I Might Be Done With Truck Driving

Rainy said:

... distamce was or hiw to sustain it. ...

... and there's no crying in trucking...

A'int no previewing either!

I'm going back to bed now. I shouldn't be driving if I can't type lol

Even if someone is spotting me, I still GOAL because I need to understand what is going on with the trailer, and ultimately, if I hit something, it would be my responsibility.

Great "Best Practice". I do the same. I need to get a clear picture in my head of where I want to go and what's back there.

And when someone is spotting you, it's not always certain they know what they're doing. I remember a forklift driver waving my trainer on right into a piece of steel on a job site once. Always better to GOAL.

From Rainy:

I used to get so frustrated cause GOAL didn't help.me. I could see where the trailer needed to go, but how to get it there was beyond me.

Honestly this is one of my worries. GOAL will let me see where everything is, but it's a static view. I worry the GOAL won't help me figure out what I have to do with my maneuver because not seeing the trailer IN MOTION won't help me understand the overall curve it's actually taking. But I guess i'll just have to practice and get better like everyone else!

I worry the GOAL won't help me figure out what I have to do with my maneuver

Oh there's no need to worry about that. You can pretty much count on that in fact. Getting out to look isn't necessarily to help you understand the situation better and figure out what to do next. It's simply to make sure you're aware of whether or not you're going to hit something. That's it. Don't assume you're heading on the right trajectory and that you're not going to run into something. Get out and look to make sure.

Even someone without any coaching nor any backing skills can eventually figure out how to get a rig backed into a spot without hitting anything. It might take two hours and they might have to get out and look 300 times but eventually they'll get it in there.

Truth is, getting out to look will often times help you understand the situation better. But it's mostly just to make sure you're not about to hit anything.

And when someone is spotting you, it's not always certain they know what they're doing. I remember a forklift driver waving my trainer on right into a piece of steel on a job site once. Always better to GOAL.

This past summer I was backing my 30 foot camper into a bit of a tight spot and another person camping nearby offered to help. I thanked him profusely but said I had driven rigs for a long time and that I'd be better off just doing it myself. I went over to him afterward to explain that after all those years of backing I have my own ways of doing things and there's no way he could know for sure what strategy I'd like to use or what I would need to know in order for him to help. I certainly was grateful for the offer and wanted to make sure he understood I wasn't just being a jerk.

But truth be told, I never liked having a spotter. I'm more comfortable doing it myself. It might take an extra minute or two to get out and look a few times, but it also eliminates the possibility that someone else will steer you wrong. You often times wind up with more trouble and confusion trying to work out signals and read minds than you do just figuring it out yourself.

Two cups of coffee and waiting to run...quick drawl McTrucker.

And a MASSAGE from his DM!

Backing, for me, has gotten much easier. Maybe coming from a Physics teacher background has helped me to understand how my actions affect what the rear end of my trailer is going to do....I don't know. GOAL helps me to visualize what needs to be done as far as trajectory is concerned, but the most important thing for me has been to learn to set up in such a way that I can clearly see at least one rear corner of the trailer and the opening of the spot I need to get into. I am getting much, much better at alley docking where I can hang my head out of my window to watch my rear end. LOL So far, the longest it has taken me to get into a tight spot was 45 minutes. Last really tight place took me 30.

One problem that hindered me when I first started was worrying about holding other people up. Now I don't let it bother me. They aren't the one responsible for me damaging my equipment if I try to rush. So far, I haven't hit anything!

One problem that hindered me when I first started was worrying about holding other people up. Now I don't let it bother me. They aren't the one responsible for me damaging my equipment if I try to rush. So far, I haven't hit anything!

DITTO that!

Kat said:

GOAL helps me to visualize what needs to be done as far as trajectory is concerned, but the most important thing for me has been to learn to set up in such a way that I can clearly see at least one rear corner of the trailer and the opening of the spot I need to get into.

This is my strategy too. I usually GOAL at least once, but my goal (no pun intended) is to set up in such a way that I don't need to GOAL but do it anyway. Really makes backing easier and safer in my opinion.