How does a student driver go about getting a new mentor???

[Kevin0915]

I know, first things first, be professional. I wont have a problem doing that, but then again i dont want to come off like a momma's boy, and sound like i am cryin' cause i'm not getting my way.

My expectations are simply this: 1) I expect to get a shower once every 2-3 days. 2) i expect to get the chance to do my laundry once every 7-10 days. 3) i expect to be able to have a chance to get on wi-fi internet to communicate with friends and family. (should be able to do this when i get the shower anyways) Other than that, i dont expect much. I am not one of these students who is more concerned about my mentor being paid the miles i am driving. I understand i am the student, and it isnt as if i am NOT getting paid. I am receiving an income, but it is a student income....which i am. I can accept that.

What I cannot accept, is a mentor who doesn't really spend that much time training. He is more concerned with how often he is getting home, and keeping his truck rolling. I have been on the truck for 14 days, and 6 of them have been 'off duty'. i've spent 4 nights in the truck because he didnt want to drive out of his way to find a hotel with a room available (but yet he 'offered' to drive me home 2.5 hours away..to cover his *****) I have driven 56 hours in those 8 days, and only have had the chance to back three times. one time, the spot was so tight (mostly because the idiots at the shipper had crap parked in the way) that he got fed up with me trying to dock it, that he got in and finished the job cause he was impatient. So just two docks. And to top it all off, he sent in a company advance request for a 'hotel 4 student', got it approved, but i never stayed in a hotel.

He came back to the truck after the 4th night, and said 'we'll be out for 3 weeks straight'. Knew it wouldn't happen, and i sat in a hotel for one night, and in a bunk room at the terminal the next. Then he gets upset with me because when i got off the truck friday night, it cost him a $1500 load to California. and he whined so much about it, it felt like he was wanting me to help cover the cost of it. During our last stop for a meal, i was short 35 cents, and he covered it. He got upset because i didn't give him a 'thank you', and he felt like i thought it was 'owed' to me for something. WELL YEAH ... I DID. Most mentors will take care of their student, not only to keep them happy and with the company, but a happy student is more apt to bust their butt (which i do anyways) and a happy student is more apt to learn when taught. I'm not being taught, so that is a problem there.

it is his truck, but i expect it to be run in a professional manner. not to make your student live in a pig pen. Not to mention he dont set a good example driving the truck on the interstate, talking on a cell phone AND with the qualcomm unit on the steering wheel.

Am i being too harsh on the mentor?? how would you experienced drivers go about looking for a new mentor in my shoes?? interested in anyones opinion.

[Rev.Vassago]

how would you experienced drivers go about looking for a new mentor in my shoes??

Now I'm just snowballing ideas here, but how about you take everything you just posted and actually ask the company you are working for?

[MartenDrvrCA]

Been in your EXACT same shoes.All my trainer initially wanted me too do is just run on the highways and when wed get to the customer hed dock it.I thought back on the money id paid to get my CDL and I wasnt about to let this scum bag try and take advantage of me. He would try to cop a tude when I wanted to shower and perform other hygiene such as brush my teeth and laundry. Long story short,got back home that week,called training and let them know I wasnt going back out with him.Got a new trainer,it worked out. My advise to you is stand up for yourslf and get in contact with your training dept asap and removing yourself from such a counter-productive situation.

[Jumbo]

Talking on the cell phone and typing on the qualcom at the same time? Sounds like a real multitasker to me.

[Kevin0915]

Talking on the cell phone and typing on the qualcom at the same time? Sounds like a real multitasker to me.

what he dont know, is that i snapped a picture with my cell phone camera while he was doing it.

As far as 'taking what i just wrote and going to the company'...i kinda planned on it anyways, but wanted to be double sure my expectations wern't set so high, you know?

[Rev.Vassago]

As far as 'taking what i just wrote and going to the company'...i kinda planned on it anyways, but wanted to be double sure my expectations wern't set so high, you know?

