Profile For Jackie H.

I just earned my CDL on 2-23-17. One of the best days of my life. Spent 4 weeks at Southwest Truck Driver Training in Phoenix Az. Got a 100% on walk around. 100% on backing (straight, off side left and parallel) and only got 10 points on the driving test! Accomplished #1 on my bucket list. Feeling pretty proud of myself!

I too, would like to offer my Congratulations to you! Thank you for being here and sharing your knowledge.

Hi, I starting riding with my man like in Sept. 2012 with the hopes of learning to drive. I got my drivers permit shortly thereafter. My first driving experience was in a dirt lot. Just the tractor, no trailer. Boy, was that a hoot, let me tell ya. You have to learn to crawl before you can walk and then run. My man drives for our local lumber yard twice a week. So, my lessons are a bit at a time. I hope to have my CDL by summer. I have driven through mountains here, on the freeway and a bit in the city of Phoenix AZ. I still need fine tuning. Also, haven't done much backing up yet. As, far as learning to back up, he bought me a garden tractor with a steering wheel, so I can use that to begin to get the "hang" of backing up. He will put mirrors on it and get me a long tongued trailer to practice with. I will burn a lot less fuel that way. It's been frustrating at times. There is so much to learn. I love it. Just try it you might find you totally love it. Remember, you both need to bring all your patience and humor with you during your lessons. Enjoy the ride !

Tracy W. said "turn toward the problem". What exactly does that mean ? Please clarify.

When backing a trailer, everything is opposite.

So if I'm trying to back up as straight as possible and my trailer starts to move toward my right (passenger side) then I will turn the steering wheel to the right to make the trailer move back left.

So if the trailer is moving left (drivers side) then I will move the steering wheel left to make the trailer move back to the right.

Envision yourself on the drivers seat. All you have is 2 mirrors. One on your left and one on your right.

If you start perfectly even and and then you start to see more of the trailer on your right side mirror then that means the trailer is moving to the right (obviously). So if you turn the steering wheel to the right it will make the trailer move to the left. In this example, the "problem" was in the right mirror so we turned the steering wheel towards the "problem" to correct it.

Thanks for the awesome explanation. That's exactly what I was thinking it meant, but, of course wasn't sure.

Tracy W. said "turn toward the problem". What exactly does that mean ? Please clarify.

On the dashboard page of the training program, to the right of the page is..... # correct # questions What does this mean and how do I read this ? Thanks

I have my learners permit and really am curious how many hours of behind the wheel time students get before they are qualified enough to get their license? Also, I read about going out with a trainer. How long does that last and is that before or after you get your license? Thanks for your input.