finally got a good trainer so he is staying. The stress of being away from family is a big part of the problem. They expect these new drivers to be away from their families for 6-7 weeks basically and that is hard. Once he was home with us and was able to spend time with us, he knew this was something he had to do. He knows we will be waiting for him, no matter what. Our youngest (10yo) went with me to pick him up. She was so excited seeing all those big trucks and wondering which her daddy was driving...lol...He wasn't there yet, but finally i saw a Central truck come off the freeway. She was jumping in her seat when she seen it pull in. It was dark but she was determined it was him driving. Once it parked we drove over and he got out of the drivers seat. She kept saying...See, i told you it was daddy! She couldn't stop talking and saying she missed him. He was only home about 6 hours, but he had no hesitation this time of going back on the road. He was relaxed and sounded great compared to the time with the other trainer. Your hubby shouldn't give up. There are trainers out there who actually care.

 

BINGO!

If Redcoat waits too long to get back in the saddle,
he may find the stirrup is harder to reach.
Cowboy up, Redcoat --- you CAN do this.
You're not a bad trainee, or a bad driver. You just need
more aging, not unlike a fine wine.

And rest assured, by relating your experiences here, you
ARE helping others to open their eyes, know what they might
encounter, and be better prepared to deal with it.

Believe me/us when I/we tell you, with the proper trainer/training, this CAN be a fun experience.
Many of my trainees told me that they enjoyed their training period, and went on to be successful,
productive Big truck truck drivers.

IT'S NOT YOU --- IT'S THE TRAINER YOU HAVE NOW.
I've heard and read your same story from others many times,
and a change of trainers made a world of difference.
A good trainer who is a better fit can work magic with a trainee.
You have the potential to be a driver who is a cut above the rest.
You may not realize that now, but trust me on this one.

I've heard it said that:
There is no such thing as a bad student
just bad instructors.
Might just be true.
Ya reckon.

 

I have an anxiety disorder, which it does not affect my driving. Yes it did cause some problems, flared up anger attacks, and made it to easy for me to tell the boss to shove it. So I took a seven year break, got some help and learn to keep my cool. At one time I was put on some meds by the VA Hospital for it, but after taking a few, I refuse to take more. Life is to short to sleep it away... So with that said be very careful on the med, for if it makes him sleepy, he will be disqualified to drive. Or if he keeps it hush he on it, and drives any way he can be arrested for DUI also. I lost my job in 2000 cause I refused to drive while under the influence of medication, and the next week a driver was arrested in Alabama for the same reason. But now do I have these Anger Attacks? Yes, but I am in more of control. Before I did not know there was a problem, Now I do know there is a problem.

So with my past history out, What RedCoat needs to do now take the information he has of the problem and learn how to coup with it, how to channel it to a positive way. Such as you should slow down in construction zones anyway, slow while driving in rain anyway. Channel it to help in doing just that. May save his or a Construction workers life.

My wording may not be the best way to explain it, so I hope you do not take it wrong.

I do appreciate reading these post on how it going for it will help me also in what to do and not to do. I have a small goal of becoming a trainer. Some reason I want to teach others. So yes I am applying for a training company, not cause I need training, but I want to train.

 

Now, that right thar is an inspiring post, GuysLady.
And a classic example of what caliber of trainers ARE out there.
GOOD trainers take pride in their trainees, and do EVERYthing
they can to help a trainee adjust to the lifestyle of Big truck truckin'.

BTW, I hope Redcoat starts posting here in the near future.
Not so much about truckin', but about England. Many of us have
never been there, and most of us probably never will experience
that Country. I, for one, would love to hear about life across the pond.
How 'bout it Redcoat?

Kick your shoes off, sit down, relax, and let's just talk.
10-4?