I Survived My First Week

Sounds like things are going good for ya, keep the posts coming. Always enjoy hearing about everybodys experiences. Good luck.

 

Sjtrucker,

Thanks for the updates. I'm new here and plan on trying to get on with Monson when I'm done with training the end of June, and it's nice to be able to follow your progress with them. Please keep the updates coming!

 

Haven't seen you on here in awhile now...hope everything's going alright? I've pretty much decided on Monson if they'll have me, and would sure like to pick your brain sometime soon.

 

Congratulations for surviving your worst week, the first.

You should learn why experienced drivers routinely cheat (or try to) on their logs. Regardless how many hours we are allowed to (legally) work, there are never enough of them.

Those little insignificant things eat up lots of major time that we don't normally get paid for.

I've been driving nearly my entire adult life and I still can't back into a dock straight unless it's so crowded you can't do otherwise.

Docks have those great big dock plates for people like me. And, I'm glad they do.

Don't worry about how it looks as long as it's more or less where it's supposed to be.

Congratulations and happy trucking. . .

 

I don't know if they told you in truck driving school, or if it occurred to you, but if you back into a dock that is not marked with lines, you can use a rock, soda can, shop rag, whatever to mark where you think the left side of your tractor should be when it is straight.

Docks without lines can be nearly impossible to get straight with without using guides of some sort.

Mirrors are not reliable for measuring depth (distance of trailer from dock).

Depending on the dock, you can also use your brake lights to do the same thing if you practice it a litte bit. The closer the light to the dock, the more intense and narrow the reflection becomes.

They should appear to be more or less equal.

Happy trucking!!!

 

The reason your driver's side is always closer to the dock is because you are favoring that left mirror. Try using only the right mirror to back in and you'll see the opposite happens... Your tractor will be turned slightly toward the right and you left side will be away from the dock.

Back slowly, use both mirrors and look for, or create, something on the ground that is perpendicular to the dock that you can line the side of your trailer up with.

 

Just reading the threads on this post, I'm printing them, sucking them up, and I hope they'll help me! I wake up with bad dreams of not being able to back up to a dock! My biggest fear, but with this help, I can do it! I watched many times the contract driver back up to the post office dock, how I wish I paid much more attention.

 

Well I just completed orientation with Roehl on Wed. Got set up with a trainer 1st thing Thurs. I even attended my 1st safety meeting, you need 1 every quarter. Packed up the truck and made my bunk and ready to go. But then found out my whizz quiz has not came back yet. So they said to go home and we will call ya when safety clears me. I was in Gary,In and live in Dayton,Oh had to take car home anyway. I took the whizz quiz 1st thing Mon morning don't know what the hold up is. I do know that I'm not hot cause I have never done drugs in my life. Maybe a little beer every blue moon but that is it. Anyway up to this point Roehl has been just great to work with. I decided to go on the Honor program and think I will come out ahead. Looking forward to getting with a trainer and start learning the do's and don'ts.