Probably the only one you are going to get no sympathy from the company on is the whole "not actually training you" one. Most of the larger "starter" carriers know full well, and some I'm sure even encourage, their trainers to use the trainee as a second log book. Although, given the other items you listed, I would hope that the carrier would take pity on you and pull you from that truck. Sadly, though, they may be indifferent to the whole thing. Consider their response as an indication of how that company is to work for. After all, they made this guy a trainer. :wink:

[Jumbo]

Don't companies ever say "If you have a problem with your mentor this is what you should do". Am I am going to gu.ess you are with Swift

[Kevin0915]

I would agree on some of your points. This guy has been a trainer for so long he knows what he can and cannot get away with. He isnt using me as a 2nd log book. He asked me to log something i didnt drive once (an hour early in the morning) and i refused. He even told me "this is how you save hours off yhour 70". But he has been a trainer for so long, that he knows that if he requests a company advance for hotel for student, they wont ask for a receipt. So he can just pocket the money.

I highly doubt they know just how bad this guy is. But they will find out tomorrow.

[Syncrosonix]

I would agree on some of your points. This guy has been a trainer for so long he knows what he can and cannot get away with. He isnt using me as a 2nd log book. He asked me to log something i didnt drive once (an hour early in the morning) and i refused. He even told me "this is how you save hours off yhour 70". But he has been a trainer for so long, that he knows that if he requests a company advance for hotel for student, they wont ask for a receipt. So he can just pocket the money.

I highly doubt they know just how bad this guy is. But they will find out tomorrow.

if you are with swift, get all the proof you can against him. they are actively seeking out and getting rid of piss-poor mentors. they simply need proof of the misdeeds rather than he said, she said stuff that doesn't stick whatsoever. too many students would rather not get involved. get involved and hopefully they toss his sorry ass to the curb. by the way, video is much better to have on him.

each time i've been back to the phoenix terminal, i've been seeing more mentors packing up their crap, cleaning out the truck, going elsewhere because they were wastes of breath, and should have never been made mentors in the first place.

as for the wi-fi thing, that may not always be possible to get access. i have an air card i use through sprint. i get broadband access almost everywhere now. however, there are those certain places where sprint doesn't even have coverage. it's usually in the boonies, up north in the great plains states, and certain wide open parts of montana.

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

I would think this a straight forward deal where you tell your employer you're needing a new trainer. :idea:

[headborg]

I would agree on some of your points. This guy has been a trainer for so long he knows what he can and cannot get away with. He isnt using me as a 2nd log book. He asked me to log something i didnt drive once (an hour early in the morning) and i refused. He even told me "this is how you save hours off yhour 70". But he has been a trainer for so long, that he knows that if he requests a company advance for hotel for student, they wont ask for a receipt. So he can just pocket the money.

I highly doubt they know just how bad this guy is. But they will find out tomorrow.

Do you have actually --Proof your Mentor has been "training for so long"?

Age doesn't mean anything, How do you KNOW he's been driving for VERY long?

So they call 'em Mentors these days.... you working for KLLM right now?
Just wondering-- I'm looking at going back into the Training "racket" myself.

Best thing to do is-- next time you're close to HOME-- call the Training Coordinator and have a little heart to heart conversation with him( like during a rest area stop or something out of ear shot of you problem Mentor. If you don't get satisfaction with the coordinator's first couple responses--you'll need to threaten to quit if you don't get a different trainer.
Before that-- you might try a factual/positive slant to the deal.

Tell him, you've gained as much as you feel you can with this one...and you think you'd benefit from some cross-training, gaining more insight from a DIFFERENT MENTOR.
You might also mention- he's not "getting along' too well with dispatch and thus you're setting around too much- and that's a waste of company money. You can sight-- Personality Conflicts- ASK to leave it at that before going completely- Negative on your Mentor.
Hopefully, at the end when you part ways--- there's going to be a form for you to fill out-- evaluating your Mentor and rating your EXPERIENCE with him.

