Which companies do not make you team as part of training?

I don't have a problen with enforced teaming - if the driver is being paid a reasonable wage and the driver has an option of chossing his own team mate. Keeping the new hire at training wages ($500 a week on average) for three to six months is not reasonable . Being forced to live with someone with diametrically opposed personalities is not reasonable.

Calling team driving training is certainly not training.

 

I work for Roehl and went through the GYCDL program. During Phase 3 you will never be dispatched as a team. Now it doesnt mean your trainer wont drive but they will always be in the right seat coaching you. It's not uncommon for the truck to move 14 hours a day before you shut down. To graduate you have to do 5 loads solo with your trainer before you are allowed off their truck. If they have to drive since you'll be recapping at that point it is allowed but they arent allowed to help other than minimal help.

 

Cool story bro.

 

Average team pay .58? Yes split giving that Cr England driver .28 ‍♂️

The biggest factor to your theory is “only 3 months to recoup” most drivers don’t last 3 months. Especially with mega carriers.

 

I already see the majority of the drivers here are already jumping the gun. He didn’t mean a company that’ll send him on his own from day 1. He meant a company that doesn’t allow the trainer to just use him as an extra logbook. In other words he’s with a trainer doing solo loads the trainer is only there to supervise and should he fatigue make sure the load gets there on time.

OP I currently work for National Carriers. You’ll hear good things and bad things about this company. Honestly you will never find the perfect company it just doesn’t exist there is always something you can find that you don’t like about a company.

Anywho if you live in Texas then National Carriers will train you, you can then ask for a trainer that runs only solo loads. When I took my refresher I had a trainer named Richard. In the 2 weeks I was with him we only ran solo. My company only takes newbies from Texas but they’ll take exp drivers anywhere else.

 

I’m very against forced teaming. They say it’s good cause the other guy will spot you. When I was with CRE I was forced team and I NEVER had one of those selfish pricks ever offer to spot me. And also it’s VERY hard to sleep in the bunk with someone you barely know on that wheel. I’ve had idiots that were driving 62 (governed speed at the time) on the heavy snowing mountains on i70 Colorado. They want to kill their self fine by me but don’t take me with you!

 

CRE is 28 cpm, split miles.

Schneider is 48 cpm, split miles, for a guy with a new cdl.

If a company can't keep recruits for more than three months, the company is doing something wrong.

 

My very first trucking job was Werner. I had a crappy trainer that ran miles off of me. I went through it and got it done. My desires as a cdl driver weren't really long haul anyways. I completed the training period and then quit Werner. I took a local job rode with a guy for a few days locally then I was on my own. I was driving a tender truck for crop spraying operations. It rained, rained, and rained some more. I went to dump truck and did that for the remainder of that summer. They were class B triaxle. I got more comfortable with air brakes and handling weight without dealing with a trailer. The seasonal work ran out and I went to milk hauling. They are class A tanker trailers with a day cab. Heavy loads, very heavy. Sometimes we are in excess of 100k lbs we have overweight permits. We run 18 speed transmissions. When I started there my boss rode with me for 3 weeks. I drove and he watched. It was the best training I ever received my boss has 35-40 years of milk truck driving experience. Last year I made 60k and I'm off to a good start this year. I now have 2 years on my CDL no accidents tickets or violations of any type.

We all have to pick our own journey in this industry, find what works for you. I did find that Werner trainer didn't teach me much, I learned how to drive on the interstate. He would set up the GPS and tell me to follow it, not really teaching me how to navigate properly, backup properly, or how to fully use the Qualcomm. I think he is more typical then not. Using the student as an ### in the seat to keep the wheels turning. He had less then 3 years of driving and I don't feel that makes a good trainer.

At this point I consider myself to be mildly successful. I'm home everyday, I like what I do, and am making good money doing it. It's not an easy journey to get to where you have to be. Don't give up easily.

 

Many companies can’t keep them because many aren’t cut out for OTR

 

That's totally reasonable you got to get to know PPL before you ride with them.

So....

How do you get to know a taxi driver before riding with them?

Or do you find it easier to get to know an Uber driver?

Have you thought about how you're going to get to know the Greyhound driver(s) that drive you to orientation at your new company?

If you take a Bahama cruise would be it more important to get to know the ships captain or just the helmsman prior to boarding?