A Question FOR New Drivers and Wannabees

No chance in absolute hell. First if people start demanding $25 to HELP you back in just.....no and second aint no one going to be backing my truck up but me. If they screw up and break stuff its MY fault now. Not worth the risk and anyone who would take the deal is a fool just ASKING to get bent over.

 

Not a new driver but before getting my cdl I was a yard driver at a Walmart DC.

Ive had guys get out of their truck and try to hand me their keys. Wanting me to back their trailer into a spot. One guy after he got into a spot did 6 pull ups to back under a empty. Said he only backed a trailer 1 time before.

Also had a guy ask me to check and see if his trailer was hooked correctly. Because it was the first time he hooked a truck and trailer together.

They give cdl's to anyone some places. Unfortunately some people will gladly pay and not learn till they have to and possibly have a accident when they have too.

 

It comes down to insurance and liability.
Somebody backing your truck in? Your companies insurance likely wont cover it due to it being an unauthorized driver. So not only would you be at fault, you'd likely be held financially liable for the damages if not fired.

Yard jockey doing it is a bit of a gray area. They are insured to move trailers, but whether or not that coverage would extend to your company is a different story. If you have a live load and your company can do drop and hooks at the location, then probably yes because thebyard jockey will already be moving your companies trailers. Otherwise it might not.

 

The only way someone is going to improve their backing skills is to practice. When I trained, I made my students back anytime we needed to back.

 

If you had said that you were a rookie, I would have said WINNER.

 

It is the shape of things to come,

I heard somewhere FMCSA under the present secretary of DOT is about to change the CDL process so they will fast track the CDL process to allow people to get their CDLs easier. The information I've seen takes the road test and simplifies it to a few skills, the written test not to be so hard by limiting it to one or two sets of tests with less than 20 questions - subject to verification at this point but it is a government source.

The problem is right now the CDL tests are so easy, any 6th grader can pass them including the road tests.

 

Nah hard pass. Only one time in my career a yard jockey had to back my truck in for me. Was in New York he had to jack knife it in. Beyond my skill level I admit