Newbie and the Trainer

[jnk2001]

Could be a sitcom...

Ok, opposite ends of training.

The trainer who says it's his way or no way, you know why didn't you do this? why didn't you do that?you know, woulda, shoulda, coulda.... then he tells you "Don't stop until you're told to..." :!: This isn't the freakin Army. If you want to be a drill sargeant, join the Army. a good trainer just sits there and watches gives helpful hints shows you how to use the log books to the fullest with maximizing your miles to make the most money, and show you what the company wants from you. Bottom line, should be a pleasant experience.. NOT a dread. you don't want to appear like a sniveler, but if the guys a jerk, tell the company.


The Newbie, should be polite, attentive, and truthful(i.e. being tired hungry, etc..etc..) and should listen without saying"code 375 says...and thats not how they taught us in class"..well yeah it does,and no they didn't, but like everything else, learn to work in the grey areas. Make it a fun time, and you'll do alright :wink:

[syl77dar]

good luck

[thebaldeagle655]

good luck 2 anyone having 2 go out with a trainer! i feel sorry 4 you!

Gee thanks, just the encouragement need! I was driving in the 70's and 80's for myself, got out of trucking and am now going back OTR. Start Tuesday and for the first time in my life at 51 years old I will have a trainer. Oh well, guess I'll just have to put up with whatever comes about.

[jnk2001]

good luck 2 anyone having 2 go out with a trainer! i feel sorry 4 you!

Gee thanks, just the encouragement need! I was driving in the 70's and 80's for myself, got out of trucking and am now going back OTR. Start Tuesday and for the first time in my life at 51 years old I will have a trainer. Oh well, guess I'll just have to put up with whatever comes about.

get something in writing, take notes, call dispatch and always carry enough money to get home on, then sue the f%&^ out of them! The company is responsible for their trainers!


Let's hear everyone's horror stories!!!!! :evil:

and everyones good stories! 8)

[Bigmon]

[quote="thebaldeagle655"]

good luck 2 anyone having 2 go out with a trainer! i feel sorry 4 you!

That's why you become a O/O.

[inmate1577]

There is a misconception that trainers hold your future in their hands so you have to take their crap or not get hired. That is not the case, the trainer has no influence on your final hiring. I got stuck with a trainer who if you looked under the definition of disaster, you would find his name.

He essentially wanted to do things his way not the company way, well his way was all fine and good if you want to kill someone , or lose your license. I told him I was doing it the company way and if he didnt like it, he could call the company and tell them what I said. He to was a pig, morally, spiritually, physically, literally, etc etc etc... He was a racist who hated white people as well which made for a tense working enviroment.

As a trainee you are not alone , you dont have to answer ONLY to a trainer. I you feel that the trainer is doing something wrong that will result in serious injury or death, or is behaving in a way that is unprofessional or disrespectful to you, then take notes and report it and if you can get out of the truck.

Thats what I did and the trainer, is no longer a trainer and I got placed with someone who was professional and well balanced. He made it fun to work, not stressful and filled with anxiety.

I'm not slamming all trainers, like cops there are good and bad and unfortunately you hear about the bad, which makes the good look bad as well. Many trainees are afraid to report anything and unfortunately you have trainees who have picked up bad habits from idiots, and trainers who continue the cycle of stupidity.

But when I finally had enough of the 1st jerk I was with , I reported it. The feeling of the company was they wished more would report trainer stupidity so they can get qualified people out there to teach newbs the right and safe way of doing things.

[got mud?]

I guess I lucked out. My trainer was very good and more like a father figure than a drill sargent. I learned a lot and still talk to him all the time. I would actually consider him a friend now. He was supportive when needed and firm but polite when the situation called for it. he has been training for 10 years so maybe that helped

[Yanke_driver]

I guess I lucked out. My trainer was very good and more like a father figure than a drill sargent. I learned a lot and still talk to him all the time. I would actually consider him a friend now. He was supportive when needed and firm but polite when the situation called for it. he has been training for 10 years so maybe that helped

I'm with you on this one!! My trainer and myself got along great from the first time we met. I still call him every now and then to see where he's at when i'm on the road, but I haven't run into him yet.

