Question:
A few years ago, I attended a PTDI training school and received my CDL. I accepted a position with Werner and went on the road with a trainer. The school considered the first 6 weeks as "externship" as part of the requirement for successful completion of the school ciriculum. I opted to split my training period so I did 4 weeks with one instructor, took a week off and then did another 4 weeks. I completed the training and then drove solo for about 6 months with Werner.
During the on the road training, I did most of the backing, trip planning, and paperwork. Initially under instruction, but as time went on the trainers both began to stand back and only offer advice and not instruction. I was given freedom to make decisions, but they always had the right to veto those decisions. Whenever they disagreed with my choices, we would discuss the situation and overall it was a great learning experience.
I was told that the company's guideline was for a trainee to drive a couple of hours the first day on the truck under direct supervision. (Trainer in the passenger seat). As each day passed, the trainee should drive more hours to slowly aclimate to the rigors of driving longer periods of time. The trainer was only expected to observe a couple of hours a day during the first week and then be available if necessary.
Both of my trainers and I discussed the times that they would like for me to wake them up when I was driving. I was expected to notify them about construction areas, weather changes, congested traffic areas, or anything that I had not seen before. I was also given the option to stop the truck whenever I did not feel completely safe driving.
The trainers logged the observation time on line 4, but were able to drive several hours each day. We were not dispatched as a team for the first week, but when I was comfortable enough to drive 8 to 10 hours at a stretch, the company gave us longer runs with less time (not quite what I would expect from a true team, but more than a solo)
My whole point to this post is to find out what everyone's expectation is of the OTR phase of training. I do not think a trainer should have to teach a newbie how to drive a truck down the highway. The "training" is on the details of different city driving, construction areas, detours, shippers' and receivers' yards, adjusting to different dock configurations, paperwork, weight adjustments, how to go through a weigh station.
Another part to the OTR training I felt was important and very seldom addressed here is just how to LIVE on the road. Personal hygene, food, exercise, communication with home, money management, negotiation with lumpers, security of the truck and loads.
What do you think, should a newbie with 2 weeks experience still expect the trainer to sit for 8 hours in the passenger seat?

Answer:
You really cannot teach someone how to drive. That you have to learn on your own. Getting use to the weight, width of the rig, eye for rig placement, those things cannot be taught. There are things a trainer can inform a trainee about, to help understand how the rig works in differant driving situations but ulimatly the trainee has to learn by doing it right on his/her own.
That's why some trainees just don't make it through training, they cannot develope the skills on their own, no matter how much input the trainer gives them.
Some trainees get the hang of things faster than others, while their are some who never get it.
That's why I've always mantained, if you can drive a automoblie well and safely, you should not have trouble learning to drive a truck safely. The biggest challenge is making the readjustments in driving behavor. If a trainee is coming in with years of prior bad driving habits then the trainee has to relearn how to drive the right way and forget the bad habits of the past.
Bad habits are sometimes hard to break.
The thing about OTR is your always in a strange envirnment that is not familar. It takes awhile to get used to that environment. Learning the highways around the country and being comfortable in strange unknown traveling areas.
That's why a trainer needs to sit in the passenger seat. His knowledge of the highway system and many differant driving situations acts like a second pair of eyes and he advises before situations come up. Once the trainee becomes comfortable in that environment, he or she is ready for longer unsupervised periods.
The worst situation is trainee/trainer team driving that some companies are doing. Trainers that are into training to make more money on team driving is dangerous and I'm surprised the DOT even allows it.
The fastest way to learn is to drive relaxed, without a trainer hounding a trainee.
The training time elements depends from individual to individual trainee. Two weeks is still not much time in a rig. There are a lot of situations you may not come up against in just two weeks of driving. It's not unreasonable for a trainer to sit for 8 hours even at two weeks. You have quite a bit to learn and no matter how many years you accumulate behind the wheel, your always learning something. If you drive 48 states, you'll spend a life time learning. It's a Big Country.
QUOTE:
Another part to the OTR training I felt was important and very seldom addressed here is just how to LIVE on the road. Personal hygene, food, exercise, communication with home, money management, negotiation with lumpers, security of the truck.
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All that information is on this site, most of it is in the archives or scattered throughout other postings in the archives.

Answer:
From what I have seen the PTDI certification is mostly only for a paved training lot..
Onramp does it in on the Ice, slush and snow..

Answer:
the PTDI certification is mostly only for a paved training lot..
At the PTDI-certified school I'm applying to, it's 5 weeks of training with one-on-one driving instruction -- there's no more than one student in a truck at a time. It's a 150 hour course, and class size is restricted to 16 students.
Plus, there are several good companies you can drive for fresh out of a PTDI school, that you'd need 6 mos experience for otherwise.
de KJ5KX
[This message was edited by FlimFlamMan on December 21, 2002 at 13:38.]