Things I have learned as solo rookie.

I got my first local job after a year and a half of experience. I learned more in a few weeks than I ever did on the road just because I was backing many more times per day . Repetition is key. Unfortunately, OTR drivers don't get many reps.

 

Look at all that room! Holy wow.. I want all that room at truck stops.

I'm not knocking the advice. It's pretty great. I'd say master the art of the 90 degree back and don't be scared to slide the tandems if you need to.

 

13 years and I still come in too shallow at times. I think sometimes the lay of the land jerks with my depth perception or something.

 

Oh yeah me too. I swear some docks are optical illusions.

 

Been here what, 15 months OTR? Spent 8 months of that Flatbed, when you virtually NEVER have to hit a dock, and 6 months on reefer, when i have to hit if 2-3 times a week, sometimes more.

Reefer has KiCKED MY BUTT. I've learned more about backing in the last six months than I did in 8 moths of flatbed.

Backing SUCKS. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. PRACTICE. Practice in empty rest-areas, truckstops, etc. If you have an extra 10 minutes and space, PRACTICE.

And also, don't ever be too proud to ask for a spotter.

I PROMISE you, if you ask me to spot you in next to me in a tight spot, I'll get up and HELP you. Because it beats the HECK out of me filing an accident report, or waiting for a tow, because you just took out my radiator.

You have a great attitude. Knowing how LITTLE you "know" is the hallmark of a safe trucker.

 

You really don't know the correct spelling if you think you got it wrong.

 

I see it all the time even at construction jobs. Company drivers w/ shiny trucks that are lacking skills.
Anybody can drive a truck. Backing them up, not so much.

 

Backing is something that will be eventually hammered into you. Just have to keep at it. You worry too much about the tractor being nice and straight. This is not a photoshoot. Just get the box into the dock or parking space any way you can. Any time you get it in there without hitting something is well done.

So what if you have to pull up a couple times? This is not driving school anymore. So pull up as you need to. It is a wonderful thing to pop that rig into a spot in one smooth move. But it is not always possible.

One reason you might see me pull up a dozen times in a truckstop space might be during the early phase of snow accumulation of a winter storm. Back and forth inching the tires over to both sides eventually makes a solid bed of snow so that when morning comes there is something under there that is somewhat solid. Might repeat several times during the night as it accumulates to minimize the shoveling. (This is one reason I never touched a shovel in all my years on the road...)

You will get it in time and settle down with that backing. The way things are going technology is in your favor you probably will have a camera back there to work with soon enough.

 

That is very helpful!

 

Auto-shift?