Once upon a time there were three young men who went to truck driving schools, and they were each taught in very different ways.
The first was taught just what he needed to know in order to pass the CDL examines and get his license. This student was then hired by a company with no real world knowledge of the profession. Now granted he knew what to look for on his pre and post trip inspections. He had an idea of how the truck operated and how to maneuver it around cones in a parking lot without traffic around him. And he knew what his blind spots were. In other words he knew the very basics of truck operation.
This driver was hired by a company that was looking for a warm body to fill a seat. At which time he was stuck with another driver that they classified as a trainer because of his extensive experience behind the wheel. With his trainer (who himself had been driving for 6 months) he got a small taste of the real world and learned that Pilot truck stops with McDonalds in them were the greatest truck stops in the world.
After 4 weeks with this trainer he was put in his own truck and struck out on his own. 2 weeks later he was involved in an accident and killed a family of 5 on their way home from their child’s school play.
The second student’s school was owned by a large company who required upon completion of his training that he work for the company for 2 years or he had to pay for the school. A fair exchange if you think about it. Education in exchange for service is the basis of a good barter agreement. So the student completed his school training, passed his CDL examine and proceeded to be placed with a trainer for the next 6 months. Again the school taught him just enough to pass the CDL test and driving skills test in a parking lot with cones.
His trainer for the next 6 months was a gentleman who had been on the road for a little over a year so he had a basic understanding of the industry and different situations you can end up in. He immediately put the young student behind the wheel and climbed back in the sleeper to sleep while his student ran down the road. Now since the student hadn’t ever really hauled any freight yet and had no idea what to really expect he drove like he had been taught in his classes.
The first couple of days went okay while they had been running primarily throughout the Midwest. As they picked up their load that was headed out to central California the trainer gave no thought to the fact that his student had never been in the mountains before. Running as he had been the new driver dropped off a mountain pass and took a corner to fast. As the load shifted and pushed the trailer over it rolled both of them off the side of the mountain and down into the ravine. Both student and trainer died.
The third of our students went to a school that only promised to teach what he needed to know in order to pass his CDL and skills test. Upon completion of his classes he did indeed pass the exam and was granted a CDL. He had already discussed with a company getting a job at an entry level and was well aware he would be stuck with a seasoned driver for at least 6 months and perhaps longer. This driver could decide his fate and put him out on the side of the road if he determined he was being unsafe and refused to listen.
As he boarded the truck with the “Trainer” he was informed that he needed to leave any attitude and 99% of what he learned in school in the yard. It was the “Trainers” way or the highway. Now this “Trainer” had been out on the road for the better part of 15 years so he had a pretty good idea of what he was doing. The first week the young student wasn’t even allowed behind the wheel of the truck. He spent all his time in the passenger seat watching. He was required to be awake whenever the trainer was awake and in the jump seat whenever he was driving. During docking maneuvers the student was either in the jump seat or outside watching exactly what the Trainer was doing. He watched as the trainer went through gears, dropped off mountain passes, down shifted, did his pre-trip and post-trip inspections, etc.
At the end of the first week the Trainer put the student behind the wheel on the open highway. And started letting him back the truck in everywhere they went. For the first week he watched every move the student made and corrected him if he seen something he didn’t like. During the second week he would give the student a place to stop and he would leave him alone until they got to that point at which time he would take over to go through traffic.
After 4 weeks out he started letting the student deal with traffic. He explained to him how to move a little slower than traffic and let it flow around instead of staying right up against the vehicle in front’s bumper. And even though the student got frustrated a few times with people cutting in front of him and so forth he listened. Gradually he started seeing a trend in how things played out and understood the reasoning behind what he was learning. He was continually being made to back into every dock they went to. And whenever it was possible the trainer would actually make him blindside in to docks.
By the end of 8 weeks the student was doing pretty much everything except backing unsupervised. About the only time the trainer would sit in the passenger seat is when they encountered a new situation, icy roads, snow, heavy rains, etc.
By the end of 6 months and running through a winter, across the mountain passes, through the major cities, the trainer informed the company he felt he would be okay on his own.
12 years later this student is still driving and has never had an accident. He calls his trainer from time to time, usually on the anniversary of the date he got in the truck to let the trainer know how he is doing.
The moral of this story is that there is no substitute for experience. We learn by doing in this job not so much from books. A school can teach you the basics but it can’t teach you how to drive. A person who has a few months more experience than a student is not a teacher, he is still a student him or herself.
There is also a difference between someone with 10 years experience and someone with 1 year of experience 10 times. Some people refuse to learn and change their ways, this makes them dangerous. I understand that everyone has to start somewhere. But if a truly safe and experienced driver is available, pick his brain. Many are willing to share their knowledge and experience if you are only willing to ask.
The ones to watch out for are the ones who give unsolicited advice. They are the ones with the 1 year experience 10 times. And it really is only a matter of time before they kill someone.
