Profile For Clayton J.

Exactly Man. Couldnt agree more.

Am I missing something here? You guys basically say he needs tougher skin?

This is a trainee, in a new environment, and an intimidating one just by itself. I really do not see where anyone should have to take ANY abuse. Period!

Especially from a mentor, or someone TRAINING you, this is not the military, it's a civilian job.

Come on guys, a trainer knowing, that you are in an unfamiliar environment , with essentially no one for support other than a person who is calling you a liar, and backs up controlling, manipulative statements with fists. This is not the normal being tough on the new kid on the block kind of thing here.

This idiot thinks he can tell you how your wife should think ect.? Come on... You can tell that the poster is a courteous by how he speaks...

I have trained many people in my life, many who had been tossed from job site to job site. I knew a tough one was coming just by the look on the owners face as he approached me, telling me he was sending another new guy out to the jobsite...

Funny thing is in time I realized that both the trainee and the trainer were still learning. Life life is like that, no matter how many times you have done something you can reflect and always learn more about the same thing. I like to think of it as refining.

And one more thing I personally think you should never judge someone based on rumors or how many times they fall down, but rather by how many times the get up and try again...Sometimes its the heart that needs the most. You would be surprised by how much one encouraging word from a trainer can change someone's whole entire attitude and start bringing success for everyone involved, including the trainer!

You do have the power of life and death in your tongue!!

You definitely will become A truck driver if You want it. Definitely doable. I know you came here to vent to get You through another day or another hour or whatever the case. I guarantee there is A trainer out there You can coexist with. I wouldnt up with being miserable either. The fact these companies expect two grown Men do drive in the same Truck all day together then sleep in bunk beds is ridiculous. I cant believe i did it 6 years ago. I honestly dont think i could now. It did kind of go fast though and ive never had to do it again 6 years later.

Thanks 87 Wrangler and Don.

Everything I stated before is factual. The 1st trainer was abusing his power according to the 1st company that I went to. They investigated looked at the video and students came forward on my behalf without my involvement. I was asked to return but decided against it after being pulled in the office by the trainer and his manager. This left a bad taste in my mouth being accused of things that did not happen.

I went to the next company and the trainer snored very loud do to a medical condition. I failed to mention in my previous novel that he lost 5 other students due to this issue. I think he was upset that I got off his truck and shed this problem to light again. The company and the trainer made me aware of the 5 other students.

The 3rd trainer was friends with the 2nd trainer. When the 2nd trainer acted very aggressive at a truck stop in Arizona the 3rd trainer acted like I should take it. I firmly believe that the 2nd trainer was using repressed anger about the snoring. I stood up to the snoring trainer and it was not well received. I informed the 3rd trainer that I felt his friend is a trainer and myself a student that his behavior was inappropriate. Once this happened things got much worse as in my previous posts. According to him I was doing well till this took place. He informed me that I probably would not make in trucking. As I posted before he did several other things. I did everything the trainers told me to do without complaint. I felt my dignity and humanity was under attack because certain people feel superiority is more important to them than actually training.

As I stated before trainer 3 let me know that trainer 2 did not like me and stated that he didn't know what to think of me. I'm introverted and both of them are extroverted which is no ones fault. I tried to tweak my personality a bit but it did not work. I'm a very serious person and they did not like that. In my mind none of that should matter. I'm the student and they are the trainer. In my opinion being there, trainer 3 tried hard to press me to give in on not me being myself. I even told him that I was doing EVERYTHING he asked but people should be allowed to be themselves. He told me without hesitation "Not on my truck". After 16 days of this with 13 to go I could not take it anymore.

Luckily I have a friend that is trying to find me a trainer. He found someone I know and knows my personality. Hopefully all this will come to fruition. If it doesn't work out then I'm going to keep trying. I'm damn proud that I obtained my CDL as I know all of you are. I want to be a driver like all of you are. I want to say one day that I'm damn proud to be a truck driver like I know you all are. I need a job not personality conflicts. For those that have given me positive posts I thank you. For those that question my story or post laughs at me I thank you as well. You are all a prime example of why truck drivers make this country so great. Thanks

I agree Brian. I believe you can improve on everything you do in this life.

Thanks G-Town.

My biggest obstacle is the fact that I worked in another industry for 26 years managed and trained for 20 of those years. My expectations are probably not the same as the 3 gentleman I informed you about. I made mistakes and tried my best to learn from those mistakes in regards to training people. While being trained I think my biggest problem is that I'm holding them to standards that I've tried to practice. I always felt that you should lift people not push them down. When I trained, I made it a practice to train not belittle, not be condescending, or be controlling. I saw all this in all 3 especially #3. It became clear to me that these guys were awesome drivers but poor trainers.

