Trainers from Hell

What company did this happen.............(just don't say too loud).......LOL

I had a good trainer as well, but I had some help because I have been driving dump trucks for most of my life. The trainer after I got behind the wheel the first day and drove for about 6 hours, with him having me get on/off exit ramps some local streets went on to sleep and said "yeah you can drive, so just wake me up when we get there"...............LOL

I have spoken to many people who have hed nightmare experiences with trainers. This is something that has me confused though.........Why be a trainer if you are not going to have the patience needed to train people who in most circumstances know nothing about driving big truck. And of course I am not saying be a panzy with everyone, however each person has their own level of perception, inteligence, learning curve, retention, application skill, emotional state, (and the list can go on)

Training is what we are supposed to do, not yell, scream, curse, belittle, dominate or more importantly destroy. Everyone who is a trainer should not be one. It is the responsibility of everyone to respect and demamnd respect. I just spoke to another trainer a couple of weeks ago who was going to court to testify in court about a student who theatened and attacked him with a knife on the truck. Now to mention I do not know any details as to what happened or who was right or wrong, So all I can say is that their was a break down on many levels by both parties for things to escalate to that point.
I am not saying just take any kind of treatment from the student/trainer, but communication itself and how, can possibly advert things going badly for either or both parties.

I have failed students, put students off the truck, and also put extra into a situation/student when I felt that even though they may have had some difficulties. The desire, drive and initiative was strong enough that giving up on them was not warranted.

 

As jash said, "not everybody should be a trainer." Unfortunately, some companies take somebody who is still a rookie and make him a "trainer." This is a recipe for disaster. It's like the teenage mother with the new baby, "kids raising kids."

You will find some trainers that really love the job. They are dedicated to making each student reach their maximum potential. They agonize long and hard before they wash out a student.

But then you have the ones that are just in it for the money. Or for the "power trip." Some folks feel good when they see others screw up. Makes them feel superior. This kind of person should not be trainer.

I'm not in the loop anymore, but it used to be that the companies that did training, were hurting so bad for driver trainers, that they would give the job to anyone who would take it. The company brass did not seem to have the brains to figure out, "so and so trainer is sure having a lot of complaints from students. He sure is washing out a lot of them. Maybe we should re-evaluate his status as a trainer."

 

i loved what little training i did. i ALSO HATED IT!!
i felt so much responsibility on my shoulders. telling a student they had to spend extra time out because they weren't ready yet. not being able to sleep peacefully sitting still. worrying about them wrecking or getting into a spot I had to get them out of.

 

Using rookies as trainers is also popular in aviation. While the pilots need their commercial certificate before they can get a CFI (certified flight instructor) rating,
they're still on the low end of the experience ladder (think of a 1 year trucker).

It is a great way to gain experience, for those with the right attitudes and willingness to learn. Yeah. I learned a lot as a driver trainer, and anyone who shows up with the attitude that the trainer is NOT there to learn... should just move on and try some other profession.

 

chuck, trust me, you're not the only one to get a bad "trainer." I was chauffering D.A.N. around with transam until I got completely fed up with hearing his big, fat, black lips flapping around. stopped at a truck stop, hopped directly on a bus and headed home. he was my second "trainer" with them. had 3 weeks with the other guy with no problems - just didn't actually learn anything. 3 days with D.A.N. and that was it. I found another company about 3 months later. got 6 weeks of training, got my own truck, and put in 2 years with them.

you HAVE to find the right company with REAL trainers who don't just expect you to chauffer them around. if you had a year experience, I'd tell you about a good company with a terminal in Cincinatti.

 

First off, nobody should EVER EVER get into a trainer's truck where he or she yells and cusses you out. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Cuss or yell at me, and the next time we stop, i'm on the phone with my company telling them i need to get back to a terminal and i am off his truck, and explain why. Being yelled/cussed at has no business in this profession. (once you are solo, you can do all the yelling and cussing you want )

Now, let me give you my recent experience......

