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I'd go to the private school. This way when you graduate you will have a Virginia CDL. If you go out of state, you will graduate with that states CDL then have to return to Virginina and switch it over. Some states make this process simple and some make it as difficult as possible.

 

Easy way to practice backing? Go to Home Depot, and rent a pickup and small flatbed trailer for a few hours. Find a empty industrial lot, setup road cones, and try different setups.

 

Get yourself a yard jockey job. Move about 100 trailers or more a day and you'll become an EXPERT at backing up.

LTL companies have dock to driver programs. Depending on how their training program goes,, you may start off on the jockey horse. Companies like Domino's and NFI will train you on the yard truck as well. Jockey around all day and you'll be backing up with no problems.

 

Oh ya good point.

 

I did that for a year. Moved about 120 a day in a 12 hr shift. It was fun. I loved it. But moved on.

 

Fall off the horse, you get back on. In this case why are you giving up on a community college or getting a grant? Look you might not be cut out to do this job. However I think your putting way too much thought on this. Don't spend your own money until you have looked at ALL the other options. One more thing. I don't believe just because it is private that a school is better.

 

Not sure what happened with you at Millis but couldn't you have practiced backing on your own time at a truck stop or something in the company truck?

 

Is your difficulty in knowing what to do or doing it the way you have been shown?

 

On the bright side, once it clicks, you will have it forever.

Just some tips, if the confusion is in the way the trailer reacts to your turning the wheel, if you place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, you then turn it in the same direction as you want the trailer to go.

If it is a matter of putting the trailer I a hole, draw an imaginary line from where your tandems are to where you want them to be and steer the trailer along that line. You really are doing nothing more than steering the trailer instead of the truck.

Most of all, don't over think it. it's a skill not a talent. Learning how to do it is not that difficult, perfecting it takes years. In other words, don't worry if you don't stick the landing on the first try, just get it in with out tearing anything up. You will get better as time goes by.