Werner Orientation in Allentown PA 4/2011

June 1 2011





Whosedog and the Group:


Yes, that's the way It is in some Schools anyway. My School was very friendly and considerate of everybody and really went the extra mile for me anyway. I guess that I just treated them with a lot of respect for a few Months and then when I needed some extra practice time on my (1 of 2) backing maneuvers, the blindside parallel parking the Head teacher of the School gave me my own truck to practice with in the Yard for a few weekends until I got to be Good at It. Some Teachers in other Schools were certified State examiners but my teachers were part time and full time Truck drivers working in the Industry.

I rented a U-Haul Trailer (a tandem axel 6 X 12 ft.) for (2) weeks in order to practice straightline backing a lot of times, until I was Good enough to do It with the 45' splitter up for a hundred feet at a time into the hole. I know that Manny hated it when I did this, but I got to be really Good at fast straightline backing up.

It became a lot of fun to rodeo the Trucks at Smith and Solomon in Norristown, into the parallel park quickly and the Straightline backing across the Yard at speed. All of the teachers there were great at fast parking and then I got to get a handle on this technique, so I feel guilty for nothing when I do it in the Industry. I Hope that they won't say anything negatively about my backing.

I guess that the worst thing that they could do to a Student Entry level driver at Werner would be to just disqualify him from the get go as a nutcase, for going too fast in doing certain things. Some people just have no anxiety about doing their Driving work. I just figure that there's only so much You can do in the practice of driving anyway, so just keep to the basics and then whatever happens to You and other people on the road just happens naturally I guess.
You've got to be laid back when You drive.

I did go to my Safety Meeting, well the one at the Hotel where You are supposed to sign in for a Trainer this morning and It was no problem. The Safety specialist there just said: You're Good, You signed in now, so we'll call You, You don't have to attend the meeting Today.

I thought that when they said that they did'nt need me to be at the morning meeting at the Motel that It did'nt sound like a Good sign at all, but I figured there's only so much that You can do about Authority, and the kinds of Trainers that I had, and You know whatever else or whoever else may be setting up the rules behind the scenes. I was not going to worry about It.

So, I had my ace in the hole and that was my basic need for power walking to lower my blood sugar, so I went out and walked for an hour after I got up out of another power nap at 11:00 AM. I walked all the way downtown to 3rd St. and I bought a very well made SUBWAY across from the Greyhound station.

I ate that and drank a lot of Iced tea in the 95 deg heat wave and then called up my Student Driver Manager. She was'nt In so I left a message for her to call me up on my Cell phone and let me know what was going on. I did'nt get a call back for 4 1/2 hours, (she wanted to have me report in for a Safety meeting at the Terminal), but by that time everybody was going home from the terminal at the end of the day, and I was an hour away one way or another.

My Student Driver Manager Beth Kerns said that she had called me twice on my Cell phone and left messages by 4:15-4:30 PM but my phone is a Verizon cheapie, pay per min. and I kept checking it all afternoon but I did'nt see any missed calls at all, so I just continued rolling back to my home, just down route 309. I figured I should look in on my Mother and go to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa and pray about things a bit and come back to the Hotel. The shrine is at the midpoint between Allentown and my home.

Beth finally got through at 4:30 and told me that Safety was ready to go home for the day. I thought Allright, and I also heard from my Student Driver Manager that Safety is'nt "too happy" with me, probably because of that last trainer's document on me, so when I heard this I just picked up my Van at my home and headed right back up to the Hotel, to get ready to clean it out tomorrow, before they charge me and my Mother for another day.

Yes, and then I saw the Werner Paycheck receipt on the buffet cabinet at my home. Oh My God! they paid me a gross amount of $94-95 for the week on their pay period last week, until Thursday, (from Friday) and then they deducted $123 in per diem on that amount and then $11-12 for the Legal assistance fund, so I am not even sure about what I really earned last week, but It may be a negative to a completely ridiculously insignificant amount of money. I know that I can't live on that amount on the road during training. I still need to clear this up with "corporate" or "safety" or whoever is back at the terminal.

I would still go places with werner as a volunteer, but It would make me a real "bum" back at my house, if I did'nt get paid anything. It might even p'off my Sister and my Mother if they had to be my charity until I got through my training. I'll just have to see what they say tomorrow about this back at the Allentown terminal.

I guess that God had a real plan for me to come back to my house for a brief stop in Oreland. I had just started walking up my street when a gentleman in an E150 Van came up behind me, blew his horn at me and then came up alongside of me and asked me how to get to a local country club where he was supposed to perform a Wedding this evening. He was a really old man and I thought that he meant that he had to perform some big band music or something at the Wedding, but he was actually the minister and I thought that he was looking for one of the really close by Country Clubs in the Oreland area but he was totally disoriented and lost and he was about 7 miles away from the Country Club that he was looking for, Melrose Country Club, just across the border from Philadelphia. I told him that I would just jump in my Van and to have him just follow me all the way down to that place, once stopped off at 2 closer ones first. I then figured out where he was going. He was 7 Miles off course and he would'nt have been able to make it to the Wedding if I did'nt show up exactly where I did and when I showed up. He was a very nice old gentleman and I know that he could probably do a wedding better than find a location on the road so this made me feel Good as a driver and a Christian.

