Letter For HR...

Thank you all for the replies. I don't feel so bad writing a long statement. Like I said I'm not out to ruin anybody, but if he's going to do it for himself, then that's not my problem.

I was informed that this wasn't his first complaint, and its not a sexist thing, he's done the same thing to both males and females. I'm actually glad I'm female in this situation, what if he tried to share a urinal with me!

There are better out there, while I hope for the best; I'd honestly settle for just better... its a temporary situation.

Holy Cow! How do some of these individuals even become trainers? There must be no oversight of these Yahoos at all, and the stories seem to be spread out over a lot of different carriers. With what seem to be very strict hiring standards of most carriers, and i'm sure tons of do's and dont's classes at orientation, (sexual harassment, diversity, blah blah), where in the he!! do these guys come from? Wake Up Trucking Companies! I hope you keep track of comments on these forums!

Holy Cow! How do some of these individuals even become trainers? There must be no oversight of these Yahoos at all, and the stories seem to be spread out over a lot of different carriers. With what seem to be very strict hiring standards of most carriers, and i'm sure tons of do's and dont's classes at orientation, (sexual harassment, diversity, blah blah), where in the he!! do these guys come from? Wake Up Trucking Companies! I hope you keep track of comments on these forums!

They become trainers by passing the test. Simple. Fortunately the good ones outnumber the bad ones.

Trainers of low esteem are enabled by trainees unwilling to speak up and hold them accountable. How else can the trucking companies police their ranks without the candid input of the trainees? This is a very important part of the process and should not be compromised. Do not be bullied into thinking "wrong is right" and "right is wrong", etc. Speak up!

Val, I'm so sorry you had to endure that. But I commend you, and Rainy D., for speaking up and writing a statement. It will help many people in the future. These stories make me very worried about my future trainer.

Thanks for the input G Town. I start w/ Swift next month, and hope I don't get assigned one of the "less than desireable" trainers. Exactly what is the Company policy on Mentors. I am very easy to get along with, take constructive criticism well, and am very eager to learn. I have the feeling if you complain about your Mentor, it may make you sound like a whiner, when in fact you may be with "one of those guys". I respect your opinion G, have kept up with your posts, and appreciate your frankness.

Is this guy from another country by any chance? If so, this could be an issue of how people in his culture view women. If that is the case, he definitely should not be training females.

Now, if he treats both males and females like that he shouldn't be training at all, unless he changes his ways. Now, I know at Werner, with many trainer issues, it will just cost them their ability to be trainers and not their job. Of course there would be exceptions to that.

Well.. I had two good trainers before the lunatic. The first took a job elsewhere. The second took a lot of hometime and so I was put on the last guys truck for what I was told was going to be 5 days... it turned into 2 weeks.

As a trainee it is hard to decide whether to speak up. You aren't an employee before you get your license... and even after you are stuck in the trainers home.... not his truck but his home. You are new ND don't want the compnay looking badly upon you

With Prime in the TNT phase.. the lease owner ops pay Prime .14 cpm to lease your services so essentially the lease op is paying your salary. No one explains this to the trainee... ..and some of these trainers then see you as an employee not a customer or even student... they see you as really cheap labor that helps the run double the miles and double the money. I was told when we could stop... eat.. shower... even go to the bathroom. However she and I got along and I knew it was temporary. I heard other stories but didn't experience it until I got with the next one... omg... smh

I would sit and make a list of questions in a notebook and ask the trainer while she drove... I also recorded her with my phone. I insisted on talking about things I thought I would need to know.... but how can a newbie know what to ask????

What would I do differrntly? ? I would have insisted on doing ALL of rhe backing. She only let me do 10% cause I took too long and time is money.

Asking to switch trainers is nothing new and it won't get you fired. Now... 9f you go through 4 trainers ND each has a problem with you....and you refuse to listen to anyone... that is a different story.

As I'm starting to ask around, I'm discovering its not too unusual for things to not work out with the first trainer. And most of the time its just personality conflicts, not anything extreme.

I don't even like to look at my situation as being that bad. It sucks, yes. But I'll get over it. My trainer had a huge ego and told me repeatedly how lucky I was to have gotten him because everyone else does this or that. Now that I'm getting a chance to double check stuff that he said, I'm learning that he did not tell me much truth. I'm looking forward to being able to actually LEARN stuff, rather than just using my common sense out there.

Is this guy from another country by any chance? If so, this could be an issue of how people in his culture view women. If that is the case, he definitely should not be training females.

Now, if he treats both males and females like that he shouldn't be training at all, unless he changes his ways. Now, I know at Werner, with many trainer issues, it will just cost them their ability to be trainers and not their job. Of course there would be exceptions to that.

He was American... from what I understand this isn't his first complaint that he's received. And they came from both men and women.

At first, I thought it was because I'm a chick. He was just starting the divorce process, and I know when I was going through mine I had a little built up discrimination for the other gender, LOL. But now, I think I just understand WHY he's going through a divorce...

Thanks for the input G Town. I start w/ Swift next month, and hope I don't get assigned one of the "less than desireable" trainers. Exactly what is the Company policy on Mentors. I am very easy to get along with, take constructive criticism well, and am very eager to learn. I have the feeling if you complain about your Mentor, it may make you sound like a whiner, when in fact you may be with "one of those guys". I respect your opinion G, have kept up with your posts, and appreciate your frankness.

Thanks TM.

First of all Val's trainer exhibited several unacceptable behaviors. Based on what was written, he should be relieved of his training privileges and duties.

Training is vital, and for the most part it's a one shot opportunity that you must maximize to the fullest. In no particular order for me all of the following are important criteria; hygiene, communication skills, listening skills, professionalism, respect for regulations/law, patience and a willingness to teach and give you the chance to learn. Granted there will be times that patience and communication (etc.) will be tested, but I think you know what is acceptable for you and what is not.

With Swift you will be assigned a liaison (student advocate) who is responsible for ensuring the student is successful during the mentoring phase. They will also pair you with a mentor they believe is a reasonably good fit. This person will also periodically check-in with you and seek your feedback. Be honest and forthright. But first work with the mentor to resolve issues before escalating them.

Swift will clearly communicate what is expected during training (goals). As a team, the student and mentor must work together to accomplish the training goals safely and effectively. Plus, no less important deliver the freight on- time.

The relationship with the mentor will not be perfect and will require work and effort to develop. Establish what you expect and ask the trainer what they expect of you. Take care of that business before hitting the road. Beyond that keep your eye on the training goals and make sure the mentor is enabling success and the learning process.

Hope this helps.