Accident during Swift Mentor Training Period

You could have replied. Well he can only go 62. So wouldn't be hard to catch up with him. Lol

 

Doont be perplexed.. I am sure your dad is a smart guy... backing up a tractor and 53 foot trailer is tricky..

I cdont know if it was just me, or if others experienced too... but I found it easier to back up when my trainer wasnt directing me... A lot of trainers and or mentors dont really know how to giude some one.. even if tney are good at backing...

 

True. You have to type "GOAL" and send it before backing. Does that actually translate to getting out of the truck? No, but it sure makes the shirt and tie guys feel warm and fuzzy knowing their backside is covered.

 

"Incidents".

33 years and never bumped into nothing?! Wish I could say that.

Of course they're not going to tell anyone that, but I think most carriers allow for 1 bump, because anybody running these rigs can have 1, and more have 1 or more than will admit it, I'll bet.

I have no excuse, I've been operating and backing equipment since I was 8, it's second nature to me. I got overconfident, and my embarrassment was indescribably brutal, still stings like crazy, but it made me a better driver.

But, I think it's hard for experienced drivers to imagine/remember the information overload of an adult with no experience learning to back a 65' rig their first time/s. It's one thing to do it in the yard, another to do it, tired, in the truck stop where your betters can watch (and in front of your ground guide mentor... who probably hasn't taught his protégé hand signals, if he knows any to teach).

It often takes a long (long) time to learn to set-up so a monkey could finish the backing part.

 

Well, it didn't hurt the joke, so...

 

Because every backing incident is always the fault of the person at the controls. The mentor may have been screaming/waving/flashing their head/arms/light off.

 

GTFOOH. When are you supposed to do that? That's in the running for the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

 

I think they got rid of that, or maybe it was for the phoenix terminal only. something like that. but i just read it on the internet, so what do i know. lol

 

get out and look is always a good idea, but when it's your mentor guiding you you tend to trust the guy, until oops sorry bro.

 

You type and send the message with the truck parked in the middle of a busy yard, blocking traffic, just before backing into another trailer....

Unfortunately this is still in place.

GOAL itself is a good idea. Requiring drivers to type "GOAL" and send it on the Qualcomm before backing came from the good idea fairy.