I figure that I may get canned from Werner tomorrow, because of pure B.S. but It does not even matter to me that much I guess, if I can't work for them enough to be at home enough for my 88 Year old Mother and to take care of the things around the house (enough). I may even do some Taxi driving or rent a car cleaning or something simple in the community locally.

I really like Farmwork, so whatever there is I will be there to do It. Driving Truck is exciting and fun although I may just put it off until later in life when I really need to do It. I'll try with Werner for as long as I can be here for sure however. Maybe that last trainer's report won't mean anything to Werner and I will be ready to go with a new Trainer. I can't believe that I am all that bad.

If I could get all the way from Glenmore NY to Minersville PA through Carteret NJ in one day, on Memorial day weekend while all of the Cops were out in force and the highways were jammed, Safely, in an 18 wheeler, without getting any citations or being in any accidents, I don't have any guilty complex about Werner.

 

June 2 2011





Hello Whosedog and the Group:


I just thought that I would mention that I have had a meeting at the Hotel with Safety, the usual meeting where they work on finding trainers for the people who sign in to the meeting, then a Safety meeting at the terminal in Allentown. The first meeting is whatever I just said, they had a nice upbeat encouraging talk with me about having the next meeting and then "getting me going" (after they told me that I had been here for 4 days, and It's time).

I went over to the Terminal (my Van was already there just in case), and I was told by a man there by the name of Ernie, the same safety specialist who ran the last meeting, that he wanted to have a conference call with my Student Driver Manager and whoever else would advise him about Safety reports and Safety matters. I heard only part of the conference call, where It just started out by acknowledging my SDM and a Safety supervisor by the name of Tim from corporate. It was first agreed that I should go out with Ernie for driving evaluation but that matter was quickly put aside and instead I was given a list of verbal questions about Safety techniques like:

1. What speed do You use on cloverleafs?

2. What is the Speed limit in small Villages?

3. What are the Smith Techique rules?

4. What do You do when You see Bicycle riders?

Why could'nt You get along with (2) Trainers?

There were also some rules that were mentioned about having Video Blogs on Werner property and the advice about Forum Blogs was to just keep all of the comments about the company positive in nature, because It just makes Good sense and Good advertising for the company. As an employee it is a responsibility that we all have. I do not have any problems following this advice. Everything has been relatively courteous and trouble free at this company in all ways considered so far. I have no alarms to bring out at this point in time.

I told Ernie, Tim and my Student Driver Manager that I just wished that I could have a nice, calm Trainer instead of the type of Trainers that I have had so far, ones that were ready to quit Trucking altogether, and had short tempers etc.

Ernie told me at the end of the meeting that I am back on the list of people waiting for trainers and that all of my previous problems about trainers had been resolved.

I showed Ernie the Pay stub that I have received for the 4 days on the road that I had in Training and he just said that It looks like I made a net pay of $193 but that there may be deductions that had to be rechecked and to call payroll about it whenever I can get around to It, but of course check my bank first and get a print out about my direct deposits.

I had my Van with me at the Terminal so I backtracked to Flourtown PA and went over to my Bank and sure enough, It was just like he said, $193 was in fact deposited, so no problems with them there. I guess that I am cool with the fact that I am only being paid when I am actually out on the road working as a Student Driver and not when I am just sitting around on call waiting for a Trainer. I thought that I might get a stipend if I just check in, but that's OK.

It was nice to hear Ernie talk about how long I was actually employed by Werner, a Month and a week, and how well that I was making progress with the CBT's and how I got at least 15 hours in on the Logs, but they are still checking. He did mention of course that I could have been finished with the Training by now, but I am moving right along.

I drove my Van down to the Rosary Garden at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in New Britian after the Safety meeting to offer my prayers of Thanks for the Good turn of events this morning. It is always worth It to go to that place because It is a kind of a "vortex" for Catholicism and Christian spirits there and certainly a place to meditate and retreat to the Lord for focus on employment and vocations.

I had the excellent opportunity to do my usual things Today that I normally did when I was living back in Oreland, I drove home for a short break and picked up my Goldwing and rode down to the Montgomery County Career Link (Job Service) and straightened out my expired password for their job search database. I recommended Werner to them and Smith and Solomon.

I started riding back up to Oreland again and helped my Mother get her food order, next to the Montgomeryville bark park, ran my Dog for an hour there, waited on messages, then I just drove back up to the Quality Inn, for some Computer Based Training. I may just be able to get it all done tonight.

I sure Hope that I can get a patient Trainer to help me work through the Training (160 hours) more or less.