Training newbies.

If I had a school?

I would have a program of at least 5 months long, 40 hours per week.

I would then charge at the very minimum, $20,000

I would have instructors that hold TEACHING DIPLOMA's from a REAL college.

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If I owned a company?

I would REQUIRE ALL NEWBIES to be with a trainer for no less than 1 year.

The trainers WOULD HAVE TO BE at least 10 years experienced, AND also have to have a teaching degree.

I would pay the newbies a "salary" of at least $500 per week, NO MORE.

If the newbies screwed up, even in the SLIGHTEST of all screw ups?
They would get ONE CHANCE to correct it.

A second screw up?

FIRED.

If a newbie CANNOT or WILL NOT adhere to company rules, policies, training, I DO NOT NEED HIM/HER.

Once the newbie does "his time", he will be assigned a truck. He will then be placed on "probation" for an additional year.

If there are ANY, and I mean ANY screw ups from the newbie with-in that year?

FIRED, as he obviously DID NOT LEARN ANYTHING.


nuff said

 

I tried training, I wouldn't teach any one with multiple careers, worst thing I found was trainees thinking they know more then i do. I would only hire from reputable schools (and make sure they say "forget everything i taught you, i taught you to get a license. The person you get in a truck with will teach the right ways")I would not make it a team operation but a 3 to 6 month with a trainer, depending on the operation (decks vans etc) there's different things to learn. But I'd want the trainer to teach the driver to think for themselves, read an old fashion map, deal with customers, do a perfect pre trip every day. Learn to do basic repairs. Understand why it rides better stretched out and gets better mileage shortened

 

First, tougher screening process at school to find ideal candidates with good histories. CDL school needs a minimum of 2 mos and each trainee at least 3 hrs per day/ 5 days a week and should consist of day and nightime driving as well as backing into real docks and parking spots at a local truck stop. Evaluations to be given each day, week and month and only drivers who can prove themselves worthy, take the test.

Training at my company. Trainee gets 500 a week and a muzzle if they dont sit down and shuddup. 5 yrs minimum experience OTR for trainers and they have to complete a weeklong training program (train the trainers) with refreshers each six months. Evaluations to be done on trainers every 3 mos which will consist of seeing how the newbie is doing and that trainers other noobs. So lets say if one is bad then its probably the noob has issues, needs retraining. If 2 out of 3 are bad, you have a possible issue with trainer, needs retraining asap and re-evaluation of skills and are they a good teacher or not. 3 are bad and probably shouldnt be a trainer, retrain all noobs.

Trainees get a minimum of 200 hrs behind the wheel and full evalution weekly by trainer and under review by training/safety dept along with passing a road test at yard by safety dept before being let loose with own truck. More retraining if you cant make it.

I will probably think of more later but this is a good start

 

All are great ideas so far, but in order to attract students to this type of quality training, you will need to have some kick ### placement assistance. The kind where the companies that hire your students start them out at a minimum of $60k / year, guaranteed. It's probably something that could be done, but it will take a LOT of work to convince trucking companies that your graduates are worth hiring at that level. I don't see that happening anytime soon.

 

Not too many "blue collar" jobs pay that much to someone fresh out of ANY SCHOOL, let alone trucking.

As it stands right now, schools use the same resources as us regular people, and that is, the internet. My neighbor went to a trucking school last year. When he graduated, he went to the "placement office". The "placement director" mind you, gave him a list of internet job sites, and told him to use the school computer to find a job.

Now, seems to me, that since he paid over $9,000 for schooling, the placement director, SHOULD HAVE MADE some phone calls.

I should point out however, my neighbor was told, the school has, "lifetime job assistance".

So for the rest of his natural life, should he want to find someplace else to work, all he has to do is, go back to his school, and he will be handed a list, and told to do what??

Go to the computer and find it himself.

In the end, the schools DO NOT CARE for you or your situation. They want the money, and nothing else. Been this way now, since the advent of the CDL license, where all they do is "help you get your license", nothing more.

Getting back to the salary thing of the $60K as you say??

With such a never ending FLOOD of idiots that want to be truck drivers, because, "they always liked driving, or wanted to drive for so long, or lost thier mere pittance of a factory job, or carpentry /construction job, or salesman's job, or whatever else they did job, and trucking will save them now", there WILL ALWAYS BE CHEAP LABOR, and the salaries WILL NOT BE as high as you would like for stone cold newbies.

ONLY the well experienced drivers are qualified for such salaries. And by "well experienced", I mean at the very minimum of 3 years driving time.

 

Yeah , right . Have newbies spend $20,000 to earn $500 a week for a year training. Most wannabes take a big enough loss now when they go to school then fail in the industry.
The problem isn't the schools except for the fact they pass too many obvious misfits. Every school should have simulators students have to pass testing on to get a certificate.
Newbies should avoid BFI's until a real driver shortage is created then pay will increase and newbies will get better treatment and more miles. Can't see that happening though.

 

So then, do you seriously think a newbie ought to get $1,000, $2,000, maybe even $3,000 a week as a salary and not be a proven quality person/driver?

"Most wannabe's" think they are OWED MORE THAN THEY DESERVE.

"Most wannabe's" only want quick cash, because the unemployment ran out, and they turn to trucking as a "life saver" and will drop off the radar screen once things in their former employment picks up again.

"Most wannabe's" think that this industry is a piece of cake, and since they can drive their mini vans or HIGH DOLLAR LEASED SUV'S, like those Cadillac Escalades, that they can drive ANYTHING.

YOU THINK they are owed MORE MONEY right from the gate???

I pity your train of thought.

 

You wouldnt be in business very long...

My guess, about a week till you were laughed out of business.

Where exactly would you get these truckers with 10 year OTR and a teaching certificate? How much do you suppose youd have to pay these college degree truckers to relocate to your area.

LOL