Students do the strangest things (Or, the Tips for Trainers thread)

I've never been a trainer but I can tell you from my experience of being trained that sometimes the left brain and the right brain can get confused. The trainer is saying turn right and your thinking I have to turn left to turn right and so you do the opposite of what the trainer wants. The easiest way to remedy this situation (it's what my trainer did with me when I explained my confusion) is to lay out the rules and the "hand signals" prior to the exercise. For instance, determine if when you say turn to the right you mean "turn the wheel to the right" or are you saying turn the trailer to the right. My husband and I having been teaming for the past 8 years (he was my trainer), we use two way radio's to spot for each other. If I tell him to give it more right, he knows I mean that the trailer needs to come to the right and he reacts accordingly. Also everyone's perception is different. My husband (trainer) would ask me "what are you seeing?" and I would be specific then he would say so what do you need to do to correct? and I would tell him what I thought. Sometimes he would say ok, try it. At first I would quickly find out the I was wrong and he would explain why I was wrong, then he would have me try again. Eventually the proverbial light bulb would go off and I got it. Sometimes if there's not a danger of an accident it's good to let a new driver make mistakes and in the correction of the mistake they are able to learn. As someone said earlier if the trainer is constantly telling you what to do you never really learn HOW it's done. You're just following instructions. Making mistakes and learning how to correct those mistakes is the ultimate learning experience as long as there is no danger posed to the driver, others or property.

 

I was, once, a trainer for a company that does out & back runs. Or, one day round trips. My observance was that many "trainers" needed some training for them selves. They just agreed to do the job thinking it would be "brownie points and/or power of some sort. And, they figured it would be easier than it turned out to be. It certainly didn't pay anymore with this company. I did it because it made my job easier when I wasn't training. i.e., how long do I want to wait behind a rookie to get MY job done? Anyway, in most cases, the success of a rookie is directly proportional to the abilities, and knowledge of the trainer. Not only with regards to operating the equipmnet, but dealing with many different personalities. The first step in my training regimine, was to understand the students' personality. And, this is as easy as sitting there, in the cab, and talking to them for about fifteen minutes. With a few simple, baseline questions, you can determine, before the first move, what kind of person you are training. Is this person introverted? Is this a "know-it-all" (the worst)? So on, and so on. If you're smart, you will pick up on how receptive someone is within mere minutes. And, then you adjust your training methods to suit them. But, lo, and behold, there are some people who just aren't cut out to drive a truck. Too bad, there are so many that are doing it. You know who you are.

 

when i learned how to back trailers in a yard jockey bout 2 years ago, this is what happened

i went out there with a guy my first day, he rode in the jockey truck with me (tight fit).....he explained everything word for word, told me when to cut the wheel, how hard to cut it, what to look for when to start straightening out....it didnt work

the next day a different guy...did the same thing, but he was worse about it, he would grab the wheel and start steering for me while backing...i wasnt learning much


third day, third guy....he said hop in that horse, grab an empty pup and put it in 55 door, come find me when your done...and believe it or not i learned 10x faster by doing it myself

of course they have to tell you the basics, but you will learn to do it best (in my opinion) by doing it yourself...having somebody over your shoulder who wont shut up about "cut it left, cut it back right, straighten her out, pull up to the left then swing it right" just does NOT work, for me atleast

 

In a previous life I was a Certified Flight Instructor and also taught martial arts for several years.

In flight training we did something we called "hangar flying" pull up a couple of chairs out in the hangar and pretend that you are in the plane. It really gets the old brain working. I don't know how much that might help in your situation, but maybe you could somehow adapt that to fit.

Sometimes teaching martial arts you run into the guy who "thinks" he is a bad dude, or used to be a boxer, or whatever. But the point is that he already has it in his/her head that you are just there to demonstrate something. You show him, he nods his head and then wants to move on to something else. You haven't "taught" him anything. It is just something that tomorrow the guy will say to his buddies "check this out" and do something that may, in a roundabout way, but not really at all, resemble what you showed him. In that situation I am totally honest with the student and usually tell him to take a break and grab some water or whatever and then just have a seat for a minute and just ask him straight up. "Hey man, I keep showing you this stuff and you just don't seem to want to take me seriously. Is there something else I can do to help you out here? Everyone learns differently and you have to find what works for that particular student.

Some people are just unteachable. Sorry to say it, but it is true, and you, the teacher have to be able to recognize that and accept it.

I don't know if my .02 Cents is going to be of any help whatsoever, but hopefullly you can get some use out of it.

Good Luck,

Dave

 

I have been training for a little over a year now. I find every student is diff in the way they learn. The first week usually is just learning how to communicate on a level they can absorb without them feeling pressured. Then the fun begins! Every month is a learning expeience for me too.

I have never had to fail a student before. Until last month. For starters he simply couldnt get the skills down at all. In week 2 I hadnt been able to sleep unless the truck was parked. If I was not in the jump seat he fell apart. When I finally did try to go to sleep near the end of the second week I was kept awake all night by sounds I hope none of you ever hear.

This young man thought he was Ozzy Ozbourne, and he insisted on singing country music at the top of his lungs all night long. So imagine if you can Ozzy doing Randy Travis!!?? The next morning the company got him a new trainer. I hope he makes it, I just dont think I was capable of teaching him on the level he needed.

So the companies answer for me...I got a retired lounge singer for a student now!! You just cant make this stuff up. But he sounds good and drives better so it turned out well.

Training much like driving is what we make of it I think. The are good days and bad, good students and bad. In either case from time to time you just have to take a break.

 

I am currently docked at home, waiting for the call to meet my trainer. I just left C1 at Indy and the topic of conversation at the smoking table was what kind of trainer we were going to get. Since we were getting flat rates, many thought the trainers would be driving them into the ground since the trainer would get the milage. Other issues were alot of what was said here. The last thing I need is someone screaming at me, grabbing the wheel etc. I know I have a lot to learn and want to learn it with someone who cares to show me the right thing.

Oh and it would help if he doesnt smell like $*%^ either.

 

Oh I am sure my short commings will be evident. And as for the questions, they will be multiple to say the least. C1 got me my CDL, not much more. We didnt even get an example of a drop & hook. So I hope my trainer is ready... I intend to be a sponge for the the entire time. Hopefully I will gain enough to feel confident on my own.

 

I have the best trainer in the industry and could not be happier. Finally something is going my way....