Originally Posted by VitoCorleone99

I like the fact that my employer leaves me the hell alone. I'm told when and where to pick up, then when and where to deliver. The rest is up to me. I run the route I want to run, on the schedule I want to run it, and communication between me and my company tends to be minimal. Generic things like 'variety' and so forth apply to most companies, but not being bothered as I go through the week is a huge plus for me.

I can pretty much mirror what Vito says as i have the same thing going on with my company, I get a load sent to me, I accept it and thats pretty much it until next load. Good deal and they get me home pretty much anytime I want to be there with no questions asked at all.

[iowarider]

Thanks for the update on US express. Couple weeks or so out is the norm as I understand, and thats ok. 6 weeks is stretching it. I do live near Des Moines Iowas, that should help with both I-80 and I-35 running through it.

I understand what you are saying about retirement George. I am 52, plan to truck 10-15 years. Social Security, I'm not holding my breath for that to be around.

VitoCorleone99, "I can pretty much mirror what Vito says as i have the same thing going on with my company, I get a load sent to me, I accept it and thats pretty much it until next load. Good deal and they get me home pretty much anytime I want to be there with no questions asked at all" I can agree with that, pretty much why i'm switching careers. Tried to make a living in a cubicle customer relations job, You know, big companies don't always like to hear an answer when they ask what do you think? Foolish me, I always thought if you asked you were ready to listn! :roll:

[headborg]

Originally Posted by gmh

Unless you rat me out to Mr. Acklie, the company doesn't know they can abuse me yet. Seriously, I'm still with the trainer, and did request my time off mid-training.

And for personal reasons that I haven't gone into on this board (and have no intention on doing any time soon) 'home time' or 'personal time' is very, very low on my list of priorities in life.

George, I'd never rat out any driver-- wheither I liked him or not-- except under VERY limited Situations.--I.E. your behavior was risking the lives of other motorist--i.e. Drunk, drinking & driving. Or leaving the scene of a accident.

So tell me cause I just got to know------ does your Crete Trainer ever sleep while you're driving? or drive himself? I.E. is the truck being operated in any degree like a team operation.
I just got to know..... they told me I could be a trainer-- but, the truck would have to be operated strictly as a solo truck- with the trainee doing all the driving. And I'd get $150.00 for my efforts.
I told em to STICK IT.
They told me-- that was "Unprofessional" to try to run a training truck to any degree as a team operation--- I told them that was B.S.-- cause when I started Trucking it was a normal practice.

[gmh]

We're running damned close to the way they said it would run. The idea with someone fresh out of school is there is eight weeks of training. For the first four weeks, it is 100% a solo truck. The next four weeks are 'super solo', but I'm not entirely sure what that entails. I think it will nearly be a team operation. I'll let you know in another week or so when we get to that point.

I'm due for hometime around this weekend. At that point, my trainer will file a request to go super solo. At that point, someone in Lincoln (not sure if it is development, safety, or who) will review our logs to make sure they match and that the truck was run solo for the whole time.

The driving breakdown has varied. On the first day, my trainer drove, pointing out various things. Day two, I drove. He sat in the passenger seat and pointed out things. Lots of things. Lots and lots of things I didn't (and I expect most people out of school don't) have the stamina to drive 11 hours. I think my first day, I drove about four or so (I'd double check, but logs are in the truck, and I'm in the terminal). This gradually increased, and is now at the point where I have driven several 10 hour days.

When we encounter a new situation (like when we were heading west across Wyoming) my trainer would drive to demonstrate the practical end of the book learning I done got in school. Then I would follow it up and be corrected where necessary. Similar with rain, snow, etc, etc.

If we are running hard or have a load we can drop without an appointment (or are trying to beat weather, or whatever), we have been known to drive for a full 14.

My understanding is that 'super solo' will be very much a team effort. My further understanding is that trainers used to be able to switch to this mode pretty much whenever they wanted. It wasn't officially allowed, but there was no process in place to verify it. However, as of Jan. 1 of this year, that has changed. We were in Lincoln a couple of weeks ago, and the official word is that it has to do with some DOT regs. It is currently causing a bit of consternation amongst existing trainers.

