Trainers/Trainees and Sleeping situation??

I get the bottom bunk, you get one cabinet and sleep with whatever dosent fit in the cabinet on the top Bunk.

 

The top is not a bunk. It's a shelf.

 

Indeed. I have to sleep with my guitar when I have a student on that shelf.

 

Correct.

For those that say a trainer must always be in the passenger seat, it might hold water if the trainee arrived to orientation on the short bus. At Swift the first 50 hours behind the wheel I had to be in the passenger seat. After that it was up to me whether to qualify them to run team.

The first week running team I would "sleep" with the curtain open, ready to be in the passenger seat at a moments notice. By the second or third week I'm listening to the shifting, maybe setting my alarm to pretend to need a smoke break to coach the trainee through a rough part.

The last week I may never get out of the sleeper, but still listening and enjoying their progress as they work out the solution to a complex interchange or do a drop and hook at a customer and handle all the paperwork and Qualcomm messages.

I'm still there if they need me, but the weaning process should be complete enough they start doing it themselves and take some pride and confidence to when they test out and get assigned their own truck.

Compare this to the "the owner tossed me the keys and told me to deliver the load in Los Angeles" stories we hear from old timers. If you are going to make it in this occupation grow a pair and be glad for the team weaning process.

 

You go in the cage.
Cage goes in the water.
Sharks in the water.
Our shark.

Well, I've heard stories about unruly trainees being left at weigh stations at the hands of DOT with hungry tigers to feed.

 

When I was a trainee it was a relief to have the trainer in the bunk. I wanted to do it myself. He was there to answer questions.

Prior to my Swift training the only driving I had done was teaming with my brother. Never had school, hence the need to go through training at Swift. When I tested out and went solo it freaked me out the first week. Every time I heard a noise in the bunk area I thought it was my brother or my trainer. By the second solo week I started to relax and enjoy the seclusion.