A question I have that I do not understand from my instructer

Actually if you break down the individual components of the serpentine it does contain many aspects of virtually all backing maneuvers. The distance between the cones and the number of cones of course adds or subtracts from this. The serpentine also helps those who do not watch where they are going to start looking where they are going, to start using both mirrors, to anticipate where and when the trailer will be. It helps with one learning how much steering wheel input affects both the truck and trailer. It helps in learning to curve a trailer rather than turn a trailer and it helps in learning to control a curve and it helps in learning that when straightening trailer to a truck/tractor that there can be repercussions with the front of a truck/tractor. I could go on and on about the serpentine but that's enough. No offence but your instructor is lacking.

 

Oh, and not to mention, I have had to snake my way through parking lots loaded with 4-wheelers many times as have most drivers. It's about control, and the serpentine helps immensely with learning control.

 

Its a rare occurance...but serpentine backing is out there!

Blind side back off the street into the driveway, bring the end of the trailer around (sight side) to enter the dock area with dumpster on your left and a pipe rail fence separating the dock area and the side walk, now blind side back into a dock keeping in mind the rail fence is close to your front bumper, there is a trailer in another dock on your right and the owners BMW is parked in the dock that will be on your left.

Is this hypothetical? Nope, Syracuse, NY...a small printing outfit waiting for their rolls of paper.

Everything you will learn and be tested on is actually in the program because it is part of the job!

 

Hang in there . When you get to a carrier you will get better instruction .
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH6F-nadeic[/ame]

 

I feel for you! I know exactly what you mean. When we were hauling horses our boss was Italian and he spoke English but was very hard to understand. We didn't use qualcomms and all of our directions and such we had to get from him over the phone and it was #### near impossible. We were literally counting syllables of words to try and match them up with street signs! It was ridiculous!

Ooachra, Frordoa = Ocala, Florida

 

That definitely makes sense. Perhaps he took my question literally, and meant that there are virtually no maneuvers that require that exact setup... Then again, why am I making up excuses for my instructors?

 

"catch up to the trailer", and "follow it around" means to start to straighten up and just let the tractor follow the trailer. "get under it more" means put more angle in it

 

Practice, plain and simple. Since I skipped the school route, when it came to backing I watched at the grain elevators. Then I turned off the C.B. and took my time doing it.

No one complains about a guy who does it slow the first time.

 

What worked for me was the hands off method. You could show me all you want but until I had the chance to screw it up and figure out how to fix it on my own it didn't click. I'm still no expert at backing but I will get it in the hole and I will not hit anything in the process.

As far as the serpintine goes, makes me think of this kinda messed up back I had to do at Alcoa in Massena,NY. Kind of a blind side s back into a dark hole. I also deliver to a lot of Costco and Lowes stores and going through some of those parking lots can be like it too.

 

There again it goes back to how an individual learns. Those in education who believe themselves superior to those in Vo-tech and are usually superior in the educational system believe that explain, demonstrate and do it are all that is necessary. For some people that works, but not for all, in fact not for most.

I have had people who would while attempting to straight back for the first few times would turn the wheel as hard as they could as soon as the vehicle moved. That's why I am in the right seat. That's why our students earn the trailer by backing the tractor for several days and then when they have earned the trailer they back a straight course of approximately 1/2 mile as many times as necessary (Some as much as 10-12 miles) and then (And as far as I know we are the only school to do this) they back hooded until they can consistently tell me where the trailer is and they can straighten it (after I raise the hood) without the trailer going the other way. then we go to work. After straight is the serpentine.

We teach people to drive, screw a cdl test. If they can drive they can pass the test. There are too many out there now who passed the test and cannot drive and who will never become one with the truck!