No Go on Backing

I'm not scared to admit it. In fact I got so dang angry once in NY I just got out and asked the yard dog driver to spot my trailer. Every situation is different. However depending on the angles the setups should be very close to the same. I saw a driver the other day that got out and stepped off his pivot point. I asked him how long he had been driving. A little over 6 months came his reply. I just kind of had that smirk on my face as I walked away. Knowing one day soon he is going to be royally cussed out by a yard man. I'm not saying the yard men are correct, I'm just saying if you take longer to get a trailer in to a door then it takes for an orchestra to play the full Strauss "Also sprach Zarathustra" at some point your going to get cussed out by a yard man.

 

Ask for time with a finishing trainer. If your current trainer does not have the patience to teach you to back, you still need to learn.

 

Also note. There are 'tricks' to backing that every driver uses.

A trainer should know and teach some of them. You will figure others out for yourself.

Knowing how to 'worm' a truck in a tight spot. Understanding how you can slide tandems in the middle of a backing effort to help in a tight spot. Learning how to sight pavement markings.

One I use that I learned for myself.

I carry a battery powered roadside flasher. When I am backing in terrible visible conditions, I pull it out and drop it on the ground to give me a useful, highly visible pavement marker.

 

Good on you.

I haven’t been cussed out....yet, But I do clearly remember the “look” the yard dog gave me once as I finished that said he had about another 30 seconds of patience. LOL. I walked over and apologized and gave me a pointer.

 

Not all trainers are a idiot. Im sorry that you did not have a good trainer. The worst Ive been known to do is pull the occasional harmless tease and occasionally hit and theatrical yelling. If you were truly bad and willfully did not take instruction you would probably have been sent home. Again, I am sorry you had bad trainers. There are ways to train and not be that horrible.

 

You sound like most new drivers. Everybody passes the backing portion of their CDL exam with white knuckles. And my trainer at Swift didn't let me do much backing either. I learned backing the old fashion way after I tested out and started driving solo.

 

Don't worry about the backing. Just get out there.

 

You’ll be fine. A little snows no big deal.

 

Agreed. OP seems to have some common sense. If you have common sense, you'll realize that you need to slow down and leave more sliding room when there's snow on the ground.