My Nightmare!

Beware long post ahead. Just wanted to share my story and maybe get some feedback from some of the old pro's out there.

So I have been a lurker here and other places for several months. I am a 44 year old Army Vet. So Im new too trucking but not new to operating heavy and potentially dangerous equipment. Also I have been around the block a few times and Im not fooled easily and expect to be treated with respect. I have been interested in trucking for a long time, but had never pulled the trigger on it until recently. After reading several forums (with a heavy dose of TT) and subscribing to every you tube vloger. I decided too take the plunge. I went with a school here in North Las Vegas called AIT. Great experience for me. I learned a lot. And was in the top of my class. I was excited to get started.

I talked with many many many companies! I am weary person in general. Life has taught me to be. The school kinda pushes Werner. But I wanted to see what else was out there. I decided to go with a a lesser known company (which at this time will remain nameless) that I found out later was actually owned by a larger company. Who in turn gets its freight from a MUCH larger company. The cpm was awesome! The recruiter was awesome (yeah I know, thats there job)! Never got fed up with my constant questions. One of my things I was looking for was a good CSA score. I was a tour guide in my last job so I know a bit of how that works. This company has a great CSA score. So decision was made I was off on the 2 day drive to orientation!

Orientation went good. Shared room and a decent enough hotel. Everyone was professional polite and safety orientated. We did all paperwork, physical all the necessary stuff. Then time too get on the road with my trainer... Ugh! This where it goes down hill, FAST!

It actually starts with my fleet manager. Him and my trainer are currently in a feud which my trainer has already regaled everyone within earshot about. Which is far cause my new trainer is very freakin loud! So my meeting with my fleet manager seemed to be more about getting in backhanded shots at my trainer than about me. But whatever we all get disgruntled from time to time. But one thing struck me was in all this talk I have had with my recruiter, training staff etc. Safety was the watchword so too speak. But one of the first things my fleet manager told me was my trainer would teach me how too "cheat" the e-logs...... Hold on, what? Personally Im not cheating the log book! I didn't do it at my tour guide job. I sure as hell will not do it in trucking! Even when we did paper logs. I dont need too work more than 14 hours a day or drive more than 11. Those rules seem more than reasonable to me.

But on too my trainer. After hours of him continually bad mouthing his fleet manager and chatting with another driver (a female who a later found out he was scouting for training a female family member of his) he finally decided we would not start tonight and he would open his truck so we could sleep. I have everything packed still. Havent even seen his truck yet, let alone get sheets on the bed and get situated. So I jump in and get started. This is where I find out that my trainer is not the patient, courteous or hell even likable person I was hoping for. He is negative, loud, obnoxious and impatient! Part of this is his feud with the dispatcher , part is because he is not well. He is a big man. He is pushing about 350lbs. Its hard for him to walk far or get into the truck. He has what seems to be a chronic cough and bad chest congestion. He has open sores on his legs due to poor circulation. Which he later asks for help too stop the bleeding if it occurs. As its hard for him to do it. I notice his mattress as I climb up too the top bunk. It has bright red blood stains all over it. All the while I have to hurry to get set up as he is getting impatient. No "Hi, welcome to the truck! Lets go make money!" lol or whatever I envisioned would happen. But he didnt even offer to shake my hand. Just a "Heh! Which one of you is from Las Vegas? Your with me!". I have immediately regretted my decision!

We start out in the morning. He had me driving, cool I love driving these trucks. So we start out. He is still very rough and not very patient. He knows I only have about 8 hours on the road with a truck. But we get on the highway get into tenth and set the cruise at 58 and all is good. At this point I'm hoping its just a rough start and it will smooth out over the day. It doesn't. He doesn't like when I try to do my own log on the qualcomm. He doesn't like it when I try to look over the route. He contently sets up questions so he can show me how much he knows that I don't. I know what you might be thinking. But at this point Im not even talking to him let alone trying to act like I know everything.

Continue'ed later due to turkey day!

Sorry to hear you have a not so hot trainer. Just tough it out, hang in there and soon enough you'll be on your own. I'd be a bit creeped out about the guy bleeding all over the place though lol. It's not exactly the most sanitary thing and sounds like he doesn't take very good care of himself.

