Roll Call

I just took my dexterity/DOT/drug test today and hopefully start work next Monday out of the Karns City terminal. I would be willing to post here a couple times a week updating my training. I don't recall anyone saying much about this terminal as it is fairly remote. They took me straight out of CDL school (Sage) and I'm thankful to be able to start my career at a top company and not have to do the obligatory 1 year of driving for a mega carrier first. The Marcellus shale explosion around here have sucked up a lot of experienced drivers and there's a huge shortage in this area which I'm sure helped me get in.

The TM told me that training would consist of running local with a trainer for about four weeks then I'd go to Greer, SC for a week of hazmat training. After returning from Greer I would run solo for another four weeks staying inside this terminals area which covers five states and Canada. After that, I'd be cut loose out into the system. The good news is that by the time I get to go solo, winter will be coming to an end and I'll have all summer to gain some experience.

If anyone is interested in hearing about my training, leave a post saying so and I'll update this once or twice a week.

 

Still here, just got done with my first real trainee. Young guy just out of school, relatively uneventful except for one hairy moment when the road suddenly iced over in Vermont and he handled it like a pro.

Quite honestly I'd have probably ended up in the ditch as it was 36* and raining. Never would've expected the road to freeze. His new driver extra cautiousness saved us.

Met a new guy who I've had a conversation with on here today. Real nice guy, hopefully he'll pop in.

I thought about maybe starting a log of my training (or lack thereof) adventures, but I'd have to check how the company as well as the new guys would feel about it as I don't want to violate anyone's privacy.

 

Trainer training is pretty neat. I'll try to get what we did on what days right, but it will probably be wrong.

First day we basically went over the PowerPoints and whatnot that new hires go through, but at a greatly accelerated pace. It's really just to familiarize us with what they will be doing. We also did some stuff on reasonable suspicion drug testing as trainers are kind of like supervisors to the trainees and they want us to be aware of what to look for in the event someone is on drugs. I say kind of like supervisors because unlike a terminal manager or someone, I can't say "Hey, I think you need to go in for a drug test." Basically if I thought a trainee was on drugs I could bring it up with management. Really though any employee has the right and to an extent the responsibility to do this if they think a coworker is drunk or high.

Second day we went over the in class portion of the Smith System, and had a conference call with Tom Gorman. I know a lot of guys, myself included, sighed every time we got a message that begins "To all drivers", but the impression I got from Mr. Gorman was that he really cares about the safety of employees. He seems like a genuinely nice guy.

Wednesday we spent most of the day driving around doing the commentary drive, and in the afternoon 2 officers from the GA DOT came in to give a little presentation about things they look for and just have a general q&a session. Heads up, they have a laser with a camera on it that can take a picture of a driver from 1500ft away. They stand on bridges with it and while the handheld phone thing isn't the primary use, if your phone is in your hand, they will see it.

Wednesday night we had dinner at a restaurant in Greer that Brian Nowak attended.

Thursday Mr. Nowak gave a presentation about some things going on with the company. We are in bad need of drivers. My memory may be wrong, but I believe he said the company turns down about $250,000 worth of freight a month because we don't have the drivers to cover it. Jack also went over the CLC program. Trainers now have a credit card to use on hotels. This eliminates the need to pay for and be reimbursed which is how it was when I started.

After that we went and looked at the new Macks and Peterbilts. I'm already in a Mack, so I spent my time looking at the Peterbilt. It's super nice. There were some representatives from Mack askng how we liked the trucks and what we would like changed. The storage issue was brought up repeatedly so maybe future models will address that.


Oddly enough during this whole process you're never taught how to train. We were given a guide of things that need to be covered by us with trainees, but how you cover it is kind of up to you.

 

Overall the company is pretty good. We get paid decent and treated well. My only beef is who in the heck keeps making the decisions on the trucks. These new Macks suck. They ride rough as heck, no storage space, and the curtain tabs keep breaking off because they are so thin and cheaply made. I could go on. After 11 hours of driving I have to lay on a heating pad because my lower back is beat to death and my neck and shoulders are killing me. Has anyone at corporate ever driven a truck?

I am not sure how the Peterbilt's ride but I can't imagine them being as rough as the Macks. They definitely have more storage. Superior should have went with ALL Petes. Not sure why they only bought a handful and gave them to a select few.

Rant over. And I hope corporate does read this. Maybe they will give me a Pete for my Mack.

 

Have you checked the front air bags on your Mack? I've had bolts that hold the shocks on loosen up which causes the roll pins to come out allowing the leveler valve to move and the bags deflate. It rides horrible when that happens.

They definitely aren't as comfortable as the Prostars but mine rides pretty good, especially with an air ride trailer.

 

I will look at it. I have not noticed anything like that when pre tripping. I have heard a couple guys took their trucks back to mack and had the front air bags adjusted. I dont think it did much good. The seats suck too. They dont have much give.

I asked my tm if they would buy a different seat but obviously he said no. It would be a shame for the driver to be comfortable while driving all day (insert sarcasm).

I guess I am going to look for some kind of gel seat padding or something. I have to do something. It's getting ridiculous.