Knight Transportation, Flatbed

SPLENDID diary, 2 sides!

My only 'kerfuffle' is when you talk about the Ohio 'conundrums' you've experienced in the past, MOMMA ANNE wants to help NOW! Hahahaha!!

PackRat never DID send me that spare time machine he's got stashed, LoL!

Keep it up, man.. this diary will be SO much to SO many..

Thanks, & keep it safe . . . as you ARE ! (Turn LEFT!) :) 3 make a right, anyway!!!!

~ Anne ~

Day 16. Dec 3rd Woke up early enough to get breakfast at the waffle house. John asks again of i wanted to leave. Why do you keep asking me that I said. If you want me to leave then say it and I will. He wants me to quit and I'm not doing that. I go eat and see John is leaving messages on the Knight app to his DM saying I disappeared. Disappeared? I told him were I was going and even asked if he wanted to come with. So this is how the day is going to start smh. I get back to the truck and it's apparent that John has an attitude. I say if there is something you need to speak on then we can talk. He starts screaming and cursing saying we are going to be late and mess up his miles. It's 730am and the gps says it will take 2hrs with traffic to get there. I calmly say we are not going to be late, please relax. He mentions his miles again and now I see where his focus is.

We arrived at 1010am. Now the reason we where 10min late was because John had me pull into 3 different locations thinking it was Avery Dennison. That took about 30min total pulling into those places, turning around and getting back on the road. Not sure why he thought they were the correct destinations when the gps had us another 3 miles out.

All bays are full when we get there and he explodes into a hysterical cursing tirade, directed at me of course. Ignoring him I go check in, there is another Knight driver in one of the bays and I was told to back into that door when he is done getting unloaded. I ask the guy if it's a problem that I am late and he says I'm not. He says the 10 o'clock time was the earliest we could come to get unloaded not an appointment time. I get back to the truck and John is talking about how I left late and messing up his miles. I just let him talk and didn't mention what I was told about the time. I even checked the load assignment and it says it there too. Deliver between 10am-1159pm.

After a while I got tired of him talking so I went over to the Knight driver and asked what time he arrived, he told me 930am. I explained the situation to him about my trainer and he says he is overreacting. I go back to the truck and tell John the driver arrived at 930. I ask him to calm down and tell me the problem he really has. He says he can't deal with me and after we pick up the next load in Lewistown, PA he's dropping me off at the terminal. I just start laughing, when I was talking with the driver John called his DM and told him he was dropping me off. I say thank you...

I call my DM and he already knows the situation and tells me he has another trainer for me on Monday. After 5min of silence John says if we left at 5am we would be on our next load right now. I woke up at 5 because John turned off the bunk heater and it was freezing cold. Had no intention of leaving at that time. I ask him to explain why we would leave at 5am for a 2hr or less drive for a 10am appointment. No explanation, just calls me stupid and says I know nothing about trucking. I then tell him what the guy inside told me about we couldn't drop before 10am and John says I'm wrong and I don't know what I'm talking about. I then pull up the load assignment and show him there. He says that's a recommendation, if we got there before anyone else they would have to unload us. I just say ok.

We finally get into the door at 11. John goes outside and spots me and starts barking out orders on how to maneuver the truck. He's never done that before and I'm not having trouble backing in. While doing so he is insulting me, turn the wheel to the right jacka$$, hurry up FNG. I start dying with laughter. I then stop backing and call my DM. I tell him I'm coming directly to the terminal and not stopping to pick up the next load first. He says that's fine without me explaining why.

John gets in the truck and I tell him to stop cursing at me. I tell him to be an adult and tell me the problem he has with me or say nothing to me at all. He says I don't listen, I ask him to explain an incident and he brings up the wrong turns. He vents saying he has been driving for 20yrs and he doesn't need some new guy telling him what to do. I ask again for him to explain when I have done that and he throws his hands in the air and says I can't do this. For the past few days I have been doing trip planning and telling him when I'm taking my 30min break. I can only assume that's what he is talking about. Other than that I have no clue what he means.

Day 16 cont.

While getting unloaded John starts saying I'm a bad driver and I won't be driving for long. I ignore him put my headphones on and listen to music. What is wrong with this guy smh. Finally we get unloaded, John says I have to hurry up and get to the next load. He says other things but I'm not interested in anything he says and respond with ok. Maybe he didn't like the fact that I was obviously ignoring him and he starts cursing at me again. We are still in the yard and I notice John doesn't have his seat belt on. At the stop sign before getting on the main road I slam on the breaks making him fall out the seat, yes I know very childish of me but satisfying in that moment. At least he shut up after that.

