Question For New Driver Graduates

You forgot my favorite one, "Lot Lizards" !

 

When I got done with "training" all I knew how to do was put a truck in gear, make it go forward; and sort of make it go back.

When I got done with my "trainer" (The first let piss jugs roll around on the floor, the second was a coke-head and was fired the day after I got out of his truck), I knew very little much more than what I'd gotten out of driving school.

I had to quite literally, force my driver trainer into teaching me how to back. We ran National/OTR terminal to terminal for FFE. So my knowledge of driving on US/State routes was minimal. My knowledge of going into shipper/receivers was minimal. Essentially; I knew the very basics.

At the end of the day, this sort of situation proved useful- it showed me that I could learn how to do this job on my own, and more importantly it proved I could do it on my own.

 

I'm putting together the money for school but I feel confident in a number of those areas because I have been driving a class B flatbed for years.

 

I'm wondering just how much training in all these areas does the OP expect?
Or new drivers, for that matter.

Just how long do you want to be in training?

If all of these things were completely covered in training, you would be a trainee for a couple years - and at an additional cost of tens of thousands more than what is paid today.

Training covers the basics only. It is up to each individual to maximize that training and then learn to perfect those skills on their own.

 

I'm about to finish my rookie year trucking. I started with McElroy after I finished a 4-week CDL school at a community college. Based on conversations with the guys that I went thru training with at McElroy, my cc CDL school prepared me much better than the much more expensive schools they attended.

As for McElroy's training, which consisted of one week of orientation, a week on the yard doing load securement & skills course (backing & such), 4 weeks on a trainer truck (a true trainer truck; no team driving junk), then final week training (proving you can properly secure loads & upper level skills course). I found their training was very good preparing me to get in my own truck. Other than the typical nervousness I'd think everyone would have when they head out on their own for the first time, I felt relatively confident I was ready to make a go of it. Oh yeah, I forgot about all the trip planning done throughout training...every week, almost every day, even when on the trainer truck.

However, if there was one thing I wished they'd have done, it would be to put some type of load on the flatbed trailers while we were on the skills course. I say that b/c backing a heavily loaded split-axle trailer & backing an empty one are two different animals. Just would've helped, I think.

 

Some of the personal/health/attitude topics could be condensed into some short video presentations to keep it interesting.

My wife's school was run by old boys and could have done with some more up to date facts.

I applaud any attempt at a better training program.

 

"THIS IS A DEEP SORE SUBJECT FOR ME!!" - you have touched on MY one pet peeve of this industry due to "most, majority of" these creaky, ratty, money hungry schools "DO NOT" cover or try to personalize answers to MOST of their students! In the short time that people ARE THERE one or more of the "instructors" should have CURRENT knowledge to give sufficient answers to the students "PAYING" to be there!!! I have been thru '4' of them over the long 8 yrs that I have tried to stay out here due to being "pigeon-holed" into them due to having taken time off of the road or being a girl!!

As for WHAT is covered (sorry Moosetek 13) IT IS possible to take time to mention or go over "ALL" of these areas IF the school is set up correctly! They SHOULD HAVE packets of paper to hand out to the students explaining the specifics of their load types rather than just 'tons' of papers about company "rules & regs" that WON"T be read by most drivers & most likely just be thrown out!

I TRULY BELIEVE ALL of these schools should be *standardized - set up the SAME" when it comes to the majority of Do's & Don't's about the truck & driving! THEN go out for a month with a "specialized trainer" on a truck with a person 'that will' take the time to cover the 'majority' of what the student needs for THEIR type of loads! Not ignore them, roll over & sleep, sit in the truck stop, etc, etc just to make the extra money!! Then requiring that they TEAM till they have gone thru "ONE" winter with a more experienced driver that WILL HELP them learn more as they work!

I went thru "several" trainers when I started at Werner. They had at that time ONLY 2 female trainers!
1st - was from Guam & he thought that trying to force me to eat at crappy, little gas stations was teaching me how tuff & bad it can be & he "never" asked me what I could do well from the school & what was my weak areas!!?? HE screwed up by driving out in a field (showing me HOW TO turn a truck around at a shippers without pissing them off & blocking their yard) BUT HE buried the whole front of that rig in SOFT dirt. It took HIM begging the company to use THEIR D9 Dozer - about 4 hrs later to get us out!
2nd - was my absolute favorite - we had TONS of fun & HE paid for ALL of my meals & bought me a special Mother’s Day meal! HE helped me thru many winter storms! What was wrong was sadly 2 things - he was not the cleanest, truck needed TLC - I developed a bad respiratory cold due to it and the hardest was realizing for the first time WHAT sleep deprivation truly was! I literally woke up & saw him nodding out behind the wheel - lost trust at this moment!
3rd - was a young guy, O/O, with a "super 10!!" I told him that I had NO clue what that was & he proceeded to ##### at me about not screwing up his truck - took me 5 days to learn it, about the time I got off his truck! He was an alcoholic & he kept a jar of baby Vaseline hid in his bunk! He was drinking "bottles per day" of Dollar Store Night Quill - it is "12%" alcohol. Werner stated - so he is sick!?? duh
4th - was an old man. They thought grandpa was safe. This is where I learned about "pee jugs" for him! Then he would open the passenger side window & wing them out! His other HUGE fault (besides eating too much) was that he had "NO SENSE" of good directions. Every chance he got he was asking which way to go is best, looking at maps, asking more people - yes we were LATE - a lot! But the very best part of him was when he got mad due to me asking Werner about his pee jugs & being late & he then drove me ASAP to the Werner terminal West of Atlanta, GA & dumped me back at the motel that they use. It sits on the side of the main hwy & up on a big hill WITH A SIGN that says NO, NONE ever any vehicles bigger than a pickup truck allowed. YUP - HE turned that huge rig right to go up (thought he was 'big dog trucker'), hit & knocked over the large light pole on the right (in front of many people), ran over grass, concrete, & a bush - dumped me out & left the same way!
5th - was my last & a great guy but by this time I WAS BURNT, shell shocked & tired of this BS. We got along well, he fed me, & I finished training & got my own truck.

THIS CRAP SHOULD *NEVER* HAPPEN to a student while out "training!" Where is civil decency & human morals? If a person IS going to train then they HAVE NO RIGHT to do as THEY please on that truck for many things! They should be well aware that they HAVE TO sacrifice a lot of things - we are not "pets" to be kept, an extension of YOUR log books, we have rights & feelings, we grew up in different places & different cultures, yelling or barking at us IS NOT acceptable, IF YOU choose to train with a girl - WE HAVE MONTHLY ISSUES - grow up!! "ALL OF THIS TAKES TIME" to learn & adjust to out here!!

Thank you and I "HOPE" that everyone that reads this WILL PUSH for set standards of basic truck training and "mandatory" expectations of trainers!

 

Breakdowns.I had a wrecker driver tell me a lot of guys cant even tell you where they broke down at.
Its a good habit to keep mile markers on the brain.Made me start to think about it more.
I know qualcom can find you,but not everyone has it.
How to park,and re-enter roadway after stopping.It amazes me how many drivers won't put on 4 ways
when below 45mph on a major interstate,or when on the shoulder.
Just my 2 cents