Friday in class was our first day in the trucks. We worked on alley dock and straight backing. I got the truck on the alley dock first. Would you beleive that I did the alley with one pull up the first time, of course I had one of the instructors giving directions. Then, I got into the truck on the straight back lane. On this lane at the end, where you pull all the way through the lane, the asphalt drops off into gravel. Everyone had been pulling the tractor all the way down till the trailor was at the edge of the asphalt. Big Mistake!!! What I didnt know when I started to do my straight back was that down where the gravel is, its at an angle to the asphalt but the way its laid out its hard to see it from cab. Anyway, I bet you can guess what happened..... You guessed it I completely messed up my straight back. Of course my instructor told me after I tried about 5 times and I asked what I was doing wrong. I only needed to pull the truck forward until just the front tires hit the gravel. Now he tells me!
Well that was how my first backing experience went. I was aggravated and my left leg was tired from holding clutch in for what seemed like forever several times. So I decided I had to go home and hit the weights and get my leg pumped up and ready to go again Monday morning.
Check in to read what my next adventure will be in driving school.
"Stubbornness is also determination. It's simply a matter of shifting from "won't power" to "will power." "
Peter McWilliams
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
More than 20 years ago I had an insurance company sponsored class (finish the course for discounts) and to this day I remember an instructor screaming "your OTHER left!!!" as I flattened a line of cones. I still hear it in my head when I get lucky and park one in the dock perfect no pull ups. (rare...really rare)
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the practice yard.
Problem solved. I pull the truck through myself. Backing a truck that someone else has pulled up is like cleaning up someone else's mess.
ReplyDelete