Training Isn't For Me.

Many drivers here have a decade plus of time invested in this industry. There is a work ethic and a passion there that the average driver being trained probably doesn't have. In that circumstance, no one is going to care as much as the highly dedicated and professional driver.

It depends on a person's situation. If you have three kids at home and you're within a few months of losing your home, you're highly motivated. If you're 23 years old and you're living in your rich parent's basement, you're probably not very motivated.

It all depends on your purpose for pursuing a career in trucking.

In reference to the comment about some new drivers (and I’ll add even many of the experienced ones) not being very professional/not giving a damn, I know some of us drivers don’t realize how good we have it. I was one of them until a few years ago when I had to take an extended hiatus from trucking because of a nasty ticket. I learned real fast how tough it is to make a decent living in some other industries and that knowledge/feeling has been a big factor in my efforts to remain professional now that I’m back. As always, remembering I’m driving a rolling death machine is the biggest factor but the added motivation doesn’t hurt.

I did training for almost all of my previous career. I was fortunate in that, as I was able to being some techniques to the truck that helped when I was tasked with training drivers new to the outfit. We only hired 1 year experienced OTR drivers.

I was amazed at the slipshod attitude many had, and after the first day with the first trainee, realized take nothing for granted and reverted to my FTO routine.

Tell them. Show them. Let them perform. Pretrip. Post trip. Data terminal. Backing. Paperwork. Etc... I would tell them, I am going to show you the correct way to do tasks, in accordance with how the company wants them done. I am also willing to learn from you, so let's make this a joint effort to get u up to speed and on your own. Safety and efficiency are my top concerns.

And like others, the ones that have no retention (wilfully or nature, matters not) were just maddening. Some just didn't make it. (Including the one troubled driver that I had to tell to turn off her face time while she was driving, and another day heard her side of the phone call talking to a friend about how she was going to learn to roll up some blunts at the party on the upcoming holiday weekend) When I went OTR, my training slot ended, as the training was all done locally and intermodal. I didn't miss the extra $50 per diem.

So after a total of about 12 days over 3 months with 3 different drivers I've told the boss man I'm done training. I didn't want to allow the experience with training one driver to be the decision maker. After I'd spent a couple days with the first guy the post was about they decided he was ready to go out on his own since other trainers (that run shorter mile days) thought he was good. A couple days later I was given a new driver. The extent of her driving was with the national guard. Her backing sucked in the dark but over the course of the day as it got brighter I was impressed. Most of the day was her talking about her experiences in her former career (law enforcement) and then saying she was forced out due to her gender. It seemed way too far fetched and after a quick Google search found of the name found out why. I didn't allow it to affect the training I provided. I'm not there to be your friend, and you'll receive the same training as if you were my best friend. She was sent out with me because the other trainers said she needed additional practice. I said that her backing improved during daylight and they felt it was OK to send her out alone. Her first day alone she wasn't able to hit a dock at one our stores. She asked for additional training and wanted to go back out with me but boss man had already asked someone else before she asked to go with me. Both of these drivers are still employed and haven't hit anything to my knowledge, though one sounds like being on time especially for midnight runs is still a problem.

