Profile For TFIWS Student

I am finally solo my mentor would always waste his time on purpose it feels like to me in the gas station after fueling up always making people walk up to the truck asking me to move it man so annoying. I eventually started staying away from the truck keeping it in my sights so when my mentor would show up I jump in at the same time. I am never going to do that to anyone behind me. I look at my fuel up like a competition I see the truck sorry there next to me and I get it out and try to finish before he is finish. I meant to refer to so it kind of gives me the underdog effect but that's the most enjoying part of the day getting out of that truck and competing with the dude next to you. when your done fueling up pull forward if you have no reason to go inside please leave if you do have to go inside just to take a **** and your tanks are completely empty challenge yourself to a little game go inside and **** before your tanks are full. people do get super super super angry and I totally understand we have somewhere to be and it's not always a matter of bad planning on the drivers part it could be traffic wind some type of inclement weather so please pull forward or leave and if your a kid with your mentor and your mentors inside wasting time on purpose don't go back to the truck until you see him going back to the truck some people cannot defend themselves and some people try to hit other people. unfortunately this kid tried to hit the guy that was angry at him. hopefully he learned his lesson. hopefully the marine broke a knuckle.

Thank you for listening guys i just needed to anonymously vent. ive been holding it in for a couple weeks and it felt good to release. im not going to tell on him someone will teach him a lesson sooner or later and hell likely learn to be respectful to others. it was healthy to vent.

I am a student driver in training with a mentor. I decline to name the company but will drop a hint. We have a terminal in Memphis, Phoenix, Richmond and many other places. Hint number 2 we can except loads via an app on our smart phones. I wish mentors didn’t have as much say so in the terms of denying loads when they have a student.

My complaints:

Being on a dedicated line, the mentor gets to arrive at his home terminal several times a week. Here is a typical week:

Monday: Ohh hey look a next load message. Where is my mentor? Oh yeah hes at home while im in the truck since Saturday afternoon. Because he set his PTA to Monday morning. Sure wish I can accept that load, sure hope he accepts the load I need to feed my kids. You have a new message. YAAAYYY he took it! Thank God. Okay, 15:00 is the time for pickup. Clean the truck take a shower drink water from the fountain and wait. 14:45, 14:50, 14:55 text message from mentor “Hey do a Macro1 please Im coming.” 14:57 Macro 1 15:00, 15:10 there you are. “I have to use the restroom hold on a minute” says the mentor. 15:30 there he is there he is I get excited like a puppy left in the heat waiting at the store. We head over to the warehouse and pick up the load. Should we get fuel from the fuel island first? Nooo no no.

The load needs to be delivered at 01:00 Tuesday morning. Nice its 10 hours from now and only 400 miles easily done. I say hey the terminal is about 3 miles away and the suggested trip plan says to get fuel from the terminal before we leave. No no don’t worry about it. 75 miles down the road he asks for a new fuel location. We get to the fuel location and he says fuel it up ill be back. Ok. So I fuel it up and I wait. And wait and wait and wait and wait. The guy behind me says hey can you pull your truck up? So I pull the truck up. And I wait 45 minutes later the same guy. Hey man can you move your truck. So I move the truck to a safe place slowly. I wait. he yell at me for moving the truck?

Headed to the destination I think we will still make it in time if we just drive straight through. Mentor calls someone and talks to them for a couple hours. Hangs up the phone. “Hey there is a TA up here at exit ## pull over so I can get something to drink. Ok. We pull over, “park in the fuel island”. You sure you want me to park in the fuel island someones going to ask me to move the truck and you don’t want me to move the truck without you here. “Just park in the fuel island. If anyone asks you to move the truck just tell them to wait or go around. Its not a big deal.” So I pull forward through it. He gets upset. I refuse to back up after asking if we are getting fuel or def if we are not I don’t want to block people.

I wait. And wait and wait. Someone comes and asks me to move my truck I explain to them that I am a student and am not allowed to move the truck they get very confrontational which I completely understand. Because I don’t want to get in trouble and hit someone back for swinging at me I decide to move the truck.

I wait the mentor comes back all upset I explained to him the situation the guy swung at me I ducked grabbed his arm told him to calm down I will move the truck but it may cost me my job please don’t try and take food from my kids because I am being courteous to others.

Long story short we ended up being late and sending a macro 22 for the load we should have been early for.

Tuesday we have a load going back to the dedicated warehouse. We have to pick it up by 12:00 and its 200 miles out. So he drives out so I can get my 10 hours break we drive to the warehouse we get there in record time. We pick the load up early its just a drop and hook NICE! We have to have it back by 2300 we should be able to do that easy with no problems. He goes to sleep I start a driving. I see a Truck Stop in the horizon after driving for about 5 hours not to mention the time driving to the pick up. I say man I need to get something to eat. Hes still sleeping so I pull over park in a safe place with all the other trucks call his name bang on the wall call his phone he doesn’t reply. I go in get me something to eat bring it back to the truck munch it down right when my 30 minutes is up I change to pre trip check to make sure no one pulled anything lose jump back in a roll. He swings the curtain open. What are you doing? “You don’t just pull into a truck stop without asking me!” hes livid hes really angry and I don’t know why. Im not wasting time im making good time I don’t know what the problem is but maybe he has his reasons. He gets all mad and says come on lets get moving man we don’t have all day.

He goes back to sleep and I drive back to the warehouse I try to wake him up but he does not wake up. I go check in I drop the trailer where it needs to go and everything is fine and dandy. I get back to the terminal and he pops out happy as can be. “Hey we made it”

Its Tuesday Night about 22:50 at 10:00 in the morning we should have ample amount of rest to take a load and have enough hours to drive. “No no change the PTA to Thursday Morning.

You know today is Tuesday right? “Yes tomorrow is Wednesday” we need to reset.

I have more than 50 hours left. “Change it to 1000 on Thursday” alright “Ill see you on Thursday, have a good Wednesday”

He goes home. I stay in the truck. And we do it again on Thursday