Passed CDL

Just passed the CDL test. Start with the OTR trainer on August 7th. So happy. And very relieved. I know there probably many threads on what being on trainers truck. But any advice would be great.

Congratulations!

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Brian, congratulations!

When you go out with a trainer, bring your a-grade attitude and hustle.

Often a student will complain that they had a lousy trainer. But I think it’s far more common for a trainer to have a lousy student. Your goal should be to learn as much as possible and to make your trainer call you the best trainee he has ever had.

Awesome job earning your CDL. Unfortunately good trainers are hard to come by. Many drivers get into training strictly for the extra money. Just keep in mind that you're a guest in their truck (home) and do the best you can to get through training. Training is a short time in the grand scheme. If you feel you're not getting enough time driving or backing you need to be your own advocate to get the time necessary. You're not going to feel ready to go solo and that's normal. Your real learning will happen when you're on your own. As long as you don't hit anything everything else will work out.

To be a good trainee my advice is listen to what your trainer tells you and do it, within reason. Often times there's a good reason for what they're saying. Don't take it personal.

BK mentioned lousy students. He's spot on. I trained briefly at my current gig and couldn't do it anymore. Of the 3 different drivers I trained only 1 showed up on time. 2 of them were constantly falling asleep behind the wheel, 1 refused to read signs and blindly followed GPS. I agreed to train because there definitely is a shortage of GOOD trainers out there in general. My employer pays an extra $3/hr for training. Most days turned into a 13 or 14 hour day so for $40 extra I worked 3 hours longer than if I'd ran it solo, which is understandable. If I'm training I'm going to train them the correct way which to me is them doing all the work but I'm always ready to jump in if absolutely needed. I go to work to support my family, I want to get home as soon as possible while still making an excellent paycheck. In the end the lousy trainees made me stop training. Most experienced drivers make far more when they're not training because their productivity is higher.

Long story short : be open to your trainers criticism, be on time, try to be well rested so you can drive to make your appointments but communicate if you're too fatiqued and read your road signs.

Number one, it will suck. That's the reality of it.

Check your ego and attitude at the door. You know just enough to be a menace on the road.

Speak up. Understand that this individual won't necessarily blow sunshine up your tukus and tell you how awesome you are. This is normal. If there is a true problem between you and your trainer, speak up to your dispatch/fleet manager in the manner that they have lined out. You should be having conversations with them about your progress anyway.

Listen. Listen again. Ask if you don't understand. A lot of times, an experienced driver will spot a problem way before a brand new driver does. Sometimes they don't have time to explain first, command second.

If you make a mistake, own it. If you tap a trailer, speak up. Do not try and hide mistakes, they will be found, and they will send you home. Not for the mistake, but the hiding of it. It's always best to take accountability. "I ripped off the trailer door. I was not paying attention to my right side while sliding my tandems. This is a good reminder to always watch, even sides with obstacles that shouldn't be moving."

Also, it is extremely mentally exhausting learning to safely drive. Talk to people "back home" about how you don't have the mental space to split between home and on the road. I had to ban some people from talking to me altogether, and set a schedule of what day I would speak to someone. If someone wasn't dying or already dead, and I couldn't fix the issue with 5-10 mins on the phone, they weren't to tell me about it.

Most importantly, WATCH YOUR TRAILER!

Thank you everybody for your replies. I am going to try my best. That was one thing my Dad always said "do your best". Thanks for the tip about alway looking at the trailer because that was one of the comments from the instructor was look out your right side more. You look out your left but need to look out the right more because someone always tries to get around you. I will work on that. I got a little bit of my Mom in there too and she would say "you may need that"! So I need to watch that when packing. Thank y'all for your help. Enjoying some time with family before I head out.