Truck Driver Training Installment: Phase 4.0
Again, it's still Friday but this post references yesterday, the final day of "Experienced Hire Orientation Training".
I may have this confused but here's what I remember about the final day of training.
We had 3 presentations given by 3 different company personnel on 3 different topics. One was about safety. Another about why the company chooses to be union free. And yet another about driver health and fitness.
The first presenter was the Safety guy for the Indy terminal. He was a funny guy with some funny anecdotes about serious issues. He made the statement "I'm the safety guy, I don't have any friends" about 10 times during his presentation. So you know that while he is serious about safety, he does at least have a sense of humor. His talk was both informative and entertaining.
Then in came the "why we're not union" guy. He too was serious about his position and also had a sense of humor, albeit not nearly as funny as the first guy, but he did make some good and valid points while also making us laugh a little.
The last guy, the health and fitness guy, was shier and quieter. He was often hard to hear because he spoke so softly. He seemed nervous to speak in front of a class of even just 5 students. He was, however, thorough in his presentation, answered any and all questions and exuded a quiet confidence. His comedic stance was much more subtle than his two predecessors, but it seemed like he had a hard time recovering to his "schpeel" when he would get sidetracked after making his own jokes.
After those presentations we did little more than sit around awaiting further instruction until finally we were told to go to lunch. After lunch, more waiting around.... we went over some paper work stuff, "sign here, initial there" kind of stuff. Then more waiting. Then I was asked to pick out a pair of boots, and even though I'd intended to turn down the $25 boots since I just bought myself a pair that I liked and fit the company criteria, I decided that for $25, an extra pair of boots would be handy. So I tried on a few pair, found the best fit and had myself a new pair of boots.
After that it was even more waiting. The instructor would have small spurts of activity. More of this and that, getting things wrapped up.
I swear yesterday, while it was the shortest day, felt like the longest day ever.
Of course in the midst of all the other little here's and there's, there was also one student who had still not finished all of the CBT's, who ended up being absent for most of the stuff. There was also an issue with several drivers not having been assigned a driver number, which is how we are identified within the company. Without a driver number you can't get anything else. No fuel card, no truck assignment, nothing.
Luckily I was informed that they could and did reactivate my old driver number and that expedited my position quite well. I was handed a fuel card, my "completion of training" certificate and sent on my merry way just before two in the afternoon.
After gathering up my things and double checking that I wasn't expecting anything else I headed out to the car and hit the road. I left at 2 o'clock on the dot and arrived at my house at 7 o'clock on the dot. And no, I didn't speed.
I was just glad to be home. I figured I'd have a day or two to catch up at the house and spend some time with my hubby before hitting the road... but then... well... that's another blog.
I may have this confused but here's what I remember about the final day of training.
We had 3 presentations given by 3 different company personnel on 3 different topics. One was about safety. Another about why the company chooses to be union free. And yet another about driver health and fitness.
The first presenter was the Safety guy for the Indy terminal. He was a funny guy with some funny anecdotes about serious issues. He made the statement "I'm the safety guy, I don't have any friends" about 10 times during his presentation. So you know that while he is serious about safety, he does at least have a sense of humor. His talk was both informative and entertaining.
Then in came the "why we're not union" guy. He too was serious about his position and also had a sense of humor, albeit not nearly as funny as the first guy, but he did make some good and valid points while also making us laugh a little.
The last guy, the health and fitness guy, was shier and quieter. He was often hard to hear because he spoke so softly. He seemed nervous to speak in front of a class of even just 5 students. He was, however, thorough in his presentation, answered any and all questions and exuded a quiet confidence. His comedic stance was much more subtle than his two predecessors, but it seemed like he had a hard time recovering to his "schpeel" when he would get sidetracked after making his own jokes.
After those presentations we did little more than sit around awaiting further instruction until finally we were told to go to lunch. After lunch, more waiting around.... we went over some paper work stuff, "sign here, initial there" kind of stuff. Then more waiting. Then I was asked to pick out a pair of boots, and even though I'd intended to turn down the $25 boots since I just bought myself a pair that I liked and fit the company criteria, I decided that for $25, an extra pair of boots would be handy. So I tried on a few pair, found the best fit and had myself a new pair of boots.
After that it was even more waiting. The instructor would have small spurts of activity. More of this and that, getting things wrapped up.
I swear yesterday, while it was the shortest day, felt like the longest day ever.
Of course in the midst of all the other little here's and there's, there was also one student who had still not finished all of the CBT's, who ended up being absent for most of the stuff. There was also an issue with several drivers not having been assigned a driver number, which is how we are identified within the company. Without a driver number you can't get anything else. No fuel card, no truck assignment, nothing.
Luckily I was informed that they could and did reactivate my old driver number and that expedited my position quite well. I was handed a fuel card, my "completion of training" certificate and sent on my merry way just before two in the afternoon.
After gathering up my things and double checking that I wasn't expecting anything else I headed out to the car and hit the road. I left at 2 o'clock on the dot and arrived at my house at 7 o'clock on the dot. And no, I didn't speed.
I was just glad to be home. I figured I'd have a day or two to catch up at the house and spend some time with my hubby before hitting the road... but then... well... that's another blog.
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