Frustrated with new job-what to do?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Shrekker, Dec 26, 2021.

  1. Shrekker

    Shrekker Bobtail Member

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    Dec 26, 2021
    Fairfield County, Ohio
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    Hello all. I apologize for the length of this post, but am hoping to get an outside perspective on my situation. I recently graduated from school, and got what appeared to be a dream job: small company (4 drivers), good pay, good benefits, and a schedule that works for my family, hauling local/driving daycab shuttles. The company prided itself on hiring recent grads, stating how they are happy to be able to offer them a chance. 2 weeks of training, it seemed great.

    First day: I ride with my trainer, getting to know the routes. He seems like a good guy. I got there after he had already made two runs (my scheduled time to go), and so didn't get to see the beginning process. We talked, and decided I would be there at his start time, so I get an idea on what is expected from the beginning. He tells me this is his first time training a new grad, but with the holidays the added pay will be nice. This is a key point to hang on to. He also says he likes to get off at a certain time. We finish the day at his set time, with plenty of legal hours (both driving and on duty) left.

    Second day: We arrive at the same time. He has me get into a different truck from what he drove the day before. We have no pre-trip, but I figure that will happen once we go on duty. We go on duty, and as we are going through the pre-trip part of the elog, up pops 5 warnings stating the truck is "unsafe for duty". I point it out to him, he says it has been fixed, but the elog shows the report for "unsafe for duty" was posted an hour ago. Deep down I know these issues aren't fixed, but we continue. I'm an idiot for this I admit. Should have refused on the spot. I run hard, after the 1st trip of 4, the trainer goes to sleep. I continue driving, and hit the dock for the 2nd drop. I had already told him I'm not the best at backing, and that's something I need to work for. With the 4 deliveries, I have 8 back ups each day. I figure go safe, do it right, GOAL when needed, and the speed will come.

    I start backing, and decide to GOAL, and am told to stay in the truck. The trainer gets out, and is trying to direct me. I do what he tells me, but to try to put this politically correctly- his training style and my learning style are different. I want to get out and see where I am, but am told to stay in the "f----ing" truck. I keep checking both sides of mirrors and am told to quit looking at the d--n passenger mirror, I should be able to do this with just the driver mirror. It's very frustrating, but within 5 minutes I'm backed in. We continue on.

    Well it turns out the "unsafe for duty" is right, and we are spraying coolant. We get it to the shop, and switch out trucks. Again, no pretrip, and the windshield is cracked/broken. Kind of a warning sign, but I want to do what I'm told, as wrong of me as it was. So we drive. He falls asleep again, and I finish the day. I am about an hour past the time he wants to be off. Plenty of legal time left, but am told I need to hurry the hell up. For the four stops, this equals out to less than 15 minutes slower than what he normally does. On my second day, I think this is decent.

    Third day: Get in the truck, no pretrip. I complain about this and am told that this truck is fine since we had just picked it up from the shop the day before, it's good to go. I know this is wrong, as the windshield being broken is still on the record sheet on the log. I drive. He sleeps. It goes good until the 3rd stop of the day, backing up. I get a bit nervous as I have someone waiting for me to back. I go slow, and get about halfway in the spot but am angled. A quick pull up, straightline back and I'll be good to go. Well, the trainer hops out. I am close to the passenger side trailer. The trainer tells me to turn the steering wheel left and keep going. I didn't type that wrong. I tell him I am already close to that trailer. He says if I bump it it's no big deal. It is to me! He is yelling to keep backing up and "stop looking at that ####### passenger mirror!" He is screaming for me to keep backing up, I am just a few inches off the trailer at this point, and stop. I say I have to pull forward. He is getting furious at this point for it taking so long.

    I pull up, straightline back and get it in. "I don't get how you're not comprehending what to do!" The driver who was waiting, was one of the four from our hub. He is nice enough about waiting and says it will come with more practice. My trainer tells me how lucky I am it was this guy waiting for me as the other two would have been freaking out.

