Tolerating trainers

Well all I can do is pray that I get a good trainer, because I do not have a short fuse but if you light it, it's going to go off sooner or later. If I was to get a trainer like this, I would stop the truck, tell him in no uncertian terms that I am a man just like he is and expect to be treated as such. If after that it continued, he would be the one abandoning the load, cause I would throw his piss poor ### out of the truck, moving about 40mph. LOL, OK not really, but I would make sure that I was the last person that he ever trained.

 

Just wondering how things are going. Did your hubby make it through the last day with the idiot trainer?

 

absolutly unnessassary. that is uncalled for. i am glad he is taking it in stride. personally i would do what would have to , to get back to the terminal and take him around back and show hi he can not dis respect me like that and introduce him to the ground.

 

Is it illegal to throw your trainer from the rig? I keep checkin my books and don't see that listed..

 

I hear it's only illegal if y'all get caught.

 

State and federal labor laws require employers to provide a working atmosphere that is safe, and free from hostilities that are counter-productive to safety. If the trainer is verbally hostile, the trucking company is liable for agitating the trainee, which violates both DOT safety guidelines, and state and federal labor laws. This trainer had gotten away with verbal abuse of trainees because trainees are not complaining. Normally, when too many trainees are requesting another trainer because he has a volatile temper, the trucking company must remove him from his driver trainer position, or trigger an investigation from DOT. Your husband needs to complain, and fill out a written report that his trainer is verbally abusive. You also file a written complaint to DOT in your state, telling them that trainees can't concentrate on their job when the trainer is shouting obscenities. Keep a written record of all the trainers abuse, what he said exactly, and date and time remarks were made. Carry a portable audio recorder. When he takes out the recorder and shows the trainer he had hit the "record" button, this will immediately shut the trainer up, because he knows he can be terminated for verbally abusing a trainee. Trainers who verbally abuse trainees are using "instruction via fear and intimidation," which is only practical in the military. The theory behind teaching by fear and intimidation, is that if a trainee can't handle the verbal abuse in boot camp, then it's likely the trainee can't handle ground combat, when he's exposed to enemy gun fire, and people are dying all around him. Truck driver trainees are not going into :smt067 military combat.

 

It's really a shame that the first experience a driver has out in the real world be tarnished by a driver that clearly has his head up where the sun don't shine. These first few weeks can make or break a driver.

This is what I believe needs to happen. There needs to be another endorsement for driver trainer. The driver must have a number of years, lets sat 10, that are accident free and be free of any tickets. IOW's a good clean record. There should be a test just like the other endorsements and it should cover how you'd teach defensive driving and such. Leadership and management should be included but above all safety should be the priority. Then the FMCSA should set up a driver trainer program which specific requirements. The driver trainer should be paid more all the time and not just when he or she is training. The FMCSA should conduct spot checks on the company to ensure that the program is running correctly.

 

Glad he survived! He must have some awesome will power. Hopefully he will get a chance to tell the company about the guy. Keep us posted on how he's doing!