question about where I am currently at in training?

The hard part is dealing with everything that goes on at once. Trying to get the angle right, don't oversteer, don't hit anything... it's easier when you're dealing with yellow lines and orange cones, not out at a receivers with lots of folks trying to get in and out of docks while hollarin' at you to get the bleep outta da way! Especially since those yellow lines and orange cones are very expensive pieces of someone else's metal. They start you easy with stuff that doesn't break, at the yard. Be patient, it will all come in due time.

 

Sounds like the "some people" you are listening to are the wrong people. Do you really think Prime us going to send you packing because your instructor has not brought you in to test? Are they really going to send you packing for reasons that have been totally out of your control?

have you taken the test? No, so is there more to teach.... Hmmm ?

breach of contract to teach you backing? a fact? Where are you getting this BS?

there is no instructor contract. If anything, the instructor has agreed to follow Primes rules and teach you the skills to pass the test. Basic pride is reason enough to teach you correctly. If not, these test guys can tell who have been taught correctly and who haven't. If they don't catch it the first fail, they most certainly will catch it if you show zero improvement after a day on the pad with your instructor on the next attempt.

I really think you have a problem if you get to the test and you haven't done any backing. Until then quit worrying. So calm down and quit listening to other people.

the only people you should be paying attention to are your instructors, your fleet manager, and any of the PSD program managers.

 

DC, there are many instructors that leave the parking/backing until they get back to SpringMO where you can practice in relative safety,

 

BTW, Instructors stop getting their instructor pay after 5 weeks on the road with a student. So at some point there is no incentive to keep you out.

also it's a $875 bonus to the instructor if you pass all three parts on the test on the first try. (There is a smaller bonus to the student)

Can anyone argue with that bonus on why an instructor would not want to teach you and help you pass the test?

 

Its all good bro, my PSD trainer had me back less then a handful of times in field, with good reason as I found out.

You have enough remembering all your pretrip and basic rules of the road for road test to worry excessively about backing in the field before you get Cdl.

We spent total of 6hrs on pad over 2 days time backing right before test day and I trifecta'd with more problems coming from remembering pretrip then any backing.

ON ALL BACKS, DONT BE MOVING WHILE MAKING MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS AS YOU LOSE PRECIOUS MANEUVER ROOM INCREASING CHANCE OF HAVING TO USE A PULLUP IF YOU GET IT WRONG. EG- TURNING WHEEL FROM CENTER TO MAX LEFT OR RIGHT, STOP TRUCK, TURN WHEEL, LOOK OUT WINDOW, REPEAT

Straight back - only look at one mirror (pref drivers side)
The other mirror will likely show distortion making it seem you are crooked.
Keep trailer wheels within 1 ft of cones and your fine
MAKE SMALL ADJUSTMENTS

offset back - turn wheel max left or right depending on which lane he wants you in.
Aim mirror down till you can see trailer landing gear
SLOWLY creep back watching mirror til the edge of rear drive tire is bullseye in the V section underneath trailer.
STOP, turn wheel back opposite way to dead center
Start creeping back again bringing truck back straight with trailer and you should be set up decently with your target lane.
Straight back til trailer tire closest to your inside lane cone is almost in front of cone in line with (parallell) with lane.
STOP, repeat the above process in reverse movements.

90° back/alleydock back - do the same as offset back setting up rear drive tire with V but after you have lined it up, hold it there and if you follow it back, it should put the trailer nearly perfectly in the hole.
Might have to do a small pull up to straighten out, then straight back in again.
To get the bumper in the box is critical so my trainer said if you are in straight, back til you hear whistle, pull slightly forward, GOAL, if not acceptable correct, GOAL again!
You have 2 GOAL's for this back and they are critical since if your bumper is out you auto fail.
Also ALWAYS keep watch on trailer out the window or mirrors while backing, don't just rely on the V to magically put it right, it is just a good guide to get a nice angle going on trailer.
This is dependent upon many things though, first this was done with a condo cascadia so a different wheelbase length or steering box ratio would affect outcome, make sure your trailer tandems are in the right hole (10th for testing I believe?) and how far you pulled up before starting back.

Parallell back-easiest and least useful in real world so far
Use the V of trailer again to set up just like an offset coming in straight after initial angling.
You want the edge of trailer inside the box first aiming straight at second cone "up" from the back inside of box
When the opposite (outer) side of trailer wheels are just halfway over the outside box line, start bringing the front of trailer in, again just by reversing the setup actions
Watch the front out the window to make sure you don't crank too soon bringing the nose into box and pass over the cone "wall" edge.
Mirror on 'open' side of parallel space you came in on can hang over edge of line
THE SIDE WITH CONES CANNOT HAVE ANYTHING OVERHANGING, REMEMBER YOU HAVE A DEERBASHER BUMPER TO ACCOUNT FOR WHEN BRINGING NOSE IN.

REMEMBER, ALL CONES SYMBOLIZE AN INFINITELY HIGH WALL OR ANOTHER TRUCK.
YOU CANNOT HAVE ANY PART OF THE TRUCK OR TRAILER EVER TOUCH OR PASS OVER CONES TO MAKE A BACK


All these were tips givin by my trainer, sounds complicated - isnt

I tend to over think and it will mess you up, just put it in the hole.

I would spend extra time on the 90 as it is quite common in the field if you are going reefer and not always a nicely forgiving amount of space to setup, and practice with trailer tandems on different settings as it reacts vastly differently



Most of all - relax, focus, realize in real world you get infinite pull ups
There are worse things ahead - sitting for 10hrs a day 6-7 days a week, sleeping in a moving truck on sucky roads after dinner, resisting good tasting/horrible for you food on a regular basis, nasty bathrooms, missing shifts fully loaded on icy hills, etc. on and on

Just do it
You will be fine

 

So they do allow multiple attempts on the skills test, especially if you are really close to getting it the first try? Or do you have to nail it perfect on the first try?

 

The driver who can parallel park scores the rest area spot at 0200!

 

Early to bed early to rise never have to worry about parking, that's no lie
...like all loads are dispatched on such a timely basis lol


I believe you get 3 chances at each skill test (pretrip, backing, road test) and MAYBE 1 more if they think you have it and are just nervous.

 

You go into the queue when you report empty... the first one in, get's the first load. Don't delay on sending your empty calls. Now... if you're in reefer division, the guys who can deal with driving overnight get a better set of dispatches because of the nature of food delivery; more lucrative for the lease operators too.