[tbrown]

My SO is substantially bummed today and I though maybe some "shared tales" of similar disappointments from some of you might cheer him up a little. :sad: ----- :lol:

He has appx 3 1/2 months experience and left the company he started with due to issues w/his DM. He also had a horrific trainer w/that company (see earlier posts). Anyway, after a month home to ponder whether he could remove the "call of the road" from his system - alas, he could not - he ended up deciding he just had to drive and started orientation w/Arrow this past Wed.

He scored great marks in everything, except backing, and has to go out with a trainer for a few weeks. You would have thought the sun dropped from the sky, he is so devastated!! He had substantial challenges w/backing when he first started out and had just started to get comfortable with it when he quit his first company.

He has decided to suck it up and stick it out, but I thought he would be cheered up if some of you had similar stories...

[Useless]

I see this as a matter of perspective. He not only has the opportunity to undergo some additional training and improve his backing skills, but to learn more about driving in inclimate weather conditions as well.

Hardly a reason to be bummed, if you ask me!!

I rolled with a trainer in the Summer months. Considering that I have lived most of my life here in South Texas, (where a few ice patches on the highways will close the schools and shut the city down, I wasn't about to go out and try to teach myself to drive on snow, and handle ice. Most of the driving that I did as a trainee was straight foreword driving, with 1800 mile trips, so there wasn't much opportunity to perfect backing skills.

I asked to be placed as a team driver, and drove with a fine guy who took me from being a "steering wheel holder", and turned me into a real driver.

Your S/O should consider himself lucky; he has the opportunity to learn before mistakes are made, rather than have to learn from his mistakes after they've been made!!

BOL2Him!!

[tbrown]

I agree Useless... it's a matter of perspective and yours and mine are very similar. I feel that this is an opportunity to improve his skills as a driver; weather, road conditions, backing, the whole package.

I believe that some of what he is going through is the belief that he should have done better, combined with the pure dread of EVER having to endure what he did w/his last trainer... I know that he won't accept that kind of crap this time around!

I also remember seeing numerous threads that basically made an interested driver aware of the fact that they will likely go out w/a trainer again if they have less than 6 months experience.

[NevadaJim]

I would think he would welcome the opportunity to get some additional training from a new set of eyes. Best to suck it up for a few weeks and pick the guys brain for as much as he can get out of him. I highly doubt that he'll walk away without learning anything new. Unless, of course, he doesn't want to. Two weeks goes by pretty fast.

[dle]

My 3rd experience of driving in snow / ice / slush - be it in a four wheeler or a truck was when I got shutdown in Cheyenne just before christmas. When I was with my trainer during the spring - didn't get that opportunity --- OHHH i wish I did. No, I didn't have any problems --- the pucker factor was high for me.

The extra practice with backing will help.

Bummer No its a blessing in disguise.

[golfhobo]

If it makes him feel any better:

A guy was hired the same day as me. He'd been driving most of his youngish life. He was STILL required to have a minimum of TWO weeks of training (at reduced pay.)

One of the main reasons is that companies often have their OWN ways of doing things, or company policies. They may just need to make sure he is up to speed on THEIR situation before they turn him loose.

In reality though, 3-4 months is not alot of experience at that, and I would want to have him "evaluated" by a trainer before giving him a truck.

[tootie04]

I think for the most part Arrows trainers are OK. He has to the bull by the horns and do the best he can. Make sure he lets the trainer know that he needs backing practice. We dont get to back up that much here at Arrow due to the nature of flatbedding. BUT there are time that he will. So just have him get his trainer to let him practice in places like empty parking lots and TS that are not to busy....if ya can find one. There is plenty of room at the tulsa yard to practice too.

IF for some reason he cannot get along with his trainer tell him to let Debbie know ASAP and she can get him in another truck. sometimes personalities just dont click and it is no ones fault.

BOL to him and i am sure he will be in his own truck soon.

tootie