Comments By ironmike

Some examiners just want to see you double clutch one time so you get the credit and then after that you can do what you want. I would just learn it for your drive test because doing one thing consistently is safer than changing things up and risking making mistakes. Check out this you tube video. "Dootson school of trucking double clutching" by Phil. It's very good. Phil explains double clutching so well.

Do your backing skills as your school instructor has shown you. There are different ways to do the alley dock. Don't do this if your instructor has shown you another way.

Listen to your instructor!

The alley dock for the CDL is backing between cones. In real life it may be backing in between lines and up to a dock.

1. Get set up for the alley dock. The set up is as important as the back up. Usually you will be pulled forward and to the right and at a 90 degree angle to the cones. 2. Set the brakes. Adjust your seat to your liking. Look in your mirrors. Adjust your mirrors to your liking. Take 2 deep breaths. 3. Look out the drivers side window at the cones. For CDL this is always done on the sight side or the drivers side. No blind side. It's your choice if you want to look at the drivers mirror or to stretch a bit and look at the cones and the trailer tandems with your eyes. I prefer my eyes and then switch to the mirror when you get straight and it is easier to see. If you raise your butt off the seat and the examiner sees this then the examiner can say this counts as using one of your "get out and looks". In CALI you are allowed 2 "get out and looks" for the entire skills test. 4. Look out the window at the trailer tail or the trailer tandems. 5. As you look back and forth from the tandems or trailer tail to the cones, you want to establish a point 18 inches inside from the very first cone which is closest to you. This 18 inch mark is your target spot. You want to also establish a mental or imaginary line from the tandems going wide and curving to the 18 inch mark inside of the first cone. Keep this mental image. 6. Start going back slowly. You can stop as often as you wish. You can go as slow as you wish. If you get confused, STOP. Take a deep breath and look at the trailer. Ask yourself, Which way to I want the trailer to go? Then make the correction. Turn the wheel in the opposite way you wish the trailer to go. Take your time. Everyone can wait. Don't be in a rush like the four wheelers are. 7. GO SLOW. YOU CAN GO AS SLOW AS YOU WISH. THE SLOWER THE BETTER. IF YOU GO TOO FAST, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE AND MAKE CORRECTIONS AS NEEDED. 8. Go back and read #7. This ain't Nascar. 9. Start backing slowly, look at the cones and look at the tandems and keep looking back and forth at the cones and the tandems and at the mental or imaginary line you have which takes the trailer right into the 18 inch mark inside the first cone. 10. Make a slight right turn of the wheel and watch the trailer begin to go to the left. Then correct and turn the wheel to the left as needed to keep the angle small and yet you keep the trailer tandems following your mental or imaginary line. Go SLOW. Stop if Necessary. To stop, push the clutch in half way and then gently apply the service brake. Don't just apply the service brake without the clutch killing the motor. That can break the truck. .... You just go backwards and you make a little angle and then you correct that angle which is also called following the trailer. Keep doing this and follow the imaginary line so that the tractor and trailer are nearly straight before the trailer tail enters the first two cones. At this point it is just straight line backing in back usually to within three feet the last back cones. 11. If you get off your imaginary line and mess up, can you continue and correct? If not, you are allowed pull ups to correct but you will be limited as to how many. 12. Learn how the trailer turns and responds to the tractor. A shorter trailer turns quicker than a long 53 footer. 13. Keep the tractor and trailer as straight as possible. Try not to make big angles. Don't jackknife if you can help it. 14. In general backing a tractor and trailer, you should be aware of these three things. 1. The angle of your front wheels. 2. The angle of your tractor to your trailer. 3. The condition of your trailer. Is it straight? Is it where you want it to be? For further learning material, check out "tractor trailer backing skills" part 3 and part 4 by Jimmy Cox.

I hope this helps.

The Denver pilot is the worst of the worst. It's all blind side and full. There are a lot of scams going on there. It is so crowded there you will get stuck. It reminds me of the song HOTEL CALIFORNIA, "you can come in any time you like, but you can never leave". The only good about that place is the fuel price and the exit. The woman on the CB radio in the blue beacon in the back was an angel helping direct traffic and referee fights. I would plan on heading East on the 70 to shut down at the flying j or the loves if possible. This is from my own personal experience there.

The CB with upper and lower ssb has 12 watts of transmit power while an AM CB radio has 4 watts. The upper and lower channels offer more places to go to talk with a little more range or distance. Cobra is not the only one worth buying. Uniden makes a good one and there are others. The cobra 29 is the most popular and it fits the space above the driver in the freightliner. The 40 channel AM radio is all you need in trucking. I like how some of the receiver's and Walmart DC's will use channel 5 to call you when they are ready for you.

I actually long for the days of cb...but then I'm old...lol I'll probably get one when I get my truck and then realize it was a waste of money..ha! A couple of questions though...is there a purpose to getting one with the upper and lower side bands? And is Cobra really the only brand worth getting? Thanks and God Speed!

Hey Sambo. First thing I would have thought of would be, can I make it to the Costco in the 2 hours and just shut down at Costco? Not sure about the Costco in WA. In Montana it's wide open spaces and I shut down right there just outside the dock and they were cool with that. I completely understand the stress of trying to get to shut down and maybe only make it by minutes. Truck stops tend to fill up in the evenings. Drive safe.

Pilot in Perry, Utah. I think at exit 362. Beautiful setting and scenery. It is a great place to shut down. It doesn't feel hectic at all. Good fuel prices not usually crowded. Good DQ restraunt. I like the gift shop and the selection and the prices on the beef jerky. There is an odd type of criss cross past the exit going over the highway which always makes me wonder what the highway engineers where thinking when they planned it.

I have a Coleman. I purchased it at Walmart $88.00 and it works well. I used the igloo for a while and it worked well too. 2 or 3 years ago there was a problem with the manufacturers power plug getting hot and melting. It wasn't substantial to handle the 10 amps so the fix was to replace it with a 12 volt plug that would handle the load. If your plug is running hot, you might want to consider replacing the plug. Another tip on using this type of cooler is to place it in front on the seat or floor if it will fit and let it get its air intake from the front window which is cooler than in the back inside the cabinet. The way it works is that it cools to 40 degrees F. cooler than the ambient air temperature so the window air should be a bit cooler in a back cabinet. My only concern was battery drain if I were to sit too long.

There is a better way... Have two (2) keys. one mentor introduced me to a method. Leave one key in the ignition and keep one key permanently on your belt.

Here is another number to call. Contact Lizanne Luke Driver Recruiter 623 907 7283 or email Lizanne_Luke@swifttrans.com Lizanne comunicates very well. You can leave her a message or send email and she will respond. Best of luck to you. Swift is a great place to start.

CJ, I believe you need to find the power connection. Look for the two binding posts. One is red for the hot and one is black for the ground. The binding posts are usually located close to where the radio will sit. Your radio should have a 3 pin power plug of its own to use. Most trucks do not have as a stock set up item the CB power plug. Also be sure your power plug has an in line fuse to protect your radio. You can buy a plug at a cb shop. You would unscrew the plastic and insert the wire into the hole in the metal post and tighten the plastic nut back on the post with the wire connected... I drove an older 660 at Swift and this is how it was set up. If there are no binding posts then you may have to become auto electrician and hunt for power. Find a good 12 volt source. It should exist somewhere, but I don't know since I haven't yet been in a 680. When you make the power connections, use metal crimps or wire nuts rather than just electrical tape. Hope this helps.