How the heck do guys who cant back up get their cdl?

I will start out with saying Im currently driving on a permit taking my cdl exam monday been otr the last 3 weeks with zero truck driving experance. I have backed bumper hitched trailers before.

What I dont get is Ive seen this several times at truck stops or distribution centers. Guys driving trucks who cant back up. I just don't get it, how did they pass their cdl test?

Last week we waited as a guy took 45 mins to back into a street side dock in NJ. Granted it was tight with traffic but still 45 mins we watched him. I actuality walked up to dunkin donughts and came back and he still wasnt done. Worst part, was when he left he slammed into the dock plate and bent it, causing us to wait even longer as the warehouse guys yelled at him and got his insurance info for the damage..

Yesterday, I watched a guy try to back into a spot at a truck stop. It was a end with 3 open spots in a row. He tried 3 times before giving up and pulling in cab 1st..

Today at a drop there are 3 (gold) trucks from the same mega carrier... I was told that this company was good fore new hires btw... glad I didnt go there..

Anyway 2 of the 3 could not get in their holes. The 1st guy tried for 15 minutes before unhooking and letting the yard jocky do it. 2nd guy took at least 10 mins to get his in, he even turned to truck around trying to do it blindside for some unknown reason, before realizing that was harder and went back the other way. 3rd guy got in ok.. Now all these guys were solo in their trucks so they had cdls and weren't being trained...

It wasnt just these guys either some other truck pulled in and was having problems as well.. This wasn't even a tight dock.

After backing into the hole 2 over from the 1st guy, only having to readjust once I told my trainer Im gonna switch companies because that gold truck company would probably give me my own truck tomorrow...

Seriously though, how do so many people get cdl's who cant even back up? I'm only out here 3 weeks and I already see these things as a common thing, so I know the more experienced guys must wonder the same.

 

Maybe, but I don't really know enough to spot for them and help by telling them what to do. I could watch what they were each doing and realize what they were doing wrong. I do think I could have been in the trucks and done it faster but I dont think I could direct them on what to do by watching, so I wouldn't of been any help.

 

None of these trucks were swift guys. Honestly, for the bad rep they have, in my short time I havent seen anything bad from Swift guys so far.

 

For the record I pulled into a truck stop today, trainer said pick a spot and back in. So I picked a spot that was empty on both sides with a truck on the right side (blind side)..

So I did my turns to get set up when I realized I totally had my set up wrong for the spot I wanted, but was lined up perfect for the blind side right next to the other truck..

I backed it in perfectly and trainer says not bad.. but then I had to say,. Yeah, but I ment to be in the open spot on our left..

 

Yeah, I see the same thing with my training for the pretrip. Its a bunch of papers telling you exactly what to say, word by word with no training on "what or why" you are checking this stuff.

I'm lucky in the fact I have automotive experience so I understand what Im looking at or can at least figure it out, but many people in my class really had no idea what the alternator does much less something like the slack adjuster or air compressor.