CRST - Training Adventures In Cedar Rapids
Topic 22473 | Page 17
Did he tell you of that policy or did you actually do that? I imagine it's the former.
That's sort of his policy, though the company does actually have a similar policy. It was just some of the ground rules he wanted to get out of the way.
I never even have my phone out of my pocket when I'm driving. Ringer is off and it stays in the pocket until I leave the drivers seat - That's just my own personal policy.
Sorry I haven’t been able to keep up but have now. It’s all part of the experience Jeremy. I had a PSD trainer that thought I was in boot camp. I dealt with it since it was only for 2 weeks & 1 week the truck was in the shop at two different terminals. It turned out to be only 1 week. Didn’t get much backing or real world driving either. Barreling down I-80 isn’t exactly real world. You point the nose & keep her between the lines.
My TNT trainer on the other was Rainy & while we did have our moments, it wasn’t anything insurmountable. I hear her voice in my head all the time when I’m out here. That’s the way it should be until you develop your own routine.
I hope this new trainer is your “Rainy”. Just without the joizee accent. You’se people just have no idea! Lol.
How long is this phase of training?
That had to be quite an experience with Rainy! But I'm willing to bet you're one of the better drivers out there right now!
This fella is pretty laid back, but also firm on his rules, etc. However, all of his "rules" are based around safety, so I really can't disagree with any of them. I really like safe!
I'm not sure exactly how long this phase will last. Somewhere around 28 days. Unless they count the few days and miles I did with the other trainer first. In which case it may be a little shorter.
But so far, I'm pretty happy with all of the emphasis on safety and "by the book" training methods. It's not as fun as with the other guy who was way more lax about everything, but I'm not here for fun (that happens later.) Right now I'm trying to learn the job and the lifestyle the right way.
So, yeah, hopefully this fella turns out to be my Rainy!
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
It's not as fun as with the other guy who was way more lax about everything, but I'm not here for fun (that happens later.) Right now I'm trying to learn the job and the lifestyle the right way.
This way of learnin is puttin you on the right track to not just learn this job but also to start you off on the road to becomin a top tier driver in this industry. Keep up the great work. 😁
Here’s the things that Rainy did to set me on the right path. I did almost every single back, I went in to deal with almost all the shippers & receivers, I scanned most of the paperwork (both by phone & transflo), pretrip inspections, pretrip planning (she can do most of this from memory) & calculating my hours of service (which most team trainers never do). HOS is not an issue when teaming cause someone always has hours. Out here as a solo driver?! It’s huge. Right now my 70 on has 39 mns, so I’m shut down till just before midnight when I get 11 hrs back on recaps. I did most the fueling & washouts. The list goes on...
Basically, she acted as if I were solo even though we were teaming. Shoot we did 30K miles in 1.5 months with 2 home times in there!! Again, happy for you with your new trainer. Good luck & stay safe out here!! Oh yeah! WATCH YOUR WAGON!!
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
HOS is not an issue when teaming cause someone always has hours. Out here as a solo driver?! It’s huge. The list goes on...
Hey Splitter,
First of all let me say congrats on getting through all your training and heading out solo! Brilliant stuff 👍😊
But, for the sake of anybody considering teaming, I just wanted to add a word of caution to your above comments regarding HOS and teams....
It is every bit as imperative to track, monitor and adjust your hours when running as a team. While it is certainly true that we have more flexibility than a solo driver, I am constantly watching our HOS. We run really hard...1200 to 1300 miles per day is typical for us and 1400 not that unusual. This means that we are usually approaching the magic 70 hour mark within 6 days. I work with our DM constantly to either pick up runs that enable us to keep moving or...and in some ways more importantly...to enable us to get some quality time off the road and some rest without the motion of the truck.
We also at times deliberately work our trip planning and HOS to give us time to go play, sight see take in a movie etc.
On this contract, the primary run normally has us travelling 2800 miles in Just over 2 days and uses a good sized chunk of our available hours. So once completed, we work our way back across the country on various other trips to be set for the next run. While not too taxing to work out, we certainly cannot be cavalier with the available time. On this dedicated run , reliabilty is eveything and I'm not sure that our company or the shipper/consignee would take kindly to non-delivery because we were out of hours available time.
Anyway, as I said...congrats on your accomplishments and 'keep 'er safe'. 👍😊
Cheers,
Simon
Consignee:
The customer the freight is being delivered to. Also referred to as "the receiver". The shipper is the customer that is shipping the goods, the consignee is the customer receiving the goods.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Dedicated Run:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Big congrats as well and keeping safe!! Keep up the great work!
Yep, splitter did all the work. He made me very lazy and now im solo again...my windows were never as clean as they were with him on the truck. Im a bug murderer lol. Even when i was driving, he woke up and fueled and pretripped most of the time. i never asked him to, he did it on his own. unless he was totally passed out from exhaustion. lol My trainer demanded it....she would wake me to do that stuff.
