So I log on this morning and check my email. "Naked pictures of Paris Hilton - [are they buying or selling?] Formula 7392 Hoodia [hoodia think you'r fooling] Get rich quick - buy sub prime mortgage funds [yea right].......................... but that isn't the point. There was also a letter from a fellow crete squirter.

He was amazed that the rookies are still asking the same rookie questions that we, as rookies, asked 30 years ago. My original thought was, "Yea, don't they ever learn?" and then I REALLY thought about it. They can't know the answers no one has ever given them the answers or shown them how to find out for themselves. It is an effect of the human learning process.

Dogs, or bears or turkeys may have instincts that supplant the 'learning process' but we humans do not. We may have the ability to excell in a particular area, or not. We do not however have the "Pumping instinct". Yes, some are better than others. Some learn faster. Some will never make it as operators. We have aptitude, not instinct. As slick as the ole homo sapien is......... we got game......... but we ain't got instinct.

So when some young, or just young to our game, operator askes you a question about "why does, or how do you......." please take the time to give him a thoughtful, truthful, considered answer. Don't blow him off or tell him what a dumbass question that was. You, the teacher of the moment, need to do your best to insure that the information you have is passed along to the next generation of operators.

THANX  ;~)

Sorry, in my list of animals I for - got one -

GOATS

Yes and if you think about it making the same mistakes we did.Really,we both remember the 1st 28M in town and it was a big deal.Disapointing as the main only went straight up.So today the booms are so long I need binoculars to see the tip.Yes the same questions and mistakes but now the chances of major accidents are ten fold.How much training is needed?.It never ends,never.Even today as I see new equipment I marvel at how these people do it.Common sense,pride,willingness to learn.

BOB,

Well put. That dog will hunt, you hit the nail on the head, and so forth and so on....

My threoy on training:If an trainee says"I Know" to any thing I say He becomes unteachable.If he says "WHY" I'll go many extra miles to teach him. When he says"How",he's a joy to teach,because he is listening!

If we all think about it, training is a real pain.Now why can this be?.As a trainer one must somehow know that gut instinct.When one thinks of diversity, that includes many factors.Before I left active pumping I saw bakers,laborers,bus drivers,oh yes mixer drivers looking for work.Do they have that special talent?.We have a responsibility to the industry to be able to see in the future.My days are over but yours are just begining.I for one will openly say that most of the mistakes you make I did long ago,some I did twice.Fortunatly the risk factor was lower.

Training may be a pain, but it is the most important part of what we as experienced operators need to do. Their will always be new blood coming on board that has no clue about pumping concrete. Some have a nack for it some don't. However, most are able to be trained. In my opionion, safety is the most important part of training. I can teach my 7 year old son to run the controls on the boom, but only common sense and repetitive training can teach a man to run a pump. Their is much more to it then playing video games. The potential to kill or injure someone severely is to great. Owners an experienced operators have the responsibility to instill the seriousness of this business to new hires and stress the importance of doing things the right way all the time and in the safest manner. It is crimminal not to. OK I will step off the soap box now.

Russ