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

Another great thread! This forum is just full of 'em. Great that is.
After teaching over 2000 students and contributing to 1000 more, over the past ten years, I can say just one thing about it all. You can have the best trainer ever! The best school ever! The best class ever! But its that big truck that's going to TEACH you! She is only going to do it her way. And her way only! Kinda like my ex-wife. Its time behind the wheel gents. Time behind the wheel. OK so that's more than one thing. Be safe out there.

 

Well, I wasn't planning on taking any more students but the Albuquerque terminal called me a couple hours before I passed through and asked if I could take one, they had a bunch. Problem is, get me on the phone and I have a hard time saying no.

As soon as I picked him up I knew I had my work cut out for me. He is an immigrant from Mexico(got his citizenship) and english is his second language. His brother taught him how to drive on an automatic and didn't teach him much about log books. Honestly, if I were a recruiter I'd have him at least take a week long refresher course at a real school before sending him out with a trainer.

He does seem to have the right attitude to get the job done. He wants to learn and isn't showing any signs of getting frustrated with himself yet, so thats good. He was trying to avoid downshifting whenever he could so today I had to explain to him how to do it and that he absolutely HAD to learn it or he wouldn't pass the road test when he gets off my truck. He is actually trying to do it now. I told him, "If you can move to another country and become a citizen then surely you can downshift a truck, but you have to try first" He agreed and said that shifting should be a lot easier than moving and smiled.

But I still have my work cut out for me, lol.

 

When my trainer dropped me off at the company yard, the official company "tester" came around. He grabbed about 5 of us newbies that had been with a trainer for about a month, and headed out to the testing area.
First up, how to inspect a truck. Two of the guys did not pass this test.
Next, the obstacle course. Same two guys did not pass this either.
Last, the road test. Would you guess? Same two guys did not pass.
I remember one of them could not make a turn without having to come to a complete stop in the middle of a very busy intersection, so he could get it back into gear.

I don't know what happened to those guys. But, to pass a training course (?), and be out a month with a trainer, and not be able pass the tests at the company headquarters? What happened out there?

 

Now thats quite a feat 2000 students in 10 years, so you were training 200 drivers a year. Wow thats incredible...... No wonder the students can not drive. That explains everything.

 

If you want to get "prayed up" train drivers fresh out of cdl school how to drive, load and dump frameless dumps. I used to be a trainer and was always amazed at what got into my truck. The pay was good, but very few ever made it into their own trucks.

I am not a very coordinated person, I had a trainer that couldn't understand I knew what to do with the brain, but the body had other ideas. Finally he taught me to float shift and it saved my career. I'm not very patient so I still tend to overstear when I'm backing.

 

I believe he said teach, not trained. He could have had a 100 students in a class, each time....

 

Gashauler, you are absolutely right, I worked as an instructor for awhile, and every student learns differently. Teaching by way of the Smith System is an excellent tool and it makes a difference. I would show my students and explain what they needed to do,let them ask their questions and let them try on their own. If they did it incorrectly, I would ask them what could you have done differently? let them try again and answer questions if asked. I did not want them to use my knowledge as a crutch, they needed to also learn problem solving skills. I explained some day you will be on your own and need to be able figure your way out of situations that you will not always have someone there to help you.I taught by way of the Smith System and had alot of patience.
I never argued with students, if I had a hot head that new it all, I told them in order the work as a driver you will need to convince me you can do the job I do not care if you drove before or had an uncle with a trucking business.
My philosophy was I was not going to let a student out on the highway that I thought could not do the job and drive a truck safely. To many schools are pushing people through these schools that have no business behind the wheel.