Prime Trainer Sucks

Topic 34813 | Page 1

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Primeguy's Comment
member avatar

So just to start it off, I am a pretty easy going guy and have had terrible trainers for a longer period before, but this guy is something else. First off he is lazy and doesn’t accept jobs unless they are golden pay. I’ve been with him for an entire month now and I’ve only done 10,000 miles.

Second off he is terrible at communication. He abbreviates his speaking words and refuses to learn new vocabulary. For instance in the beginning when he said set the brakes he meant to push in the hand valves. I told him why not say push or pull the tractor hand valve or trailer hand valve and he said he’s been training for a while and this is how he wants to do it.

There are other things as well and he doesn’t let me do things by myself when I can easily do it. He will also just tell me what to do while I’m doing it. This is all fine and I can deal with it.

Now, time to get into the real nasty. Guy is crazy racist, constantly talks bad about prime (I’ve had a real good experience with everyone at prime except him) he is also homophobic, and sexists. I’m not a PC culture guy or anything but I don’t want to hear this 40 year old white man talk about gays and woman in a negative light and constantly use the N word. Another thing is whenever I try and talk about anything even training sometimes he will just ignore me or just interrupt me and say whatever.

One time I tried saying it would be nice to have a trailer release button instead of a having to pull the lever each time, he just said I know the type of guy you are and you will die on that hill but you are blatantly wrong. This was only after a couple days of knowing each other, he later apologized and said he was out of line, then said we shouldn’t butt heads like that, and that if we continue to disagree that he will just drop me off in a random city and tell me to find my own way back to prime HQ. So I suppose I am not allowed to offer any opinion whatsoever about trucking or truck equipment.

Also, he stinks to high heaven, one time I couldn’t even sleep because of how bad he smelled. I can still forgive all of that but today was the last straw and I am thinking of trying to get a new trainer. I was talking to my wife while I thought my trainer was asleep (it was about 3 hours after he said he was going to sleep) and my wife asked if she wanted me for her to bring the phone into the shower on FT I said sure you can bring the phone to the shower, but I won’t be looking cause I gotta focus on the road out loud. Then about 5 minutes after I said that, this guy rips open the curtain fast as hell and immediately looks at my phone. I quickly turned my phone off and said what. He then just mumbled about making sure I was using the engine brake and to watch out for the rain. I was already using the engine brake as well so I am somewhat positive he was trying to perv on my wife through my phone.

To me this is unacceptable especially since he was met her as well. I was very ****ed off that he did that. When he calls his wife I put my earbuds in and blast them on full volume so I can’t hear him berate his wife. So I pulled into the next truck stop and told my wife what happened and she understandably freaked out and said she wants me to find a new trainer that doesn’t suck so much and I agree with her fully.

I don’t think I can deal with him for another 3 months only making $900 a week. How do I get a new trainer, while ensuring he doesn’t dump me in some random city as well, cause he has told me he has done that to his trainees before. Should I wait til I’m close to home and just tell him I want a different trainer.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

andhe78's Comment
member avatar

Didn’t Prime give you a number to call if you have problems with your trainer? I’d go that route before asking strangers on the internet-you might not like their answers (specifically my answer.). You sound like a nightmare, arguing over setting the brake terminology and whining over having to pull the king pin release lever??? As for the phone thing, if I heard a trainee have this exact conversation with his wife, I’d check to make sure he wasn’t actually FaceTiming his nude wife while driving too. You actually told your wife to bring the phone in the shower, you just weren’t going to look??? Dude!!! I’d have kicked you off right there.

Davy A.'s Comment
member avatar

Well, since you asked us...yes, we refer to setting the brakes as... you guessed it..."Setting the brakes". Its understood what it means. Shouldn't have to explain what it entails.

Exactly as andhe said, you shouldn't be on the phone while driving, let alone video with your old lady. I'd give you the boot as well.

So far, the only actionable issues you mentioned was his lack of hygiene. The racist language is he said/she said. Even if he does use racist language, its in private, in his truck. Don't like it? Don't listen to it.

It was stated simply above, prime gives you a method to change trainers, use it. Although you said you've already been through other trainers. This indicates that your attitude is probably the issue. You're the only common part in the equation.