I finished up my schooling (yes with swift) first few days of September. I wanted to get right into orientation, so i took the very next class. I got the run around as far as actually getting a mentor. the DM we all got while we were training came into our class and asked us each who we wanted for a trainer...smoker/non-smoker, male or female. I got my driver code and a card with my mentors name and truck number. I waited a day and then found out he was a smoker. I turned it down. Another mentor was stuck in Texas (hurricane Ike was blowing thru) and was even told this mentor, "...he will be here saturday morning..." Nothing gets more under my skin, than giving me information like it is 'confirmed' when it is actually still 'up in the air'. Dont promice me something if you cant follow thru with it.

So anyways, I finally got a mentor that next monday. On the way to his truck he says, "...sorry the truck is kind of messy, havent had a chance to clean it..." Boy was i in for a suprise. The windshield looked like it had not been cleaned in a month, and looked like no amount of rain helped. He chewed, and had this 5 year old fruit can as his spatoon. He would have an old t-shirt he'd blow his nose on, then throw it on the floor in front of his bunk. Junk on the dash. But i was just happy to finally get my 6-weeks of training underway.

After he picks me up, we rush to make this drop and hook, then he (oh, he is an O/O mind you) drives like Evel Kenivel trying to get home. I spent the first night in the truck at his home, no biggie. Tuesday we get to a shipper, get loaded, and then he pulls off on an on-ramp, and says "ok...here u go...." Now seeing how every truck drives different and shifts different, that was really not the best place for a newbie to take over a truck. I grind it alot but get it going. He really didnt teach me alot. I did a little bit on the QualComm, but basicly felt i was just there to drive his truck. The first weekend he knew he was taking some home time. He offered to drive me 3 hours to my home, but expected me to drive my personal car back to his place. He then 'looked' for a room for me, but they were all full. He even got a company advance for the room, but never put me in one. So he left me in the truck at a Wal-Mart DC for what ended up being 4 nights. Remember that DM i had? When i asked on the qualcomm about if students were to get hotel room when mentor goes home for more than 2 days...the DM even took sides with the mentor, asking me, "..did he not offer to drive you home?" To which i said "yes, but he expected me to drive my own car back. i dont have the money or the gas to do that". and the DM actually had the nerve to tell me, "...that isnt the responsibility of the trainer now is it." ARE YOU F------IN' KIDDING ME????? THAT IS PART OF THE TRAINERS JOB, WELFARE OF THE STUDENT !! Not to mention he didnt see no problem going 3-4 days without a shower, looking like a bum to shippers when picking up a load, etc.

So he finally comes back to the truck, tells me "we are going to be out for 3 weeks straight". I said GREAT. It wasnt but a couple days before we were back home again. Out of 14 days on his truck, I only got credit for 2 backs (supposed to have 28 by the end of 6 weeks) i only worked for 8 days (and only got credit for 8 days against my 42-days of training. Even though i asked my DM 'these 42 days, are they just straight 42 from start to finish, or 42-loaded working days'...to which i was told 42-straight days') We pretty much ran 'team' after the first 4-5 days, and i did most of the driving. I didnt get taught anything. THEN came the straw that broke the camel's back. The 2nd weekend we're headed up I-35 on the toll road. We get a pre-plan for a load that picks up in Jefferson City, MO, headed to CA. He tells me that he was going to head home after we T-Call the load at the terminal we were both based out of. I asked if he was planning on driving thru that city on the way to CA, and he said "i can". (he probably was anyways) So we agreed 200 miles before the end of that run, that i would get dropped off at the terminal, and get picked up on his way back thru. Turns out there were no bunks at the terminal available. So the gal working driver services that night sets me up for a hotel, BUT my mentor had to drive me there. It was going to be a big problem if the hotel shuttle could not bring me back sunday...and made it sound like a 'make or break' deal if i stayed there or not. I finally said, "i NEED to take a shower, i NEED to do laundry..." And then he says "well sometimes as a student you dont get what you want." The lady we were standing in front of finally said "he is your student, and you are responsible to get him what he needs." Make a long story even longer, i got the hotel.

