Training Isn't For Me.

I am currently training my first driver on the 2nd of 2 days ill have him. My company only hires drivers with experience, unless they send current employees to CDL school. This driver told me it's been a while since they've driven tractor trailer as they've been driving a redimix concrete truck lately. No big deal, I get out of truck to open doors when we get to store and let him figure out the backing while making sure he doesn't hit anything with the trailer. We report to the terminal daily. Yesterday I told him I'd meet him there at 1am. 145 he showed up after oversleeping. Only slept for 3 hours so I drove us back the 3 hours from West Point NE when he was struggling to stay focused. Today I told him I'd meet him there at 2am. 235 I get a call he overslept and would be there in 20 minutes. 45 minutes later I text him saying I was going to hook trailer up and I'd meet him up front so we can hit the road. I'm told he's there and on his way out. Comes out with drinks and snacks from break room and finally leave about 415am. We make it about hour and a half north and needs a potty break. No big deal I'm not going to give someone attitude for needing a restroom. Spent another 10 minutes getting snacks inside. 20 minutes later he's starting to get tired. I don't want to push him too hard being tired but he needs to see exactly what this job is about. The goal is to make it back to the terminal same day. We have 530 miles with 2 easy stores. I've been able to knock it out in 11 hours. I'm making him do everything today so it's easy money on my part but it's still frustrating. The only way I was able to get Saturday and sunday off was switch to a M-F schedule that required mile/stop pay to avoid OT pay even though I'll make about the same. The amount of money I'm making today is already determined when I pick my route unless load is late so goal is knock the day out as fast as safely possible. I'm not trying to rush someone that's new but I also expect you to show up ready to work on time. Company pays me $3/hr for hours I'm training. That increase in pay is nice but it also keeps me out later than it otherwise would.

New drivers often complain about their trainers. Unfortunately just as there's bad trainers there's bad trainees. The hours do take adjusting to I'll give em that. But it also has me questioning if I'll continue training after this experience. Nice guy, just no sense of urgency. Yesterday before we left a store I'd mentioned next stop is an hour away so I'm gonna use restroom. After we got our doors closed THEN he decides he better use the restroom and comes back out with more snacks. Sorry if this post comes off as whiney or offends anyone, but this example I've provided is exactly why many experienced drivers do not want to train. I know Kearsey has touched on this very topic many times although hers are often about the new drivers having an attitude because of thinking they know everything.

A week ago I finished mentoring my 2nd new guy here. Our mentorship period lasts two weeks.

Fortunately, neither one of the mentees had a problem with being on time. I'm 100% hardwired to run as efficiently as possible every single day, so I completely understand your frustration on that point.

The first guy struggled horribly with practically anything that required memory or instruction retention. I could tell him something 20 times, and he'd still have to ask me "so what do I do here?". After our two weeks, I thought (hoped) he was ready to go on his own. But after a couple weeks solo, he had to go on another mentor's truck for a week refresher.

This latest guy, by contrast, was ready within just a few days. He had an instant grasp on all of our routines and procedures. His second week on my truck was just him doing everything while I hung out in the passenger seat and chatted or played on my phone. I wish they were all like him.

Training is indeed tough, and not for everyone. Ironically, I got far more satisfaction out of training new drivers for their CDL then I do training existing drivers to run a Walmart truck. My managers know that although I'll train in a pinch if they need it, my preference is to just run solo.

Rob your experience reminds me of one I had several years ago. It’s almost a carbon copy. Your not whiney by any means. That experience was excatly why I never wanted to train either.

Training is very difficult to say the least. My hat is off too those that do it. Personally I just want to do my own thing and not deal with all that is involved with it.

Stay the course and finish what you started with this one, and if it’s not for you just let your powers to be know that.

12 to 14 hour days on 3 to 5 hours asleep is about my average lol. Binging on snacks and certainly won’t help energy levels either of it’s all junk food. I’d be interested in training but we can’t find anybody as it is. Ones we do find either refuse to drive stick or don’t want the hours required for diary.

