One month into OTR training and still can't alley dock

have a conversation with your trainer to set up a better hand signal format

ask for a new trainer

 

How much experience does your trainer have?

 

Language barrier?

Ask for another trainer who's fluent in English.

If you can't understand your trainer -- ask management for another one.

 

Also -- is said trainer also teaching you how to slide your tandems?

If not -- (again)...ask for another trainer.

 

It's your trainer's responsibility to make sure you understand what to do -- & why (& when).

If your trainer isn't hitting those goals -- ASK YOUR CARRIER for another one.

Your ability (going forward) to operate a big rig on a professional level is at stake.

 

First off, the trainer should be in front of the cab, not at the tail of the trailer. There is no effective way to communicate from there.

Secondly, 90 degree backs should be avoided. This is what you should be doing


Most importantly, you're failing because you're abrogating your responsibilities as a driver to the trainer. You should not be paying attention to the trainer while you're backing, you should be backing the truck. If he says stop, stop and GOAL. If you're confused on what to do, stop and GOAL and ask questions. Your job is to back the truck into the spot, his job is to stop you from hitting things and give you feedback on how to do it better next time. Take ownership of your own learning.

 

Sometimes tandem's forward isn't the best option.

 

Trust me, you will not be the only one who finished training without having mastered backing. It is not that unusual to be struggling with that after only a month. Take your time and pay attention to how the truck responds to your steering input, and start using things on your body and your truck as reference points.

When I set up to park in a 90 degree space, for example, I put my shoulder halfway up the space two spaces from the one I want, and I cut hard to the right until I can see both feet of my landing gear in my passenger convex, and then I straighten the wheels so the truck is moving straight back and I'm just steering the trailer. From having used that exact position thousands of times, I know exactly how the truck will behave once I put it in reverse.

Also, you can learn a lot by doing it wrong. Go find a gap that is several spaces wide, and use a landmark like a pothole or something in the space you want so you know which one you're aiming at. Set up like I explained above, and then even if you're going to miss the spot, finish the back anyway instead of trying to fix it. Are you past 90? You need to get underneath it earlier. Are you straddling the space behind the one you wanted? Pull up further when you start.

This may sound mechanical and tedious, but it sure beats having to figure it out from scratch every time you go to set up.