Comments By Dan S.

Prime told you in orientation exactly what to do if the instructors fall asleep. They told you to pull off the road to a safe place immediately and message dispatch. Instead you came on a public acting as if you were not told what to do. Every orientation class is told the same thing. You were also given names and phone numbers of training coordinators such as Stan or Brooke to discuss such matters.

At the end of PSD they will give you an evaluation form of the instructor. You can report her then, but the response may be "Why didnt you tell us? So you are saying that YOU knowingly drove illegally? Meaning you willing broke Prime policy?" As an employer would you want any driver who does not follow policy, a driver you cant trust?

As for the night driving, in PSD it used to be you could not drive between midnight and 0500. im not sure if that still stands.

Trainers are sneaky...are you sure she is really on her phome and not watching your mirrors, cause i do that. Many students are nervous thinking every movement is watched. others want every movement to be watched.

Trucking can be tough at times and easy at others. We need to be able to make tough decisions. Picking and choosing battles is another aspect.

Do what you feel iis safe and necessary. Know who your resources are when you need help.

good luck

I honestly believe because I got there the 28th of June, just before the 4th of July holiday that I went through some abbreviated version of indoctrination.

Because EVERYTHING you just listed is the first time I've heard it.

Most of the information I got was from you and others here at TNT.

To the OP building a trusting ~ working relationship like ANYTHING takes time.

Not ONLY Most EXCELLENT and OUTSTANDING Suggestions and Advice?

But Precious Petals of Wisdom which can ONLY come from YEARS of hard labor, thought and EXPERIENCE of those that spoken them.

Although it's hard for me to imagine at this point of ever seeing myself becoming a Trainer? If and when that day arrives, the Words spoken here would be some that I I would pass on to each and every one of my nervous, self doubting trainees. Indeed they should be inclusive in the training of each abd every new trainee.

I find them not only highly motivating but inspiring, as I'm sure many others do and will.

They ring true with TRUTH, and it is those Words that fortify me in my resolve to move forward.

I have three Main Goals at this early stage of early career.

1. Become and always strive to BE the Best that I can be and always be a Professional.

2. Dovetailed and hingelocked with the above, ALWAYS be vigilant, attentive and SAFE

3. To always be as highly efficient and productive as possible.

(Please feel free to add or suggest any others)

I may be wrong in my THINKING? But I believe if i focus on these three principals, daily identify my weaknesses and seek self improvement, dedicate and open myself up to never stop learning, improving?

The financial side will take care of itself.

Again Thanks for all the replies, suggestions, but most of all, the insights.

Truckers Truth and it's member's have always steered me in the right direction and shown me the correct path.

For that I will be always be indebted, and will repay you by passing it forward to others as you've have shared and passed it down to me.

An Early

Happy Thanksgiving

Merry Christmas

Happy and Blessed New Year to All

Be Safe

When I asked him about upgrading he just says I’m not ready.

Screw that trainer Donna!

You need to call Stan and tell them you are ready. You are being played. Get off that truck!

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that your trainer is a lease operator Donna.

I'm in the reefer division.

As SOON as I completed my. 30,000 TNT training miles WITHOUT going back to Springfield to UPGRADE I started receiving an additional $300 in additional "Delay Pay" for a weekly total of $1,000 gross per week.

But let's you and I play a game if "What If?"

What if you and I went back to Springfield?

What if you and I up grade?

What if you and I Non ~ backing, TNT Upgraders ~ Upgraded and were to team drive with each other or someone else.

According to Prime itself, team drivers average around $1300 per week. Automatically you've put an additional (on average and potentially) an extra $600 per week / $2400 per week ($600 × 4 weeks)

That's right here on the very cusp of the beginning of the Holiday Season. A potential extra $4800 (or more) before the first of the year.

That alone would go a long way towards a lot of things. Catching up, holiday shopping, allowing you to take home time, outfitting your own truck for own truck when you go solo

My Lease Operator tells me then next month and half is the busiest part of the year for reefer.

He also likes to brag about how much net income to the tune of $4 to $6k a WEEK he taking home?

I to have been on the receiving end of negatives illtempered, and given very limited opportunities to back (10 half of which I was told to "Get the $%÷= out of the way)

Mind you I'm doing just FINE running The Interstate every night for up to a combined 5500 to 6000 miles a week. In other words TWICE what he would be able to run on a good week SOLO.

He's saying your not ready? I've been told I'm not a truck driver. A long with sone other language, words, comments, expressions ANYONE familiar with being in abusive relationships would recognize.

Call your FM and tell him to route you back to Springfield. Speak with Stan, if HE feels your not ready? Ask for ANOTHER trainer.

Good luck

Big T, Splinter, JB,

Thanks for the responses, advice and suggestions.