The first was taught just what he needed to know in order to pass the CDL examines and get his license. This student was then hired by a company with no real world knowledge of the profession. Now granted he knew what to look for on his pre and post trip inspections. He had an idea of how the truck operated and how to maneuver it around cones in a parking lot without traffic around him. And he knew what his blind spots were. In other words he knew the very basics of truck operation.
This driver was hired by a company that was looking for a warm body to fill a seat. At which time he was stuck with another driver that they classified as a trainer because of his extensive experience behind the wheel. With his trainer (who himself had been driving for 6 months) he got a small taste of the real world and learned that Pilot truck stops with McDonalds in them were the greatest truck stops in the world.
After 4 weeks with this trainer he was put in his own truck and struck out on his own. 2 weeks later he was involved in an accident and killed a family of 5 on their way home from their child’s school play.
The second student’s school was owned by a large company who required upon completion of his training that he work for the company for 2 years or he had to pay for the school. A fair exchange if you think about it. Education in exchange for service is the basis of a good barter agreement. So the student completed his school training, passed his CDL examine and proceeded to be placed with a trainer for the next 6 months. Again the school taught him just enough to pass the CDL test and driving skills test in a parking lot with cones.
His trainer for the next 6 months was a gentleman who had been on the road for a little over a year so he had a basic understanding of the industry and different situations you can end up in. He immediately put the young student behind the wheel and climbed back in the sleeper to sleep while his student ran down the road. Now since the student hadn’t ever really hauled any freight yet and had no idea what to really expect he drove like he had been taught in his classes.
The first couple of days went okay while they had been running primarily throughout the Midwest. As they picked up their load that was headed out to central California the trainer gave no thought to the fact that his student had never been in the mountains before. Running as he had been the new driver dropped off a mountain pass and took a corner to fast. As the load shifted and pushed the trailer over it rolled both of them off the side of the mountain and down into the ravine. Both student and trainer died.
The third of our students went to a school that only promised to teach what he needed to know in order to pass his CDL and skills test. Upon completion of his classes he did indeed pass the exam and was granted a CDL. He had already discussed with a company getting a job at an entry level and was well aware he would be stuck with a seasoned driver for at least 6 months and perhaps longer. This driver could decide his fate and put him out on the side of the road if he determined he was being unsafe and refused to listen.
As he boarded the truck with the “Trainer” he was informed that he needed to leave any attitude and 99% of what he learned in school in the yard. It was the “Trainers” way or the highway. Now this “Trainer” had been out on the road for the better part of 15 years so he had a pretty good idea of what he was doing. The first week the young student wasn’t even allowed behind the wheel of the truck. He spent all his time in the passenger seat watching. He was required to be awake whenever the trainer was awake and in the jump seat whenever he was driving. During docking maneuvers the student was either in the jump seat or outside watching exactly what the Trainer was doing. He watched as the trainer went through gears, dropped off mountain passes, down shifted, did his pre-trip and post-trip inspections, etc.
At the end of the first week the Trainer put the student behind the wheel on the open highway. And started letting him back the truck in everywhere they went. For the first week he watched every move the student made and corrected him if he seen something he didn’t like. During the second week he would give the student a place to stop and he would leave him alone until they got to that point at which time he would take over to go through traffic.
After 4 weeks out he started letting the student deal with traffic. He explained to him how to move a little slower than traffic and let it flow around instead of staying right up against the vehicle in front’s bumper. And even though the student got frustrated a few times with people cutting in front of him and so forth he listened. Gradually he started seeing a trend in how things played out and understood the reasoning behind what he was learning. He was continually being made to back into every dock they went to. And whenever it was possible the trainer would actually make him blindside in to docks.
By the end of 8 weeks the student was doing pretty much everything except backing unsupervised. About the only time the trainer would sit in the passenger seat is when they encountered a new situation, icy roads, snow, heavy rains, etc.
By the end of 6 months and running through a winter, across the mountain passes, through the major cities, the trainer informed the company he felt he would be okay on his own.
12 years later this student is still driving and has never had an accident. He calls his trainer from time to time, usually on the anniversary of the date he got in the truck to let the trainer know how he is doing.
The moral of this story is that there is no substitute for experience. We learn by doing in this job not so much from books. A school can teach you the basics but it can’t teach you how to drive. A person who has a few months more experience than a student is not a teacher, he is still a student him or herself.
There is also a difference between someone with 10 years experience and someone with 1 year of experience 10 times. Some people refuse to learn and change their ways, this makes them dangerous. I understand that everyone has to start somewhere. But if a truly safe and experienced driver is available, pick his brain. Many are willing to share their knowledge and experience if you are only willing to ask.
The ones to watch out for are the ones who give unsolicited advice. They are the ones with the 1 year experience 10 times. And it really is only a matter of time before they kill someone.
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