No Go on Backing

It's time to move on. The rest you'll learn by watching and doing on your own.

 

Something interesting about milk trucks.... None of them are equipped with backup alarms, my truck is nearly new and doesn't have one. Apparently that noise upsets the cows at the farms. I basically use the same method he uses. There is not enough room in front of the trailers in our yard to setup a straight line back so I setup on an angle that's if I'm doing see side. If I do blind side I use a completely different method. When I'm at the hole, crank it sharp and take the nose of the trailer past the hole to straighten it out then backup. I learned by doing it, and yes my current boss helped me.

I rode with Bruce Walton for 3 weeks driving 100 or so miles per day 6 days a week. I learned far more from him then my Werner trainer.

1. He had a desire to fill a seat, skin the game
2. He has everything to loose if I wreck the truck. His insurance goes up dramatically.
3. He has been driving milk truck himself for 35 years. He actually knows what he is doing. Werner trainer had 2 years in the seat.

Not all but allot of the mega trainers don't care. They have incentives not to. They are inexperienced themselves. Teaming has rewards for them. The system has major flaws.

I wished my boss could take people fresh out of school and train them, unfortunately you have to have at least a few months elsewhere. I know he is hurting for drivers badly right now. It's not a terrible gig. Home daily, fairly decent money.

 

That sounds like me when I am trying to pee in a small water bottle while my codriver is driving through the rocky mountains lots of bumps and abrupt sharp turns. I only have so many disinfectant hand wipes.

 

In general, all good advice here. But I'm still missing one.

If you feel uncertain in a dark truckstop and you see drivers sitting behind the wheel and playing on a device, go and ask for assistance.
With the proper attitude, I would say everybody is willing to help.
The OP, you're a grown man with lots of experience in your life already. You know how to properly ask for help when needed. I'm sure.

 

nothing worse than a back up alarm at 0200,( or whenever,really), in a truck stop.

when I drove a Penske or Ryder leased truck, I always cut the wire. lol

 

That gets a double thank you.

 

Where you really an E-7 Jarhead???

 

You will pickup backing alot faster when you go solo. 10x faster if your mentor has no patience like that.

Just try not to avoid backing. Like when you stop in for a snack or restroom at a TS. Don't take the pull through spot! Find a place in the back and back in. Or if you stop for fuel, try not to just pull up and go in. Go back into a spot and then walk in. And find harder spots places to back in any time you get the chance when you start getting the hang of it.

It doesn't have to be next to another truck either to make it a hard spot. Curbs, storag containers, light posts, are good to use, especially on the blind side.

 

I am both emotionally and psychologically damaged by this post.