On the drive I pass the exit to Lewistown. He asks where am I going and I tell him to the terminal. That made him extremely upset, starts cursing again and says we have to do the pick up. I tell him I don't have to do anything, my training is over and I'm going home. He then threatens to rip up my training sheet and report me to the safety department and I will never work for Knight. I laugh, saying your going to have to explain what happened to my training sheet. Is it really worth it?

Arrived at the terminal and I felt an instant joy that I will be going home for the weekend. I go inside to use the restroom and Llyod my DM stops me and asks me to fill out a report on John. I declined, I'm not the type of person to get anyone fired, he will eventually do that on his own. Llyod tells me to come back Monday morning and he has me finishing my last 2 weeks with a local dry van guy. Nomore sleeping in a truck, they will have a hotel set up for me every night. I'm excited to be going home and that I'm done with John!

I would definitely get another trainer, one that is more stable hopefully. This "John" should never be training anyone.

I would definitely get another trainer, one that is more stable hopefully. This "John" should never be training anyone.

That's all I told my DM. He should not be training anyone ever. I didn't want to fill out a report in him, they already know how he is. Glad it's over and done with. Time for the next stage.

Day 17. Dec 6th.

After spending the weekend at home I feel refreshed and ready to get started again. Arrived at the terminal at 730am and my new trainer Brad arrives at 9. Brad is local dry van and is home every night, he use to run regional but went local a few months back because he didn't enjoy it anymore. He is my age 37, retired military and has been driving for 15yrs. Been with Knight for 6yrs, training for 2.

We leave the terminal at 1030am. Bobtail to Silver spring, Maryland to pick up an empty and bring it back. When we picked up the trailer connected it and started driving, I was hearing a hissing noise. I asked Brad what it was and he says might be the tanks filling up. I continue to drive and the noise didn't stop. He tells me to pull into a rest area and we go to the trailer to check it out. There is an air leak by the tandems , we check the psi in the truck and it's all good so we continue to drive back. Got to the terminal took the trailer to maintenance and that was the day....

Got to the hotel around 4pm and I'm feeling lost, I have no clue of what to do lol. I go to the Iron skillet to eat, come back watch some TV and fall asleep. This is weird to me after spending 16 days sleeping in a truck to be at a hotel with a bed and tv

So John gets to train another person because you show total apathy to his antics? Your unwillingness to fill out a complaint is condoning his actions. Paying it forward to his next possible student?

You're part of the larger problem by not speaking up to those that could actually make something happen. Sweet dreams.

Day 18. Dec 7th

Got to the terminal at 630am. There is a load in the yard going to Avery Dennison in Quakertown PA, same place I was on Friday. We leave at 730 and arrive just before 930am. Get to a door by 10 and wait for them to unload the trailer.

Talking with Brad, he served in the army for 10yrs and drove flatbed while in. After the military he worked for a local trucking company for 3yrs then came to Knight. Started out doing regional then to local for the past 3 months. I tell him a little about myself and what I'm here for. He asks what has the other trainer taught me and I tell him a little summary of my experience. He looks at my training sheet and asks what has my other trainer been doing? There's nothing filled out...

We get unloaded and head back to the terminal. There is another load in the yard going to P&G in Shippensburg pa which is 30 miles away. Only one problem, the trailer is in the shop for an air leak. When that is fixed we drive to P&G drop the load and suppose to pick up another and bring it back with us. Found out it's a live load and Brad says we are not waiting for that. Bobtail back to the terminal and we will pick that load up tomorrow...

Brad shows me how to slide the tandems and has me do it, seem pretty easy. I'm getting more repetition with the ELD and backing. We are done by 530pm and it still feels weird to finish the day early and sleep at a hotel

PackRat wrote...

So John gets to train another person because you show total apathy to his antics? Your unwillingness to fill out a complaint is condoning his actions. Paying it forward to his next possible student?

You're part of the larger problem by not speaking up to those that could actually make something happen. Sweet dreams.

*like. I agree.

Knight might actually work with your former trainer to help him improve his communications and approach to problem solving. Complaining verbally about him without documenting anything shows a lack of commitment to be part of the solution.

PackRat wrote...

So John gets to train another person because you show total apathy to his antics? Your unwillingness to fill out a complaint is condoning his actions. Paying it forward to his next possible student?

You're part of the larger problem by not speaking up to those that could actually make something happen. Sweet dreams.

*like. I agree.

Knight might actually work with your former trainer to help him improve his communications and approach to problem solving. Complaining verbally about him without documenting anything shows a lack of commitment to be part of the solution.

I have to third that. It's not that you're trying to get him fired. Your terminal needs it documented in order to be able to fix the problem and make sure he doesn't treat another trainee the same way.

Knight takes it seriously, and while your terminal might know how he his, the head of training in Phoenix might not. If he maintains everything is fine, without you filing a report they can't really dispute it.