Post your abusive trainer stories here

Trainers and the time spent training in the truck are the things I dread most about entering the OTR field. Knowing that to many trainers, your presence means more money in their pocket I can just envision them keeping students longer than they need to and declaring "you're not ready yet" even if you are a far better driver than the trainers themselves.

 

I don't enjoy calling someone out, but in this situation I feel a need. A previous poster stated he might have got a trainer fired by calling the 800 number on their trailer. I spoke to a State Trooper here in Virginia last year about why they are reluctant to check out bad drivers in general when called by motorists using cell phones. He smiled and said we got hundreds if not thousands of this type of call. They simply don't have the time and resources to answer all of them, and he said most are from road rage incidents and they must see it to take action. Carriers are getting this way as well. Their safety departments will note them and some will check it out. When you use this system for payback you are abusing it. I hope everybody reading this remembers the story of the boy that cried wolf.

 

but yet Fmcsa feels the need to punish us all go figure

 

Yep, we all get punished. I've been part of conversations about how tough the new regulations and the increased costs have got. I've also heard just about every opinion out there about the why. In my opinion if you want to see the majority of the blame just take a look into your mirror at yourself. I've been around truckers going back to the early 60s. I also have two eyes. Take the roadway, I drive from Hampton Virginia to Richmond Virginia several times a month. One day a while back I decided to count all the disrespectful and down right illegal acts I noticed by drivers in commercial
Vehicles. I stopped counting at 150. This was just from Richmond back home. I've seen drivers bring girls to tears with their swearing and name calling in docks. I actually seen a driver be asked to leave a receiving office because he stunk. I've seen drivers swear at DOT officers just doing their jobs. I've been the victim of fuel theft. I've lost count over the years of people in truckstops walking out of restaurants without paying. I have also seen things like drivers backing into other trucks or stationary objects and attempt to leave. I've seen drivers damage their trucks on purpose or other trucks. I could go on but I think you get the picture. Are we being punished by the FMCSA? Can you with a straight face say its not very well deserved!!!

 

I drive hazmat tanker, it's a slightly higher class of driver. However when I go to flying J to fuel I feel like I'm in the middle of a freak show. Gotta hold my breath when I go to take a whizz.

Last time I found a pee bottle at the fuel island.

So much trash out there giving us all a bad name.

 

I hear that,some of the trk stops ive stayed at looked like a land fill.

 

I got a great trainer but one morning after we finished unloading some chassis he got in the driver seat and put a cup on the dash leaning against the windshield. Got buckled up and ready to go. Dumped the clutch and the cup spilled all over the dash. I'm laughing my ### off until I smelled it. It was a cup of piss lol
I still call him and tease him about it

 

bet he learned his lesson,lol

 

I only had one "trainer" in my driving career, was a good 'ole boy from Alabama, and he wasn't a bad guy but he did get on my nerves. Was with him for 3 weeks and NEVER saw him brush his teeth and he only showered twice. Not the worst thing in the world to deal with, but it was kinda gross. Wish I would have know back then that then that I didn't have to shower in the same shower room as him, that a team shower ticket entitled us to two different rooms. Was pretty sweet having someone scrub my back though.

 

I had a trainer like that but because he was an excellent trainer I wasn't about to trade him in for a lemon.So I politely told him he has BO and start showering,lol.Guess there really isn't no polite way telling someone they stink but he wasn't offended and he took my advice.