Which brings me to my latest trainee. He came out of the warehouse and went through the local community College in a dock to driver program. He had completed about 6 of his 8 weeks of training before he got a ticket doing 99 mph in his pickup. Reason he gave was he felt his rpms were low so he kept tapping the gas pedal. I about laughed out loud when he told me that. Miraculously he was able to get it dropped to 15 over and for some odd reason they kept him on. I was asked to take him with me and given some useful info that the other guys mentioned in regards to him. Before his ticket he couldn't make it out to Omaha, about 2 hours away, without getting too tired to the point the trainer took over driving. The first couple days he came back to driving there was no issue with him falling asleep although our stores while it was still dark out were only 45 minutes to an hour apart, then a 3 hour drive back to the yard in daylight. After that I started taking routes that were atleast 3 hours to the first store. I'd noticed that after the first hour and a half his eyes were getting heavy, lane control severely decreased and he wasn't looking far enough ahead. There were a couple times he had cruise set for 65 and the accelerated cruise control kicked him down to 50 behind a slower moving vehicle. I'd ask if he's doing alright, of course he'd say yes, so I'd point out he's been doing 50 behind this vehicle we caught very quickly. If we were talking he wouldn't get tired, so many times I'd put my ear bud in and tell him I was going to listen to music even though I had nothing playing. I gave him the benefit of the doubt that it was adjusting to the hours we run but drilled it into his head how serious this is. I gave him suggestions on how to combat it but it continued. I even pointed out that all the food he was eating (atleast it was packed from home so we weren't stopping all the time) wasn't helping. Personally, I don't eat while I'm driving because I've noticed it makes me more tired within a half hour. He didn't take my advice of eating half hour before we arrive to our store and see if there's a difference. He did a great job unloading at the stores and being very professional, definitely appears to want this career he just lacks the maturity to take the advice given to him. Every day my evaluations were basically the same. Lane control, looking further ahead, gauging other vehicles speed at on ramps, and increasing following distance especially in bigger cities when cars cut you off. Oh yeah, AND READ THE DANG SIGNS. I always made it a point to list some of the great things he did with specific examples. It felt good getting a text from my supervisor telling me I'm doing a great job with him because his speed score was perfect with me. I was very adamant that you're at or below the speed limit before we reach the speed and to start slowing as soon as you're aware it's going to drop. The issues I was constantly on him about never really improved the 3 weeks I had him. We'd start the days and I felt like we finally broke through, things would be excellent. Then we'd hit hour and a half and it's like he was a completely different driver. He lived 10 minutes away in the same city our yard is. Except the last day he was with me he was always 7 to 15 minutes late. Multiple times I went out to hook up and was ready to leave him there. Being late is something I have no patience for, especially when I'm driving 50 minutes in good conditions and manage to get there on time. He actually got there 5 minutes before me our final day together because I'd told him be there 10 minutes before I planned on showing up. I had planned on being done training a week prior but was asked me to take him 1 more week because whatever I was doing in regards to speeding worked. I agreed to it and sent a very detailed message back.

Continued.....

I mentioned that getting tired behind the wheel is still a big problem and what my observations were of when/why it was happening, and then also that reading signs is by far a HUGE problem. Last week there was a day the roads were completely covered in snow/ice and travel wasn't advised. If i were alone I'd have bumped my route back but we went out at the original start time so he could experience being in a truck in those conditions. I drove us the 4 1/2 hours to our first store (normally only 3 hours) then allowed him to drive the rest of the day after roads were more slush with only some partially icy roads. Instead of being focused on what was going on he frequently was looking out side window or glancing at his phone and mentioning how nice it is to get paid and not really working. On the way back that day we were headed south on 35 and he needed to stop at the Petro (trails) in Albert Lea. He was about to turn right despite the giant petro sign to the left. I asked where the heck he was going and told him go left. He nearly was turning into the car entrance despite 2 signs telling no trucks, that trucks use the 2nd intersection. After we left I told him watch signs for the weigh station when we cross the border. Shortly after the border he was about to pass another truck so I told him to wait because of the weigh station. Immediately after we passed the weigh station sign saying it's closed I asked what the status was. He looked at me dumbfounded asking how he would know. Perhaps the digital sign that literally says open or closed? Fortunately for him it was closed but I used that as a teaching moment and looked up the consequences of running an open scale. Supervisor forwarded my concerns to our manager and was asked to reconsider training because I'm exactly the kind of person they want doing it. I talked to them about how after switching to mile/stop it just doesn't make financial sense for me to deal with the extra responsibility and end up working 2 to 3 hours longer every day for only $3/hr more. For 3 hours longer at work I'm only earning roughly $40. I'd rather get home earlier, be in the truck aline and not worry about anybody else. I also told them about or experience scaling a heavy load at a flying J and nearly sideswiping 3 poles from not using his mirrors. There was also numerous times I used the stopwatch on my phone and it was over 5 minutes before he looked at the passenger side mirror on the interstate. I finished off the text letting them know that at this point I don't feel he will benefit from any more training time because he doesn't heed the advice and fatigue is what leads to other issues. At this point they need to either send him out by himself and make him figure it out or have someone in management go out with him to decide what's next.

