Ego Deflated

It's good for your ego to get some wind taken out of the sails. Yes, most new drivers have little crunchers.

You will go over it in your mind 100 times, and will become an expert on that situation. I've become that kind of expert twice already.

Lot of good advice. Learn from our mistakes and don't beat up ourselves over them. I always pull up to my docking space or walk over and check it figuring out where I want my trailer to end up and where my trailer tandems will end up and line up too. Watching my tandems as far as angle to lines or other rigs lets me know if I am backing in at the right angle. If tandems are not parallel to hopefully a well laid out line usually means my tail is pointed outside the lines or my projected docking space.

I'm happy to hear the only damage was to your ego! Those types of hits, (although lingering)...have the most cost effective repairs. 😀

As Errol noted, you received a great lesson on how to go about doing something better & it was free!

Look at the bright side, at least it wasn't a Mercedes. 👍

Honestly.. I dont know how it happened. My left tires were to the left of the yellow line as nothing was in th e space next to me and I was trying to avoid hitting that pole. Lol I thought if I got straight it would be easy to move over to the right but I hit it somehow.

My trainers both told me backing is about judgment calls... which makes me want to rip my hair out. If I HAD judgment then I would know what I was doing. Smh. As for GOAL. You still need to know what you are looking at... and as stupid as it sounds.. I have no clue. Sure I can see "yeah there's a foot of space before I hit something" but how long to hold the wheel and how far to turn it are lost on me. I did really good this week in 5 really tight customers back to back.... and then the last two I sucked. :(

I also noticed that I do better when I'm the only truck around instead of when trucks are flying past me.

Rainy I have a few questions, 1 were you stait and to the left or angled? 2 what were your tandoms set at? I am guessing said pole was on the right. Here is a few tricks I use when packing into tight spaces. I walk into the hole and look at everything. I picture were I will be turning, and how the hazards will change what I am doing. Then I will put a little peace of duck tape on the ground that is 10 feet before and infront of my spot that's how long it takes a trailer to react, with tandoms set at 40. Next I back up and get out as much as needed, there are some places were I back up 6 inches and then get out, there is one dock in Chicago that takes me at least an hour to get into. The trick is don't get frustrated, and this back you are doing is the only back you will ever do. My ego has no place in the truck. That dose not mean you should not have pride in what you do. Do have pride but don't let it turn into ego. In a year or 2 you will look back and go yep I have come a long ways. Good luck

Rainy I have a few questions, 1 were you stait and to the left or angled? 2 what were your tandoms set at? I am guessing said pole was on the right. Here is a few tricks I use when packing into tight spaces. I walk into the hole and look at everything. I picture were I will be turning, and how the hazards will change what I am doing. Then I will put a little peace of duck tape on the ground that is 10 feet before and infront of my spot that's how long it takes a trailer to react, with tandoms set at 40. Next I back up and get out as much as needed, there are some places were I back up 6 inches and then get out, there is one dock in Chicago that takes me at least an hour to get into. The trick is don't get frustrated, and this back you are doing is the only back you will ever do. My ego has no place in the truck. That dose not mean you should not have pride in what you do. Do have pride but don't let it turn into ego. In a year or 2 you will look back and go yep I have come a long ways. Good luck

Thanks. Ego was probably the wrong word. It's just that 3 mos out here alone and there are still times I drive from truck stop to truck stop cause even though there are spots I'm afraid to try them due to lack of room.

After doing some really hard doors I was feeling confident enough to try and get into spots I wouldn't before. Now even though there was no damage.. I'm back to being nervous and edgy. Thw duct tape is a good idea. Think part of my problem is that I have never not accomplished something before. I wanted my CDL I got it. I wanted to write books I got published. I wanted to travel the world and did. So backing is frustrating the hell out of me. And veteran drivers do t help when they blow their horns and yell. Then my Jersey attitude comes out and I just pull the brakes and block them lol

Rainy, as you back, or stop when you're backing to look at the situation, do you mentally eyeball the path you expect the tandems should go?

This is different from watching them roll backwards to make sure the trailer doesn't back into anything. As you gain experience in this your eyeball prediction should improve.

I still hate 90 or 45 alley backing, but ya do what ya gotta do, right?

Above all, work on controlling your "flustered level". Try to remain calm no matter how many times you've tried a particular backing situation.