[dobry4u]

You also have the opportunity on your periodic evaluations of your mentor to let Swift know about your experience. Your evaluations are done at the kiosk at the terminals and your mentor is not privy. These evaluations go to the "right" people to let them know. They most likely will get you on another truck.

[Kevin0915]

I hope the picture I have of him driving talking on a cell and using the QualComm on the steering wheel is enough alone to get him tossed. Not to mention getting a company advance for 'hotel for student', taking the money, and not putting me in the hotel. I hope those things are enough. But I am sure he will turn the table, and make it sound like it was 'theft' of the $1 in quarters from the ashtray. He'll make it sound like I'm the one being disrespectful for not saying 'thank you' while he made living in his truck hell.

The turnover rate at Swift is about 72%. And they have been getting rid of the drivers (either compnay or O/O) who do not perform. You go home with a truck, and it sits for 4-5 days, then they will come and take the truck back. I would like to see a program put in place, where they spot check mentors on the road just to see the living conditions in real time. Check paperwork, logs, BOLs and the training paperwork. Think that would be enough to get a mentor yanked.

I dont have a problem with drivers being mentors for the money. But do the job you wanted to do.......TRAIN. If you want me on the truck just to gopher and fetch and drive extra miles on your truck, and not give 2 shakes of a stick about my welfare and not do the job of training, then take a hike.

[Evinrude]

We hear this story all the time. And the blame goes to the mentor. I say don't blame him, blame the company for training by the mile. If he was getting paid by the hour, I am sure you could be backing for 8 hours straight.

This doesn't mean the otr has to be completely changed to hourly, but on duty not driving should be paid also.

[GMAN]

This doesn't mean the otr has to be completely changed to hourly, but off duty not driving should be paid also.

Yes, paying someone to not work will solve the poor training problem. I don't see what this has to do with having a bad mentor.

[Frebond]

Sorry to hear about your training experience. I get to start on the road next week with a company trainer. I just hope it turns out good, and doesn't end up horrible.

[Kevin0915]

Well, here is an update......

I went in, talked to my DM, and asked quite simply, "How fast can I get a new mentor?" She said, "...15 minutes...".

A few keystrokes later, I had a new mentor. Of course she asked why I was requesting one, and i gave her a simple answer of, "I'm not being trained." I talked more about how I've been on the truck for 14 days, and only been 'working' for eight of them. Said how he has been home four times, in two weeks for a total of six days. And of those 14 days, I've only had two backs.

Now for the bad news.....my new mentor is in Iowa, and I have to wait a day. I sure hope they can actually plan him to return to this terminal to pick me up, and not end up waiting 4-5 days like I did coming out of orientation.

Getting a new mentor was easier than I thought. They really seemed to bend over backwards.

[Frebond]

Waiting a day or two is probably minimal compared to what you were going through. Glad to hear the company worked it out for you.

[Kevin0915]

Waiting a day or two is probably minimal compared to what you were going through. Glad to hear the company worked it out for you.

EXACTLY what i was thinking. out of the two weeks i've been on his truck, i will get that much training in a day or two with the new guy. I'm willing to take another day, to get a new mentor, one that will actually train me the rest of the 4 weeks i am out here.

Oh...not to mention, when i was asked by my DMs husband, who i had for a mentor, and i said his name, he just nodded. Said 'yeah he is having some issues'. I said "not to tred on someones reputation, but he really needs to be yanked from being a mentor"....and my DM said "he probably will be anyways". =)

[Uturn2001]

If you are staying at the terminal waiting for the new mentor to show up and there is going to be a delay, and if they have local drivers at that terminal, ask about going out with one of them for the day. You may do nothing more than ride around depending on the driver but at least it would get you out of the terminal and relieve some boredom.

When I was with Swift many years ago some of the local drivers would let students drive, do backs etc which counted towards your training days, and some of them turned out to be some of the best trainers the company had.