Worst Instructor Ever

I started CDL school 2 weeks ago and have been working my tail off to do well and prepare for my test. However, the moment we went from classroom to range, my instructor has singled me out and has been on my case non-stop.

I've been having difficulty with my 90 degree alley doc and it took a bit for me to click with offset backing. Now, I cannot even close the truck door before he is right there telling me that I need to get this done because he's sick of waiting on me to get it.

On the road (which I've only done three times) I'm trying to understand how to downshift with an Eaton 13 and I get very nervous trying to do so when approaching an intersection. He literally yells at me from the time we take off until we stop. He jerks the wheel, shifts my gears and then gets angry because I have no idea what gear I'm in when I need to downshift.

He insults me, tells me that my wife could've done better,etc. Now I'm in the hole for $4200, have no other instructor who I can transfer to and my family is depending on me passing my exam and getting this CDL.

I was excited when I first started this course, but now I dread going to school everyday.

Any advice for how to get through this and put it behind you?

Well, you kind of answered your own question.

Just get through this and put it behind you.

When you show up every day, just put your working hat on, tune out the yelling, and focus on honing your skills. Drown everything else out and get it done. Prove him wrong and move on.

That's the best advice I can give you.

Turtle hit it on the head. Just Git er done.

When I started driving I was a smoker. My trainer was a chain smoker. He also told me that if the cherry falls off into your lap and is burning your junk.

Deal with it. Do not jerk the wheel don't do anything but slowly and calmly come to a stop on the side of the road. Just deal with it. It doesn't matter if your nuts are on fire or you've got someone yelling at you.. just deal with it.

You really don't need to much of his help. Your already driving on the road, you just need the practice. And to deal with him for what little time you have left.

If it's pretty don't sweat it... And if its sweaty don't pet it.

One reason we recommend Paid CDL Training Programs, is because the company has a vested interest in your success.

The other suggestion I have is try talking calmly to your instructor and tell him that the yelling is making you nervous. He may not be" yelling", he may be gruff and trying to help you get it the only way he knows how. If he his shifting the gears for you he is doing what he is supposed to. It is your job to learn and part of that is knowing what gear your in. Keep your hand on the shifter so you can feel what he is doing. He is trying to keep you from stalling.

You can do this. Many have done it before you. Good luck.

Have you tried telling him yelling isn't helping? When I was in school last year we had one instructor who was more..... enthusiastic than fits me I told him before we even started yelling at me wont help, and will probably make things worse and he understood and it made a huge difference.

Hello Jared, and welcome to our forum!

Hey listen, I have a slightly different take on this than everyone else. I read your post the other day, and I had a completely different reaction, but I wanted to wait a bit and see what our fine members had to say first. Unfortunately we have no prior history with you so we really have had no chance to get acquainted with you. I may be reading more into it than I should, but I usually have a pretty good feel for what is really going on, so I am going to give this a shot. You can feel free to tell me I'm crazy, and that I am not a psychic, but I am pretty sure I've got this one figured out.

I am going to point out a few of my own versions of your statements in your first post with us and put it down exactly the way I see it. Then tell you how you can move on and succeed at truck driving school...

I think a better title for this post would have been "Worst Student Ever!" Don't take offense just yet, because if you could embrace that idea, you could probably succeed at this.

I started CDL school 2 weeks ago and have been working my tail off to do well and prepare for my test. However, the moment we went from classroom to range, my instructor has singled me out and has been on my case non-stop.

I've been having difficulty with my 90 degree alley doc and it took a bit for me to click with offset backing. Now, I cannot even close the truck door before he is right there telling me that I need to get this done because he's sick of waiting on me to get it.

Trucking is a performance based career. The only thing that really counts is how well we do this. We can be brilliant in the classroom, but out here "where the rubber meets the road" is where it really matters. We don't all get this at the same pace, we understand that completely, and so does your instructor. Your "getting it" slower than the others, that in itself is okay. Here's where you go wrong. You say you are being singled out and then claiming you have the worst instructor ever. Well, think about it. If the others are getting it, and I assume they are or you wouldn't be making a claim of being "singled out," then the instructor is not the problem. Can you see that logic?

He is telling you that you have got to start making progress because he knows the course will be over in a few weeks. How in the world are you going to pass and get your CDL if you don't start "getting it" in the limited time frame that you are working with? He is trying his best to make you realize that you have got to get serious and make something happen. He is exposing you to the real world of truck driving. Every week I get assignments that are really tough to make happen. It is always on me to work it out and make it happen. Nobody holds your hand in this career. It is do or die. It has probably become obvious to this instructor that you don't do well under pressure, and he is concerned that this may not be the best career choice for you. He is applying some pressure to you so that he can see how you will handle it, and so far it is making you want to quit. I have a strong feeling that has been a pattern in your life, and it is time to "man up" and change that habit. I think the instructor is doing his very best to help you decide which course you are going to set your life and career on - continued failure, or a new found, hard fought success.

