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Post by truckertom on Dec 14, 2003 14:20:51 GMT -5
In a truckstop the other morning, one of our students who has no business even trying to learn to drive (he already has a CDL and I don't know how). He lays down on the air horn trying to be cute. I walked over and told him that unless he wants a fight with 12 truckers all at once, don't do it again. "Why?" he asks.
Dumb@ss!
He also shakes like he has Parkinsons disease when he drives, he can't keep the truck in the middle of the road. How in the hell did he pass a driving test? He told me two days ago that I couldn't teach him anything because he had his licence already....He couldn't drive a staub up a dead goats AZZ! He also expells gas in the truck and giggles about it like a 10 year old! And he is going to joining the ranks of the OTR drivers soon?? I doubt it. He wont ever pass the driving test at a company.
We also have a 69 year old ex-welder that shakes just as bad. What are they doing trying to drive a truck? Who is going to hire a 69 year old with the shakes? Why do school recruiters keep doing this? Is it because they do most of the work over the phone?
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Post by Stormbringer on Dec 14, 2003 15:35:40 GMT -5
What truck models your school use to train the students?
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Post by truckertom on Dec 14, 2003 17:12:52 GMT -5
We train in '96 model Freightliners with Cats and 8 speeds, or Cummins and 10 speeds. Some are condos and some are mid size sleepers.
But that really isn't the issue here. There are some folks that do not belong in trucking. Schools do have to have something to work with! If you show up and your head is attached to your butt, you may never make it as a trucker.
Last week it was a midget. Somehow we taught her to drive. Next week we may find a way to teach siamese twins to drive! Think of the savings in showers!
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Post by Stormbringer on Dec 14, 2003 17:20:21 GMT -5
Does American Eagle Lines, Lisa Motor Lines and FFE hire from your school?
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Post by truckertom on Dec 14, 2003 18:21:44 GMT -5
We do not send graduates to these companies. Lisa and FFE were having a terrible turnover problems so they contracted a school named Longhorn in Fort Worth to end their turnover problems by providing student drivers that had no idea what to expect. When the trurnover problem was taken care of, Lisa FFE etc...ended the commitment to Longhorn, putting them out of business. I used to work for Longhorn and I told the director that putting all your eggs in one basket was asking for trouble, and he got what he asked for.
Covenant, Swift, Rhoel, KTL, SRT, Centrail Refrigerated Freight (a cousin of swift) not to be confused with thingy Simon, Werner and others hire our students.
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Post by truckertom on Feb 4, 2004 21:44:02 GMT -5
Man oh man!!
Somhow we are getting slammed with students lately! We did not expect 15 per class back to back! We have been used to no more that 8 starts per week. We expect some to drop out, fail the Physical are not get through fianancing but it looks like we are getting a full house.
I know 15 doesn't sound like much to many of you that went to the "Mega Schools", but that is going to be two classes of 15 for a total of 30. We may have to start a second shift.
I gave a new hire a weeks tryout and he broke every rule in the book on his driving test. I worked with him for two hours teaching him to parellel park and he still couldn't do it! And this is a driver in his 50's that has been driving all his work life!
We did not hire him. It is nice to know that my school won't just hire a warm body for an instructor. But I may have to work a double shift for a few weeks to get it done.
Pray for me! I'm going to need it.
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Post by fozzie on Feb 5, 2004 2:15:53 GMT -5
Good luck, Tom. I can't imagine 15 students in one class, at least where I'm going to school.
The 12 people in my class had to do a state mandated critique on our instructors and the way class is going in general. I believe all of us gave the instructors top scores, but I made a notation that such a large class isn't fair to the instructors or the students.
Well, it may be that my statement was taken seriously. Our schedule has been changed so that three students are out on the road instead of four at a time.
Three of the twelve people in my class are driving with another class who are about three weeks ahead of us. So that makes 9 people per class while we're sharing drive time.
It looks like it will work pretty well. At least now when we're on the road, we're getting more time behind the wheel. The people left behind will alternate practicing backing and hooking and unhooking and doing log and map exercises.
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Post by truckertom on Feb 5, 2004 20:25:42 GMT -5
We were not ready for this. We are hireing a backing yard instructor to try to keep our road numbers down to 3 per. I bet I wind up working a double shift.
We have had several carriers sending us students. We were not trying to get big this quick.....we shall see how this turns out.
Tomorow they start with pretrip, brake test, coupling and straight line backing...buisy..
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