no training use common sense

You're not going to see much of that in today's trucking.Many know how to drive truck even if haven't drove for years but most require a refreshers course which I think is all about money.Then those drivers need to go thru training once again.With the new drivers there's no such thing as common since unless you go thru corporate.In other words companies own drivers and can't even breath without asking for permission.Sad today's drivers can't think for themselves.

 

With the legal system and the ambulance chasing vultures waiting for one mistake to be made before they sue...you can bet that flatbed jobs for the untrained are few and far between, and getting more scarce.

After 22 years of pulling a 53' box, I just moved to hauling glass on open deck trailers. We had to go thru 7 days of glass securement training at the plant, not because we will be securing much(every once in a while we live load), but they do that so we could double check those who did, and to cover their butt in the legal world we live in now...plus it gave me a whole new attitude about driving.

 

With the CVSA and DOT/MOT breathing down your neck, it can't be like that anymore. They will pursue citations against both driver and their company for an insecure load, and the regulations have placed responsibility on your company to train you to follow the rules.

Common sense can go a long way to solving a problem, but without that strong foundation of knowledge regarding the law, you'll still get bent over by the DOT and shown what pain is.

Personally, I can learn in the "trial by fire" despite having proper training coming into this. But most drivers these days don't even like the hot weather.

 

Back then we know how to think with out someone controlling how you think

 

We didn't have a choice. No cell phones or email. When you were 50, 100 or 1000 miles away in the middle of no where in the middle of the night you only had your wits!

We had to figure it out or die!

 

I remember one day I was in Tucson. Called the boss man with my last $3 (pay phone long distance) I had. Truck kept getting slower and slower from Phoenix. Truck had barely any throttle. Boss said "well what the hell do you want me to do about it?"

Walked back out to the truck, found where the rod meet the pump was striped out. I found a coke can put it between the linkage and tighten it down as good as I could. They didn't hear from me again till I got back to the shop the next day. Boss just smiling as I pulled in the yard with an empty trailer. I was 18 years old.

 

And that's how it's done.

 

think we've all been there done that, recently i started a tanker job where i was sent out without any training to unload cattle supplements on cattle properties talk about a wild circus however like you say had to just use some common sense and got the job done eventually, good job i was on $32.50 an hour huh?

 

If I owned a trucking school, I would have a bobtail sitting on one side of the yard, a trailer sitting on another part and a dock. Someone signs up for school. Student has 1 hour to get the truck connected to the trailer and that trailer backed up to the dock. If he could do it, he would get free schooling.

"Free schooling?"

Yeah, I will make my money on the other end. Finder's fee. I would develop a reputation for turning out superior students. The smaller companies would be greatly interested in someone who hasn't developed bad habits, yet can problem solve. No handholding needed. No trainer needed. Ready to go to work.

 

Let us know when you start the school