Mentor Problems

OldRookie, a lot of these programs will give anyone who qualifies a chance. Now nearly 25% of new candidates either fail the physical, fail the drug test, break some sort of rules right off the bat after arriving, or get caught lying or withholding information on their applications.

Then you have quite a number of people who are quite obviously not cut out for this profession, or have no intentions of putting in the incredible commitment it takes to become a safe, reliable, and efficient driver over time.

what other training program, school, educational environment, etc. could have that dismal a record and yet continue to operate without being redesigned?

Let me give you a quote from another training program you may have heard of. Let's hear what you have to say about this:

What Are the Odds of Making It Into the Navy SEALs?

The odds of you completing SEAL training are not favorable: 1 in 4. Each year, about 1,000 recruits make it to SEAL training. About 250 complete their training and join approximately 2,000 more active SEALs, who work among nine active duty teams. Some SEAL candidates choose to drop out of the program, and some are forced out. Candidates who fail to complete training are reclassified to other jobs in the Navy.

So only 25% of highly qualified candidates graduate and become SEALs. Would you say the same thing about their failure rate as you did about the truck driving schools:

Well, it seems to me, there are only two possibilities. One... they are not capable of recognizing and correcting the problems, i.e. they are just plain stupid. Or two, the companies believe it makes more business sense to live with the failures, than to make the necessary adjustments to improve the situation.

I guess maybe you should start a trucking company or run the NAVY SEAL program and show people how it's supposed to be done if you feel they're all just plain stupid.

I don't think the failure rate is due to company training issues. I think many people don't realize how tough this is! I saw people dropping like flies through training and the first year at Prime. It's not Prime's fault they didn't make it. This career is like anything else in life. You get out of it what you put in. Not everyone has the fortitude to stick those hard days out.

This job is easy, they need to make it tougher. I think you need people shooting at you while your driving and mortars going off when you are trying to sleep. Liven things up a bit, lol.

In all seriousness though, I agree attrition rate in this industry during training is based on unrealistic expectations and inability of certain individuals to adapt. This profession is not for everyone. I believe there is a reason trucking companies love hiring vets. We have already had our character tested on several occasions.

My trainer listens to gangster rap, smokes (I'm an ex smoker), cusses like a sailor and often gets belligerent at insignificant things. He talks on his phone. A lot. He's on it right now. And he hates sitting in the passenger seat, so he finds reasons to drive. He's driving right now. But, he is teaching me and I am learning quickly. He's a good driver and a good teacher. I've found that sometimes you just overlook the small stuff in view of the bigger picture. None of that stuff will matter when I'm team driving with him, and it surely won't matter when I'm solo.

I've found that sometimes you just overlook the small stuff in view of the bigger picture. None of that stuff will matter when I'm team driving with him, and it surely won't matter when I'm solo.

I like that attitude Paul. You're making it work, and to be honest, that is how successful truck drivers get to be the guys at the top. You can throw curve balls at them all day and they still figure out how to knock it out of the park. Keep at it, you're on the right track.

Old Rookie Wrote:

Re Brett's comment above that fewer than half of company-sponsored training program "students" achieve even the minimum amount of success, i.e. only half succeed in getting their CDL... I believe that speaks much more about the quality of the programs than it does about the students. Think about it... what other training program, school, educational environment, etc. could have that dismal a record and yet continue to operate without being redesigned? The simple fact of the matter is either the program's design is seriously flawed, its implementation is horrible and/or the admissions process is admitting people that are not suitable to/for the program. Some percentage of failure is to be expected and is typically, perfectly, acceptable in any endeavor. But, fifty percent!... come now, certainly this industry can do better than that. So... Why don't they? Why hasn't/doesn't the industry correct the situation? Well, it seems to me, there are only two possibilities. One... they are not capable of recognizing and correcting the problems, i.e. they are just plain stupid. Or two, the companies believe it makes more business sense to live with the failures, than to make the necessary adjustments to improve the situation. No one can make the case that the trucking industry's major players are just plain stupid. So, it must be that a simple business decision has been made to accept the status-quo.

That's a mighty interesting observation Old Rookie. A quick story...I worked for many years as a software consultant in the transportation and distribution industry. I recall meeting a new client for the first time who proceeded to tell me he fired the last two consultants assigned to work with him. Being the curious type that I am, I asked him “why”? He said; “Because I am not paying you to tell me I have a problem without compiling and offering at least one plausible solution". So... Oldrookie; how would you solve the problem of “high failure rate” in the trucking schools? Considering the fact you obviously graduated, you certainly know what it takes to pass, thus you also must know why so many people fail and where the instructors or curriculum has failed them…and why not everyone gets a trophy.

While you ponder that question and challenge, I suggest the following paradigm as a basic reason for high failure rates:

Take a real good look at the ten items on the list. Does any of it resonate and align with student failures? My instructor had this written on the board for all of us to read and understand the very first day of class. He proceeded to ask everyone to read it, understand it and if anyone thought they could not handle any of those ten items, to seriously reconsider their decision to be a profession truck driver. Harsh? Blunt? Yes perhaps, but dead nuts accurate. He got everyone's attention with the list, and made several folks very uncomfortable with the fact they might be wasting their time. Unfortunately there is no simple method to determine failure rates based on the above. No test, invasive recruiter interaction, or application question/answer can effectively measure a students ability or lack thereof in regards to the ten items. But they are all very important and necessary to not only succeed in school but to succeed as a professional driver.

Beyond the initial wave of attrition that Brett pointed out,(failed physical, failed drug/alcohol screen); IMO an inability to handle any of the ten "No Talent" items basically explains the vast majority of student failures within the first 5 days of class. About 50% never make it through the first Friday because of the above. Is that an indictment of the school, the incompetence of their instructors? Or a clear testament of the school's decisive ability to quickly weed-out those students not up for the task? I'll go with the latter. I’ll add also an inability to follow basic instructions; like not texting or not taking a cell call while on-duty either in the classroom or in the yard, not falling asleep in class, etc. and/or lack of rudimentary reading comprehension, addition and subtraction skills is another set of reasons for quick failure. These schools are not chartered or responsible to hand-hold anyone unable to handle the 10 items or teach anything we should have learned by the 5th grade. They are there to instruct on the basics of truck driving, enough to pass the CDL tests, nothing more.

It’s entirely up to the student to take their training seriously, treating it as a protracted job interview. Process all information and instruction, study it, and execute, that is the student's job while at school. It's work. I do agree the schools; especially company sponsored are very selective. However they are not there to teach students things they should already know and understand.

I maintain a philosophy that every student driver must “Own Their Training”. "Own It" and you will succeed.