Guys? I Think My Trainer Is A SUPER TRUCKER!!!!

and my day consists of wake up 10 minutes before we leave (because im not ever informed about when we need to leave)

Learn to read that Qualcomm. Know what his HOS are as well as yours. Make sure you are awake AT LEAST 1 hour before your shift. You need to start learning Time Management. Write down your upcoming shifts, and his. Take the bull by the horns Reaper.

I am already signed on as the active driver as he fiddles eith the quallcomm.

I hope he is not logging YOU into the QC. That is YOUR job! It is password protected. HE SHOULD NOT have your password!

Ah... yeah hes been logging me in and out of the qualcomm... and ill start the time management as soon as i get my tnt. I have a 34 to do so i have enough hours to take my test. Also by the time my 34 is done we eill be in springfield so there wont be any need to take his shifts down. Ill only need the times for the practice pad and the test. I already informed him about me not being comfortable with thursday taking the test. He wasnt happy but agreed to scheduale for friday.

Good for you Reaper...

Get through this and move on to the next stage. I think you're handling it just fine.

Thanks old school. As the famous song once said

"Oooh child things are gonna get easier"

And by easier i mean less stressful trying to get used to trucking while sick and trying to cram knowledge that should have been practiced daily fully. Also during tnt ill have more independance and more knowledge walking into it so ill be much better prepared. The more you know.

Reaper,

I have been following along here. I think maybe breaking it down a bit differently might help you out.

1. If you are driving you dictate when the truck leaves and when it doesn't. I understand your in a new world here, your just trying to take the instruction (or lack there of ) from the person they have appointed as your trainer and absorb as much as possible. In reality like many have said here if you get pulled over, or stop in for a weigh-in and the DOT spots anything you will be held 100% responsible. Your trainer may get reprimanded by the company y, but he is not paying the fine, and I'm sure it wont be a cheap one. It may even come with a suspension of your permit. Another way to look at it, if that doesn't scare you to do a full pre-trip, you're putting every life that is on the road with you in danger. You may be the safest driver to ever drive a rig, but if you don't know the condition of your equipment it does not matter how good of a driver you are. If your equipment fails and heaven forbid something happens you can be sentenced to jail time. Please god take the time to do a full pre-trip, one of the steps in the pre-trip is to take the keys out of the ignition so that no one can take off while your doing it. this will force your trainers hand into teaching you.

The rest of my points are kind of the same, if your driving then the rig doesn't leave until you are ready, and safe to drive. if that means it takes you 45 minutes to eat, before getting back in the truck then it does.

Be more assertive, if you want to know something ask, and keep asking until you get the answer, and the understanding. there was a blog, or forum post on here not too long ago about how to ask questions to get the info your looking for. If you ask what is this on the pre-trip, you will get a short answer. but if you ask how do I test for this in the pre-trip, then you will get the action of what you need to do and look for. Be assertive with everything you want to know, including the start of your days. how can you be the best you can be if you don't know what to plan for. If your not getting enough backing practice tell him, or ask hey let me do this one, or can I back this time.

In the end if none of this is working and your still living in the same hell. I would suggest getting off the truck, and bussing back to Springfield get a new trainer, because nothing is more important than safety. If your trainer does not believer in that, then don't be a part of his mistakes, especially when they may result in you being at fault for those mistakes.

Sorry this is a bit harsh and lengthy, but the truth is what you're doing carries some severe consequences.

I agree erik. Im going to put my foot down and tell him im not driving any more. Im taking my 34 hour reset now so im well and ready to study for my pretrip (he wants me to study (now sinve before he kept saying dont worry about it) when im off duty which is strictly against dot and company policy. He said the clearance light can be fixed ONCE WE RETURN TO SPRINGFIELD. From montgomery alabama, quite a bit of driving and risking getting caught. (looking at the truck it is the passenger side of the center three lights)

Now that i have time to think theres a lot here he does and had me do that is frowned upon by trucking. No more. Im taking my 34 and not driving til we get into springfield and get the truck repaired.

The light forms an excuse to pull you in for a closer look.

Of greater concern, is the lack of a full PTI, with the TRAINER OBSERVING and assisting.

I know a driver that trains - see him down here frequently at a local rest area And I met him, while he was doing a PTI with his trainee. He was kind of surprised when I walked up and asked "PSD Trainer?".

That and the way he's logging you into the QC. If he's NOT LOGGING IN AT ALL - then he may well be operating under YOUR LOGS. Which is a LOG FALSIFICATION FOR BOTH OF YOU.

Study your butt off on the PTI - since it doesn't really look like he's willing to help you there. While your expereinces HERE will go a long way for you on the "book worm" side of things - there's no substitute for PRACTICAL HANDS-ON-EXPERIENCE - and it doesn't sound like you're getting much.

Another question would be - is he RIDING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AT ALL TIMES while you are driving? THIS IS MANDATORY for a driver operating under a CLP. If he's in the back fiddling around or snoozing - he ISN'T TRAINING AND OBSERVING - which is what he's SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.

Rick

Im going to put my foot down and tell him im not driving any more. Im taking my 34 hour reset now so im well and ready to study for my pretrip

Those are kinda scary words to hear from a new student. A new student putting his foot down with an experienced trainer often leads to the trainer's foot (and sometimes the entire company's foot) lodged elsewhere in return. Your foot isn't very big right now so if you're gonna put it down be really, really sure you're in the right and it's worth the fight.

And you do realize you don't get to declare you're taking a 34 hour restart, right? It's not a driver's right to take one when he feels, like a get out of jail free card.

The light forms an excuse to pull you in for a closer look.

Of greater concern, is the lack of a full PTI, with the TRAINER OBSERVING and assisting.

I know a driver that trains - see him down here frequently at a local rest area And I met him, while he was doing a PTI with his trainee. He was kind of surprised when I walked up and asked "PSD Trainer?".

That and the way he's logging you into the QC. If he's NOT LOGGING IN AT ALL - then he may well be operating under YOUR LOGS. Which is a LOG FALSIFICATION FOR BOTH OF YOU.

Study your butt off on the PTI - since it doesn't really look like he's willing to help you there. While your expereinces HERE will go a long way for you on the "book worm" side of things - there's no substitute for PRACTICAL HANDS-ON-EXPERIENCE - and it doesn't sound like you're getting much.

Another question would be - is he RIDING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AT ALL TIMES while you are driving? THIS IS MANDATORY for a driver operating under a CLP. If he's in the back fiddling around or snoozing - he ISN'T TRAINING AND OBSERVING - which is what he's SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.

Rick

No he is in the bunk half the time and netflixing anf sleeping in the passenger seat the rest. Dw about logs, yes it isnt right for him swapping and logging me in and out but ive been keeping tabs on it myself. He has been using his time too.

And no no im not putting my foot down like a stubborn child. Im being careful about it like saying id like to take a 34 if its ok because i only have 11 hours left on my 70 and i need time to take my license test and to study.

He is pushing it aside saying i can study on my downtime and off time. Hes also saying i wont get in trouble for the light out and its no big deal. Im scared about this training ending my career. Prime has a "dead" truck in the complex to practice pretrips on (dead truck doesnt run so only out of cab inspection)