First Contact With Possible Trainer...spooked Now

Kat, I was just going to answer this and I see you just posted saying you're going to find a new trainer. As you can see even some experienced drivers aren't entirely sure what to make of her asking that right off the bat. I was going to tell you to find someone else, not because I think that trainer will be a poor trainer, but because she's probably the type to push the limits quite a bit.

See, trucking attracts a lot of Type A personalities to begin with, who by nature tend to hate following rules. Then of course experienced drivers often find ways to either get around some of the rules or "live in the gray areas" as they say. If she's asking you how you feel about ignoring company policy in your very first conversation then I'd say you can probably expect a lot of that from her.

If she's driving by herself and decides to break the rules then that's her personal decision and she alone will pay the price for it if she gets caught. But if she's asking others to break rules for her own convenience then she's putting students who are brand new to this game in a very bad position. If you won't go along with her way of doing things you don't know how she'll react. Will she freak out? Will she take it all in stride? Who knows?

And what if you get caught? Are you going to be blamed for it? Is it going to be your word against hers? Is it going to put your job in jeopardy? These are not fun questions to have to ask yourself when you're already facing the monumental challenge of learning how to handle an 80,000 pound building on wheels to begin with.

So in this case I would say looking for a different trainer is a good idea. You can be sure if she's expecting that sort of thing before you're even officially her student she's going to have more tricks up her sleeve down the road. You're probably going to be put in uncomfortable positions quite a few times.

A couple of people mentioned giving her a chance and I wanted to say that I don't necessarily disagree with you guys. This is a personal choice that people have to make and Kat is already uncomfortable with this type of thing so that's why I'm leaning toward Kat going with a different trainer.

Kat, be aware of the fact that most truckers do indeed stretch the rules quite a bit, especially once they get some experience. We don't talk about that sort of thing very often because new drivers already have so much on their plate to begin with. We don't want to upset people with ideas about how they can circumvent company policies or Federal regulations when there's much more important things to focus on. But down the line you'll find lots of opportunities to live in the gray areas and you'll likely take some of those opportunities yourself. But for now, stick with doing things by the book and trust your instincts. Your instincts told you to get a trainer you're more comfortable with so I think that's the right decision.

Just adding this tidbit: one of my former FM's "best trainers" was a negative crackpot who yelled and cussed at one of my old trainer's PSD students all the time over inconsequential stuff. What "best trainer" means to a dispatcher and to a student are often two entirely different things.

Look if you have a properly equipped truck, you have a mesh of seatbelt webbing that you put up on the top bunk while you are sleeping. Check it out....

Kat, I was just going to answer this and I see you just posted saying you're going to find a new trainer. As you can see even some experienced drivers aren't entirely sure what to make of her asking that right off the bat. I was going to tell you to find someone else, not because I think that trainer will be a poor trainer, but because she's probably the type to push the limits quite a bit.

See, trucking attracts a lot of Type A personalities to begin with, who by nature tend to hate following rules. Then of course experienced drivers often find ways to either get around some of the rules or "live in the gray areas" as they say. If she's asking you how you feel about ignoring company policy in your very first conversation then I'd say you can probably expect a lot of that from her.

If she's driving by herself and decides to break the rules then that's her personal decision and she alone will pay the price for it if she gets caught. But if she's asking others to break rules for her own convenience then she's putting students who are brand new to this game in a very bad position. If you won't go along with her way of doing things you don't know how she'll react. Will she freak out? Will she take it all in stride? Who knows?

And what if you get caught? Are you going to be blamed for it? Is it going to be your word against hers? Is it going to put your job in jeopardy? These are not fun questions to have to ask yourself when you're already facing the monumental challenge of learning how to handle an 80,000 pound building on wheels to begin with.

So in this case I would say looking for a different trainer is a good idea. You can be sure if she's expecting that sort of thing before you're even officially her student she's going to have more tricks up her sleeve down the road. You're probably going to be put in uncomfortable positions quite a few times.

A couple of people mentioned giving her a chance and I wanted to say that I don't necessarily disagree with you guys. This is a personal choice that people have to make and Kat is already uncomfortable with this type of thing so that's why I'm leaning toward Kat going with a different trainer.

Kat, be aware of the fact that most truckers do indeed stretch the rules quite a bit, especially once they get some experience. We don't talk about that sort of thing very often because new drivers already have so much on their plate to begin with. We don't want to upset people with ideas about how they can circumvent company policies or Federal regulations when there's much more important things to focus on. But down the line you'll find lots of opportunities to live in the gray areas and you'll likely take some of those opportunities yourself. But for now, stick with doing things by the book and trust your instincts. Your instincts told you to get a trainer you're more comfortable with so I think that's the right decision.

My company doesn't do "team style" training ever. The truck is always dispatched as a solo truck. But there are grey areas. And many a trainer "lives in the grey areas". However those grey areas of solo training are far better than team training in my personal opinion.

I see this post was resurrected, so I thought I would go on and add that this woman turned out to be an absolute gem! After we got past that initial screw up, things were great. She taught me what I needed to learn, and we got along really well. We even discussed continuing to team drive through the winter, but I realized that I wasn't going to make the kind of money I needed to make. I am really grateful that I gave her a second chance.

That is awesome it turned out well for you. Do you still keep in contact? I know I keep in contact with my trainer. He even calls me when he needs info on my neck of the woods. I saved him from finding out the hard way about the weight restricted bridge on the South side of Clarksville.

Alley B. suggests:

Look if you have a properly equipped truck, you have a mesh of seatbelt webbing that you put up on the top bunk while you are sleeping. Check it out....

Not really. It's illegal to be in the top bunk while the truck is moving. There is a net in the lower bunk you're supposed to use while the other driver rocks you gently into Slumberland.

That is awesome it turned out well for you. Do you still keep in contact? I know I keep in contact with my trainer. He even calls me when he needs info on my neck of the woods. I saved him from finding out the hard way about the weight restricted bridge on the South side of Clarksville.

We do still keep in touch! She has been an invaluable resource to me since I have been out on my own. Today marks the end of my fifth month solo!

Not really. It's illegal to be in the top bunk while the truck is moving. There is a net in the lower bunk you're supposed to use while the other driver rocks you gently into Slumberland.

I do not believe that is correct. I can not find anything in the FMCSA regs to support that statement. Probably not a good idea, particularly if your co driver attempts to go under an 11'6" bridge, but I do not believe it is illegal. RICK??? any clarification?