Driver Training class - Brown Cafe

Black · 08-21-2006, 11:42 AM

Hello everyone! I start my driver training class next Monday and was wondering if I could get some advice on what to expect? I got all my gear last week and I'm excited to start a new career. I'm going into this as a casual driver and I'm fully aware I may not get hired after the holidays. I look forward to the experience and will work hard. If I don't get hired I was thinking about staying with UPS as a part-time loader or unloder so I can get the benefits and work another part-time job to make up the money. I can't wait to get all the negative responses from the disgruntled UPS drivers!

diadlover · 08-21-2006, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black

Hello everyone! I start my driver training class next Monday and was wondering if I could get some advice on what to expect? I got all my gear last week and I'm excited to start a new career. I'm going into this as a casual driver and I'm fully aware I may not get hired after the holidays. I look forward to the experience and will work hard. If I don't get hired I was thinking about staying with UPS as a part-time loader or unloder so I can get the benefits and work another part-time job to make up the money. I can't wait to get all the negative responses from the disgruntled UPS drivers!

Save the brownnosing blacky, this is a union company. BTW, I don't like your screen name.

dave_socal · 08-21-2006, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diadlover

Save the brownnosing blacky, this is a union company. BTW, I don't like your screen name.

Fresh meat for the grinder...welcome and good luck... please update us about your experiances after 30,60,90 days, me thinks thou will sing a different tune.

Chronic12hrPlanDay · 08-21-2006, 05:39 PM

No matter what happens my friend, after the brainwashing is over, work at your own speed, and reply ALWAYS with, "I'm doing the best I can" you will be fine.

breadbooze · 08-21-2006, 06:19 PM

stay under management's radar and you'll be fine. do what you're supposed to do, take your lunch, don't run.

beentheredonethat · 08-21-2006, 06:41 PM

Three words. "Safety, Safety, Safety".

30andout · 08-21-2006, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beentheredonethat

Three words. "Safety, Safety, Safety".

Can't fool me, thats one word three times.

ragu · 08-21-2006, 08:35 PM

I just finished driver training a little over a month ago, it was a joke, all the diad training was useless (diad 3) CBT's with the old 1Z's where you have to enter in all the addresses. No mention of the EDD. By the third day it was very hard just to stay awake. The guys in the class were alot of fun though. The only way you can fail is if you do something stupid on the road test. A guy in our class with a CDL stalled out twice and was failed on the spot. Get ready to have mondays off for a while too.

Black · 08-22-2006, 06:36 AM

Thanks ragu. I was told to expect Monday's to be slow. What about the other days? Have you been working 8+ hours? Thanks for the insite!

30andout · 08-22-2006, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black

Thanks ragu. I was told to expect Monday's to be slow. What about the other days? Have you been working 8+ hours? Thanks for the insite!

Mondays are not slow days, they just put routs together and work everyone longer days.

big_arrow_up · 08-22-2006, 07:36 AM

They failed him on the spot for stalling twice? Thats a bit extreme. Here they told us not worry because that is one of the purposes of the class...to get more comfortable with driving a UPS truck. We had a couple of guys stall out a few times but instead of being a prick the trainer said keep trying until you get used to it. Both guys are still driving. They tried to make it as comfortable for us as possible and in the end the people that were nervous about driving the trucks were doing pretty good. I was impressed considering we didn't really drive but 3 days and one of those was mostly backing up to docks at the hub. On the final drive the guys that had stalled out allot had to drive through the middle of downtown during lunch hour and didn't appear nervous at all. I can't believe they failed that guy on the spot. They can't expect people to come in and be experts with the gears on those trucks. Most people never drive the trucks until they take their road test before the class and even the ones that drive them every night on local sorts aren't perfect when they show up to the class.

canoworms · 08-22-2006, 03:27 PM

I met my wife in driver training class 17 years ago...best deal I ever got from UPS>

canoworms · 08-22-2006, 03:32 PM

I met my wife in driver's training 17 years ago; best deal I ever got from UPS. Easiest three days of pay I ever got, too!

xkingx · 08-22-2006, 03:55 PM

although some feel they shouldnt be expected to know how to drive stick..It sure would help the nerves of your fellow classmates...I swear we almost went into the ditch 5xs with three different drivers..Needless to say they didnt qualify... I can honestly say I was scared for my life on that day..Especially when the trainer came form another city knowing nothing about ours..He had us driving through the worst parts of the city..Honking, saying dirty on left etc..i finally told him it probably wasnt too wise to be doing such things..

