Are Truck Drivers Patient With Rookies When During Backing?

Let's assume, I find a spot at the truck stop. I want to back the truck into that spot, however, I need long time to get it in. Do Truck Drivers get impatient or are they usually patient in case they need to wait for me to finish the backing in order to pass?

As you'd expect you'll get the full spectrum of responses. Some drivers are patient as a monk....others like to give people a hard time every chance they get. You'll get plenty of both from people over time.

The important thing to remember is that trucks get in the way sometimes and you have to give them a second. That's life. If a driver needs a few minutes to get backed into a dock off a busy street or into a tight spot at night in a truck stop then so be it. We have to wait until dawn to see the light. We have to wait til we're 16 to drive. And we have to wait on big rigs to do their thing sometimes. That's life.

We know it's best to just be patient and act like an adult when it's your turn to wait for someone because surely there were times that others have waited on you. But not everyone will handle it well. You have to ignore it and do your thing.

That's the thing about trucking - you have to be the captain of that ship. You have to make the right calls. If you can't drive in the current conditions you put your foot down and tell everyone that. If you need five minutes to get backed into a tight spot then take five minutes and don't worry about what anyone is thinking. Soon enough you'll be the one waiting and you'll be kind and patient about it. That's all you can control so that's all you should worry about. You can't control what others are thinking.

Finally....those same truck drivers will go home and go shopping for things (online or at a local store) and whatever they buy they know a truck brought it. The tiny inconvenience of dealing with trucks once in a while is a drop in the bucket compared with the quality of life we've achieved as a society because of them. If people forget that sometimes well then they're not appreciating their everyday lives the way they should. That's also their problem, not yours.

In trucking you're constantly making decisions that will affect not only your job and safety but the lives of those around you. You have to make the right decisions and do the right things regardless of what others think. The one thing that matters to everyone is safety. As long as you get the job done safely they'll forget about any inconvenience the moment it's over. If they can't understand or appreciate your situation at the time then they should put themselves in the shoes of others once in a while and manage their thoughts a little better. Or they might consider acting the way they'll expect others to act the next time people are waiting on them. And there will be a next time.

Brett nailed it. You'll get both ends of the stick. I find that those drivers who think it's cool to lay on the horn while your backing are the ones who have no respect for the job and they forget/forgot they were a rookie at one time.

Take your time and don't worry what others say or do. If you feel you need to get out and look at your position, do it. If you need to pull out a little to re adjust, get r done.

Yeah man, don't worry about it. If you have a CB, turn it off before backing and you will not hear a lot of the belly aching.

I had some trouble with this in the Northeast. I take my time when backing, and have no problem getting out to look as many times as it takes to get it right. I pulled into a Pilot in MA one night, and started having some trouble because I couldn't see. The radio came alive with insults and general ribbing of the rookie. I just shut the radio off. I'm not in this to impress anyone with how easily I get the truck into a spot on the first try. I've had a chance to watch quite a few guys backing into spots, and most of us need pull ups and do overs, so we're pretty much all in the same boat when it comes to backing--no one gets it perfect every time. It does feel good when I get it in on the first try though.

Funny that this topic has come up. You can find hundreds of videos on YouTube of truckers recording other truckers having a hard time backing in. And in the majority of them you'll hear all kinds of crap about "too slow" "what an idiot" "get a new job". I find it hard to believe that even the most experienced guys have a hard time every now and then. We all have our non "A Game" days.

If I am sitting in a truck stop, which almost never happens anymore due to the account I am on, I will help someone if they need it. Most are glad to accept the help and are thankful afterwards but I have found a few that would rather do it themselves rather than ask for help.

One guy was have trouble backing in next to me and instead of waiting for him to hit my truck I got out and let him know that I would help him get backed in. He let me know in no uncertain terms he did not need my f$@king help and to go back to my truck. So I went back to my truck and sat there. And of course he kept drifting towards my truck and every time he got withing a foot of taking off my hood I would blow the air horn to let him know that he was close. I case after several attempts he got tired on the horn. Sad thing was it was a straight line back. No curves or angles. And still he could not control the trailer.

Perhaps that added some pressure but I much rather him have the pressure of a horn warning than me having the weight on my back as I tell my safety department I sat and watched the guy back into my truck.

I always run my radio. It's on all the time. While backing you will hear a lot of things on the radio but the one I am listening for is the guy next to me telling me I am getting to close. If my radio is off I would never know and might hit something.

Every had one of those days where you are doing something the wrong way and you know it and know how to fix the problem but you go right ahead and do it the exact same way as before the next time?

Yea you will have those days on the road. Now what if you are backing up and you get out and look and you see you need to turn the wheel left so the trailer will go the other way but once you get into the truck you turn the wheel right? Everyone does it when they are still learning to backup. Now what if you don't catch the mistake in time and hit the truck next to you? Well the guy was yelling at you to stop but oh wait you turned off the radio and was not able to hear the warning.

I have noticed at the truck stop I have been to so far that there are at least a handful of trucks that say the heck with backing up and pull forward into the parking spot. I am still extremely new, but it seems like it would be hazardous trying to back out of a parking spot, especially if you lack the skill to back into one.

I have noticed at the truck stop I have been to so far that there are at least a handful of trucks that say the heck with backing up and pull forward into the parking spot. I am still extremely new, but it seems like it would be hazardous trying to back out of a parking spot, especially if you lack the skill to back into one.

If you look on YouTube at trainerjames2013 he explains why some pull in instead of backing

I have noticed at the truck stop I have been to so far that there are at least a handful of trucks that say the heck with backing up and pull forward into the parking spot. I am still extremely new, but it seems like it would be hazardous trying to back out of a parking spot, especially if you lack the skill to back into one.

If you look on YouTube at trainerjames2013 he explains why some pull in instead of backing

Thanks for the video. Trainerjames makes some good points. My only concern would be that many, if not most, truck stops do not have the space he had to back straight out of the spot. I guess it depends on the situation.