On the road (which I've only done three times) I'm trying to understand how to downshift with an Eaton 13 and I get very nervous trying to do so when approaching an intersection. He literally yells at me from the time we take off until we stop. He jerks the wheel, shifts my gears and then gets angry because I have no idea what gear I'm in when I need to downshift.

I have been around trucking long enough to know exactly what is happening here. You are in such a panic, and so obsessed with what gear you are in, that you are paralyzed. You approach an intersection, knowing you need to downshift, and then you panic because you don't even know what gear you are in. Then you start looking down at the shifter, or focusing on the tachometer and you are not even paying attention to the fact that you are leaving the confines of your lane, so the instructor is having to reach over and jerk the wheel so that you don't crash into some innocent motorist. You are dangerous, and it is scaring your instructor. He has reason to be getting on to you, but you just want to claim it is because he is "the worst instructor ever." It is very frustrating to work with someone who doesn't even pay enough attention to know what gear they are in.

I get it. Our introduction to trucking can be brutal. There is a lot of multi-tasking going on when you learn to drive a big rig, but you can do it. The others are getting it, or else you wouldn't make the claim of being singled out. You can do this, but you have got to take your focus off the instructor and realize that it must be on how poorly you are doing at this. That is the first step to getting better at this. If you are completely focused on the fact that it is the instructor who is keeping you from getting the hang of this, then you will never get it. Focus on what you need to be doing, and if you will pay attention to the things he is yelling at you about, you will know the things you have got to focus on.

Contnued...

I want to share a story with you about a certain "Bull rider" that worked for us when I was in the cattle business with a friend of mine. I'm not sure if it is applicable to your situation or not, but I'm hoping it might help you see what you need.

This fellow was a young man who would go across the country every weekend, following the rodeo circuit, just to get thrown off of a bull in the hopes he might win some money for his efforts. He was a small guy, and really scrappy. We would oftentimes talk about bull riding, because I was fascinated with the will and determination that these guys had at conquering the beast. He once told me... "You cannot beat the bull physically. The bull is bigger and stronger than ten men. You can't even hurt the bull, but he can stomp the life out of you in about three seconds. The only way to beat the bull is mentally."

Think about it Jared. You have no authority over this instructor, or the school. They can fail you or you can just quit, probably like you have done in other endeavors before. There is only one way you are going to beat this problem you are facing. You have got to have the mental cajones to get in there and do this. I had a trainer that yelled and screamed at me for no reason. He relished in the fact that he could get people rattled by screaming at them. I never once let it bother me. I did my job, I put my efforts right up in his face until he had to give in and tell the folks in the office that I could handle this job. I beat him mentally without ever raising my voice or letting him have the satisfaction of getting to me.

You have got some reckoning to do, but it is not with the school or the instructor. You have got to dig deep and see if you really want this. Do you?

I am also concerned that it sounds like maybe someone else paid your tuition to the school. You didn't really specify, but made a comment that makes me think that may be the case. You really ought to let that generosity of someone who cares about you motivate you to get your self in gear and make this happen. I have got the feeling that people have tried to help you get motivated about a job for some time now. You need to step it up and realize it is time to make something happen.

It's called TruckingTruth - and sometimes, the dress DOES make you look fat, honey.

Encouragement is plentiful here, but sugarcoating is not.

You can do it, Jerad!

I am totally new here 56 year old women just starting out. Still making a decision on what school. Very impressed with the honestly in these post. I know what I am stepping into isn’t gonna be easy , but I ain’t scared. Learned a long time ago no one absolutely no one wants to hear one whine...reminds me of the show on tv naked and afraid ....they whine and whine poor me ...so why didn’t they just stay home?

Hey Donna, have you even attended school yet? From your reply, I gather not. There is a difference between helpful criticism and honesty as the experienced drivers on this forum provide, and your ignorant reply, especially from someone who hasn't even attended driving school yet.

I am totally new here 56 year old women just starting out. Still making a decision on what school. Very impressed with the honestly in these post. I know what I am stepping into isn’t gonna be easy , but I ain’t scared. Learned a long time ago no one absolutely no one wants to hear one whine...reminds me of the show on tv naked and afraid ....they whine and whine poor me ...so why didn’t they just stay home?