New Driver Trainee with PTL

Don't burn yourself out. You have an entire career in front of you, not to mention winter.

 

100 Unsafe Driving violations since February. 1500-1600 trucks. Speeding, Lane changes, Ignoring traffic control, etc. So the attitude of senior drivers hasn't changed much despite PTL's efforts so far. Mind your P's & Q's jd, the DOT's still watching out for PTL... Got a target on your back... 86.9%

• 44 Seat belt violations
• 17 Failure to use warning flashers
• 75 Failure to obey control device
• 18 Following too close
• 18 Improper lane change
• 51 Lane restriction violation
• 20 Improperly parked and/or leaving vehicle in roadway
• 117 Speeding 6-10
• 44 Speeding 11-14
• 16 Speeding over 15
• 18 Speeding construction zone

PTL's still in Alert category for Unsafe Driving. Fortunately, this is one of the Basics that jd can control--his own driving. And he's no dummy, just the kind of new driver PTL needs to move forward. Maintenance has dropped below alert. Still high, 69.9%

So there is improvement.

http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/SMS/Data/BASICs.aspx?enc=48KxwPUoUV9nd+gir/Q1uQ==

 

That's why I have reservation about going over to PTL!!!!!!

 

When I started in this business, I came to it from a USDOT regulatory enforcement and compliance agency with a history of using data-based decision making. As I became familiar with BASICS, I learned to differentiate between individual responsibility (like seatbelt citations and speeding in a construction zone) and what might be based on insufficient company training or oversight. Personally, I don't care much about the "personal" offenses; every driver gets to choose to wear a seatbelt or not. My experience is that most offenses are personal, including the list above. But the pattern is important.

The real question for me is how many of those 'personal' violations will a company tolerate before stepping in with a company-wide response, such as increased oversight and/or improved training. One company responded to long-time poor scores and many alerts by requiring that every new-hire driver go through their entire initial training, doing everything non-CDL holders do except taking the CDL test. Their scores improved almost immediately.

 

Company I drive for is less than 5% the size of PTL. Three (3) drivers recently got warning notices for speed in construction zone but they hit the company CSA just like a ticket. Flat walloped our CSA score. Three (3) warnings! If you're okay with the pay (I'm not), Gordon has 2000 trucks and always an excellent CSA. I doubt Gordon could get you to Greenville for home time, though. A young driver I met at Arnold's HQ in Jacksonville, FL, told me almost his entire CDL class eventually came over to Arnold after starting with Swift, Schneider, Werner, Stevens. A subsidiary of USXpress. Allows dogs.

 

The high Unsafe Driving implies a cowboy attitude, I think, for both dispatch and senior drivers. Both have to change to bring Unsafe Driving down. Dispatch has probably pushed drivers to 'run hot' in the past and the result is tickets. It'll take some convincing to show them that PTL is serious, if it is. PTL's CSA for HOS is 41.5%, not near as bad as Unsafe and Maintenance.

I read that as also meaning PTL drivers aren't sure they have enough time and feel the need to push, push, push. Too much of only able to stay on time by keeping 'the left door shut'. Cowboy attitude and slow speed trucks. Odd combination. It's almost funny when you see them clumped together and jockeying each other for position.

(Gordon's CSA is around 20% across the board, Unsafe Driving, HOS, Maintenance the last time I checked.)