Opinions on the New Training Program

This new program doesn't have me in a good state of mind about it. I don't think it was thought out at all.

I've trained 2 students so far out of the new training program they have set up in Tontitown. I did them back to back because I wanted to go home for an extended period of time for 4th of July. Now, because I don't have the original Qualcomm message that was sent out when this was conceived, I'll paraphrase what I can recall from the message.

Trainers were told that this program would last a week in Tontitown with the hopes that most students would be ready for upgrade in 2 weeks out with a trainer.

The various items that these future trainees would be shown and evaluated on in Tontitown were logs (paper and EOBR), backing, standard road test and paperwork. Both of my students stated that they were in a classroom setting for 2 days, then spent the 3rd and 4th days out on the range for only half a day backing and the 5th day doing the road test. Each stated they did minimal logs and QC while in the classroom setting and half days when not out on the range. It showed too. Neither had any concept of how to do the EOBR or paper logs. Which in a standard training session would be fine, but to get them up to par in two weeks in near impossible. Reason being, their backing was also sub-par. I don't expect anyone to have backing, logs, etc. at perfection coming on my truck, but at least just a general idea which only one kind of possessed in backing.

My first student had never driven a manual transmission vehicle before, yet he somehow managed to make it through both C-1 in Ft. Worth and the range in Tontitown. I thought for sure he was going to drop my transmission on more than one occasion. He stalled more than a dozen times in 4 days. Four times while in traffic. Had a call in that he rolled into the back of a vehicle while in traffic. I didn't see or feel anything, but that's what safety stated occurred. Never heard anything further about that though, so who knows how true it was, but he definitely rolled back on a few occasions because he didn't have the concept of knowing the truck's in neutral while the clutch is pushed in. Not his fault, he just simply had NO concept of how a manual transmission worked. I really felt bad for the guy and wanted to just tell him he really should look into a different profession or find a fleet with auto-shift transmissions. I finally got in touch with someone in the student department who could talk to me about him. That's another thing. All of the FMs are in the classroom or at the range so trying to get in touch with anyone is next to impossible. I kept updating them on his slow progress and they just said "Keep working with him." Well, he only lasted another few days before he made the decision that this wasn't for him and was bused home.

Second guy was a bit better, but he wanted to obtain that trucker persona so bad that he imitated everything he thought was what a trucker would do. It annoyed me, but anyway. He was a decent driver. Followed verbal directions pretty good, but had no sense of where he was. Ever. He told me the same things my previous student told me about classroom, range and road test time. He had no clue how to operate the Qualcomm. Paper logs were OK, but needed some refining, which is expected.

This whole thing just seems like an exaggerated orientation. It seems these guys are coming out very ill-informed about every facet that they're supposed to be learning while in Tontitown. Sometimes it even seems like they're coming out even worse prepared than if I picked them up straight after school.

I'd like to hear what the other trainers think of this new program. So far the 2 other trainers I've talked to feel the same way I do. One was even considering quitting training because of this program. I don't blame him.

 

Give me a really good reason why.

Well, I don't know. Neither of my two guys have upgraded off of my truck. I'd hope so. But I wouldn't put it passed them to do what they've done in the past and upgrade a student without me signing off on it with my evaluations after dropping them off at Irving or Tontitown.

 

They're getting a lot more empty trucks. I'll be done in January. I've known 3 trainers that have quit training since the new program started. Doesn't help either that I see the same trucks in the yards sitting along the fences.