Ehh, now it's too small. I'll upsize it later.

 

Most of your larger companies that do lots of student training do not allow their trainers to be anywhere else except in the co driver's seat when you are behind the wheel. Anything less than that is just not acceptable when training. Besides trying to sleep while the truck is going do the road is difficult at best.

If you go with a company and the trainer is in the bunk during your drive time...Go to another company. He is there as your trainer/teacher and that is his job along with driving. You deserve all the input you can get those few weeks of training before you are thrown out on your own. I don't know how a trainer would trust an inexperienced driver with his truck neverless his life while sleeping.

My trainer sat back in his bunk (notice word "sat") for a short period of time one day just to allow me the feeling of what it was like not having someone sitting in the other seat. But he was very observant of everything going on up front and was available for suggestions and emergencies.

Students always get the top bunk. Just remember that the truck you are in during training is your trainer's truck and his home. Treat him and his truck with respect as a guest in his home. Keep your gear to a minimum and in it's place.

Soladad

 

Unfortunately, I've been hearing about more of the large companies that do "TEAM TRAINING" than the ones that will not allow it. But I'm very glad to see that so many of you are picking up on the fact that "TEAM TRAINING" is NOT TRAINING. When I first posted AGAINST it, I read all sorts of comments like "When does the trainer sleep?" Maybe, if enough trainees know not to accept this, the actual quality of training will improve. I'm glad to see this.

This is something I HAVE done while training. By sitting on the edge of the bunk, it gave me a slightly different prospective of just what my trainee was doing. It does give the trainee the feeling of driving alone, but also helped me see that problems with shifting came from trying to pull the stick toward the driver when shifting between 5-6, 9-10, and 11-12 gears. Along with a few other things.

Just out of curiousity... Where in that respect would place a girl that comes to training with SEVEN (7) HUGE SUITCASES? :?:

 

I saw a guy do that at Central. His trainer just laughed at him. They took it all upstairs and put it in a closet to wait for his return....LOL

 

I ran with my trainer as a team from day one.I was fortunate, because in the first two three days of training, he did the majority of the driving, and spent very little time in the bunk. usually, he would just "cat nap" in the jump seat.

This guy had a strange, uncanny way of knowing when to wake up.

He would tell me something like "Wake me up when you hit mile marker 239; I would get to it, only to find him sitting up in the bunk, waking up. Never figured out just how he did that.

I do know that he was recognized as being one of the best drivers, and one of the best trainers in the company; guess I just got lucky!!

 

My trainer was kind of like that. He only went into the sleeper when he was confident that I was ok by myself and even then all he did was play Nintendo 64 or watched a movie. When we were in urban settings or bad weather, he was right there in the co-pilot seat.

He was a good guy and a great trainer.

 

I thought I read somewhere on here that while training, the company has you stay in a motel. That way both are awake during student drive times. And it was the student that did all the driving. No? I'm hoping it's this way, as hopefully I'll be with a trainer, over the road, about Feb 5th. I know I would be too tempted to watch him during my sleep time and never get any shuteye. :roll:

And what the heck is that a picture of? :shock: Aircraft simulator?

 

The company I trained with (which I am still there) I sat in the driver seat from day one. He sat with me about 6 hours and said. WTH do you need training for LoL .. Now i got a big kick out of that, but in reality, he saw i could keep it between the lines, make turns so he went to bed so he could gain some pay by running team with me. Now I believe in an earlier post i also told about him going nuts and being pulled from the truck and me being stranded in dallas, but thats another story.

From what I understand every company does training differently, But if your trainer wants you to sleep in the same bed with him .. Ummm well i guess its up to you.. but i aint snugglin in this truck unless its my wife LoL

DaWolffe

 

There's more to being a truck driver than holding the wheel and going from point a to point b . :roll: Anyone can drive a truck down a straight road.

 

True to a point. but remember also, they are not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts(i could see it if he actually owned the truck),
they are making money off of you. so, they have to give some leeway as well.