What should I focus on to teach myself how to drive?

1. Program GPS
2. Crank truck
3. Put in D
4. Mash throttle to floor and stare straight ahead til you arrive.

(This is based on what I see everyday from new drivers)

 

I have very good peripheral vision and see more than some see while staring ahead, sometimes I have to get a good view into that mirror to see if what I saw was really happening. Then the problem becomes laughing fits, some do stuff they think we do not see.

 

Thanks everyone! looks like backing and being aware of the rear of the trailer is where it's at. I'll report back later, possibly with pics.
I did grind a few gears when downshifting for a turn. I drive a manual transmission car, but as you all already know this is a bit different.
He(the dock foreman who is riding with me) was telling me that he doesn't really use the clutch except for when starting out. He showed me how he shifts and it does seem pretty smooth not using the clutch, but this is contrary to what I learned in the book about double clutching...is this bad practice? As someone mentioned, I definitely don't want to learn any bad habits.
Also when I shifted, I just did it like I do in my car. I'm still not really understanding the concept of double clutching, or why it's needed....

 

The state driving examiner requires double clutching. Floating the gears not allowed, you will fail. Once you get the cdl, then you can go back to floating.

Basically required as they want you in control of the vehicle at all times, and double clutching always works. A good fall back when you blow a gear.

 

Shifting w/o clutch is the norm for most. No grind no damage less wear on clutch. Despite official Eaton Driving videos /opinions I’ve seen etc. They must be worried about warranty claims. Only use when starting or stopping. Starting out ease off clutch with foot off accelerator. Using accelerator will cause premature wear of clutch. Problem is you will be RoadTested and must double clutch on RoadTest.I had trouble learning this long enough to forget it!!!Best Learn all you can. A lot of Schools unfortunately don’t always teach much more than how to pass test. Never went to one but see a lot of Un prepared Drivers out here every day. It’s worse than ever. Best Luck

 

The key things are being able to know exactly where your truck needs to be to begin making left/right turns so your trailer wheels clear the curb but don't have too much room away from the curbs. There are a couple of ways for a long combination vehicle to go around tight turns. One is go LONG and then turn. The other is to go WIDE away from the turn before turning. You need to know both ways, and when to use them. If you are on a big road turning onto a narrow road, you go WIDE on the wide road to turn onto the narrow road. If you are on a narrow road turning onto a wide road, you go long, almost past where the road turns to begin your turn.

For shifting, you need to memorize a couple of speeds & RPMs. For example, The speed, RPMs, gear you would take a 90 degree turn on the road. For example, you have a green light at an intersection and you will be making a right turn. For simplicity, try to take all of those turns at a slow safe speed and then you only have to memorize one road speed, RPM, gear to do that turn. What gets rookies is approaching a traffic light and getting surprised when the light changes. Now, instead of doing what you were planning you need to quickly pick a speed/RPM/gear to stop or go.

For backing, the most common maneuver os the 90 degree alley dock. Think of a warehouse with dozens of trailers backed into the warehouse doors, side by side. You are trying to park a trailer in one of those doors, while you have trailers lalready parked on either side of where you are going. You approach driving across the front of those parked trailers, and it's best if the trailers are on your left side, the driver's side. Depending on whether you are driving a sleeper truck or a day cab there is a spot where you want to turn sharply right, and then sharply left to setup for backing. As a general rule, start by driving slowly across the front of the parked trailers, and when the trailer to the left beside the empty spot where you want to park is about even with your tractor drive tires turn sharply right. I usually turn the steering wheel quickly as far right as it will turn. When the tractor turns about 45-90 degrees to the nose of the trailer you are pulling, turn sharply left as much as the steering wheel will turn and continue a short distance. The goal is to have the trailer about 45 degrees pointing to the left of the empty spot and your tractor facing the nose of the trailers to the left of the empty spot.

Your goal is FIRST BE CONSISTENT, even if you are consistently wrong. Pick landmarks, like the front right corner of the trailer to the left of where you want to park and the front drive tire of your tractor. When those 2 landmarks are inline, start your hard right turn and then your hard left turn. If after doing this EXACTLY the same over and over you see you are always winding up to close or too far from where you want to be, THEN you adjust how you position your landmarks. If you are just randomly trying things and every time is different, you will take a lot longer to see the pattern you are trying to repeat. At first being CONSISTENT is more important than being just right.

The other parking maneuvers are something you have to do for the CDL test. You may hardly ever do them again. If you get good at the 90 degree alley dock you will do just fine.

Pick one thing at a time to concentrate one backing, shifting, turning. Do it over and over and over being consistent. Then adjust your technique to improve your results. At CDL school your typically get 4 instructors giving different advice, plus all 40 students giving you different advice and it's difficult. Everybody's way may work, but you can't listen to a dozen different techniques and do it well in the short time CDL school lasts. Listen to them and then follow one technique. Switching techniques will just make the learning take longer.

 

The CDL examiner's tests vary from state to state. I will tell you that the understanding of basic commercial operating laws and safety regs are critical on the written part of the exam. You also have to have a good understanding of how the equipment operates and what constitutes defective equipment. A full inspection of the vehicle will be required of you by the examiner. You have to go around the equipment, under the hood, and inside the cab to point out specific inspection points and show that you understand what defects to be aware of on the vehicle. You should be able to obtain a CDL workbook at your local driver's liscense bureau. Study it well, and then practice the inspection with a friend on some equipment.
Being able to operate the truck is as important as understanding the laws and the way the equipment functions.
You may be good at driving, turning, backing, shifting etc., but you have to study up as well.
Good luck.

 

Well there's no doubt you'll be able to get a lot of practice reversing onto docks and changing gears around the yard however nothing beats driving on the freeway learning how to merge in traffic and how to drive over and over for long periods of time and getting your loads delivered on time, skipping around a yard won't teach you those things.

 

Wow.

You need to start with driving it on the road and getting it up to speed to learn how to handle the truck in real world conditions. Backing is no the real problem with this, too many make such a big deal about it but driving in traffic which you can't legally do is a bigger deal.

Hope you don't damage anything or have an accident in the lot, I can bet the boss or owner won't look happy if you run into something and he may decide to just fire you.