Someone I respect pointed out my feelings on the training because they are aware of my previous carrier. They informed me that my expectations of their training is probably unfair. If I'm going to be a driver this is something I will have to come to terms with. However, I have spoken to other drivers and they informed me that their are some awesome trainers out there. I don't doubt that. I'm positive that I'm being stubborn, but I also know when I'm being disrespected. This really was displayed by trainer 3. He made attempts to cross boundaries that you just don't cross with people. I felt it was best to walk away at that point. Thanks

Wrangler87 and I would have gotten along just fine if we were in that situation. I agree with what You said and how You said it. From my 50 years living on this planet ive come to realize this:

People are usually either about respect or about control. Being about respect comes very easily for Me. Some People have very high self-importance. Some People are completely unaware of what they do wrong and would never utter something as simply as i apologize ever. Im 50 Years old and ive never heard either of my older brothers apologize or admit they were wrong ever in my entire life. Needless to say we go very long periods of time without talking and arent close at all anymore. I constantly improve and get better at everything i do including personal relationships. Not all People abide by that creed.

Like G town...Boundries are important.

Boundries should be respected, some you just dont cross. Several of these are unspoken. Most normal people just instinctively not to do it.....RIGHT? Many here in my opinion were crossed and unprofessional. This isn't the 9th grade, its work, a job and a dangerous one at that.

Not saying there isn't two sides to a story but some things should not be done. Especially in a training situation where innocent people could lose their lives or damage a career for life.

Maybe a good trainer would have been expecting this to happen at the yield sign. Maybe even looking ahead the appropriate distance. As was stated earlier, as being a common occurrence. Maybe if the trainer would have been sharing their wisdom and how to handle this situation as it was occurring instead of just letting it happen and talking some bs after the fact, the trainee could have acted appropriately and would not have had that bad experience.

You are right there are two sides to every story. Because if I were the trainer in this situation. I would have felt that I failed; apologized to the trainee, and went on to express being thankful no one was hurt. Then explained the reasons why this was an unsafe move, and to avoid doing this in the future.

Oh....and OP I am not advocating violence, but the way you explained it. There was standoff or an open invitation of a boxing match.... When combined with the previous circumstances; I would have happily accepted the offer. Calling the office is not for me, would rather just nip it in the bud, directly at the source and will fight at the drop of a hat and have always been this way. Got it honest, from my uncle....I dont seek it out mind you, and am always respectful of others; but when offered , like I said earlier, will happily oblige you.

Davy A. Glad you are doing well...still following you.

This is the worst part of the job. I can't believe i not only got through it, but did it. I was on A truck with A trainer for about 7 to 8 weeks i believe then I got my own Truck. He barely had over A year driving and came from A military background so it was quite the ordeal to say the least. The last 3 weeks we barely said one word to each other. I drove while he slept and vice versa. I figured out quickly he didnt know near as he thought He did about everything including truck driving . I let some things He said slide in the beginning until i wasnt taking it anymore. Venting on these forums or in general helps a little bit, but my suggestion is to stick up for yourself and tell the Person how You feel and think about what He is doing or saying for your own peace of mind. Most likely the Person will deny Hes doing anything wrong but my suggestion for You is to set some boundaries. What your going through is difficult enough. Especially the last story when your trainer said something to You about texting during your 10 hour break or when You were both asleep. You will never see these people again after You get your own Truck and its obvious your never going to be friends with them so my suggestion for your own well being and peace of mind is to speak up and stick up for yourself. Don't let anyone rent space in your head or make your life miserable. We do a good job of that ourselves some days. I'd tell Him exactly what He did and how it affected You. These trucks arent big enough for one Person let alone two. All i can say is this is the absolute worst part of the job if your introverted.

Great job. Its a great feeling to put in the work and be able to get that. It took me like 2 weeks 6 Years ago. The women seemed to be able to get a trainer right sway so im sure itll be any day now.

It might have been because You were new there Georgia Mike or maybe it was a slow time for freight so the loads were given to the drivers that have proved themselves. Bad luck with the breakdowns. I drove a 2007 freightliner for almost 3 years and never had one brakedown ever the entire 3 years i was there. Not even a flat tire. Im sure thatd be frustrating being both new and having brakedowns. Im not being A devils advocate or anything but ive been with about 4 trucking companies and never have i had a hard time making money or getting miles. Never. If anything im always trying to get a little more personal time over money at every company. Especially these big companies. They for sure have freight. If your ontime and accident free, you will for sure positively make money. You know if you were getting brakedown pay id had tried to enjoy the down time before it was time to run hard again. Feel completely refreshed ready to run hard. Brakedowns do happen unfortunately but its been very rare in my experience. I guess ive had luck on my side a little bit.

