Question for the pro's

I've been off the road for a month and a half now, but when I was OTR, it was not at all out of the ordinary to parallel park as much as two or three times a week. I parked at rest areas late at night a lot and sometimes the only parking was parallel. Mind you that the kind of parallel parking I've done out in the real world were nothing like what I was taught while at CDL school.

I'm not sure what you mean by offset.

 

maybe he means the reverse lane change?:smt017

 

Probably means 45 degree angle parking

 

offset, according to my book, is essentially moving over one parking spot - like moving from one dock to the one next to it.

 

I don't know why they'd be teaching this maneuver at a school. In the real world, all you'd do is pull out whichever way you backed in and then set up again to move into the one next to where you were.

 

That's all it is, really - but there's an easy way to set up. So, why not use it? Actually, though - I don't know why they don't teach 90 degree and 45 degree backing in school. Seems those are more likely to be used in the real world than parallel parking. But that's just me thinking again.

 

When I went to school (five years ago this summer) I was taught four maneuvers. Straight line back, 45 degree back, sight side parallel and blind side parallel. That's what should still be taught. Also, the serpentine maneuver should be taught. Then again, the job of a CDL school, whether people agree with it or not, is just to get your CDL. Your employer and that employer's trainer is the one to teach you the real world maneuvers.