He comes back to the terminal, with no trailer. he starts on this rant about how when i got off the truck friday night (this being sunday morning now) that they took that load to CA off because it was a 'team' load. IT WAS A 1600 MILE LOAD AND IT DIDNT DELIVER FOR 3-4 DAYS !!! a solo driver could have done that. Then he pulls out a calculator and starts figuring how much me getting off the truck cost him. He keeps on about losing $1200 like he wanted ME to help pay for it. I finally told him, "...look. 14 days, and i've had 3 showers...i shouldn't have to feel like i have to BEG to get one. i've had 2 backs in 2 weeks, and you expect me to drive my personal car from your house to mine when you take more than 2 days off..." He told me since he didnt have a load for Sunday, he was taking another day off. Monday morning i went in, spoke with my DM, and asked how long it would take to get a new mentor, and she said "...15 minutes..." She asks why...and i say "just not getting trained".

my new mentor was there the next morning. and the funny thing was, his first student was a gal that was in my orientation class. I had 2 backs within the first half a day driving his truck. i think in my first 3 days, i had 10-12 backs. He actually knew his job was trainer. Now granted the last week on his truck we ran that truck like crazy. But i learned more in one day with my 2nd trainer than i did in 2 weeks on my 1st trainers truck.

point being, if you arent happy with your current trainer, it is your right and duty to ask for another one. I was going to just 'tuff it out' for another 4-5 weeks with my first one. But someone told me "why get p!ss poor training, and get stressed out for the next 4-5 weeks when you can take a day or two, and wait to get another one? will be worth it..." so i did.

there is a level of professional conduct a student should expect from their mentor. and vice versa. If i'm a trainer and the student thinks this is just going to be a 6 week vacation and dont want to learn what i am teaching.....you're off the truck. If i am a student, and the trainer is not going to do what he gets paid to do? i'm off the truck. Getting off the truck yourself looks alot better then letting things get so bad you get kicked off.

 

This sounds like a very difficult time for you and alot of others........

Even thoug you may feel you are left out in consulation it is not just you, that co., your area.........This economy is having a widening deepening affet on all aspects of existance in this country and around the world. Everyday I look at the stock market, bond market, home sales/values. The world stops if trucks stop, but the oppsite apply: The world stops (or slows) we stop (or slow)

We are all in for some drastic changes to start out, continue and survive in this industry and all others............

Their was a time when a govt. job whether it be fed., state or local was safe. This is no longer true. Every aspect of industry is making cuts, but not all for sending work over seas but also because of the evolution of technology. Almost every industry/job has improved because of technology. The improvment of technology has reduced the need for a person to do the job. This has actually affected the american job force more than outsourcing to other countries.

The hope and the weight that is carried on the new president to turn this around is only compared to the great depression. We are all affected.

Will trucking survive?..........Of course.
Will it change?..........Of course
Will it be better or worse?.............That depends on who you talk to.
Must we change with it to survive?..........Absolutely

Their will always be a continued turnover in trucking that will need to refilled. Will it be as much as previous years?..........Probably not.
Their will however be a higher standard to get started, continue and progress............This is all due to the demand for work is higher than the supply. The pay will probably not increase as much due to this aspect as well..........If one person will not work for said job/amount their are 100 waiting in line.


I want to apologize if I did not stay on subject..........I got a little carried away with thought...........

 

I had seven years with the corps. Hard to believe that any Marine could not handle yelling!, or by seeing your replies give respect!!!! Sounds like you did not get the point somehow. Maybe too nervous and did not even pay attention?????? Watch the over the head remark, and if you do take stuff you were not much of a jarhead as well as a trucker it seems!!!!!!

 

That's right . There will be yelling dispatchers , yelling shippers , yelling receivers , and arrogant DOT inspectors . If you can't handle the heat stay out of the kitchen . There are plenty of wannabes in line that can handle it better .