    We complete the day, and my trainer tells me how I am 9 minutes over the time I should be for each load. There are no set delivery times, and no real way of running out of hours. This is just 9 minutes off his goal to be done at the time when he wants. I am told I better work on this. He then goes into a driver meeting, and tells me to go home.

    Day 4: last day before holiday shut down. Walk into the "office" to get with my trainer, to hear one of the drivers talking about how he heard how bad my driving is. Lovely, already making friends. Never even met this guy talking crap. I brush it off, I figure if it was as bad as he was saying, my trainer wouldn't be asleep while I was driving. We finish out the day early due to low loads. I am told my trainer has requested that my training time be doubled to four weeks.

    I want to learn. I want to be a good driver. This is the only trainer they have. He is the head driver, and there is no one local I can talk to about my concerns. I am not trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill, just this doesn't feel right. I'm not going to sacrifice pre trips and safe backing to save time. I know I am slower than these guys, it doesn't really bother me right now as I figure the speed will come. I know I shouldn't have taken those trucks. That was stupid of me, even if that is "how we do things here". I just don't know where to go from here, and would like an outside perspective. I know the "by the book" and practicality are different, but I don't want to screw myself fighting through this. Part of me says it will be better when I go solo. But if this is how they do things, do I really want to be with them? Being four days in I really don't want to screw up my CSA score by quitting. Is this just how it is in training and I am being too sensitive? I know my backing skills need practice and will take as much advice/help as I can get to be a better driver, but being rushed and ridiculed isn't how I learn. I feel the trainer is in such a rush to get done by his personally set time that my training is lacking, but then again I am new and maybe this is just how it is. Sorry for the long post, I am just very frustrated and wanted the whole story shared so I can get an accurate outside view. Thank you.
     
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  3. Siinman

    Siinman Road Train Member

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    Sounds like a bad place to be in. I hate places like that. They are not following the rules and can get you personally into trouble. With that said if you are fine with it then move forward. If not than do what is needed to be legal. If they fire you over it then so be it. Make sure to record a few drivers not doing pre trips and document it so if they try to fire you for it you have proof.

    in time you will get the backing. Take your time and GOAL if need be. Don’t let the super truckers make you hit someone or something. Do you!
     
  4. xlsdraw

    xlsdraw Road Train Member

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    Pray about it.
     
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  5. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Henderson, NV & Orient
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    That's one area and reason I won't work for small companies. The other employees need a whipping boy to make them feel good about themselves.
    One way for payback and I know this from experience; is to do a good pre-trip and post-trip every day. Someone will have to answer for all the discrepancies you write up and it won't be you.
     
  6. Siinman

    Siinman Road Train Member

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    Agree. They will most likely try and fire him for something else. Sounds like the owner does not care about the equipment. That is why I said take videos of other employees not doing it.
     
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  7. Val_Caldera

    Val_Caldera Road Train Member

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    GREETINGS Shrekker and Welcome To T. T. R.!!

    Well:
    1) NEVER Drive ANY Truck YOU have Not Fully Qualified As Drive Able!
    2) ANYTHING Happens and You Cannot PROVE , to say a D.O.T. Officer, that You actually INSPECTED IT, It's Your Tail!!
    3) The part about the "Trainer" nodding off while You Drive, Well, I Would Give A REBEL YELL thereby waking him up, repeatedly (because of the out of view Large Animals running across the road) From Left to Right, but since he doesn't want me to use the right mirror, I dunno where those durn Animals went.
    Also What Trainer Sleeps With Trainee Driving??
    4) Backing Up:
    I would CONTINUE To Use BOTH MIRRORS Because "what if" someone was walking about on your RIGHT SIDE, Would You Not Wanna Hit The Person??
    5) Does the company not have a SAFETY DEPARTMENT??
    6) Can You Not Directly Talk To Him/Her/Them?
    7) YOUR SPEED Delivering is YOUR SPEED!!
    You Will Work Up To YOUR Preference Which Will Be Suitable!!

