New Trainer at CRST needs advice

Neither of my 2 students was taught how to hook or unhook from a trailer. That should give you an idea of what the mills are doing. They are not taught to drive. They are taught how to pass the test. Period. They are told NOTHING about life on the road. They are told NOTHING about living two in a truck. <br>
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Just for the record, having a lic does not mean you can DRIVE. Some have had a lic for years and cant DRIVE. There's a difference between operating a truck and DRIVING it. <br>
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Not going to get caught up in that discussion, except to say that you cant teach someone about an entire lifestyle, about the CONCEPT of DRIVING, if they are only looking to take the easy way out. If a persons basic work ethic is poor, no trainer can help with that. The bottom line is, Winning this game is tougher than it looks. It's much, much more than sitting on your backside, collecting checks. <br>
I'm sorry that they are broke. The student letter is misleading. Whatever. Get over it and quit using that tired excuse. News flash: requiters lie. All of them. So do car salesmen, bankers, Politian's, and ex-girlfriends. Get used to that stuff. It happens. Students are given 100 dollars to start and they can advance money, AS IT IS EARNED!!!!! To earn it, you have to DRIVE. DRIVING is WORK. If you thought you wont have to WORK, your wrong. Quit. Go back to Walmart. <br>
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That's not the biggest problem you face out here. That's just the start. Yes, some trainers are a holes. I had one. But tough it out for 30 days and then you get a whole new set of problems. Get used to a holes. The world is full of them and mommy cant fix it. <br>
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I have said it before. The mills are not great or easy, but they will get you in the door. YOU have to take what's given and make the best of it. Just like anything else in life. Yes, It's hard sometimes. Guess what? Driving a truck is hard sometimes. Sometimes it rains. Sometimes it snows. Sometimes you have to back up. And, no, we aren't going past the house yet. <br>
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Also, I think a lot of people don't understand how much a trainer really makes at CRST. We get .08 cents a mile extra for praying we live through it. We get our miles pretty much cut in half, because our new co is sleepy. Or spends 30 minutes backing. Or spends an hr in every truckstop. Or drags the trailer against something in a truckstop. <br>
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You think training is easy and pays big? Give it a whirl yourself. Get in the ring and take your best shot. I did, and found out that I am a lousy trainer so I quit it. I don't have the tools for that job. It's WAY harder than I thought and for me the pay isn't why I tried it. I thought I could help. <br>
Look around in your classroom and ask yourself, "which one of these folks can I trust with my life?" <br>
We don't get to pick our students. We take what we get and do the best we can with a person who has no clue what they are about to attempt. Most students come out of the mill cheesed off anyway. I don't blame them entirely for that, but I cant fix it. Most feel cheated and when we find out how little they got from the school and how much it cost, we both feel cheated. I mean, REALLY? 6000$ and they didn't teach you how to slide tandems or why? No kidding, my first student didn't even know they moved. He's the one that wrecked the truck. Go figure. <br>
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I think If I ever do it again, I would do it entirely differently. I think that I would like to take a student to an empty lot and park it. Maybe just spend a day, WITHOUT a load, and just talk. Maybe just feed them a big meal and show them the truck. Tell a few jokes. Show them how the bunk controls work and how to use a trash bag for dirty laundry. Find out what they don't know and/or don't have, and start from there. Maybe find a good road and just let them drive the truck a bit, without any pressure or deadlines. Just a joyride. Maybe a couple hundred miles of joyride. <br>
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They tell us to not drive the first week. We are supposed to sit up while they drive, and we are on duty. That means cutting the miles by more than half and double the time. Our load deadlines do not reflect that policy at all. New drivers do not drive efficiently, so it takes longer to get anywhere. Not complaining, just a fact. Students are slow, we hope. <br>
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The qualifications at CRST to train are 6 months otr and 1 winter. I don't think that's enough. I got more advice on this forum about training than I got from crst so, no, they aren't teachers. Most only do it so they can lease a truck. I don't care for that either. Wrong incentive. <br>
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The real problem is the mill. The whole system is wacked. But we cant fix it either. Sadly, the only thing new folks can do is man up, or get out. Sink or swim. Statistics show 80% wash out. I feel like most were never given a fair shot at it to start with. Cant fix that either. I tried. <br>
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This is a tough business. get used to it. If a person cant handle lies, strong words, bad weather, not being at home, and my stinky feet [lol] your not going to make it. <br>
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There's a phrase, it goes, <br>
" It's not about the storm, it's about learning to dance in the rain. " <br>
I think that pretty much sums up what you have to do to get in this trade these days. <br>
I LOVE this stuff. I LOVE to drive. I love the feel and the sound and the smell. I don't like the bull that comes with it, but that's just how it is. Took awhile, but I learned to "dance in the rain". Breaks my heart that I cant teach others. Breaks my heart even more to see how many wont put out the effort to learn. How many are not tough enough to ride it out. How many spend all their days crying instead of figuring out how to grin and drive thru it. <br>
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I salute those who made it. You folks are a step above the herd.&nbsp; You mill survivors have taken a broken system and made it work for you.&nbsp; That seems to be a skill most don't have. &nbsp;

 

Not sure why the post came out like that. bad connection at Flying J.

The problem is the mill. 2 weeks of class and out the door is not enough.
Anybody have a clue how to change that?

 

Thanks Montgomery. My bad, I put the spaces inbetween. Next time I will leave not do that and space for paragraphs instead. Thinking a shorter post might be better also. [lol]
Flybynight041, the first school I went to [hundred yrs ago] was 4 or 5 weeks. The new CRST school is 2 weeks. Mostly classroom time.
How long are the other mega schools?