ragu · 08-22-2006, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Arrow Up

They failed him on the spot for stalling twice? Thats a bit extreme. Here they told us not worry because that is one of the purposes of the class...to get more comfortable with driving a UPS truck. We had a couple of guys stall out a few times but instead of being a prick the trainer said keep trying until you get used to it. Both guys are still driving. They tried to make it as comfortable for us as possible and in the end the people that were nervous about driving the trucks were doing pretty good. I was impressed considering we didn't really drive but 3 days and one of those was mostly backing up to docks at the hub. On the final drive the guys that had stalled out allot had to drive through the middle of downtown during lunch hour and didn't appear nervous at all. I can't believe they failed that guy on the spot. They can't expect people to come in and be experts with the gears on those trucks. Most people never drive the trucks until they take their road test before the class and even the ones that drive them every night on local sorts aren't perfect when they show up to the class.

Wow, you had totally different training than we did. The only time we got into the truck was on the last day for our road test, and we never even put the truck into reverse. The four other days were spent in the classroom (ad nauseam), on the computers and signing thousands of documents.
As far as getting hours the rest of the week, I've been getting alot of time in the four days a week I work, one week I had almost 40 hours. I heard that usually around October the casuals start working mondays.

Black · 08-22-2006, 06:14 PM

signing document? What kind of documents? I was told my class was two weeks long. How long was yours ragu?

spitt2000 · 08-23-2006, 04:50 PM

My class was entirely classroom...do this and we'll fire you, sign this saying we told you so, by the way, do this and we'll fire you, sign this saying we told you so 4 days worth.... was like a vacation.

ragu · 08-23-2006, 05:57 PM

My class was only a week, they may have meant a week of class and a week of on-car training or (on-car nagging), I was so ready to smash my trainer in the face by the end of the week, whenever I hear his voice now it sends a chill up my spine.

08-25-2006, 09:56 PM

Well if you are going into a 2 week class
perhaps you are going into Feeders?

Delivery Driving is a one week course(was for me)
Feeders(tractor trailers) is a 2 week course, and
from what I hear Feeders Training is very demanding and strict.

Black · 08-27-2006, 06:57 PM

No, it's definately for a package delivery position. During the road test at my local hub I defineatley didn't drive a feeder truck. Just the basci truck you see in the neighbor hoods. Well I start in the AM and I will get back to everyone and let you all know how everything went.

xkingx · 08-28-2006, 03:53 PM

ours use to be 2 weeks. but in the past few years it became just a 1 week course

Black · 08-28-2006, 04:26 PM

It's two weeks! We watched a lot of saftey videos today. Tomorrow we will be out on the road getting tested by some supervisors about what we had gone over today in class.

NewBrownie · 08-30-2006, 03:15 PM

Thanks for the heads up.......iam taking my driving test on friday

Fred1125911 · 08-31-2006, 02:26 AM

If you have the opportunity to drive, do it....but start out just driving Sat. Air stuff if at all possible. After the driving class, you get a supervisor to ride with you for a day or two and then you are on your own. Learning it on your own(the DIAD that is..) is the only way to go. The classroom stuff on the DIAD is useless, almost. I work at the W.Sac. Hub and the Sat. air job is a great way to figure out if driving f/t is for you or not. If your building has an automatic, get it....esp. if you are in an area you don't know. Oh, and when you are on your own....drive slowly and keep alot of room between you and others....those are the two keys I have found that are the best all the time. And if you miss a stop, or drive past it...just keep going do NOT take some evasive action because you just saw the street sign at the last minute...."oh, crap, that was the street"

08-31-2006, 03:55 AM

I finished driver training class two weeks ago. Once in my center, I went out three days with a sup and have been on the same route since. Some days are great - 9.5 hours and everything comes off the truch easy. Other days make me want to drive the truck back to the building and walk away - like pouring rain with 500 pieces packed to the ceiling and a dozen ODS pickups taking me off route. That day I got back to the building at 9:00pm.

Be prepared to work extremely hard. You will have a hard time adjusting to this job. I think everyone does. The vets will tell you to "take your lunch". Lunch is out of the question until you at least know your route. I can afford ten minutes to eat and 20 minutes to sort my truck. If I took an hour lunch, I wouldn't be done til 8:00 every night. Get you book and then slowly, over time, pace down and take a full hour. Until you're in the union, no one cares about you.