You come off as sounding very entitled and nit picking in your post. I'd really recommend you look inward and find a way to just get through your training. It will help build your character.

NaeNaeInNC's Comment
member avatar

Yeah, my first thought was WTFare you doing face timing your wife while driving? Agree with the two previous responses.

No longer with Prime, but I thought being busted on video call would get us terminated....

Primeguy's Comment
member avatar

Didn’t Prime give you a number to call if you have problems with your trainer? I’d go that route before asking strangers on the internet-you might not like their answers (specifically my answer.). You sound like a nightmare, arguing over setting the brake terminology and whining over having to pull the king pin release lever???

As for the phone thing, if I heard a trainee have this exact conversation with his wife, I’d check to make sure he wasn’t actually FaceTiming his nude wife while driving too. You actually told your wife to bring the phone in the shower, you just weren’t going to look??? Dude!!! I’d have kicked you off right there.

Hello, they haven’t given me a number to call. As well I have already reached out to dispatch and haven’t gotten an answer back. Secondly I was not arguing about setting braking terminology. When he said set the brakes I pulled the hand valves out and he had told me no set them, push them in, so I just mentioned why not just say that instead of set them in. I just mentioned as well that it would be nice to have a trailer release button. That is the only sentence I said. I was not “whining about it”.

As for the FT with my wife, I understand that. She asked me and I said sure, I did not even look though and was completely focused on driving. You sound like a nightmare to train with as well to be honest, and did not offer any advice what so ever except berating me about fictitious scenarios you derived from misreading my post

andhe78's Comment
member avatar
You sound like a nightmare to train with as well to be honest

Lol, you're right, I probably am. With what we haul, I am a real stickler for doing the job the right way, every time, all the time. The company doesn't seem to mind though.

As for the FT with my wife, I understand that. She asked me and I said sure, I did not even look though and was completely focused on driving

Honestly thought I was not reading your original post right because nobody wanting to be a driver would think facetiming while driving would be a good idea. Lol, I was wrong. You didn't look though, nice job, you're more disciplined than I am. (sarcasm)

did not offer any advice what so ever

You're right, and I am so sorry. My advice, ask your trainer to pull over, grab all your gear, and start heading home. You don't seem to have the right mindset for this job.

I'm sorry, I can't stop laughing, I love it. Nude facetiming while driving is fine as long as I don't look. Thanks for making my day.rofl-2.gif

Errol V.'s Comment
member avatar

You start out whining about "terrible trainers". Few trainers at any company are "terrible". Regarding your post, overall I'll stand with Davy to suggest the common thing you have with trainers is you. Prime and any company that trains newbies gives you a separate contact to deal with trainers. Dispatch is not in the training business, they are too busy moving freight.

You sound like you want the correct terminology for the brake buttons. 95% of the time you work both buttons at the same time. Push to go, Pull to stop. I'm not clear if you say your trainer says "set the brakes" for both stopping/parking and release. True, he should be understandable, but the hard part is that you need to keep in mind the context - going or stopping.

If Mr Trainer has racist or homophobic ideas and wants to express them, ignore that and do not contribute either way to the conversation. Religion and politics in these kinds of conversations is playing with dynamite. You can throw racism and homophobia into that rule. Even if you agree with the speaker, just don't go there in your training days. I'm with you on these things. Let the speaker stir his own pot and you just work to get your job done.

Phones and truck driving are a tough mix. First, any FaceTime with anyone while you hold the steering wheel is strictly verboten. Any phone calls you have while driving had better be done with a phone headset. Go ahead and get a good one, around $120 for the cheaper ones at truck stops.

Lastly, Primeguy, notice that all these replies work to correct your newbie attitudes, not to go after you personally. Each and every contributor here does want you to get into your own truck and be a real Primeate. So adjust your thinking and make the moves necessary to get through training.

Trucker Kearsey 's Comment
member avatar

I was at prime 10 years. I trained most of that time. IMO you are BOTH wrong ..

First off he is lazy and doesn’t accept jobs unless they are golden pay. I’ve been with him for an entire month now and I’ve only done 10,000 miles.