My biggest issue with the way training is currently done here is the inconsistencies. When I started you had 2 different trainers each for a week. We got a different supervisor that feels every 2 DAYS you go out with someone new to avoid trainers from getting burned out. Well there's no communication between trainers. If I had someone a full week or 2 it'd be far easier taking routes that give us something he hasn't dealt with yet. Our 2nd last to last day together I took a 45k load that would require us to scale and slide tandems to get legal something he hasn't experienced in the previous 10 weeks training. If there's a personality clash then allow them to change trainers. It makes my job so much harder to teach someone my way of doing things when the next trainer does it differently. If we show them one way to do things to get the same result allow them to find what works best once they're on their own. Then finish off your training with management doing a ride along.

In my opinion they've lowered the hiring standards ALOT. Since we started hiring like crazy our CSA score has jumped drastically. Apparently, we are almost to the threshold that the DOT will perform an audit. We will also have 50% of our fleet pulled in for inspections. With no formalized training program (especially when you have new cdl holders) it's easy to see why that is. I laid out my thoughts and concerns to management and gave them ideas but at the end of the day it isn't my responsibility. I did the best I could with the trainees with how the company wants us to train. I made sure to let all of them know I'm only a phone call away to help them out. If the company made the changes I recommended I would consider training again if it came with a bigger increase in pay. Routes I'm able to knock out in 10 hours alone were taking us 13. That's to be expected and I wasn't going to rush him and not train properly. When I pick a route the money I make that day is already determined unless I get detention time (1 1/2 hour at a backhaul) or breakdown. At this point I'll make sure to offer new drivers my phone number and they can call me for advice if they need it. I was on my own Friday and it sure felt nice having the truck to myself especially for the 3 hour nap I got at my backhaul.

Oh yeah, most bizarre thing he did was to test if the roads were icy he made quick movements side to side with the steering wheel to see how it reacted. I about came unglued and explained why that's a terrible idea and if you listen to the truck, and pay attention to the way its handling THAT is how you know if you can't see it

Rob, you are very obviously a great teacher and it’s sad that many of the young people coming into driving can be so obtuse.

My best trucking buddy I met when we both trained with Schneider. He just recently left Schneider and became an instructor at Roadmaster in Savannah, GA. Oh man, the stories he tells me about the students he gets. He doesn’t do road training, but he has a struggle just to keep his students engaged and off their phones. I understand your frustration.

Thanks Bruce. It's unfortunate that many new drivers/students don't understand the seriousness involved in this career. Like most of us before we really dug in to learning more about this career they think it's just driving, how hard can that be. They don't understand the constant vigilance needed to be a safe, courteous driver on the road. The biggest part I struggled with was allowing them to make the minor mistakes, like the latest trainee missing 3 turns even with 2 GPS units going because he didn't read the signs. I would stop them before they commit to a turn that would be difficult to get out of then explained why after we went the correct way. Any stop we got to regardless of how easy the backing is I got out to help with doors and stayed out of the cab so they could figure it out themselves and make sure they don't hit anything behind them. I genuinely enjoy helping new drivers but I don't have the patience for those that don't want to take it serious. There were several times by looking at the mirrors from passenger seat I was able to warn him a vehicle was going to do something stupid and sure enough they did. I used that to help emphasize why mirrors are so important. Instead of getting irritated by someone being in my truck I'll continue giving out my number to our new drivers and they can call me anytime they need a hand since I've been to a majority of our stores and backhauls. If the situation ever comes up and they need someone last minute I'll probably take a driver out with me but it won't be something planned.

