Said i'd never do this......

actually, they'll sign a contract saying if they rip a fender off, they're paying to replace it.....or if they scratch off paint, they're paying for it. If i damage something, i dont expect them to help foot the bill. They're under the understanding they are to drive the truck like it is THEIRS. Take care of it LIKE ITS THEIRS....help keep it clean LIKE ITS THEIRS.

i'm sure they wouldn't let me borrow their F-150 truck to help move into an apartment/house, scratch the paint or bend a fender and then NOT expect me to pay for it....just isnt going to happen.

my truck is my office....it isnt for a crash test dummy.

 

actually i already have. my DM told me 'hey, its your truck, you're the boss.'. I then asked my TM who was kind of 'on the fence', but did tell me the same thing you just told me. However, getting them to actually PAY for it...is a different story. Lets not forget, unless i go to a KW dealership nearby, replacing a fender or any other damage will take a good part of a week.....whos paying for THAT.......not swift.

thats why when i get a new student on the truck, i'm spending an hour watching them drive around the yard. if i dont feel comfortable with them driving in the yard, i sure as F am not going to feel comfortable with them on an interstate or narrow 2-lane blacktop.

they should already know how to drive. they should already know how to setup for an angle back. they should already know how to shift gears....should already know how to adjust the mirrors, etc.


this kind of dates me, but i'll pull out the old "egg on an orange cone" trick like they did in an episode of the brady bunch when marcia went to get her drivers license and they were practicing in the driveway.......MEMBA THAT????!!?!?!?

 

Yeah....so is sitting in the shop for a week waiting for Swift to replace a bumper cause the student ripped it off backing into a dock and didnt pay attention to that fire hydrant.

there is more than one student waiting for a mentor, usually. So i spend 3 hrs test driving students around the yard (line 1) with an MT trailer, before finally getting one worth taking out of the terminal gate...that sure is a well spent 3 hrs. rather than getting 1500 mi away from their home, find out they cant back, read a map, plan their route, etc., then spending the better part of the next few days getting back to the terminal to kick them off the truck.

one thing i will NOT do, is kick a student off the truck at a truck stop...regardless how bad they might be. if they want off at a truck stop, they'll be signing another piece of paper saying that they want off there on their own accord, and state who and when they plan to be picked up along with that persons phone number.

i sure dont want a student to be driving my truck on the way back to the terminal, when we both know they're getting off the truck as soon as it stops there.