Continue'ed ------

So after about 10 and half driving hours we get ready to stop for the day. Or what I thought was going to be stopping for the day. Turns out weren't stopping at all. We were just changing over. I think to myself "Wait are we doing teams? Cause I specifically asked if my training would be done as team driving, and I was told no. It would be solo with a trainer." Which is what I wanted. I am not trying to set any newby records or anything. Matter of fact if I do 2500 miles a week I will be happy. We were getting most of that in about 2 days. But that's one thing. Quite another thing is that this guy has been awake with me all day! I mean he hasn't slept, AT ALL! Now he is gonna run all night. Although the frequent vibrations from going over the rumble strips all night was kinda massage like. The next day he does get about 3 hours. I end up driving through small towns in Texas with no trainer on my second total day of driving a semi. Not ideal, but it was thankfully uneventful.

But the sleeping situation itself was the worst part. I was informed during our hurried change over that I would not be sleeping in the top bunk while someone is driving cause he doesn't use the nets for the bunks. So I had take off my sheets off the top bunk and now put them on the lower bunk. Yeah that would be the previously mentioned bloody mattress. This was the last straw for me.

After the attitude, his general health condition, the lie about team driving, filthy cab (along with growing collection of urine filled bottles rolling around) and now forced to sleep on someone else's bloody mattress I was done. I called a training person at the company and told them that at this point I'm about to jump out of the truck. Go home and forget the whole thing. But I understand the money they spent on getting me there and the positive experiences I had with everyone else up too my trainer that I would give it another chance. If they could get me with another trainer as soon as possible. Or least have a plan, fast. I would love to keep going on my training. I was told they understood and would work on it.

Next day. Six hours at a shipper which is another story... Delivery time of 0530 but office doesn't open til 0600. So it turns out we owed them a late fee lol, icing on the cake I say. So while waiting I try to get in touch with the person who said they would help me. Nothing, no reply for at 16 hours. Left texts and voicemails. No responses. I know they keep him busy so I'm waiting. Then we get a preplan to PA from Laredo, TX. I can't do this. Not without some kinda plan to resolve the issue. By this time my trainer knows this and tells dispatch he might not be able to take that load. Its a team driving load apparently. Now I finally get a phone call.

This is the person in charge of the of the dispatchers (I forget the job title). He starts being sort of nice and tries to finish by being sort of intimidating. Neither works for him. But what I get loud and clear is that the trainer change isn't happening. So I decide that I'm done. I just need off this truck and I need off now!

Too their credit they did get me on a Greyhound from Laredo to Las Vegas. Which I didn't expect. I wanted a ride to Austin where I have family. They did reserve the ticket for 2 days away, insuring me traveling during the holiday. But after a quick change for 20 dollars I was on a bus within 15 minutes and home before 36 hours.

In some ways I feel bad but in many ways more I'm relieved to be off that truck. And I'm pretty sure I was on this truck to make this trainer (who is a lease operator) money and in his opinion not so much about training. It will happen but its not a priority.

Now I'm debating trying again with another company. But I want to meet my trainer and see his truck before I commit to anything. Which I know is expecting way too much. So I'm gonna take the holidays to think about it.

Just a not so short story of my first attempt at truck driving. Any thing you guys could add could be helpful. Was I expecting too much? Did I react correctly? Should I have just sucked it up? I cant imagine a scenario where sleeping on someone else's bloody mattress is ok, but who knows.

Sorry it was so long, but it did feel good too write this out. And believe it or not there is more that I left out. But these were the highlights.

I wouldn't live in someone else's filth, period. These situations are the main reason I am avoiding taking that route to my CDL. Sucking it up is if the 'trainer' is a donkeys behind. I wouldn't sleep on someone else's mattress, much less with blood stains and who knows what other DNA is on that thing.

If what all you say is true regarding his cleanliness and bleeding issues, there is zero chance I would have stayed on that truck. ZERO.

Yeah being required to sleep on someone elses bloody mattress I'm pretty sure can't be legal... blood is a bio hazard even if he doesn't / didn't (however you choose to word it past or present). That's like saying you have to use someone elses needle when getting a flu shot because there's a shortage on them... to bad i'm not getting a flu shot then (i don't anyways, long story of reasons for a different topic) Now I can understand if it's possible to switch the mattress around, i'm not saying it's ok but it is a solution at least... I'm surprised he's medically cleared if he's so obese that he's got poor blood circulation causing him to have open sores and start bleeding at random. I'm not skinny by any measure and I have started to have high blood pressure (which I'm working on fixing) but i'm not so obese that I have poor circulation and start bleeding.

Delivery time of 0530 but office doesn't open til 0600. So it turns out we owed them a late fee lol,

I don't understand how you're responsible for a late fee when the people you are delivering to are not open until after their appointment time... they should not request you to be there before they open unless someone is going to be there to accept that load. Oh well it's in the past now.

