Crowder College 45* technique

Now a days "trucking school" is everything you will learn once you get OUT of "trucking school" lol!!!
Most schools are a joke and that's where you get all these steering wheel holders driving automatic trucks who aren't very courteous out on the road.
Don't think it is always the drivers fault but believe it's the schools for not teaching them what they really need to know out on the road..or even what a loaded trailer feels like in some instances......

 

I only had to do the 90 in mn no 45

 

As mentioned earlier, that technique works great if space is not an issue. However, most truck stops don't provide enough space between rows for it to work as intended.

You'll have to make your second full turn to the left sooner than you like in order to avoid the trucks in the row ahead of you. The basic idea still works, but I need a pull-up or two to make it work.

 

learned in texas. same same just had to adjust from a 48 to a 53 ft trailer. like everything else in trucking ! you learn to adjust

 

Ok maybe I am reading this wrong--and believe me I know how tight places can be--and this technique may the only possiblity--so learn it in school--especially if it is part of a road test etc....BUT--while you do take a HARD look at your trailer tires(especially the inside)--now I do not know how much weight (if any)is in that wagon and how it is loaded--but jacking a trailer like this--plays hell on your tires and suspension--just something to keep in mind for the real world--and if you have any idea's of ever owning your own--again something you do not want to get in the habit of!--Kinda like the ridiculus super tight U-Turns you see people do--you know the one where they almost rip the fairing off the truck while they spin the trailer wheels backward--Remember take care of your equipment and it will take care of you....
Just my$.02

 

most schools just teach the basic skills for you to get your cdl, the real schooling begins when you start your new job

 

I am currently in Preimer Cdl Training and in IL you are not required to do the parallel parking, and we been doing the right turn, straight line stop and the alley dock which we drive straight past the spot then when the drive tires meet the middle of the box we turn hard right until 12 oclock then hard left until the trailer is straight about 10 oclock then stop and back up a few feet which is a judgement call (they had us start by finding a red rock on the ground at first it helped but I no longer use it) stop now half right back up until you see the corner of the landing gear on the blindside of the trailer then stop and hard right to put it in the box if you set up right the trailor goes straight into the box I hit the box 4 times out of 5 usually and just reset and sink it I gotta test this week hope it works out on test day, then I will be off to Conway Truckload if my interview goes well.

 

Which one are you at? I went to Premeire in Joliet, not how they showed us, but eveyone is diferent, how I was taught I have tweaked several times. On the 45 I started off with tractor and trailer square to each other, steers straight,flahers on, find reverse, before I started back give the wheel a quate turn to the right hold untill I lost sight down the trailer, then come back to the top, wait now untill first set of tandoms in driver side mirror cross the line or if no line you have to picture the line coming up, give it a hard right untill 2nd set crosses then a hard left untill steers are in the lane, then make your pull-up and adjustments and it should just know be a simple straight line back. I still use this tech. to this day if appropiate, and have refined it and am much more smooth know but the priciple is the same and if you do not know the basics you wont get very far.

 

Why wait to turn your flashers on when you're already done driving all over the lot getting lined up? To me the point of turning your flashers on is to let people know you're about to be backing up into a spot, not that you are currently backing in to the spot which is completely obvious at that point. It's like those people that turn on their turn signals in the middle of the turn.

It's better to warn others in advance what you are going to do, not while you're doing it and everybody knows.