Welcome to leasing. This is why I am against trainers being lease. He has to make it profitable for him and Prime now has more terrible trainers than good ones because training doesnt pay. If he just takes the loads... after paying for your $900 salary, 7.5% employer tax and your workers comp despite not having his own... he would probably make less than you. Many right now are making only $500 - $600 a week after the expenses. I have their pay settlements.

when he said set the brakes he meant to push in the hand valves. I told him why not say push or pull the tractor hand valve or trailer hand valve and he said he’s been training for a while and this is how he wants to do it.

Set the brakes means to engage or activate the brakes... meaning to PULL them. The reason he is using trucker language is because mechanics and plaza techs will use "set" or "release". Pushing them in allows air flow and release. Pulling stops the air flow and therefore sets the brakes. Either way, you didn't learn.

There are other things as well and he doesn’t let me do things by myself when I can easily do it.

Again i suspect this is a leasing issue. If you put DEF in the fuel tanks.. which happened 3 times this year by TNTs, it will cost him anywhere between $10,000 to $22,000. He is responsible for everything you do. Dont put in load locks properly? He has to pay for the entire load if rejected. $100,000 maybe more. The highest i heard ruined was $1.5 million. The trainer filed bankruptcy. If you jacknife..or hit a bridge... he pays the $2000 deductible... tow bills that could be in the tens of thousands... plus a $10,000 negligence fee.

Guy is crazy racist, constantly talks bad about prime....homophobic, and sexists. I’m not a PC culture guy or anything but I don’t want to hear this 40 year old white man talk about gays and woman in a negative light and constantly use the N word.

Then report him. But realize, you just used very judgemental words to describe him. It is better to state what he said than to cast your own opinion of him. Otherwise the "this 40 year old white man" could appear as though YOU are the racist and ageist.

One time I tried saying it would be nice to have a trailer release button instead of a having to pull the lever each time

If i heard this.. i would think YOU were the lazy one. For the first time in 10 years, i have the switch to release the locking jaws and used it once. I had a student that complained about the clutch hurting his leg. To me it sounds like complaining about a job i did on a daily basis because of laziness. More mechanical stuff means more shop time.

he will just drop me off in a random city and tell me to find my own way back to prime HQ.

He will get fired for doing that. If you feel unsafe and need to get off the truck make arrangements with prime who will put you in a hotel and have another driver pick you up. But communicate first. If u get off the truck without telling them, they could fire you for quitting or not following prime procedure.

So I suppose I am not allowed to offer any opinion whatsoever about trucking or truck equipment.

Have all the opinions you want when you are paying for it and on your own truck. You are too new to know what you are talking about.

Also, he stinks to high heaven, one time I couldn’t even sleep because of how bad he smelled. I can still forgive all of that

Then why bring it up?

The shower thing..

To me this is unacceptable especially since he was met her as well.

To me you being on the phone at all while driving would be unacceptable. He cant hear you from the bunk, only mumbling. A student on the phone almost killed me, so the next one, i jumped up when i thought she was on the phone and she had been singing. The issue was YOU. You should be giving driving your undivided attention and sure as hell should NOT be on the phone. Or watching a naked wife. If your wife is so freaked out, tell her not to be stripping while u are living in a rolling closet with someone else.

I don’t think I can deal with him for another 3 months only making $900 a week. How do I get a new trainer, while ensuring he doesn’t dump me in some random city as well, cause he has told me he has done that to his trainees before. Should I wait til I’m close to home and just tell him I want a different trainer.

Message your fleet manager immediately in writing. Discuss only the smell and racist etc comments. If you admit to being on the phone while driving they could fire you. You just admitting to touching the phone. The trainer could give them a time and they will have it on the camera. If he is allowing YOU to shower.. they may just talk to him rather than switching. Prime is seriously lacking trainers right now because 1.) It doesn't pay with the increased truck expenses 2.) More and more students coming in are entitled demanding know it all snots. Sorry but it is true.

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.

Fleet Manager:

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.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

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.

Trucker Kearsey 's Comment
member avatar

One more thing... there is NO WAY whatsoever that prime did not give you a number to call.

You habe both Chris Martins phone number and email address. He had to assign you. He is the one to contact. Hell i have his phone and email if u want to email me at truckingalongfun@gmail.com

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