It's painful trying to work with people who have a poor work ethic. I really don't know what you can even do with someone like that. I don't enjoy motivating people. If you're not motivated to learn, then I'm not motivated to teach. If you're not motivated to work hard, then I'm not motivated to work with you. Simple as that.

Show up each day ready to learn hard and work hard, or don't show up at all.

What do they call it nowadays when you do the least necessary to keep your job? "Quiet quitting?"

I'm Italian. We don't do anything quietly. If you're quiet quitting, I'm loudly firing you.

I also train in my terminal for women. We don't hire drivers that doesn't have any experience so its a lot easier for me. The recent one that i trained was from UPS, she was cool and been driving for 4 years. I don't know how other people do it with driver that doesn't have experience lol. Plus, I hate having another driver in my truck..feels like I dont have a privacy lol

I only train women in line haul division, no men :)

Kearsey has touched on this very topic many times

So I whine about students a lot? 😂

I have had my share of students with no urgency. It is one of the qualities that many must learn, a skill similar to using mirrors.

This may sound offensive or prejudice, sorry, but usually those from the south are slower than us Yankees. Get someone from NY or Chicago and they run around the truck like someone in speed... Get someone from Mississippi and they take 45 minutes to get out and fuel. It's like watching a slug cross a highway. Changing time zones makes it worse cause even when they think they are being urgent, they don't understand they are looking at the wrong time in their phone.

Take a deep breath. A different student may not be the same. Every one is different.

12 to 14 hour days on 3 to 5 hours asleep is about my average lol. Binging on snacks and certainly won’t help energy levels either of it’s all junk food. I’d be interested in training but we can’t find anybody as it is. Ones we do find either refuse to drive stick or don’t want the hours required for diary.

Exactly, I quit eating while working for this very reason. I feel much better and focused. When I'm tired even a healthy meal makes me more tired.

It's painful trying to work with people who have a poor work ethic. I really don't know what you can even do with someone like that. I don't enjoy motivating people. If you're not motivated to learn, then I'm not motivated to teach. If you're not motivated to work hard, then I'm not motivated to work with you. Simple as that.

Completely agree. My job here is help you learn the job. Im not your mom or boss, I won't be calling you to wake you up or try to discipline you. I'll do my job to help you, but even simple instructions of looking at Google satellite before leaving for a store to get an idea of how to get in seems to be too much to remember. I've also mentioned to follow the GPS to our store (after I confirm it's correct) and do your thing, pretend I'm not here. I've still had to tell him where to go. I'll talk to my supervisor today about it so he's aware of how skeptical i am. There's only so much you can do. Before we left our first store he wanted to take an hour break. No big deal he's entitled to 1 hour paid break per day. He spent it eating a big breakfast in the restaurant then got back to the truck saying he's more tired now and he might need me to drive halfway back. Much better use would've been to take a quick nap. We're enroute to our 2nd store (40 minutes further from first store) then a 4 hour drive back. If needed I'll drive back so we make it safely but I won't be too happy about it. However, safety is more important than my feelings.

So I whine about students a lot? 😂

There's been a couple for very good reason lol. I know you've mentioned atleast one you needed to kick off your truck when I met ya at the Altoona IA flying J a couple years ago. Compared to what you do needing to deal with them 24/7 due to sharing a sleeper (when not doing training in SPRIMO) I've got it super easy. Unfortunately I think it's just the way our society has gotten to reward those for trying their best regardless of the outcome, or hell don't even try at all and expect everyone else to cover for you.

If there's one thing that I can't stand is people who lack punctuality. This is an experienced driver who sounds like he just got out of school. Like a hot potato I would be dropping him. The stops, being tired, etc, I 100% would have 0 problem with that. Habitually late to the start of the day? 0 patience for that, especially if I am reliant on getting the work done within a certain amount of time to get home. 02:35 is the start time for a reason, I imagine so that starting off is not hitting rush hour traffic. 04:15 results in possibly hitting traffic at an unnecessary time.

I don't know how much leeway your company gives you in keeping a trainee on your truck, but I would be inclined to give that driver one more day. "Be on time (15 minutes early) or go train with someone else." People with a lack of a sense of purpose drive me nuts.