ironmanwife
Barn goddess
Uhhh..Bull..I can smell a bailout!!:bounce:
Who is looking out for the drivers?
- Thread starter Luap
- Start date
Not a bad idea, huh Bull?
The humor of this is re-enforced by the reality of the situation.
Another tip:
Driving schools don't teach you to look up while you're driving.
Not just ahead or in the mirrors.
M
Member 2400
Guest
I was under the impression that UPS was union.
Those drivers seem pretty happy with their situation.
They are almost always in a good mood when we pick up from their yards ... and they are friendly and helpful.
Those drivers seem pretty happy with their situation.
They are almost always in a good mood when we pick up from their yards ... and they are friendly and helpful.
Tn. Truckers Wife
Well-Known Member
My son works nights, loading trucks for UPS.. He has been there for almost 3 years...
It's a pretty hard job to start....He only works part time and is trying to hang in there with them to move on up.... The pay is good and the benefits are EXCELLENT.....
Even UPS is slow right now... They keep sending him home early almost everynight.....
It's a pretty hard job to start....He only works part time and is trying to hang in there with them to move on up.... The pay is good and the benefits are EXCELLENT.....
Even UPS is slow right now... They keep sending him home early almost everynight.....
Mike
Well-Known Member
And then they do me like the ATA and make me say things that are supportive of all of their agendas, no thanks, LOL.
Luap
Rookie Driver
Well I did not expect that type of training from the school. We pay them to get us enough information to pass the license test...and they provide nothing more. Then the company you go to has its own training that should prepare you for the actual job of being a driver...but as I have yet to see any of that I can't know how extensive the information will be. Anything I know ahead of time can only improve my chances.
SilverSurfer
Old School'd
Ahhhhh. That is what they lead you to believe. But learning how to drive a truck is much more than steering and gearing, or passing a test. Examples...
Did they teach ya how to deal with skids? This is what a skid pad is for during training.
Did they teach ya how to negotiate grades?
Did they teach ya how to manage winter driving conditions?
Did they teach ya how to deal with a shifted load?
Did they teach ya how to install chains?
Did they teach ya how to change a hose or belt?
Did they teach ya how to get frozen brakes to release?
I'll pretty much end the list there...it does go on.
The company's are suppose to orientate you on their company policy and procedures...not how to survive as a trucker. There is a much needed part of truly training a driver which is not being dealt with. And I will also say, for the money y'all are being charged...you should be taught more than steering and gearing a truck to pass a test. A school is suppose to be about preparing you for the business you are entering.
Nothing but respect...
-ss-
Luap
Rookie Driver
I think you missed my point. I did not need to know any of that inorder to get the license. It is not a "be a trucker" school...more of a "get a license" school. Now if you ask me which I THINK I should get for the money it would be the first one.
I hope that the company I go to or the trainer I get might try to give some of that info but I doubt it. However, the school I went to did have us watch like 10 hours of video training that dealt with a lot of that like the skids, grades, winter driving and shifted loads, though I am aware that watching a vid and being able to perform in the real event are entirely different things. As far as the changing belts or unlocking the brakes we were told company mechanics handle those. I do know that some vehicles have the secondary brake system to release the spring brakes long enough to move to a safe spot.
A lot of that will be only learned through hands on experience and good guidance...I am guessing we will have to figure it out on our own for most of them though.
Mike
Well-Known Member
Luap, you have it right, in my opinion.
In a perfect world, the training school and/or the company would teach you all the things that Silversurfer mentioned. This is actually how it should be.
However, lets look at reality.
A company isn't going to train you for a full year, nor is a school, so you are going to have to learn much of this via "on the job" experience, and it is very important to that you pay attention to all the videos you are provided, and that you learn all you can from people on forums like this.
Not to promote forums, but you can learn many things from forums like this that you may very well have missed from the limited training you receive to do this job.
I came into this industry 18 years ago, and just like Silversurfer, I feel that drivers are not going out with the proper training. At the same time, I also acknowledge that drivers are going out with better training than I received 18 years ago. I watched very few videos. I took written tests to prepare me for my CDL testing, and drove around on a little track on the training facility. I was disgusted at the training provided, not because I needed it, but because there were students there that had never driven a truck.....
I knew how to drive a truck before I ever went to school, I couldn't imagine never driving a truck and going out on the road with the training provided, and was amazed at the drivers that passed the school.
It was a very disturbing experience.
That said, ask some of the drivers that have been around this much longer than me, they went OTR with no training school. It was a different time back then, less crowded highways, and trucks that were much more difficult to drive, but these guys often got put into trucks with absolutely no experience and set out with a load.
In a perfect world, the training school and/or the company would teach you all the things that Silversurfer mentioned. This is actually how it should be.
However, lets look at reality.
A company isn't going to train you for a full year, nor is a school, so you are going to have to learn much of this via "on the job" experience, and it is very important to that you pay attention to all the videos you are provided, and that you learn all you can from people on forums like this.
Not to promote forums, but you can learn many things from forums like this that you may very well have missed from the limited training you receive to do this job.
I came into this industry 18 years ago, and just like Silversurfer, I feel that drivers are not going out with the proper training. At the same time, I also acknowledge that drivers are going out with better training than I received 18 years ago. I watched very few videos. I took written tests to prepare me for my CDL testing, and drove around on a little track on the training facility. I was disgusted at the training provided, not because I needed it, but because there were students there that had never driven a truck.....
I knew how to drive a truck before I ever went to school, I couldn't imagine never driving a truck and going out on the road with the training provided, and was amazed at the drivers that passed the school.
It was a very disturbing experience.
That said, ask some of the drivers that have been around this much longer than me, they went OTR with no training school. It was a different time back then, less crowded highways, and trucks that were much more difficult to drive, but these guys often got put into trucks with absolutely no experience and set out with a load.
* BIG SMILE *
Welcome to the GROUP........
You'll get along JUST FINE..........................
I fell a sense of ( I ) aint putting up with any more B.S.... From you...
GOD I LOVE this...........
All the best,
Overtime
Flatbedpete
Drivers unite
There is only one person who is looking out for you as a driver. THAT IS YOU YOURSELF. We all are having the same problems in this industry, but it will be you who has to make the final decision as to when you haul and when you don't. I have taken the stance that my trucks will roll, when the freight rate matches the national fuel charge. That's when you make money and only then. I haven't pulled a truck out of the shop in two months. Loads are starting to build again, but low rates. Lets see how well the steel workers strike has on the petroleum companies starting Sunday if they don't get a contract agreement. Lets see how well the petroleum companies do when the pickets go up Monday morning when management claims they will run the plant without them. I expect more market losses a reduction in production of fuel to be able for the fuel companies to drive the price up.
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