Profile For September I.

Hello everyone,

So last week I finally got my CDL, and I am waiting on a trainer to take me out on the road. I'm really excited but I am also sort of nervous. I have been in a vehicle before for 10+ hours but the longest I have ever really driven is about 4 hours with a break here and there. some I am curious, about how long did it take everyone to get used to driving long hours? What are your suggestions for getting better at distances and how often do you make a stop to stretch out? I want to do a good job, but im also worried about not being physically/mentally able to go 10+ hours a day just yet. That and I don't want to risk hurting anyone on the road.

I want to thank you in advance for any tips and suggestions you have encase I forget to reply!

S.I

I just came out of driving school myself. As a graduate I can only really tell you how I learned.

I did go to school on a better yard and trucks, but something my instructors always said was the people who learn on your kind of yard have it a lot harder. Your advantage though is when you you learn in those difficult situations you are going to come out a lot better then the people that kinda got spoiled "like me". For us we had REALLY small yard length, so we had to do our backs in difficult tight squeezes, the benefit to that for us was we can get into tighter spaces now. You will be able to handle a newer truck much better then I will probably. I still grind gears on the ok trucks.

My first suggestion is NEVER give up. Straight back is the first thing you want to learn. Perfect it before going anywhere else. It is the start of or ending of all types of backs. Without it you will be all over the place. Believe it or not it took me and another person almost 3 weeks to get offset backing. I know the other person thought of giving up, but we both have CDL's now. Our instructors did a lot of the same things yours do, on the phone all day and not really watching. I can't tell you how many times I wish I had a whistle to get their attention. However, because they did that we became self sufficient and eventually made it our own.

My second suggestion is too really look at the people who are getting it. Watch their backs, ride with them if you can, take snip bits on how they do it and make it your own. Find the method that works for you, not anyone else! That was the hardest lesson I had to figure out. I let elder students run me over and made me step back a few days in progress.

Third, look up videos if you are visual learner. I looked up a lot of videos from reputable schools and watched their tips and tricks to figure out the best way to do each back. Do Ariel views too it helps. If you have a phone or something, down load a good simi trucking game with the general physics of backing and use that as a way to get a feel of the way you need to back.

Fourth, as my instructors would tell me all the time, "GET OUT OF CAR MODE!" make sure you always start your backs with "truck mode" in mind. Left to go right, right to go left. Offset was a pain because I would revert to car mode and go the wrong way.

You will get it, don't give up on it. Use your situation and take its disadvantages and turn it into your advantages.