As far as the HOS , i did plan for him to drive into all of the customers, so we flip flopped schedules and did a couple rolling 34's. i hoped it made it easier for him to adjust to crazy solo schedules and various traffic as well as night driving.
Our FM aka "Greedy One Kenobi" gave him 2900 miles!!!! im jealous.
Ask your trainer if you can do most of the backing and customers. all trainers are different but you NEED to be able to drive in all different situations, weather and times of day. ask for it along the way. i had set routes i wanted to get him shifting better. a good trainer will try to incorporate your weaknesses to improve you.
good luck!
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
HOS is not an issue when teaming cause someone always has hours. Out here as a solo driver?! It’s huge. The list goes on...
Hey Splitter,
First of all let me say congrats on getting through all your training and heading out solo! Brilliant stuff 👍😊
But, for the sake of anybody considering teaming, I just wanted to add a word of caution to your above comments regarding HOS and teams....
It is every bit as imperative to track, monitor and adjust your hours when running as a team. While it is certainly true that we have more flexibility than a solo driver, I am constantly watching our HOS. We run really hard...1200 to 1300 miles per day is typical for us and 1400 not that unusual. This means that we are usually approaching the magic 70 hour mark within 6 days. I work with our DM constantly to either pick up runs that enable us to keep moving or...and in some ways more importantly...to enable us to get some quality time off the road and some rest without the motion of the truck.
We also at times deliberately work our trip planning and HOS to give us time to go play, sight see take in a movie etc.
On this contract, the primary run normally has us travelling 2800 miles in Just over 2 days and uses a good sized chunk of our available hours. So once completed, we work our way back across the country on various other trips to be set for the next run. While not too taxing to work out, we certainly cannot be cavalier with the available time. On this dedicated run , reliabilty is eveything and I'm not sure that our company or the shipper/consignee would take kindly to non-delivery because we were out of hours available time.
Anyway, as I said...congrats on your accomplishments and 'keep 'er safe'. 👍😊
Cheers,
Simon
Big thanks Simon. As Rainy stated above, we had to work in rolling 34’s from time to time. But we weren’t running nearly as hard as you & Chris. I hope my bonus helped even her losses.
Consignee:
The customer the freight is being delivered to. Also referred to as "the receiver". The shipper is the customer that is shipping the goods, the consignee is the customer receiving the goods.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Dedicated Run:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Ask your trainer if you can do most of the backing and customers. all trainers are different but you NEED to be able to drive in all different situations, weather and times of day. ask for it along the way. i had set routes i wanted to get him shifting better. a good trainer will try to incorporate your weaknesses to improve you.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr... This trainer o' mine has already begun to zoom in on my weaknesses (like passing other trucks while doing 250 MPH downhill through the Smokey Mountains) with laser-guided precision. I told him if he was a superhero his power would eliminating comfort zones! He just sits back and chuckles while I white-knuckle my way through ridiculous curves and places where roads shouldn't exist.
However, he did cite a very important point. Between the two of us, technically one of us has a lot more right to worry than the other one. So, if he's not worried...
Okay, hard to argue with that one. And he is very safety-conscious (he asks me every morning how I slept, if I'm tired at all, if I'm okay to drive today, etc.) Plus, he's got a vested interest in me getting through safe - he gets to live and possibly even gets a paycheck!
I trust him as much as I've ever trusted anyone, right now. And he has been making me back, drop/hook trailers, etc. Tomorrow will be our first time actually picking up at a shipper together, but I have no doubt I'll be doing most of the paperwork, etc.
He already has me do our trip planning and all the macros on the QC. Plus, I do the fueling, Windows, etc. (and, frankly, it's my place to learn and do all of that.) But he's been on the phone with family and abruptly told them he would call them right back when I just had a quick question. So far, he has never failed to answer a question, explain something in detail, or call me on something when I'm doing it wrong.
I'm only pretty sure this how a trainer is supposed to be. And I consider myself blessed to be in this truck right now.
That glowing endorsement may seem like a bit much, but I suddenly feel like I might yet be a decent trucker one day!
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Congrats Jeremy. Glad you are feeling better about your new trainer.
Safe travels
Chris
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Sorry I haven’t been able to keep up but have now. It’s all part of the experience Jeremy. I had a PSD trainer that thought I was in boot camp. I dealt with it since it was only for 2 weeks & 1 week the truck was in the shop at two different terminals. It turned out to be only 1 week. Didn’t get much backing or real world driving either. Barreling down I-80 isn’t exactly real world. You point the nose & keep her between the lines.
My TNT trainer on the other was Rainy & while we did have our moments, it wasn’t anything insurmountable. I hear her voice in my head all the time when I’m out here. That’s the way it should be until you develop your own routine.
I hope this new trainer is your “Rainy”. Just without the joizee accent. You’se people just have no idea! Lol.
How long is this phase of training?
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.