So, back to the OP's question asking for suggestions on how he should deal with the contract with Western Express....

Bash the company at every single opportunity, no matter how long ago you drove there, and irregardless that this was the only company that would hire you. Do I have that correct, Georgia Mike?

Yes because I am trying to keep the guy from signing something that hes gonna regret later so yes I will tell the truth about a company that is terrible horrible no good. This is called trucking truth correct. I'm not wrong for telling the truth about how a company acts And treats their drivers

Someone else will for sure give You another try absolutely. Be completely honest and be completely humble. You have your CDL check out New Prime inc in Springfield Mo. They will reimburse you gas and pay you a guarantee of 700 a week to Team drive for 2 months or so. I actually finished in 7 weeks and got my own truck. Man i had practically zero mechanical skills, never backed up anything my entire life, always drove automatics, and im on year 6 now. It gets easier and easier depending on the job you have. I did all inner city local driving in Las Vegas for 3 years straight in rush hour traffic with strict time limits!! Now i have a regiobnal run to Phoenix and back. Amazing views. Very little traffic because its night time driving which i for sure prefer. I really needed it and was at a real strong period mentally when i first started. I completely sucked at backing for 2 months straight. Never had an accident yet which i feel extremely fortunate about. I drove like A decrepit Grandma my first year driving. I just always remembered no matter what dont hit anything. All i can is that it gets way easier after that first 6 months to a year. By year 2 even easier but you always improve and get better. You just have to bite the bullet and get this first year otr out the way. Once you get into a rhythm it goes fast. I was single though and stayed out for 2 months at a time before. Home time can actually get you out your rhythm at times.

I have 6 Years of driving. Never not been able to back into A dock. But 6 months ago i failed the backing test there at Walmart and was sent Home. I had no idea that You could be sent home. We actually took a different backing test each day. But the final test was the same as the first and i timed out. I cant explain it to You but something about the procedure threw me off. I kept trying to do it one shot in retrospect and i think they make it to where you have to pull up. So im getting another crack at it in a couple weeks. I bet its the same test You took. I was so confident id pass it that on Day 2 the tester showed us how they wanted it done and i didnt really pay attention because i thought the day before was A fluke. I for sure will pay attention this time if i fail it initially. Ive done walmart dedicated with Prime after having only like 4 months driving and never went to A walmart with a dock that was as hard as that Test. Anyway if you remember it or have any tips im all ears. It was very humbling because ive had to back into some hard docks before. Not sure what my deal was.

I got into my own truck after 7 weeks. My trainer said i was ready. Including the PSD phase i think its called it took like 11 weeks total. Went by fast. And to each his own but i liked dedicated regional over the road much better then OTR but if youve seen the the 48 states its a great way to do it. I would have never to this day seen New York, Boston, Montana, Wyoming, Seattle, Grand Canyon, etc etc etc if i didnt do OTR in the beginning. I like the West Coast by far the best but each his own.

Hello forum,

I got my CDL A from a private company via my local community college. Initially I planned to go to work for TMC. Long story short, I decided during TMC's orientation that the company isn't for me. Load securement isn't an issue, but tarping and untarping *every day* isn't something I was prepared to deal with. It didn't help that there were no driver trainers in my area. So I'm now looking into alternatives.

Aside from TMC, only Schneider and McElroy recruiters visited my school. Since leaving TMC orientation, I have been in touch with recruiters from Schneider, Prime and CRST.

One of my instructors at CDL school worked for Schneider and highly recommended them. I got my tanker endorsement but with the shaving requirement i decided that's not for me either. That left dry van. Home time isn't an issue for me (single, no children, no mortgage, comfortable with solitude) and the Schneider recruiter indicated that the option exists to stay out longer than the 2 weeks in the job description. The recruiter also indicated they will work with drivers who wish to transfer to other 'positions' as appropriate.

Prime appeals mostly because of their pet policy. I don't currently have a pet, but it's something I had *very* seriously considered after getting settled into the OTR life. Otherwise I imagined spending any free time reading, listening to music/podcasts or pursuing other such activities.

Any suggestions/advice will be greatly appreciated.

Regards, Asher Higgs