Probably fired and want more training

Now you know how your employer feels.. you're supposed to be "understanding" and happily accept this... But to add to that scenario.. she shouldn't have told you and just wait till you found it and then be all indignant about daring to question her.. its all a part of driving after all.

 

1st rule of backing if you're unsure for even a second: GET OUT AND LOOK (G.O.A.L.). Even if ya gotta do it 6 times to get on the dock, or into the hole. Turn off your C.B. if you have one. Ignore that impatient other driver that can't wait for you to safely finish your task. (and if you're one of "those guys" who disagrees that everyone started out in the same boat and you started out perfect, then screw YOU too.)

2nd thing I see new drivers that can't back doing is zig-zagging-zig-zagging their tractor back and forth and back and forth, etc. as they are backing. up. KEEP THE BACK END OF YOUR TRAILER IN YOUR MIRRORS. If you can't, then stop, and pull up forward a bit so you can see it.

Good backing starts with a good setup. A good setup to make the back means fewer adjustments to get where you're going. Learn that first, and the rest will come.

 

It always amazes me how many people while learning to back have never be told to walk to the rear and look at the truck.. where are the wheels? Where is the tractor in relation to the trailer? At this moment where do I have to steer? I have had adult people hop out of a truck ready to beat me up because I couldn't unscrew the top of their heads and pour backing into it. This is a problem with adult learners and really bad with men.. they see other adults doing something so therefor like magic, they should just be able to hop in and do it.

 

This is not what you need to improve.

What's needed is for you to take ownership of YOUR learning.

You say you're dropping 4 trailers a day. That means you have 4 opportunities to practice.

• What does your namesake do at every opportunity? She gets off the bus! You need to do the same.

• After you set up - GOAL. See where you actually are. Notice the difference between setups. Get good reference points, walk all the way around the trailer. Make a game plan
• Back 10 feet. GOAL. See what changed and what you need to have happen next
• Back up 10 feet. GOAL. Did what you want to happen actually occur?
• 》○If yes, back up another 5 feet and repeat.
• 》If no, DON'T GO FURTHER BACKWARDS. Pull back the where you were, and try again. The earlier you recognize you are off the "glidepath" the easier it is to fix.
• Before the tail of the trailer crosses the threshold of the spot. GOAL. See how much space you actually have.
• If you think you are within 2 feet of something. GOAL. Doing this will help you learn frames of reference and notice danger earlier.

In short, you need to GOAL a lot more and let the backs take longer. The more you GOAL the more you'll learn how the trailer is going to respond to steering corrections.

I can spend all day talking a guy into a spot and it won't make a difference if he isn't GOALing and making decisions for himself.

 

I call it G.A.M. Syndrome - Grown @@@ Man. They think they're listening, they think they're 'working hard', but they're not taking ownership so they make no progress.

With them GOAL becomes GOAT - Get Out And THINK. I've given you the knowledge you need, but until you apply it yourself, you're going to keep sucking.

 

What's worse. For CDL testing you are not allowed to open the door to even look correctly. In MI, although I've been told other states allow it, you can't even roll down the window to look back. It has to be done with mirrors.

 

It's not that it's part of the job cuz it's not. But to err is human, accidents and incidents do happen because no one is perfect and we all learn new things and some repeat things every day. How you handle those experiences determines how professional you are.

 

When you are backing, anywhere, never get in a hurry.
Take your time, focus on the task and don’t worry about the other trucks waiting.

 

People who do all that really haven't been taught how to back safely. The old petes it was almost necessary as the truck was horribly designed. CDL tests are designed to keep people safe, you're never going to be able to open the door with a seat belt on.. I actually watch some dude dressed like Roy Rogers fall off of his running board once in a dock.. It was friggen hilarious!!

 

It was my experience that women seemed to actually listen and then work with the truck to get something done. Men tended to only listen to the general idea and were already fabricating in their minds how to defeat the truck and make it do what they wanted it to do. It was hilarious to watch them finally start listening and then convince everyone that it was them still defeating the truck..