I almost threw up just reading this story, I can't imagine what it must have been like in there! You have more gumption than me, I would not even have driven out of the parking lot with an infested truck like that.

Good luck bro!

I'm not saying you should of stuck it out but you could of took the top mattress off and put on top of his still bad but a little less nasty lol...

Infidel, thanks for sharing that story and I'm sorry that dude was such a disgusting mess. I also very much appreciate and respect the fact that you understand you're new to this industry so you're trying to go with the flow, get along with people, and tolerate quite a few things you didn't want to or shouldn't have to. You really have a great attitude toward all of this and you can be certain your career will still get off to a great start one way or another.

You can of course either try to get back on with the same company and get a different trainer or pick another company and go for it again. If you do try to get on with the last company it's probably just a matter of getting the right person in the office on the phone for five minutes. Tell them:

"Look, I came there because I thought you were a good fit for me and I still do. But you can't let a trainer live like an animal and call that a professional work environment. I'm ready to leave today if you'll give me a true professional to learn from. And it's not just a matter of hygiene, it's a matter of safety."

Like you said, it's not the company that was the problem, it was only that trainer. If you had a great trainer you'd be out there driving every day and smiling from ear to ear.

But personally I would recommend you simply forget all about that experience like it never happened and move forward with your career. Whether you go with the same company or choose a new one, don't let any of this spoil your enthusiasm for this career any. Keep it in perspective. It wasn't the trucking industry that was the problem. It wasn't even the company. It was simply one guy and you just happen to come along at the wrong time. Some call it bad luck, others say "Poop happens in life", but either way it can instantly be remedied by finding one nice guy that actually wants to train you and enjoy life a little bit. Then it's all good again like nothing ever happened.

The story you shared exposed some of the biggest problems this industry faces today:

1) The training is sometimes inadequate

2) Standards for professional behavior do not exist at most companies.

I also want to say something on a personal note so people understand where I'm coming from on various matters. It's not uncommon that I'll take the company's side in many situations that new drivers will bring to our attention. They'll complain that a company doesn't know how to train people properly or that their operations are inefficient and all kinds of stuff. I'll get labeled "a company guy" and stuff like that.

The thing is, there's an attitude and an approach that is best when trying to learn a new trade and become successful at something that's rather difficult, complex, and dangerous. The approach is to be friendly, tolerant, patient, and humble. It's to listen and learn, go with the flow, and in the case of trucking just try not to damage anything.

People like "Infidel" here clearly understand this approach and he did a great job presenting honest facts about his experiences. He didn't fly off the handle on some lunatic rant. He didn't start trying to tell everyone to stay away from that company and alter the career paths of others. He showed nothing but humility, the willingness to put in an honest effort, and a level head.

These are the type of people that have the best chance of being successful in this career. Keep in mind that getting through training, even with a nightmare of a trainer, is still the easy part. Once you get out there running solo month after month, year after year, you'll be presented with countless life or death situations in bad weather, heavy traffic, and on tight schedules. People are going to treat you like garbage at times and they're going to drive like they hate you, and many of them do.

You have to be level headed, patient, humble, and tolerant out there. You have to learn to go with the flow and remain calm under stressful circumstances. You have to be able to assess situations with a clear mind and logical thinking.

I'm glad Infidel shared this story so people know that this kind of stuff really does happen in this industry. It's shameful that it does, but believe me, it's real. I think his next trainer will be a thousand times better than this guy was and regardless of what company he ends up with he's going to become great at trucking.

Most people that fail in their attempt at a trucking career were their own worst enemy and never figured that out. It's rarely the driving part that's a problem. Their attitude is what screwed it up for them and they never admitted to that so they never learned from it. They just blamed everyone else for their shortcomings and walked away bitter.

Infidel ran into a knucklehead, simple as that. It was a matter of bad luck and nothing more. He'll decide on his next move, get with a much better trainer, and enjoy moving his career to the next level. How do I know? Because I can tell by the things he shared and the way he thought it all out that he gets what it takes to be successful in this career or any challenge this difficult. These are the people who share honest experiences that we can help them with. These are also the people that others in our community can learn helpful lessons from.

Great stuff.

Infidel, whenever you figure it out let us know what you decide to do next.

I really wish this site had a "like" button, lol. So much great info and insight. Here's a big THANK YOU for this forum and to everyone who contributes to it. I really am thankful for finding this site, and for the lessons learned and shared here.