In regards to the CSA scores going up obviously any CSA points are a bad thing. Our fleet, 205 drivers with 126 power units, according to FMCSA snapshot has 67 driver inspections with 0 out of service, and 20 vehicle inspections with 9 out of service. I understand things happen on the road. However we have a shop that the mechanics are there all the time except a small window of 5am to 7am. We have roadside assistance. The company gives us everything we need to be safe with very well maintained equipment. This is purely laziness, or not knowing what to be actually inspecting on the drivers part. Atleast twice a week I'm in the shop getting a trailer light replaced. It eats into my 14 hour clock because someone is too lazy to walk around the truck. I've come in several times to a flat tire even. If the repair needed is going to be a while we have plenty of extra trucks we can jump in or the warehouse can load it in a different trailer. I'll continue doing what I do to make sure my equipment is safe to be on the road. Eventually those that don't inspect their equipment will have it catch up to them. The other big thing is now we're no longer allowed to use PC or adverse weather conditions because some drivers have chosen to use them incorrectly. We've had guys go out into a bad storm then use adverse conditions to get back. Adverse conditions is meant for something you wouldnt be aware of when you start your day. A few others have used PC to make it back to the DC because they didn't want to be out overnight. In the way my company operates the only legitimate usage of PC we have is going to a hotel if our clock runs out in the dock.

This is an excellent chronicle on the realities of trucking; the important details of driving. Every newbie should read this, especially the most recent posts by Rob.

It will be interesting to see if your company allows your latest student to go solo. He seems like a huge risk at this point.

Great read Rob… thank you for taking the time to post it.

It will be interesting to see if your company allows your latest student to go solo. He seems like a huge risk at this point.

All 4 guys that had trained with him had the same concerns about him. After my last post he trained a couple more days and started solo this week. His first day he called me after his first store "to chat". Most of the conversation he was yawning alot which leads me to think it was to keep him awake. He had 1 store in Cedar Rapids (2 hour drive) and called me about 30 minutes after he unloaded and was headed back to the DC.

Another trainer was telling me the final 2 days of training he drove past the stores because GPS wasn't accurate. One store he was going to go to the apartment complex behind the store, another had him going to a corn field a mile down the road. I did the best I was able to and provided my feedback. Hopefully he gets it figured out being on his own not having someone to bail him out.

It will be interesting to see if your company allows your latest student to go solo. He seems like a huge risk at this point.

All 4 guys that had trained with him had the same concerns about him. After my last post he trained a couple more days and started solo this week. His first day he called me after his first store "to chat". Most of the conversation he was yawning alot which leads me to think it was to keep him awake. He had 1 store in Cedar Rapids (2 hour drive) and called me about 30 minutes after he unloaded and was headed back to the DC.

Another trainer was telling me the final 2 days of training he drove past the stores because GPS wasn't accurate. One store he was going to go to the apartment complex behind the store, another had him going to a corn field a mile down the road. I did the best I was able to and provided my feedback. Hopefully he gets it figured out being on his own not having someone to bail him out.

That whole scenario sounds really frustrating man. I wouldn’t train there either. I do train at my job but all these guys have experience so I’m just training how to operate a pneumatic trailer. I did train one guy on shifting a 13 speed but he was already an experienced driver and listened well so it wasn’t a problem. I feel your pain though because even with these guys I prefer to do most or all of the driving because I don’t like them grinding the gears or driving a certain way. I think it’s way harder to do what you were doing training guys with no experience for a company that is willing to take a chance on guys that don’t seem to be taking it seriously enough.

You don't realize it, but you're still training. After reading one of the more recent entries, I realized that I had gotten lax on how often I checked my mirrors. I've made a conscious effort over the past several weeks to improve this.