HOS while with trainer, whats normal & what to avoid?
 

What should be expected while running with a trainer when it comes to maintaining a logbook & legal hours of service? From what I'm gathering about the industry as I talk with more & more driver trainees, the trainers that want them to run hard are the same trainers that expect you to "back up" your log book hours, void out pages & pretty much throw caution to the wind. If you run into this, are you really supposed to just be super trucker & tough it out or do you try to be safety conscious & draw the line in the name of being responsible? Where do you draw that line?

It all depends on two things, 1. The company you chose to work for, 2. The trainer that you get assigned to.

If you work for Stevens, Prime, USA Truck, Werner, CR England, PAM, etc, you better expect to run hard during training. Spend 3 hours at a shipper and only log 30 minutes will probally be a common practice. They will talk about safety during orientation, but once you hit the road, it's a different game. Your trainer gets paid for all the miles that you and he drive. So, if the wheels aren?t turning, he isn?t earning :roll: Some trainers really do care about you learning and will slow the pace down so that you can practice backing, etc. Others are only doing it for the extra $$$. It's the luck of the draw as to which one you'll get.

Look into Roehl, Schneider, CFI and US Express if you want to learn while training, instead of being an extra log book in the truck.

Many OTR'ers bury a lot of time spend loading, unloading fueling as sleeper berth and off duty.

Once you are on your own its a personnel ethical choice. One of the guys I work with boasted of running 3!! logs way back in the day with CRE.

Keep in mind if you are involved in a serious accident that they are going to go over your logs with a microscope and compare what you have claimed to fuel receipts, cell records, etc. If you are out of compliance you're looking at criminal charges.

Going out with a trainer insist that he is in the passenger seat with you while you are driving. A lot of companies like to get free team trucks by having noobs drive while the "trainer" is sleeping.

IIR there was another thread recently about good companies that offer real training vs those that pimp out noobs for free training. Use the search function.

I have a pal who drives for CFI and he had a problem when he was training. His treaner wanted him to back up his book and he hated to do it but did it anyway so he would get thru his training. I read about someone at www.cfidrivers.com who had a problem with that and they really got pissed about it over there. I have herd that the problem continued but someone at that site has pull and got the right peeps working on it. No problem no more.

If you log it like you done it then you cant be messed over for it later.