All that said, there are also 2, 4, and 6 week training situations, depending on the trainee's experience. These may go super solo much quicker. Regarding the compensation, my trainer agrees, and may stop training guys out of school due to the low compensation. Some other companies (USX, I think) give you a penny per mile for 12 months after your students' training periods.

Send a PM if you want more details.

[headborg]

Originally Posted by gmh

We're running damned close to the way they said it would run. The idea with someone fresh out of school is there is eight weeks of training. For the first four weeks, it is 100% a solo truck. The next four weeks are 'super solo', but I'm not entirely sure what that entails. I think it will nearly be a team operation. I'll let you know in another week or so when we get to that point.

I'm due for hometime around this weekend. At that point, my trainer will file a request to go super solo. At that point, someone in Lincoln (not sure if it is development, safety, or who) will review our logs to make sure they match and that the truck was run solo for the whole time.

The driving breakdown has varied. On the first day, my trainer drove, pointing out various things. Day two, I drove. He sat in the passenger seat and pointed out things. Lots of things. Lots and lots of things I didn't (and I expect most people out of school don't) have the stamina to drive 11 hours. I think my first day, I drove about four or so (I'd double check, but logs are in the truck, and I'm in the terminal). This gradually increased, and is now at the point where I have driven several 10 hour days.

When we encounter a new situation (like when we were heading west across Wyoming) my trainer would drive to demonstrate the practical end of the book learning I done got in school. Then I would follow it up and be corrected where necessary. Similar with rain, snow, etc, etc.

If we are running hard or have a load we can drop without an appointment (or are trying to beat weather, or whatever), we have been known to drive for a full 14.

My understanding is that 'super solo' will be very much a team effort. My further understanding is that trainers used to be able to switch to this mode pretty much whenever they wanted. It wasn't officially allowed, but there was no process in place to verify it. However, as of Jan. 1 of this year, that has changed. We were in Lincoln a couple of weeks ago, and the official word is that it has to do with some DOT regs. It is currently causing a bit of consternation amongst existing trainers.

All that said, there are also 2, 4, and 6 week training situations, depending on the trainee's experience. These may go super solo much quicker. Regarding the compensation, my trainer agrees, and may stop training guys out of school due to the low compensation. Some other companies (USX, I think) give you a penny per mile for 12 months after your students' training periods.

Send a PM if you want more details.

No...you pretty much laid it all right out there--in the open....and I like "open".

I understand that many of these "fly-by-night" so-called trainers ruined the whole image & driver training industry/ program by abusing the trainee's -- running team miles, not actually training at all, sometimes just having the trainee hold the steering wheel between exits on the interstate and other times just using their log book to log miles THEY drove-- and not requiring them to drive at all--

but, from what I was told-- the whole 8 weeks were suppose to be ran as "solo"--- so you can see why I was completely turned off by that idea- even though I suspected that in actual practice it was running somewhat differently.... I just hate hyprocracy.

[gmh]

I laid it out to everyone involved (managers, recruiters, trainer) that if I weren't getting some solo training for quite some time, I'd be outta here in a hurry.

A buddy I went to truck driving school with wound up at Werner. Had an awful experience and jumped from the truck after two weeks or so. I think he spent maybe a total of 10 hours driving in that two weeks. The truck however ran nearly 'team miles'.

[iowarider]

Thanks for the information everyone. Hope to hear more.

[belpre122]

Iowa,
Good to see you pop up on the radar again. I was closely following your CRST diaries back in '05, as I started with CRST in Cedar Rapids, June '05. Last I remember, you were headed to Transport America. Just wondering what happened there? I hope that it all works out for you this time. Seems like you've got a pretty good idea of what not to do. I was wondering, did CRST pursue you for the tuition to driving school.(Kirkwood?) Best of Luck this time around!