Training and getting dispatched as a super single?

Super solo. The truck stops when you both get tired.

 

It's temporary. It should improve when you are trained properly.

Training in my day converts a student into a full team within two weeks. It will be up to that student to confront fears discovered as we go. Wring it out of student. And beat the rest out. If they don't listen yell. If they still don't mind, then send em home. We go by a book given by a company supervisor who will check off goals each of the 8 to 12 weeks for trainee to demonstrate. Such as unloading 48000 pounds in a few hours by hand. Or backing etc.

Eventually that trainee is handed back to company officers to run through the final hire tests. If trainee is any good, he or she will be kept and given a truck. If that trainee is no good, the reason will be found and if the TRAINER DID NOT TRAIN.... guess what? There is a need for a new trainer slot today....

Your Posters here explaining to you about a long day super single training is explaining how best to take advantage of a trainee in such a way not to cripple that truck's ability to put away say.. 800 miles for the day.

Trainees fresh out of CDL school are not yet able to run coast to coast. Nor do they have the stamina to sit all night waiting for a dock call in say.. Associated Grocers in Downtown St Louis... sit, sit and sit some more. Wait and wait and wait. Knowing come morning when you are empty you are about to be sent another overnight run...

When I left trucking, many companies were throwing down rules not to run trainees at night and so forth. It's creating a situation where day time truckers will be the vogue. No one will not be able to have the stamina to run through the night eventually.

With the economy the way it is, its perhaps not necessary to run through the night anymore with just a ordinary load that will sit a few weeks in a store or whatever. It's better to invest in teams to run critical freight that must be there across the USA right now. Medicines is one example. It's delivered at 6 am and into a patient's IV by noon in any given city.

 

I know it's just training pay but man it can get expensive out there. I will take the trade off if the training is thorough.

 

I don't mind driving at night as long as the truck has some good headlights. I was in a truck once near Amarillo Texas and it got dark turned on the lights which were terrible. I couldn't look out on front of me, I was basically looking right down at the road.

 

Did you stop and adjust your headlights?

 

I

I did not. I just assumed they were crappy bulbs. I'd prefer a truck with led lights. They seem to really illuminate the road.

 

Actually it is the opposite. When the trainer is sitting in the passenger seat that must be logged as On Duty.

When I was a trainer at Swift they would often throw super single loads on us. So I would start driving with the trainee in the sleeper berth. If it's a 800 mile run I might run about 300 miles, then turn the wheel over to the trainee for the last 500 miles IF I was confident the trainee was up to that much driving. There were trainees that would start whining after 300 miles that they were all tuckered out. If you get into that situation as a trainer it puts on time delivery in serious jeopardy, because you can't get back into the driver's seat and finish that run because your 14 hour clock will expire.

Super single loads can mean long, grueling days for the trainer. You can keep that up until the trainer runs out of 70, stopping for a full 10 each time the trainee finishes their shift. Once the trainer doesn't have hours left on the 70 you can continue to have the trainee run loads within their available HOS and the trainer can continue to log On Duty, but at that point super single loads can't be run. I finished many a week logging well over 100 hours of On Duty and Drive time. A 34 was a welcome thing, especially to reset both clocks and especially to balance out your hours in anticipation of running as a team if the trainee qualified.

 

Learn how to aim your headlights. Even brand new trucks have poorly aimed lights.

 

@Lepton1 - the trainee whining "I'm tired" is why I have them start first. That way I have time on my 14. I'd either log sleeper berth, or up to 2 hours off duty in the right hand seat provided I logged 8 hours previous as sleeper.

Then again I don't run a super 14, I WOULD NEVER THINK OF VIOLATING COMPANY POLICY. If, hypothetically, I do it's generally only an extra 30 minutes. I also don't let the truck move if I can't be within the HOS - ie the trainee starts their clock 10 hours after I stop mine. Usually when I super 14 it I gave the trainee more time then I should have to back/couple/scale to make sure they have the concept down. Then I toss them in the right hand seat and drop the hammer.



It's hard to balance the needs for the customer, the needs of the driver, the needs of the company, and the needs of the student. We just do the best we can with every given day.