Still Pursuing That Flat-bed Dream

Having followed along with your triumphs and setbacks, I find your story to be so inspiring, Old School. I love reading your updates. Your trainer sounds hilarious (in a maddening, ridiculous way). Even if he drives you bat**** insane, think of all the great stories you'll have to tell later on down the road. :)

Man am I glad you're handling things well out there with that trainer. It just seems impossible to find a decent one. Half of em are off their rockers it seems. And we wonder why truck drivers have such a horrible reputation? Well, I don't wonder. But as you've seen already in your travels, truckers have no one to blame but themselves.

But try to keep having fun out there and just look at the trainer as one of many challenges you face every day. Before you know it you'll be out on your own and you'll never have to deal with him again.

Well, he did it again! While barreling down the highway riding right on the bumper of a Chevrolet pick-up my trainer takes the time to discuss following distances with me. I gave him that you're such a dumb @ss grin and kindly asked him how many seconds he thought we had between us and the pick-up. He just said "well this might not be the best example of a good following distance, but that's not the point of all this."

Please don't get me wrong, I want to encourage each of you to give your trainer the utmost respect. I also want you to know that I have learned an awful lot from this man, but I get a certain pleasure in seeing the comical things in life, even when they are veiled in difficult situations. It may have a lot to do with my life experiences, I've spent a lot of years learning how to deal with people who can be a real pain in the neck. Sometimes a young person may not have all the life skills in place to put up with a hateful or cruel trainer, but even if you don't know how to deal with them you don't have to give up - just keep reminding yourself that it's only temporary, and before you know it your time with your trainer will be over.

Here's a tip for you. When your with a trainer your going to be taking in a lot of information - try to take it all in through your own filter. There's been some things that I've been taught that I'm disregarding, but I'll keep the good information. My trainer doesn't have to know all that, and I'm sure he thinks that he has taught me well - we both win - he moves on to a new trainee, I move on to going solo and jumping into the real learning curve.

Here's my perspective on truck driving after three weeks with my trainer. The most difficult part of this job is safely getting in and out at point A and point B. These are the places where your directions may not be accurate, or where you've never been before - a lot can go wrong if you miss a turn and have to get that gentle giant turned around in a place that isn't made for such an activity. Another difficult place for the truck driver is at the truck stop. There are a lot of accidents at the truck stops - I've already seen several. People pulling in there late at night are tired, and may not be as attentive to everything as they should be. Rookies are trying to back their trucks into parking spaces and just don't quite have their confidence and skill up to the point it needs to be just yet. Rolling down the highway is the most pleasurable part of this job, and the easiest, but even that part can be interrupted by a sudden unforeseen change in circumstances like we experienced last night when my trainer was cruising along peacefully only to discover in his mirror that we had a trailer tire on fire. Okay, one last tip for my newbie friends: When your parking your truck late at night at a crowded truck stop, make sure that one and only spot left is not next to one of those cow hauling trucks, because if you back in there for a good nights sleep you're going to realize real quick why no one else had taken that spot yet.

Keep it safe, and I look forward to getting back with you later.

When your parking your truck late at night at a crowded truck stop, make sure that one and only spot left is not next to one of those cow hauling trucks, because if you back in there for a good nights sleep you're going to realize real quick why no one else had taken that spot yet.

Oh boy, did this crack me up. Too funny! You have a humorous way of describing things.

Loved the update though. Lots of great advice in there! Keep in touch and stay safe (and sane!) out there on the road.

We seriously have to get a series of articles from you for our blog section. You have a fantastic perspective, a lot of life experiences to draw upon, and incredible insights into the everyday details that are so critical to a person's happiness and success.

I know you're busy as all heck out there, but would you be interested in writing some short articles in your spare time? In fact, you really don't need to write separate articles. I can easily convert a lot of your stuff here in the forum to articles, including the update you just gave - loaded with gems!

Whatcha think?

Brett, even though I'm a rookie myself I see the great need for good information being readily available to new or potentially new drivers. I'd be glad to help if I can. I enjoy putting some of this stuff into words. So, yeah, maybe once I get into my own truck and kind of get some sort of a groove going for my schedule I'll try to write a few blog posts. And if you want to compile some of the stuff that's already been put out there then feel free. I know you're a busy guy, so don't get carried away with trying to put some of it together, because I'm sure I'll get some time where I can start putting together a few posts.

By the way, I always love it when Mother Superior signs off by saying that she's loving truck truck driving. So I'm going to do the same thing here.

I'm loving this!

I don't want anyone to be discouraged about going out with a trainer because of my experience, but I do want you to be aware of the potential of a less than pleasant experience. Not all trainers are created equal, there are some really good ones out there and there are some that, frankly, we'd be better off without. Just like most careers you get into you've got to pay some dues to get where you want to be, it's no different in the trucking industry. Sometimes we just take what life throws at us so we can get to the next step in the process. Even if your time with a trainer seems like a bad dream, don't give up - bad dreams all have endings. My trainer was definitely unpleasant and demeaning in his approach, one of those people who makes himself feel better about himself by belittling you. He ranted and raved at times, screamed and yelled, and I can only remember maybe one or two compliments he gave me during training.