I can back, and have the basics abd and fundamentals more or less down

Don't back if you dont have to

Drivers side is preferred to blind side

Set up Is 99%

Don't over compensate

Less is more

GOAL, GOAL AND GOAL SOME MORE.

I just dont do so we'll under pressure from a "trainer" who hasn't any patience, tells me to "Get the #$^^ out half the time, (I should mention, another Prime driver witnessed one of these episodes at a SAM'S in California. Called Safety. The result was he was told he couldn't do THAT, and I was considered a "Co-driver" even though I've yet to upgrade and still drawing TNT training pay + $300 A week "Delay Pay")

Yes he's a lease operator. And that plays a lot into it from his side. I doubt I have little to learn or gain by continuing with him?

I'm thinking my best course of action is to go back to Springfield and speak with the powers that be, and go from there.

Again thanks for taking the time to respond

Be Safe

A moot point really. Most States are "At Will" employment States, meaning either party has the right to terminate the employment agreement at any time for any reason.

Let's take those States which have legalized the recreational use of marijuana?

In a lot of these legal shops that legally sell marijuana, employees are subject to drug screening.

This isn't required by state law, and certainly federal law. But is a term of employment.

Additionally there's law that says trucking company must have corrected vision to meet a minimal range.

However of I were to start my on trucking company that said ad part of my hiring criteria NOT only did you as a driver have to meet that minimum criteria, but had to have 20/20 Uncorrected vision. That's NOT a violation of ones rights nor existing law.

A good one, is the use of tobacco products.

There are companies that not only prohibit the use of tobacco products, but regularly test for NICOTINE.

If you test positive? As a condition of employment? Your immediately terminated.

The name of these companies?

They're called hospitals and medical clinics

Thanks G Town and Brett

I agree with your reasoning. There are just certain things in Life we've all just have to take a leap of faith and jump into.

Others can tell you about it, you can read about it, watch YouTube vide8s galore. But there's nothing that's going to foot the bill like becoming 100 % involved and engaged.

Having a lease operator yelling, cussing and fussing at me doesnt help matters. Then he's telling me stuff about other drivers wanting to fight, getting mad, cutting tire, getting ran off the lot by yard dogs and being fined by Wal-Mart for taking longer than 15 minutes.

None of which filters through my B.S filter.

To be honest I'm having a hard time seeing what I've got to benefit by continuing to team with this guy, although I clearly see where and how he benefits. (We're averaging 6k miles a week.)

I'm going to sleep on it, make me decision tomorrow.

Again Thanks

Motivated by the recent threads with the worse and troubles of backing for novices, I seek the advice and suggestions of the more experienced. (Which in my particular case? Woukd be any and all!)

I'm currently on Home Time, after having been out OTR with my former PRIME Inc PSD and TNT. (I'll explain why "Former" shortly) for approximately 2 months.

Durning that time, I completed my 30,000 TNT training requirement.

However, after discussion with my trainer and FM, taking into consideration I've no experience driving in Wintery weather, and am totally a lame duck with backing, etc?

I opted to stay on the truck. In so doing, I don't/didn't go back to Springfield to upgrade. So technically I'm still classified as a TNT student drawing the guaranteed TNT pay of .14 cpm OR a minimum of $700 a week whichever is greater.

Plus an additional $300 "Delay Bonus" per week.

My "Trainer" mumbled something about an additional out of pocket bonus, but when all was said and done, there was more said than done. That's not an issue with me at this point.

I WASN'T allowed to do ANY BACKING durning PSD phase, as "The Shippers and Receivers" didn't like it, and wouldn't allow it. PSD was about 10 or 11 days.

Like MANY, I White Knuckled it through the final testing phase to earn my CDL's

I've actually attempted to back about 10 times, actually doing so about five, with about the results expected from a novice.

The OTHER five times I was forced out of the Driver's seat and told to get tja #$% out or over.

This combined with some other impatience, verbal abuse to finally erupted into my letting him know I wasn't putting up with it anymore. (He blew up on me, because I was refueling, and the satelitte pump wasn't working. His preplan was off because of a traffic jam, Atlanta traffic, and he had JUST climbed out of the berth)

He's SINCE has calmed down, some what.

He's NO issues with my driving mostly at night a long the interstate, refueling, through large cities (Dallas / Fort Worth, San Antonio, San Francisco etc) nor into truck stops.

He's major issues with my attempting to back.

No practice. No improvement. Apparently I'm supposed to pick up on any and EVERYTHING the first time?

I'm not going to go into my assessment of him as a trainer or anything else.

As I see it my options are as follows (Should anyone have or see others, I'm open to any suggestions

#1 Stay on with my "trainer" through the end of February or first of March. learn what I can, gain and build experience. Hope for the best, make the best of it I can.

#2 Contact Prime and arrange to upgrade and go solo

#3 Contact Prime and request additional training and another trainer?

