Frustrated!

So what do you do when your trainer/mentor throws you under the bus?

I was on his truck for only two weeks. The first week went really good for the most part. He even said I did a good job. He also didn't seem to get too upset when I accidently bumped the fuel pump shutting it off early. This wasn't a major screw up. but it did end up screwing us the next day trying to get a good load heading home. As he put it later, what's done is done, no point in crying about it.

The next week heading out, we didn't get any very good runs and he was getting increasingly upset about it, having several discussions about it with his DM. He was also telling me that he was considering a local job and told his DM that the loads he was getting, he could do on his own and if this was all he was going to get, he might as well quit training. When we got home that weekend (empty at that), I was concerned that I would be needing a new trainer the next week, but he assured me that everything was ok.

Aside from his ranting about getting low miles that week, he scolded me for "taking curves too quick for a trainee. Give it time, the feel of the truck will come to you." What?! I was driving out of the mountains of TN coming into some flatter roads. I actually did fairly good thru the mountains themselves, even by his own say-so. But when I got out of the mountains, he started jumping all over me. I wasn't speeding, hell, the truck would only go 62! He also got on me about watching the trailer when turning. Granted, it was a problem, but I improved. Although the worse that ever happened was I rolled over some curbs and never hit anything, I understand that there is the potential for worse situations.

I'm not an idiot. I've been driving for nearly 30 years and I've driven all over this country. I've even pulled different kinds of trailers a number of times. Now I understand that driving an 80,000 pound semi-truck is a hole different world than what I've been used to, but I also know there is some similarities. For example, I know that when the interstate system was designed, it was designed to handle loaded trucks running at certain speeds. And if a loaded truck couldn't safely handle a certain curve at normal hiway speed, it has a posted safe speed limit. As I mentioned before, the truck I was driving was governed to 62 mph, well below the safe speeds for hiway curves. And I slowed down even more for the posted curves. Also, for the times when we were going down hill and I could gain a little more speed (which he recommended doing to be able to maintain speed hitting the next hill), I still barely touched the posted speed limits. So I would say I was still within safe margins and didn't deserve getting jumped continuously in such a manner.

Anyway, at the end of the second week, we talked and he agreed I had made improvements and was doing pretty good. We even spent an hour when we got back to his home location doing some 45* backing practice. My straightline has been real good, but my 45 needed work, so we worked on it. By the time my ride arrived, I had the 45 down and did a few good backs. It is funny that the few times during the 2 weeks of my training, and even on this same day, he would show me how to do it when I had problems, he would actually do just as bad, if not actually worse than me. I am not kidding at all. If there had been a truck or wall sitting to the right of the spot he was trying to put it, he would have hit it every time.

Before I left for home, I asked him if things were good and if he was still going to be training me the next week. He said yes and I needed to meet him at the truck at 7 am on monday. So I get there at 7, we pre-trip the truck, send in our ready on the qc and wait on a load. He also said I had a message on there from my training coordinator that I needed to call him. (Funny, I never actually saw that message.) So I tried to call, but no one answered. While we were waiting, we decided to do some more backing practices, and I still did pretty good. We were both happy with my progress.

Then I finally got ahold of my coordinator, and he informed me that my training wasn't progressing fast enough for them and that they were going to discontinue my training. WHAT?!?!? He said that according to what my trainer had reported, I wasn't improving fast enough for them. Great, so now my training is over and I'm out of a job. Spent the last week looking over the posts on here trying to decide who would be a good company to apply with. There doesn't seem to be a lot of good companies hiring newbies right now. Most everyone seems to want at least 6 months experience. The ones who will don't have a shining reputation. I talked to one company who was pretty good, until they heard I was terminated from my last driving job. There went that job.

Anyboby got some good suggestions for decent companies hiring newbies? I could use some good advice.

 

I went to school, graduated, got my cdl. I was trying to get hired on with this company, going thru their 5 week training period where you are out on a trainers truck learning to drive their trucks and haul their freight.

 

Effinia, I know that you are just trying to help and I appreciate that, but let's get past the school already. I've been to school. I've past the course. I've graduated (with a 95%). I've started with a company and started their training program, then got fired. I don't need a school. I need a job. But thanks for posting. Good luck to you and whatever school you decide to attend.

Big Don. I completely understand your skeptism and have viewed many threads on this board the same way. Yes, I've only posted one side of the story. It is the side that I'm familiar with and is the truth as I know it. By the end of that 2nd week, I had slowed down my driving. If he felt I was taking those hiway curves too fast, then fine, I'll slow down. The truck may have been set aat 62, but I started driving between 55 and 60. And anytime I had any kind of bend in the truck, my eyes were glued to the mirrors watching that trailer. I figured if he was having a problem, I'll drive like he wants me to, then when he complains about that, I'd just tell him I was doing what he told me to, but I never got that chance. I've stepped back and looked at the situation. I've lived and learned. I figure that whatever company I start at next, I'll have to go thru their weeks long training program, but I've already got a two week headstart on them. I'm confident in my abilities and in my knowledge that I'm a safe and conscientious driver. I just wish they could have seen that before listening to a disgruntled trainer.

 

I had no problems with my trainer. We got along great, didn't argue or fuss or anything. He didn't really yell at me for taking the curves too fast or anything else. As we were talking, he would point out what I needed to work on. Problem was he wouldn't let it go. Just kept on and on about it. Funny thing is, if I was driving so bad, why did he feel confortable enough to snooze in the passenger seat?