New Driver entering training, curious about etiquette

A long time ago a carrier paid for a bunch of us to attend a communications training class and learned one tidbit better than the usual " the only stupid question is the one you didn't ask!" mantra:

When you are asked a question; repeat the question back.

Simple concept, hard to master, that works.

If you miss-understood any aspect of the question the the repetition should keep things on subject.

Most important is to listen and immediately question anything you don't understand.

Outside of driving items; retention of yesterday's paperwork skills and company practices will let the trainer know you ARE paying attention.

A combination of demonstrated driving skills and understanding the non driving aspects is what gets one their own seat....

 

There was one that was much worse. Trainee hit something and in order for the trainer not to call it in, trainee, married and a father, had to agree to free use of his caboose. Then, trainee hit something else and trainer wanted the caboose to stay on as a permanent co driver. Trainee then came to TTR for advice.

We all knew that thread would get deleted, but for a few hours the forum got crazy.

 

I am sad I missed that. It sounds like it was an absolutely bonkers thread.

 

Dear Gigantic Meteorite fairy:
It's been a while since I've written. I was wondering, are you coming to see all of us soon? Can you come back sooner?
The People of Earth

 

As a wise man (a mister James Croce) once said:

You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger
and you don't mess around with Slim....

But, as far as actual "etiquette" goes, you will quickly realize that the trucking industry as a whole seems to attract guys who, in fact, WERE "brought up in a barn". But a few to help you through at least your training:
Don't eat beans.
Don't try passing a truck that's only going .5mph slower than your speed governor allows.
Don't eat beans.
Turn off your headlights (but leave all the marker lights on) when you go through the truckstop lot.
Don't eat beans.
Don't take your 30 minute break at the fuel island; slowly parking the truck will NOT register as driving.
Don't eat beans.
If you hit another truck, DO NOT leave the scene! Whatever the fallout of your accident would be, it's 10x worse if you flee.
Did I mention to not eat beans?

 

I didn't train with Swift, but I had about 20 working days in a trainer's truck. I thought I won the lottery because we got along quite well. He was friendly and quite experienced. Not overbearing at all, but willing to teach and answer questions. It was still a challenge being cooped in a little box with a stranger for weeks at a time. You might get lucky, or not.
About a month after I got out of my trainer's truck, he called me to chat and asked how things were going. Turns out he had another student who he had to put out of the truck because they had difficulty getting on. Some people are like oil and water.

 

I really agree with your comment. I remember when the WWW was blog and forum heavy, before social media and paywalls and such. The forum model is so well suited for stories verses the technological ADHD/schizophrenia of social media. I loved the old un-moderated Usenet, i believe the Forum structure is superior.

 

Have you looked into Roehl