My school experience

Congrats!

 

What was the first school you went to?

 

Glad to hear you did well at Roadmaster. When I went to school in Iowa we practiced straight line backing for a couple of days, before we did the offset and parallel parking. The more you practice the better you get.

I grew up on a farm and have backed up hay racks and wagons, which are more difficult than a semi trailer. My brain seems to know how to back a trailer without me thinking about it much.

I have not driven a tractor trailer for a few years, and had a road test last week, and bumped the dock between two trailers without a pull up, and idled into the hole without touching the clutch. I have always enjoyed the challenge of backing, but like everyone, some days I need 10 pull-ups to get in the hole, especially into a building to unload a tanker.

I have about 50,000 miles of driving experience in the upper Midwest. My new job is pulling reefers from dc to grocery stores in New Jersey....a new adventure.

 

I had an ####### like that, but he actually helped me with the 45 degree ally dock. He jumped on my running board and asked if I made a big turn when exiting the ally?

I said I didn't.

The why in the duck pluck are you cranking the wheel so hard to return? Yes, small wheel movements...

 

Makes sense

 

I was same way, came from a farm, 1st truck I ever hauled was 1987 Cab over with 53' grain wagon pulled it out of barn was tight (if you sneezed you would have left the mirrors at the front door and brought the doors with you. and after running all day my uncle told me to put it back where I found it and if I scratched his baby he was gonna scratch me. So I just hung my head out the window and put it back where I found it just came natural to me. Wasn't until years later after said Uncle had passed, I went back to his farm. Truck was still sitting there and realized....THE DOORS Actually MOVED A LOT FARTHER OPEN...I sat on the ground and laughed for 20 mins about that

 

Congrats!!! But backing is least of your worries in trucking. I suggest find a big parking lot and just back, get used to it. It took me a whole year to master backing and I am still struggling at certain truck stops. Driving is easy, specially now they have automatics.