Advice For Discouraged Newbie

I started my training for 28 days with crst with my lead driver 5 days ago. I'm loving driving and seeing all the state's but im having a hard time. My lead isnt very helpful and doesnt answer questions very well. We are using the Qualcomm and electric logging. He doesnt let me long or use the Qualcomm and hes not showing me how to do the paper work bills of landing etc. I would really like advice on how to shift i just cant seem to get it right i grind gears and when i do get a gear smoothly it slams into gear. I also can't back to save my life and i feel embarrassed at truck stops. Ive been asking my lead for advice but he isn't much help. I feel like im never going to get it, i don't want to get another lead because my wife and i came in together to the crst school and did their 10 month contract to team drive and she just started with her trainer they have a shortage of lead drivers and they did not have one right away for her so she had to wait, i dont want to have to wait longer for a new lead driver and have to spend more time in training away from my wife the month in separate training is hard eniugh, i also dont want the company to try to send us with different co drivers because i hear that's what they like to do if the between the teams training is different we want to run hard together and we were promised to be able to team i just want to learn and get better and drive all my hours, also does anyone know how crst is as a company

You know, Kenney, being a new guy in any business, especially if you don't have someone you can trust to answer questions is a real bear! Your situation comes up here every once in a while.

First, as an OTR student driver, (finished with school and hired to CRST), if you are in the driver's seat, you must be signed/logged in to the QC. That's a legal requirement.

Do you have a contact phone number for whatever CRST called their New Driver Dept? Get by yourself and call. Your mentor's job is to get you used to the finer points of driving, like shifting and backing. And, not to say your school training makes backing any easier, you still should be able to Get Out And Look.

It's really hard to stay coordinated with your wife. Since you plan to be teaming, the office will get you together as soon as possible. This part of your career is temporary and you should do what you can to get through it.

Shifting don't think to much about or you will mess up don't worry about grinding gears everyone dose don't rush the shift

You need to contact your dm and ask for a new trainer. Winter is coming and you need to be well prepared for winter. If you have to not see your wife one more week that is better than being unprepared. They will let her run single or wait for you.

1) call DM to discuss situation. They want you to be successful. 2) when trainer is doing qc, ask lots of questions. Eventually trainer will hand you qc just to shut you up. Lol 3) we all grind. Everyday you drive gives you the opportunity to work on it. 4) in order to improve backing, everytime you stop, do 3 backing maneuvers. Practice 45 and 90 degree driver side docks. That is what you will get most of the time at shippers and receivers. GOAL, I repeat, GOAL as many times as needed.

Hope the advice helps. As always, good luck.

My trainer insists i do nothing but concentrate on the driving portion, no paperwork, bo helping with fueling etc. Just learn to drive. Like you my first week was a bear, grinding, missing shifts etc, just shake it off, watch your trainer comment as he does things, it will work out.

My Trainer lacked in many areas, but we got along well. He was a pleasant Guy. I got very little QC time.He was a L/O so I got no training on Company fueling policies. I followed him around for the first couple of weeks in and out of Shippers/Receivers and paid close attention. Got very little backing instruction from him, I have since come to realize that he wasnt a very good backer himself. He did let me practice backing if we had extra time. Big DC's are great for that. He showed me how to do TransFlo once. Again, I just observed him closely for the first couple of weeks. Then I just kind of took over handling the Shippers/ Receivers every time I was awake. QC is pretty easy to figure out on your own. Quite user friendly for anyone familiar with computers/ipads, etc. Just concentrate on driving/shifting/starting/stopping/lane control/following distance.......you get the point. The other stuff will come. Just follow him like a puppy dog and watch his every move. Stand behind him while he uses the QC. You will be just fine!

I have no idea if this is the situation, but my trainer chooses to focus on learning to drive well first, then move on to the "other stuff".

He says it's too much to throw at a trainee at one time. I've just started backing this week and I am on week 5 of an 8 week program.

Well, I got thrown in the deep end by an O/O....haha

first time driving, I did a HOT SWAP @ 4AM on a str8 away....and just held the truck steering for 4hrs...smdh

second time, I pulled into a rest area, took a ****, then got forced to grind the 10spd till it moved....she just looked at me and called me a big P***Y when frustration started showing. She helped slide the gear into place a few times ...but boy was I stressed out (with a 35K lbs load behind me)

third time, I was going thr NJ TKPE tolls and could not catch my gear...so I just stuck it in neutral thru the toll, and stopped. Then re-started the whole shifting thing...grinding and all

finally, I did a truck rental deal and worked out my kinks.

this past weekend, I bobtailed a KW 13spd for 200 miles (ALONE) thru DC just for the fun of it....LOL....and I loved it more than the 10spd

sometimes you just gotta say F&%K it and just do it when the chance shows up....thats what she taught me....and she foul mouthed as hell

Well, I got thrown in the deep end by an O/O

Xanax, you didn't get "thrown" anywhere. You made the bed you're sleeping in by taking a very ill advised route into this business.

Here is your own words from a previous post...

I started working on my CDL this past July and I got my CDL in late August via non-certificate option, which saved over $4000. I paid out of pocket. During my early stages, I had access to an O/O's truck while he trained me on a few runs. I drove the truck for at least several hundred miles per seat time, and learned the basics. Did a about 4 OTR over a month, each lasting 2-3 days. On my non-training days, I went to a school rented a truck, and polished my skills, and finally did my test and passed.

The only person that threw you into the deep end was Xanax himself. I wish you the best, but you sure chose a "hard row to hoe" by doing this the way you did. You thought you saved yourself a lot of money, but you didn't calculate the cost of the problems you are facing now.