I'm failing Out Of School

Do be discouraged if you are a willing student who is trying to learn something new. It's on the teacher to see where your weakness is and help you get better. Everybody learns at a different rate. I don't know your case but you did invest 2400 into learning something. A lot people can learn a skill it's another thing to teach someone the same skill. My math professor use to say go and teach what you just learned to someone. It will really show your understanding of the subject if someone can learn from you. I hope you can work this out talk to the highest person on the ladder and let them know you don't have another $2400 to spare.

 

How high are you?

Offsets you hug the left wall, pull out far enough so you can crank the wheel all the way over and barely miss the next half of walls to swing into. By then your trailer should be about 1/3 of the way out of the first set of walls. It's really hard to explain. You are also aiming for the far right wall of the other half of the offset. Not a natural instinct but can be done.

It's been a very long time since I did a offset, but it burns into my mind that the front axle's turning radius is either your friend or enemy. I rather do it with a day cab than a sleeper truck. Daycabs get into places sleepers don't always do easily.

Its really hard to fail a trucking school. You gotta get in there and fight for your share of the time at the wheel until you get it down.

The school stuff is a taste of what your future in trucking will be and believe me when I say that you will be doing things with that big rig you never were taught in school.

 

Off-set made easy. From right lane to left lane. Here it is: Step 1- Hard Right, then back until the back left corner of your trailer is just touching the dividing line (the first line if double yellow). Step 2- Hard Left and Straighten up. Step 3- Back straight until the line is in the middle of each of your right side tandems (each tire is touching a yellow line for double yellow). Then Hard left again until your trailer is relatively square in the lane. Then pull up and straighten your trailer in the lane then back straight up. You should be good.

 

I don't know why they are making you perform all these maneuvers, new drivers can barely drive in a straight line.

 

When I got mine they took out alley dock and went to parallel parking, off set blindside and straight line

 

We had parallel park competition in our school. Fastest to all wheels in 3 inches to curb line wins. That was NOT required anywhere at that time but we did things like that.

 

If the seat and mirrors can be adjusted to your height, do it. Who gives a s*** what the next driver thinks. Don't worry about how long it takes to get comfortable. You paid for it, so you should at least be able to do it to your liking, within reason.

 

I'm 6 foot 3 inches, 300 lbs and built like a brick s*** house. I don't expect our 5 foot 6 inch, 160 lb mechanic to even move my truck in the shop without moving the seat, so you shouldn't be expected to drive the truck down the road without moving some things around.

 

A little adjustment here and there and over yonder don't hurt anyone. Spouse used to do that all the time (Still does) compared to me. Im 6 foot. That's pretty much a standard height.

One time long ago near Scranton on 81 we had a 8 year old boy hauling a carnival flatbed upgrade and was doing a pretty good job of it. Aint much to that little boy but the head on the wheel looking ahead. It happened to be a cab over which made things easier for him. That seat had to be cranked all the way forward for him to reach the pedals though which meant the chin of him was over the wheel with a crazy arm pattern to both sides to hold same.

That was a long time ago. We had a ball in convoy with him a while anyhow.