In a fix....what do I do?

I finished up my school a 3 weeks ago.

I have failed my CDL test twice, both on the 90° backing with a 28' trailer. I went back to the school to practice last week and I was able to put the trailer in the hole there, but then when it's time to test I haven't.

I went to a small school, and they only have 1 truck for testing. It is only available every couple of weeks.

The wait in between tests isn't helping me get better.

I'm just looking for ideas, suggestions, etc. what I should do.

I'm thinking of everything from paying for more practice at the school, renting a truck locally for practice or testing, or even going back to school with a company that trains.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

 

Sign up with a company that trains will be the quickest, cheapest route.

 

Western Dairy Transport pays hourly pay while attending their cdl school.
Probably attend school in Cabool, Missouri and meals/lodging provided.
Milk tankers seeing lots of farms and ranches.
Western Dairy Transport
https://www.wdtmilk.com
.

 

Most companies wont except that school your going to. So might as well do what Chinatown said. 'Training' with an old '28 trailer aint gonna cut it.

 

If you have $500.00 you can go with Millis Transfer.
CDL-A School | Millis Transfer
CDL-A School
CDL-A School Millis Students Start at $0.43 per mile And Now Receive a 1 CPM Raise Every Quarter - Top Out At $0.47 per mile Millis Training Institute, the elite CDL-A training school operated by Millis Transfer, provides quality truck driver training …

• Benefits · Pay Scale
• 

 

Swift has good training:
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Swift Refrigerated - New Trainee Pay Package
https://driveswiftreefer.com
Earn Your Permit and CDL With No Upfront Costs and Job Placement.
~

 

short trailers like a 28 footer, require you to be slower in turning the steering wheel. i'm guessing that you are over-thinking this when you are being tested, heck, many of us HATE to be tested, and we all get antsy.

just relax, take a deep breath, and go slower with that steering wheel.

further, for the life of me, i don;t know why you have to use a 28 footer. at the 2 schools i worked at, we had 45 and 48 footers for the DMV testing. you can catch the mistakes as you're backing quicker, than a small 28 footer, which reacts way too fast.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, that is my exact issue. I have been turning in too fast, then not being able to get back under the trailer.

The school has other trailers, just the classes before mine had voted to test on the 28' instead of the bigger trailers. Probably has something to do with doing the driving part of the test around Nashville being easier with the smaller trailer, but it makes the backing more difficult.

 

Here's a trucking company school near Nashville:
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TLD Logistics – Always Hiring Quality Truck Drivers
Home Page
Lebanon, TN
~
TLD Logistics Services, Inc.
(A subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho America, Inc)

 

well i dunno, i been to crashville and Antioch a time or two, cannot recall all the other small towns in the TN/Nashville area.

and i did it with a 53 footer. albeit, i had many years experience, but it is doable.

do not forget too, that at the DMV test site, they move the cones (or flags) in closer, to close up the gap of say a 48 footer being tested.

it's like this.

if you have a boat trailer, or drive a tow truck, the backing principle is the same....short trailer..

so, if you have a boat trailer (do not put the boat on it) or a small camping "pop up" trailer, try a few times backing that up.