Stevens Transport aviary

I would think it would be kind of stupid to abuse thr trainer position, because you willmake good money being one, and if a company takes you off as a trainer it would seem pretty hard to be one again, and make the money trainers get

 

First off, I mean no offense to Emulsified or any of the other 'good' trainers on here.

Unfortunately, Stevens churns so many students weekly that unless they get multiple verifiable complaints about a trainer they do nothing. If they actually 'weeded' out the bad ones they wouldn't be able to accept as many students as they do. I can count the number of good trainers that I have encountered on my fingers!!

I even know one trainer that started out as a good trainer, but now his only concern is 'more miles, more miles'!! As I said before, I don't feel that trainers should be run as many miles as they are. The 750 per day that they are supposed to be limited to during the first couple of weeks should be perfectly adequate, allowing for plenty of actual training time, drive time, and break time. Hubby & I drive team and I can tell you that on those days that we try to do 1,000 miles, there would be no time for any training!

 

Hey, Happy new year! Question. Does the Stevens trainers run team loads, or does he/she sit in the passenger seat while the student/trainee drives? Is there any way to make more than the $350 salary while training? Just curios because a friend that I went through CDL school with went with Prime, and he averaged around $800 a week through training. A couple weeks he made nearly $1000 with mileage bonuses. Thanks!

 

They run 'limited' team loads. They can average 750 miles the first couple of weeks, about 850 the next, then 1000 for the final two weeks. (or something like that, I went thru training over 2 yrs ago, so its a little 'fuzzy') Anyway, they are limited to 15hrs, 17hrs, 19hrs as student progresses, with a 'mandatory' 8 hour shutdown. Only way I know of making more than the $350 is to 'lump' the loads. And that would have to go thru the trainer as well.

 

You need to look at the big picture and not be fixated on what you will earn during training, it's only for a few weeks anyway. I think what happens after training regarding income potential is more important. I regularly find myself in loading docks with Prime drivers and they ain't rolling in the dough.

 

Happy New Year everyone! I see on Stevens website that hazmat endorsement is not required, but is a benefit. I know they reimburse. My question to all of you Stevens drivers, how often do you get a hazmat load?

 

Hubby & I both have HazMat. We have repowered exactly 1 HazMat load since I started driving 2 yrs ago. While Hubby was driving solo, he had a Haz load about once every 6 months.

 

There is NO way to train anyone to be a 'truck driver' in 5 weeks. All I can and do teach is that cutting corners will only cost you in the long run. I comment on mileage to only show that after HARD work and PROVING yourself, ...miles are available!

Just fyi, last week I got 2200 miles...

 

I wasn't saying that a trainee would come back after 5 weeks a completely 'trained' driver, simply that it would be nice if more trainers actually worked on teaching them the basics, suce as moving tandems/5th wheel to balance their load, the use of the 'meat lock', how to operate the reefer, etc. We have actually done repowers that were so far out of balance that it was riduculous, the trainer told them to always have the tandems in the 5th hole. Trainers should have to be evaluated 'on the road' before being allowed to be trainers.

And I can't even count the number of loads we have received that were never scaled (many of them over 40,000 lbs), produce loads (from trainers) with only 2 load locks (or none at all), trainers pulling in for repower with no meat lock on trailer (including high-value loads). The list goes on and on.

 

I wouldn't take what she is saying personally mistermino, It is a fact that a good number of trainers don't train. They use the trainee as a log book and steering wheel holder with little intention of helping the trainee progress as a driver. I think the number of bad trainers far out numbers the good ones.

I also understand that a good number of the trainees are a waste of time and space. I don't think that joe public driving down the highway realizes how many 'truck drivers' are complete morons.