Finally got a job

You'll be fine. I learned to shift a big truck on my first load.

3 months later I had it almost nailed.

Just be real careful. GOAL all the time. Big following distance. Pay attention. Turn your phone off.

Good luck.

 

Wow! I had to road test after I hooked a trailer picked up and set a dolly then connected a second trailer....

First time ever and I had to follow the trainer's instructions on how to do it.

Drive through town in morning traffic.... Around impossible curves.

Then pulled reverse process and put front trailer to the dock between two trailers.

But, I was driving a team truck with 48' and 28' trailers for weeks in school.

 

Don't rush. Rushing to make decisions, or DO SOMETHING RIGHT NOW, will only make things worse. Generally, road tests are just to see if you drive safely, not shift like a million-miler. For me, take a deep breath and take my time. What's causing your panic? Having in mind, step-by-step, what to do for the situations that cause anxiety is how I deal with anxiety. Is getting lost, or having an accident the problem?

One thing I did before GPS was look at the map, call the customer, and then notice the big intersections and street names on the way to a customer. If I got lost or turned the wrong way a least I knew the names of some of the bigger streets that crossed my path if I had to circle back. ESPECIALLY not the street name just before your turn and after the turn. The street AFTER your desired turn will be important if you run past your turn and have to come back from the opposite direction. If all else goes wrong stop as far right as is safe, turn on your flashers, and call the local police dispatch (NOT 9-1-1). Tell them you are lost and can they help. They have very accurate maps and can probably tell you how to get out of jam. If you haven't caused an accident you probably won't get a ticket.

Try to focus on exactly what is causing the anxiety, as specifically as possible. Don't rush into some general anxiety about everything and what-if. But get as precise as possible and then when you have time develop a plan on what to do if that happens. If I have a step-by-step plan I can face it. Don't let ANYONE rush you.

 

If the game starts moving too fast for you... Just slow it down, amigo. Here endeth the lesson. .