You obviously arent as smart as you think you are. Anybody who cannot back up a pup doesnt belong driving a truck! Having a problem pinning the double together? I can see that for the first few times, but just backing up? You cant BS that, either you can back or you cant. I pull doubles everyday and I have NEVER had problems backing them up. I find them to be actually easier to back up. BTW, when I first started pulling doubles last year, my training involved this--here is your truck, go find a dolly and hook these trailers together and get out as soon as you can. Nothing better than hands on! You dont learn anything unless you do it. They now have the drivers watch a film or something. But the real learning you have to do. The first few time you pin a set, you will cuss and yell at everything and anybody that is within earshot. But as far as backing, if you cant back pups, I guarantee that you cant back a 53' either even though you may think you can.

Even if their driving duties don't include pullin' or backin' pups? Like most everything else, I think, it takes practice. I'm assuming you mean one at a time, and not as a set? That sure doesn't sound like the best, or safest way to get "experience", unless you had SOME prior knowledge of doubles.
Then, there's properly checking the trailer and con-gear brakes to assure they'll be sharing an equal amount of the braking duties.
Smoking the brakes on a con-gear seems to be too common. And of the brake fires I've seen, most were on doubles, --- either the trailer, or the con-gear.
Which causes me to wonder if those drivers were told to just go hook-'em-up, and get out as quickly as possible?

Or is it considered "experience" to smoke the brakes and/or light 'em up before a driver is thought to be "experienced"?To an extent, I agree. But, I think the better way is to have a set of "experienced" eyes watchin' what'cha do. Especially the first time you do it. Are you sayin' that's a bad thing? No arguement from me there. YuP!
Been there, done THAT.
And I apologize to ANYone who may have heard me when I coupled my first set of doubles.
And a few thereafter.
Doncha just love those staging areas that are UPhill?
Then again, ever had a con-gear get away from you goin' DOWNhill?
Hopefully, y'all have everything perfectly lined up, and things just fall into place.
Not for me.
I find that the quicker response time of a shorter trailer takes more of my concentration than a longer, 48' or 53' trailer. Maybe that's because I've backed more of the longer trailers than the shorter trailers.
Either way, I git 'er done --- and without hitting anything except the dock bumpers.

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Pontificating Dogmatist

Most fires with doubles account for the fact that the driver has not checked his valves to make sure that they are open all the way and his finals are closed all the way, but then again that is part of the pre-trip. Our company has had their share of fires due to this fact.
And of course I meant backing seperately, if you are trying to back them together, you have gotten yourself into a situation that you shouldnt be in due to lack of paying attention for the most part.

And that's why I think it's better to have had at least SOME instruction, rather than just hook 'em & git.

I was fortunate, in that my first experience with doubles was as a team operation, and my co-driver had years of doubles experience. Without his watchful eye, I wouldn't have even attempted to do something I wasn't familiar with.

That gig was a dedicated, 6,700 mile, 7 day, round trip to military bases and included breaking and reassembling the sets of doubles. But, at $35 for EACH time we did that, split betwixt the two of us, that added up to at LEAST $70 each week for me, and often more.
Kinda made the process worth the effort, which became easier with time, and "experience".

Would I consider doin' that again?
Sure!

YuP!
Or paying attention to directions TOO closely.
I learned THAT the HARD way.
But it WAS a learnin' "experience" --- none the less.
And I won't be doin' THAT again.
Believe me.
Well, at least not until the next time.
When it comes to screwin' up,
I AM "experienced".
It's twue!
It's twue!

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Pontificating Dogmatist

oops sorry when you move the splitter you will need to let off of the accelerator pedal then back on. Downshifting is the same way.
When you downshift for a larger hill you will want to do whole gears not splits.
If you are going up a smaller hill if you have the splitter in high just slide it back to low part of the gear and you should be fine.

Thanks!!! I have my Class A in hand now (well wallet actually, lol). I'm excited about starting monday, is there anything special I should know? I see orientation is 4 days. We do the logs, Qualcom, personnel stuff, what else is there?

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One Jedi is not worth a hundred battledroids, more like a thousand.

The best confidence builder is experience.

Watch booring movies, pee test, loads of paper work, road test rember when turning do oppisite mirror checks.

On the log book test that danny will give you watch out for question 6 or 7 and pay attention to the names on the log book test.

The log book is filled out with someone's name but it will ask you about how many hours Danny has left. P.S. the correct answer is you do not know it is not danny's log book.

Do not tell the others and see how many of them get it wrong. It is funny to watch danny chew on people for that one he looked at me and said well you got it right I told him yep about 5 drivers warned me before I came in

orentation is only 3 days they start one every monday and wed unless they changed it.

If I was not busy on Monday I would pop up and see everyone but I am taking some tests for college.

Your tests can't take all day can they? I will have to remember that one, lol. Is the opposite mirror checks in the turns just like at school? At the start, in the middle (which I've been doing anyway from driving the buses) and at the end? I don't think I could wrong with that method anyway, lol. What about backing? what kind of backing do we have to do?

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One Jedi is not worth a hundred battledroids, more like a thousand.

The best confidence builder is experience.

This advice is a fantastic pick-me-up. I have to retest at the DMV tomorrow on my road tests. I had a real good test going in, but made a critical error, I was making a right into a wide serpentine intersection, following the white markers which put me in the inside left lane of the upcoming left turn lane. I should have just gotten over to the right as the cars were behind me and I owned the intersection. It feels good (sorry) that I'm not the only one that hoses up. I learned from that experience and when I go to my first job, I'm going to be that much wiser and more careful and humble. One of the other guys on my truck was really shifting and turning bad on the truck and I thought if he passes, I have it in the bag.

Oppisite mirror checks if you are going right check the left also to make sure no one is trying to sneak in and vise versa.

Tests I will be taking takes 1.5-2 hours then I have to call my advisor/ instructor to meet with him after 1:30 pm.

I have to see the financial aid people too to get my loan set up.

Need to pick up my paycheck to pay a couple of bills.