    You'll Do Well, Just Keep From Exploding!!

    Thanks For Your Queries!!
    CHEERS!!
     
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  8. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    Don't be discouraged. Your instincts are pretty good in each instance you described. It is bad to not do a pre-trip. If the training period is short I would probably just mention it once and if the trainer is firm not bring it up again unless the safety issue is with the brakes or the steering. Just make sure, with a trainer, to not turn EVERY single thing into some catastrophic "safety issue" when it's a convenience or preference issue. "My phone won't charge from that outlet and that could mean the truck will catch fire and explode."

    You must always know what is in your mirros or both sides, especially when backing. With backing there are numerous ways to get the job done and ever newbie only seemes to bave been shown ONCE the pull 8 counties ahead and straight back at either 0.000001 mph or at 85 mph. You need to practive the 45 and 90 degree alley dock every day until those are normal, if not very comfortable. I still tense up when backing and doing a 90 degree. Just pay attention and go slow and KNOW what is around around you and check mirrors very often.

    You are right to not worry about the slowness of your skills at first. Obviously your "trainer" is just an experienced driver. Many companies are also not using real trainers, but drivers with 3 weeks to 3 months experience and calling them a trainer. Your speed at doing your job will pick up as it becomes second nature. Don't rush it. And as soon as you start to feel comfortable that is when you are most at risk as you will start to be less careful and potentially make more serious mistakes. Trucking demands you learn how to tune out the pressure you might feel to hurry up, whether it is coming from you or others. Nobody angry you are going to slow are going to be happy to wait on you when you create a bigger problem because you were in a hurry. Everybody has a different way to do things and their way is just their way unless they can explain to you why their way is better. Get used to hearing people's opinion of your performance and there is seldom a good reason to tell them how you feel at their opinion unless they can explain why their way is better.

    You are hired to do a job and other driver comments are just comments. Most of them evaporate into the air. It's your job to keep your record clean and EVERYONE says they know that. Only you have the job of keeping your record clean. Getting into an incidence, like scraping another trailer, minor damage of property at a customer, etc are not the actual end of the world but you are better driving as if they will end your career. They don't usually do that but the new drivers often drive like there is some built-in allowance for a certain number of traffic tickets, incidences, and accidents for each driver for each year. You'll never have a good record if you adopt that attitude. Drive like scratching a trailer or damaging the truck is a firing offense and you can keep a perfect record which will let you quickly get a much better job. Riding my my OTR trainer was the hardest time in trucking. The job is much better once you are in command of your own truck. Then do a pre-trip every day, even in the cold and rain. You will do fine.
     
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  9. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    If he does a thorough pre/post-trip, he's covered. If DOT writes up a truck for safety violation, the owner will blame the drivers for not writing it up. Then the OP can say, I did write it up.
     
  10. tscottme

    tscottme Road Train Member

    When my write-ups were not being addresses I started making the same write-up each day and numbering the write-up.
    Example, windshield wipers don't work #1. Then next day: windshield wipers don't work #2, etc., etc.. It documents the issue is not being addressed. DOT will not like finding one f those write-ups in the company records.
     
  11. Val_Caldera

    Val_Caldera Road Train Member

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    The "trainer" isn't a Trainer, he's an aggravator (and maybe a wanna be tough guy).

    I would ask, and have asked, about another Trainer and the reason(s).
    Not every Company is a Fit.
    I would however BEGIN INSPECTING THE EQUIPMENT B4 DEPARTING YARD and do it Methodically s-l-o-w for 15 Minutes and Keep Your Copy Of The Inspection Report
    If the "whiny" trainer gets weirded out, such is HIS Problem.

    C.Y.A. as shall no one else.
    :):cool:
     
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