Training with company trainer question

Ok I have been doing my research into numerous companies and I have noticed a difference in length of time with trainer post schooling. One company i am looking at says 26 days otr and they put you in a truck others are 3 months if not more some upwards of 6 months. I wonder if there is a reason why the vast differences, and if there is a "preferred" method amongst the industry. Thanks for the all the feedback in advance

 

My company has 0 time with a trainer...Each has their own idea of what's needed I guess...

 

It all comes down to company preference. I think as long as you have a good trainer and you get along with him/her then it all comes down to comfort in the truck. Sure you can drive out of school but I know I don't want to get in a truck and get into a situation that I have no understanding. Schools only teach you the basics and the what ifs. When your out with a trainer it should be in a more of the real world situations! Just my 2 cents!

 

hey man my company has zero time with a trainer too, it's the best I tell ya.

 

What company do you drive for? If you don't mind me asking?

 

Would you want your house wired by an Electrician that never worked with a journeyman , but was left to fend for himself after a bit of training , or a Pilot that was allowed to learn as you go.

On the other side a BAD trainer is useless and can actually do more harm than good.

 

So true!

 

My company USA Truck requires 175 hours of line 3 time for trainees before they will allow you to upgrade. People get this time at different intervals. USA Truck says 4 to 6 weeks. I suspect this is why you are seeing different times.

 

#### Mayo for a student you actually had some good advice there! One of the biggest factors for the training is the companies insurance. Usually the insurance companies are the ones setting the standards for the trucking companies. The company Walstib drives for sounds like a really good company and a lot of guys on this forum do well there, but if you do not have some kind of background or knowledge then it maybe tough on some of you to just be thrown out over the road by yourself. Personally I recommend a trainer. I have done it both ways when I first started driving I can you tell you that if you have a good trainer it is night and day difference with what you are going to learn and the money you are going to make. You could compare it to building a house. Is it that difficult? No, but there are a lot of ways that will make it simpler and a lot of shortcuts and tricks that you could learn from a seasoned carpenter. Walstib, American Trucker and a couple others have done extremely out of the ordinarily well at Watkins! I don't know, maybe its because of the forum!

 

One other aspect you might want to reasearch is the amount of experience a company requires to become a trainer. Crengland only requires 6 weeks driving before you can train students as a PhaseII trainer, 6 months driving before you can be a phase I trainer. This is very very bad for the student. You want your trainer to have as much experience as possible. For a driver to have only 6 months driving experience then take out a student as there teacher is not good. Then moving on to your phaseII trainers truck who might only have 3 weeks more driving experience than you as a student do, really bad for the student. This phaseII trainer with three weeks more driving experience than his student or students will be acting all authoritative, forcing you to hand polish the outside of his truck when its twenty below, not that bad but you get the point.

Another thing to look into is if the company forces two students onto a trainers truck. CRengland does this. I got lucky/unlucky and was the only student on my phaseI teachers truck. You dont want to spend a month or two or three in a truck in a tiny little metal box, with two other guys. Two guys in a truck is bad enough, three is beyond insane. What if the trainer urinates in the truck and so do the students, what about a long tight run goin 2-3-4 days without a shower with three dudes in a truck. Make sure it will only be you and the trainer, not you, another student and a trainer in the same truck.