#4. Contact Prime, up grade and request to be assigned to a team, preferably with an experienced driver. But that could be who ever?

Thanks in advance

If I felt better about the backing I would be ready I’ve got my miles.

-Donna

Here's something to think about. What is going to be different about your backing when you're solo?

Let's look at two possible scenarios.

1) Maybe now if you are having trouble getting backed into a dock or a parking spot you just give up and have your trainer complete the maneuver.

2) Maybe now if you are having trouble getting backed into a dock or a parking spot your trainer starts saying things like, "Ok, turn left, more, more! Ok, stop, pull forward and turn right, all the way... now start backing up. Okay, hurry up and get the tractor under your the trailer... whoa! You didn't get under it quick enough. Pull forward!"

Donna, nobody, and I mean NOBODY "feels" good about their backing when it's time to go solo. They can't because they are rookies - they lack any kind of experience to establish their skills at going backwards because it's too easy to rely on their trainer's help or advice. NOBODY learns to back by being told which way to turn the wheel. Nor do they learn by just letting someone else take the wheel.

Backing is only learned by doing the very uncomfortable work of repetitively trying it ourselves until we slowly begin to get a "feel" for how the trailer reacts to the driver's input at the wheel. For some of us this takes a great deal of time, but it has to be done by ourselves.

I looked like an idiot when going backwards as a rookie driver. My legs would be hurting sometimes because I had to G.O.A.L (get out and look) so many times to make sure I wasn't going to hit anything over on my blind side. That's how you learn to drive in reverse - you just do it! Don't worry about how silly you look or how long it takes. Your main concern is that you don't hit anything.

To be successful in trucking we've got to put ourselves into situations that we aren't comfortable with. We take hotel rooms with total strangers at orientation. We commit to living in very tight accommodations with a stranger while in training. We do whatever it takes to get our loads delivered on time. We drive all night or in less than desirable weather. We stretch our limits so that we can better ourselves, therefore improving our performance, our skills, and our results. All these efforts are returned to us in not only better paychecks to support ourselves and our families, but also in the extreme gratification and satisfaction of accomplishing something that very few people ever do.

Trucking is best experienced by those who are willing to take on new and difficult challenges. Cowering to the difficult parts of this job will stifle your ability to grasp the concepts of success in this career. Donna, you have already shown considerable bravery and commitment to your new career. Now it's time to step up your game and face the next level of challenges. Going solo is like starting over again. You're going to be uncomfortable and feeling like you've forgotten everything you've already learned. It's like the first time the trapeze artist works without a net. Once you remove the familiarity and the comfort of that trainer being right there in the truck, a new level of learning begins.

You've just been sort of riding the bike with the training wheels still there as a back up, and as much needed protection. Eventually you've got to take that risk of removing those training wheels. Is it going to be scary? Heck yeah it is. It's also going to be exhilarating and liberating. You're gonna scrape your knee a time or two, but you're going to be loving your freedom so much that those minor knee scrapes are going to propel you into a new level of accomplishment. That is when you will both learn to back the truck, and slowly begin to "feel" like you know what you're doing in reverse.

Backing A Truck Is Like Clown Soup For The Soul

A couple of things to add.

#1 There are somethings that ANOTHER can explain to you, but they can't help you comprehend it.

#2 Somethings your just are going learn on your own.

#3 Although it sounds counter intuitive and productive? If YOUR NOT making mistakes? You're NOT doing it RIGHT. In that we learn from our mistakes, improvise, adapt, an overcome.

Let’s be realistic! The only reason they want you to stay on their truck is the moola you’re making them. You remain a B-seat? It’s $700 a week until you upgrade. While they’re banking the rest of the money you’re supposed to be making. Kim you’re from W. VA, winter driving isn’t new to you. Shoot, I drove through blizzard conditions yesterday along I-80 in Chicago. Luckily it had just started but it was blowing sideways.

Donna, I was at a pick up that had my trailer jacked up so high it took me an hour with 3 breaks to get my heart rate down from cranking so hard. You did the right thing by going to the yard dog to help out.

I agree wholeheartedly with OS! The sooner you go solo, the quicker you’ll learn what it takes to be successful out here. Some folks love teaming. Personally, I think that once you learn how to manage your clock, you can make just as much, if not more than teaming. I know Rainy makes more solo than when I was training with her.

Truer words have NEVER been spokes

I was in Maryland yesterday.

First stop to get a trailer wash out. I get out of the truck of the owner/ operator. Lo and behold it's a Marine friend I haven't seen in YEARS.!

We exchanged info, phone number etc.

I'm still grinning, shaking my head. We get to the pickup, I'm sitting in the Driver's side.

I spy one of the yard dogs cone running up, thinking "WHAT NOW?

He jumps up on the running board grinning ear to ear. I recognized him instantly! One of my former Marines I haven't seen in 34 YEARS.