Using mirrors only on a 45 degree back?

no OTR for me, i work for UPS freight tryin to be a city driver, just got eligible cuz i just turned 21 3 days ago, have had my CDL for a while now but u gotta be 21 to drive for them

we get panther, CRST, covenant and JNJ in our yard pretty regularly....i help them out any way i can, spot a trailer for them if they need cuz our yard is to tight for there sleepers to maneuver into a door

i dont want to offend anyone on here but i probably will, but every CRST driver ive ever met was an absolute moron......no common sense, no idea how to back a trailer, you try to help and they tell you they dont need help

they back into the fence in our yard almost every time they are here and set off the alarms

 

Sweet! Good luck man.

 

Where do you work for ups which state

 

Thanks, this makes a lot of sense to me. The yard obstacle course seemed designed to make you get out and look a lot. Also, the truck was a Pete 387 and I had never driven that big of a truck in school before. I was also having a hard time because of this. The truck I trained in was a freightliner with a sleeper but only one rear axle (weird set-up huh?). I was used to that and a few day cabs and they turned way sharper. I think I was over-correcting a lot through the tests. You could see some things in the bubble mirrors, but there were lots of tires and concrete barriers that made things harder to look at.

 

No, quite the opposite. Pete 387 with a 53 trailer and i think the tandems were all the way back!

 

Lastat, What I was expressing was driving for 8, 9 or 10 hours straight before you back up to a dock. That after driving that long, your tired, hungry, need to pee, want a shower, whatever.

I am sure on the day you took your test you did not drive for 13 hours then take the test. (you started driving at 7am, drove until 8pm, then took your test) and I am sure you learned about HOS.

 

Ah, that makes it harder. At least you'll know what it's like with a spread axle. On level ground anyway.

 

i dont know about your spread but mine has a mind of its own sometimes......seems the smalest dip makes it go the wrong way



spread is deffinatly a different beast, and even a dump valve doesn't tame mine that much

 

The problem is "Trainers" fail to lay down proper ground rules
for accomplishing tasks which leaves to much responsibility on the untrained student to make a decision.

I trained for 4 years and was deemed "The Polish Shop"
for my ability to pick out the "decisions" and polish them smooth.

At the time Texas required 320 Hrs of training for obtaining a CDL,
the last week before graduation there would be 10-15 out of 30
that attend the "Polish Shop"

I used my own truck 82 Pete/310" WB(84"custom bunk),
Amped Out 600+ Hp KT Cummings that would make a Cow Wagon Cat blush.(Very powerful motor,with a very sensitive throttle pedal)

I fitted the left seat with an old Simpson* 5 Point Harness which kept the driver square against the back of the seat.
Dual 6" stacks and no power mirrors,(mirrors were "door" mounted).
Other polishing tools included eye patch's for blocking vision in the left eye for sight side backing and my favorite "smooth tool" was a Styrofoam coffee cup 2/3rds full sitting behind the shift tower(DONT SPILL THE COFFEE!)
The tools were "extreme" which made the tasks difficult for the other well experienced trainers at the school.The students that worked at it
left that school with "skill" and a proper understanding of "cause/effect"

Rookie-Hands out there now are in desperate need of "polishing"
They were taught "wrong" and now struggle because of it,yes there are many that have been out 5,10,15 years that were never taught the simple basics of "Smooth".

Did you know "Over Steer" is not "Smoooooooth" ?

 

FriedTater, One of my instructors used the "Don't Spill the coffee" with me. At first I didn't like him cause he as tough, and as soon as I got something down he would up the anti and make it harder. I thought he had it out for me because I was the only female and he wasn't doing this with the other students. On my second to last day he had me in a freightliner with a clutch that was so tight it took all I had to stay on top of it to not kill the truck, let alone spill the #### coffee, but I was not going to give him that satisfaction.
Anyway, I found out on the last day, that I was ahead of the other students and that is why I got to work with him. He only works with students after they get their cdl and are ready for advanced training.
Now, I am extreamly thankful I went through Hell week with him. I did learn a lot and am better for it. I later found out that the tougher he is on you the more he likes you and wants you to be a good and safe driver.