Now, here's what happened when it came time for he and I to go back to the terminal and have a sit down with the man who will upgrade me to solo status. It was raining hard and we were under a load to a town very close to the terminal, so instead of going for our meeting my trainer decides he'd like me to help him one more day by getting this load delivered and picking up the next one which was all very close together and right near the terminal. I don't have a problem with this at all, but man what a way to end your unpleasant training experience by having to lay your tarps out in a muddy dirt parking lot in the pouring down rain and then fold and roll those things up and get them put up on the truck. If you're a flat-bedder then you know that's a really tough job. We made it through our last day together with me continuing to keep my composure and not losing it on this nut-case of a person. I made myself a promise at the beginning of this that I would do what had to be done to get this job nailed down, and it took a lot of self control, but it paid off in the end. So the next morning we go to see the man we're having a meeting with about upgrading me to solo status.

My mouth began to fall open as I heard my trainer singing my praises to this guy. He's telling him how great a driver I was, and that I'm a really hard worker, and how I've got a good understanding of load securement principles and practices, how I was considerate and professional when dealing with the shippers and receivers, and on and on. Now this was all news to me, as he has never said anything to me that even came close to indicating that I was doing a good job. I didn't really need his compliments, I was going to do my job the way I thought it should be done whether I had a pat on the back or not, but I really wasn't sure at all about what he might say in this meeting. There was another man in the room who I hadn't been introduced to yet, but I noticed him starting to grin as my trainer was talking about me. Then he looks over at me and says "You must have really done a great job because this guy never compliments anyone like this - and we know that your tough enough for the job because more than half of the people who go out with this trainer quit during their second week. Welcome to the company, go out there in the yard and Delbert will give you a final road test and we'll start working on getting you a truck located."

After I passed my road test it was 11:30 am on Saturday and everyone was getting ready to leave for the day, so they put me up in a hotel for the weekend and we're supposed to start getting my truck on Monday and hooking me up with a driver manager and determining which terminal I'll be dispatched out of. So, if your training period is tough, and I'm sure a lot of yours are, just remember it will come to and end and it's really a short time when you consider the whole picture. Sometimes tough experiences are good for us in a way that we don't even realize until later. The fact that I endured this trainer made an impression on the people who have the authority to upgrade me to solo status. Sometimes your private personal sufferings are not as private and personal as you thought. There were people watching to see how I would react to this nut, and I didn't even know it. Now I am so glad that I handled it with class and composure and didn't strike back with angry words or actions. I'm really looking forward to jumping into the next learning curve that's ahead with this new rookie solo status. Until I get to jump back in here again, stay safe out there and hold your head high you are a vital part of this country's economy, without you it would crumble in a few short days.

First of all, having followed you from day one, I've never seen anyone more determined to get through their training and get out there running solo. Not just with this guy, but with the other challenges you've encountered over the past few months. I always talk about how difficult it is to get started in trucking, and I'm always telling people they have to be tough, have a great attitude, and see it through. But I have to say - the things you've endured would have tested anyone's patience to the very end, and I can say with complete confidence that most people would have given up long ago.

But not you. You handled one obstacle after another after another and now here you are - you made it! I can say wholeheartedly that I'm incredibly impressed by your determination and mental toughness. The fact that you held yourself together and made it through in spite of everything has become one of my favorite success stories. A true inspiration.

And I am most definitely starting a blog for you, and the post you just wrote will be your first article. It's a fantastic lesson and will help a ton of people understand just how challenging it is to get your trucking career underway and know exactly how to handle it.

Congrats to you!!!! I'm going to get started on that article and I'll let you know when it's up.

Old School, that is AWESOME..I second what Brett said about all the trials and tribulations you had to go through to get to this point and believe me when I say, I have not missed the lesson you gave us by not giving up.. I kept reading your posts about your trainer and I kept asking myself if I would have had the guts to stick it out with that guy or not...and again, I learned a valuable lesson...when you said how the guy started singing your praises to the man..I wonder if this guy wasn't purposely testing you to see how you would react?? It seems to me that if the management know this guy can be a nut job but they still send rookies out with him, then maybe they know how he acts and that when someone can come through training with him and not quit, then they know you might be someone who isn't going to quit when the going gets tough...kinda like a personality test..who knows...all I know is I am happier than a pig in....umm....mud.. that you got through this and are ready to go solo...I can't wait to read your next adventure...Roll on, brother...

Thanks guys, it has been a crazy ride and I'm not sure what to think about it all, but it worked out somehow. I was as shocked at the response from the people in management as I was from my trainers report on my training. As soon as I can I'll report back on the equipment that gets issued to me.