Trainee help

I read the OPs post last night and decided to sleep on my answer. OP if your report is 100% true your trainer is a fool. He sounds like just another steering wheel holder. I have run that route many times and honestly not using the Jake is stupid. Yes it is important to know how to do it, but once that is taught turn that dang Jake back on before someone gets hurt or killed. Oh welcome to the world of trucking.

 

hmm I ran about 600 miles earlier today with out em as I've done several trips before, doesn't give me a sense of smart or stupid I guess at least I know it can be done. however there's really no point here other than if you get on board with me you'll some practice with out.

 

here is a good view. Most new drivers don't even have a clue what the jake brake really is or what it does.

 

If some moron that was supposed to be "training" me told me to do something that could possibly cause a runaway truck for no reason other than that he was a douche, niceness goes byebye! I have a great relationship with my company and I can go back to any previous job.

If you want to be nice to people who tell you to do things that can get you killed, its America and your free to.

 

you can move on.. cya

 

I told a student I'm turnin off the gps and gave him a atlas.

I almost got punch in the face.

 

Oh, and regardless of a trainer...The deal is between you, the law, and everyones lives...So always default to safety in all situations...That would have been a good time to say f-you buddy...
You'll face this again in the future, somewhere...maybe on a wierd forklift or something...
Use your common sense and take the slower safer route, always...

In your situation, I would have said "sorry buddy cant do it, i need to take this in 4th gear with the engine break fully on"...period..."if you got a problem we'll deal with it at the bottom of the fricken hill"

Jesus, and they expected you to sleep with this skillset behind the wheel?

 

That's because it should be in the training to get a CDL, not after it. People who get a pilots license seem to go through some training to operate it safely, why shouldn't we have something that is more than a simple multiple choice question test?

 

Haha....well who wants to hold up big ol pieces of thinly sliced tree sheets that never beep or talk to you!!!
Mines set on european female, it makes me feel like james bond checkin in with money penny

 

First let me point out that I've already called this 'trainer' an idiot - either for not understanding how to drive a truck or not being able to communicate effectively with the student. Matters little which, just wanted to be clear on this specific situation before I generalize and get curb stomped.

I agree with the quoted posts - to a point. The driver behind the wheel is ultimately fully responsible for the actions of the vehicle. However the trainer is STILL RESPONSIBLE in the eyes of the COMPANY and the LAW. If one of my students has an incident while on my truck I will be brought in for a discussion on the how and why the incident was allowed to occur - as is right and proper. If my trainee is named in a law suit for an incident that occurred while on my truck I will be named as a co-defendant.

The way our industry is supposed to work is that the "New Driver Associate" will already have all the "hard skills" (shifting, backing, maneuvering) before they can pass a CDL test. The time spent on the road with a trainer should be about company policy, working efficiently, and how to handle 'special circumstances'. The reality is that half of my trainees need to be reminded to "breathe in, now breathe out, breathe in, breathe out" or they would suffocate themselves. Too often they don't know what safety to default to.

As an example we have a customer in Green Bay, WI. There are three ways into this customer. The first way is from the north, extremely tight button hook turns, lots of traffic and stoplights. The second way from the south has less but faster moving traffic and easier turns but more of them. Finally you can come in from the west - straight shot in, one easy turn and you're done. Only problem is trucks are restricted and one of the facilities neighbors has a security camera and will report violators. I brought a trainee in from the north and was planning on leaving by the southern route as our shipper was north of Green Bay and our yard is on the south side. All week trainee had been telling me how things "should be done" and was more than a little pissed about how tight the route in was. He was further pissed off by having to scale in and out (off site scale), having to sweep the trailer, and otherwise do his darn job. While getting unloaded I go over the very specific route we need to take to get to the yard. He asks why can't we take the easy route and I explain. Heading out he still tries to take the restricted route (very clearly marked NO TRUCKS). Only reason we didn't is we got stopped by a red light. Trainee plays the "I'm driving and I say where the truck goes" card. I pop the brakes and make him get in the jump seat, drive to the yard, and proceed to fail the guy.

This guy thought going down a restricted route was "safer" than staying on a designated route. I've had guys play the "you can't make me do unsafe things" for the most ridiculous reasons (closing trailer doors, securing freight, jury rigging broken tandem pullers). My personal favorite is still the guy who wanted to do 50 MPH in lane 3 on I-294 around Chicago on a Sunday night when slow traffic was doing 60 and the gunners were doing 70+, claiming being in the right hand lane was "unsafe because of merging traffic". I've also had trainees get upset when I pull them out of the drivers seat for a maneuver because it's high risk and if something goes wrong I want it to be my own stupid fault and them to be held faultless.

In this specific situation the trainer said "no engine brake" - for whatever reason. Trainee's response should be "okay", gear down and snub brake through the hills. On I-68 that means dropping at least one gear lower than you climbed in (straight out of the CDL manual) or maybe more. After having issues on the first down grade then be more conservative on the subsequent grades. As a wet behind the ears driver I went through there with 45K without using the engine brake (forgot it was there) and didn't smoke the brakes. Had one high pucker factor moment that still gives me the willies but still didn't smoke the brakes. If the trainee doesn't understand the why he needs to ask clarifying questions. If he still doesn't agree then he needs to find a safe and legal place to pull off and have a discussion. Advising new drivers to blatently disregard their trainers is courting trouble. I'm not saying that was the intent, but just a possible interpretation.