Halfway through training with Werner, need your suggestions...

Well I have been out with my trainer for 20 days now with 187.75 of my 300 driving hours put in. I've been mostly happy so far with how fast training has been going but for the last week I have been having a hard time talking to my trainer. I'm not sure if I am expecting too much at this point or if I need to speak up a little louder. My worry is my trainer says I will be done in about 10-12 days. Since I have been with him I haven't been allowed to do pre-trips, un/coupling,fueling, paperwork, scales, backs without direction which is difficult because he is admittedly dyslexic and constantly tells me opposites and gets mad when I try to correct him or just do it myself. I really haven't done anything except for the driving. I have tried to ask him if I could do these things and he suddenly now seems irritated with me and when I ask questions he now just talks over me, he can get quite loud. He says it will get done faster if he does it, then I can get more driving hours in, which he says I need to put "more effort" into. I have been driving without him since the first day where he tested me out a few hours and decided I would be fine by myself which I was comfortable with. At this point I feel I have the driving under control but everything else that goes along with the job i'm not sure I will know what to do. He does let me use the Qualcomm to check my hours and messages but still won't let me look up and use it for directions i'm supposed to wake him up at check points for his directions. I know trainers are here to make money but I am here to learn how to do the job and driving isn't the whole job description. At this point i'm not sure if I should move on to another trainer to finish up my hours and hopefully learn more or stick it out to get the hours done with but have nothing to show for the non-driving related work. Any suggestions would be really appreciated. Thanks

 

Hi,

Don;t know the answer to your question, but I was wondering if you could answer mine. Do you do all the driving, or do you and the trainer team drive? I heard the newbie does all the driving for the first half of training, then they switch to team mode in the second half of driving. ??

 

Wow... I would suggest you either tell your trainer you are going to call your sdm if he doesn't let you do the things you mentioned or if your not comfortable doing that (I would not blame you) you need to just call your sdm and let him know what's going on and let him know you would like another trainer. I just finished my training with Werner and my trainer did an excellent job teaching me all the things you listed and I still feel unsure of myself with the qualcom. From the info you provided, your trainer is using you for nothing more than a paycheck. You will do yourself a disservice if you stay with this guy more than likely. The job is tuff enough at first with first rate training... I would be lost if I was turned out on my own after training like yours.

If it makes you feel better I fired my first trainer at about the same hours you are at and my sdm was extremely helpful about the whole process. I can't guarantee your sdm will be the same way but I would urge you to give it a shot. It was the best move (albeit difficult) I've made to date with this company. Good luck.

 

From my experience and what I've seen of others experience, your trainer will drive the first day or at least the first part of the first day and then you will drive. The trainer (if he does the job he is supposed to do) is supposed to observe you in the passengers seat for 15 hours before he lets you drive while he is in the sleeper. You will have a curfew for the first 2 weeks where you won't be able to drive after midnight. After your 15 observing hours are up you will drive almost as a team with the exception that you can't drive after your cerfew. Once your cerfew is over you will drive as a full blown team as long as the miles are there to do so. Good luck. Hope I answered your question.

 

Your trainer is an idiot and you should get another one. He is training only for the money and using you as another log book. I bet he has less then 2yrs driving himself doesn't he. See this is why I have a problem with rookies training. You should only become a train because you want to pass on your experience and train the new people coming in to do the job right. You can not do this if you have no experience. You need at least 3yrs of driving in all 48 states in all weather day and nite to have the experience to pass on. Rookies can not teach what they don't know. So you end up with students who have been taught wrong or nor taught at all.

When I was training I started the 1st day doing all the driving. The 2nd day the student started out driving and from there on did 95% of it. The 1st trip I did everything the student watched and learned. After that the student did it while I instructed them. By the last trip they where doing it all and i just made sure they didn't screw things up to bad. I always encouraged them to ask any questions they had at any time. Better to ask a stupid question then to make a stupid mistake. I can train almost anyone to be a good competent drive in 3 weeks. And I never ran anything but solo runs.

 

Hey BadMotherTrucker,

I would say that I agree with Kabar here, I am not even going to say trainer in the same sentence, because this log book cowboy is no trainer. Ask yourself the question if he say's your clear to continue on your own after the 300 hours of great training from the sleeper berth that this person is giving you, and you don't say something and something stupid happens they will put all the blame on you.

It is apparent that this driver was never trained right in the first place and probably has no business trying to train someone in the second. You should be doing all the backing and fueling and pre-trip and route planning with him to make sure that you have some type of understanding. I bet he doesn't even do pre-trip and is just using you for his extra pay.

I would say it loud and clear GET RID OF THIS IDIOT FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, that is why he is getting paid the extra money to TRAIN, and if he is not then he doesn't deserve the extra pay. He need to have he lazy ##### in the passanger sit and teaching, only a fool I feel would go into the sleeper with a new guy behind the wheel, he might just end up never coming out of the sleeper. This one reason that I throw Werner's app. into the trash to many buddies Screwed by the big blue screw.

 

I would had requested a new trainer after the first week.