[havenseth]

I had a excellent trainer,he was supportive and wasnt an angrey type of guy.he taught me everything i need to know to be able to go solo and for that i thank him for the 6 weeks that i was lucky to have with the guy.That being said my wife was with a trainer at the sametime and the guys was a perv,he was touchy feely with my wife: example "when she did things well he had to touch her hand or shoulder" and the guy was a pig from the word GET. My wife the first week put up with his crap and said nothing to me cause she wanted to just get it over with,by the time the 3rd week rolled around the guy was wacking off in the bottom bunk so my wife could hear and smell his nasty ass,and if im talking about PUNK u know who i am and i will own your azz when i see u. ever heard of that song called stranglehold cause thats the toon that will be playing. Well anyways all trainers arent bad cause i had a good1 but as for my wife,well illegal logs he was driving on hers daily,showers huh throw that out the window,and yeah not a casiono he wouldnt stop at for 8 hours in the freezing cold without showing my wife how to idle the fing truck (she froze) man i could go on and on but thats my 2 cents.

[uglymutt]

when in doubt about a trainer call the company safety department wherever you are at, I know trainer are pigs and don'tt care about safety, they just want your miles so they can make more money, I was lucky and had a great trainer but no one should never have to put up with pigs. If the trainer makes you drive illegal in anyway, STOP call safety, its your life and your CDL and you can always call and get the problem solved. If the company don,t care then its time to find one that does care about safety....

[repete]

The first company I went with was Rohle pulling a flat. The trainer seemed nice but then again I always see the glass half full. He didn't teach me much at all except how to "stretch" your log time,& where to find a rub n tug joint and stuff like that. After about 2 1/2 weeks of being called a wimp, wuss and worse I couldn't take it any more. At that time he hadn't even sent in a progress report yet! (supposed to be every week) He had yelled and mentally beat me down that I was starting to second guess myself. I got out at the T/S in East ST. Louis and caught a bus back to the yard picked up my POV and went home! Bad move on my part, someone from the Co. called a couple of days later and informed me I would have to pay BIG BUCKS for the valuable training they had provided me! Well at that time I finally spoke up and told them about the miles we had driven, I asked them to pull the logs and look them over , not just scan them in the puter. Well I got a call from the safety directer and found out that I had been that trainers forth trainee and his forth failure
:shock: By this time I had gotten my old job back and said to hell with truckin. I do have to say that ROHLE did a stand up thing they offered me another trainer and when I said no they did send me a letter forgiving the training cost!!
sorry to ramble on about this but the morale of the story is IF YOU DON'T GET ALONG WITH YOUR TRAINER SPEAK UP!!!!
BTW I've since been out with other trainers and had good experience's
THIS IS NOT A SLAM AGAINST ROHLE , A GOOD CO. IT IS A SLAM AGAINST LOUSY , GREEDY TRAINERS

[Soladad]

Repete... you must be mad at Roehl since you don't even spell the name right.

I was very lucky and got one of the best trainers Roehl has. He is one of the few trainers approved for female trainees. To this day, one year later (a year ago today I stepped into his truck for training) we are still friends and I can count on a straight, honest answer to any question I have. I value his knowledge and advice.

Like I tell any new student, there are good and bad trainers. They are truck drivers first and most haven't ever done any formal teaching. Your attitude on the truck and toward the trainer makes a difference also.

I agree that companies need to be held accountable for their trainers and the training given. If you have problems with a trainer then SPEAK UP!! Problems cannot be resolved unless the problem is recognized.

Soladad

[BanditsCousin]

Why is he telling you when to stop? Are you stopping excessively? Sounds like a rant from a p-o'd driver. Imaging how many trainees he's been through already to make him old and grizzled

How long have you been with the trainer?

[repete]

NO I'm not mad or P.O.at Roehl and I'm sorry about the spelling, it was awhile ago so what can I say?
If I was looking for a ride they would be near the top of my list
I guess I failed to make my point clear
It's not boot camp and the trainer is not a D.I or even GOD, so use your head ask questions AND SPEAK UP IF THERE'S A PROBLEM

[classicxl]

some people should just not be training other people