Cartersville 6/9 class

Day 10

Sorry for the late update. I was too busy tonight after school catching up with an old friend.

As tntim mentioned above, the two groups switched today. I was in the backing group. Surprisingly, we all did rather well. We managed to start the straight backs, offset alley backs, and the sight side parallel backs today. I still need work on them, but it wasn't as daunting a task as I had feared. I'm rather hopeful going into this weekend.

 

I hope all is well with you, my good man. Thanks for the update!

 

Day 11

The backing group continued to practice the offset alley docks and the sight-side parallel backing. We had Jerry today instead of Jamie, due to business Jamie had to take care of in Texas. We'll have Jerry for the rest of the week.

I did reasonably okay on the parallel and on the right side offset (by right side, I mean where I had to back was to my right) but for some reason I had a lot of trouble with the left side offset. It finally clicked to get most of my movement done in the first bit of steering after I start the maneuver instead of while I'm making my way back to the barrels. One of the other students, a guy named Neil, was a lot of help too. We suspect he is already a driver because he is an absolute natural at everything that has been thrown at him.

Despite the difficulties I had today, I'm feeling pretty good about it. Tomorrow we get to learn blindside parallel and 90-degree alley backing. Wish me luck.

 

Day 12

Today, the backing class learned the blindside parallel and the 90 degree alley dock. We practiced all day. I don't have as much trouble with that left side offset the way I did yesterday, which is nice. I did, however, have a bit of a problem with the blindside parallel. I would either come in to it too shallow or too deep. I did get progressively better, though I wouldn't say I did it well.

After we had lunch, I waited on a rotation for the course. Somehow during that one time I managed to nail all four maneuvers with a minimum of G.O.A.L.s and pull ups - I even did the 90 degree alley in one shot. Hilariously, when the next student got in to start his maneuvers, the clutch broke on him.

My next go round, I got three out of four of them with minimal problems but I did mess up the 90 degree a bit. It did click for me, though, when Jerry said that when I'm too close to one side, that's the way I need to turn the wheel.

I'm not entirely confident, but I feel good about this week. I seem to be better in reverse than going forward. We'll see, though.

 

Day 13

Today, we did more practice of the backing maneuvers. They had the '06 Kenworth T2000 that lost its clutch rod yesterday ready for us again today. We got a late start because we had to find its keys, pretrip it, and couple it back to trailer which was across the training area.

All of us were doing well today, up until just after lunch. It seems that everyone was setting up the 90 degree alley dock too far away from where they should have... And the proper place makes it harder to do. On my first go round after lunch, I messed up every single backing maneuver I did. I think I was trying to rack up a new high score on barrels knocked over! My next turn, though, I got all of them pretty well except for the 90 degree, and that one I was going to pull up and correct but Jerry yelled for me to keep turning left and bam! Got it in there like... ummm... a euphemism of some sort.

Tomorrow we do our backing test. I'm not really nervous, per se, but I do have my concerns. I think I'll do okay.