Profile For Spaceman Spiff

Yeah man.

The backing is such a concern for that period and then you just find yourself practicing it in your head more than anything. Until I understood why exactly the fundamentals work on a vehicle this size, I had kept backing it like a car.

Things like, when you don't have a good line up on the alley dock or you're unsure about the blind area in a offset maneuver are hard to get written help with for some folks like me who need hands on learning.

Best advice...read some of the recent pages from Turtles last student. Dude bipped and bopped some lines and still passed backing. Just consider the statistics of how many folks got their CDL doing the same requirements. Bull your head through the challenge with the confidence of affirmation.

I suck at backing still but I know when I get to a truck stop with 2 min on the clock and I need to stay for the break, I'm gonna take any spot available. Just knowing I HAVE to do it somehow makes me calm and focused.

During my few hours on the pad before my CDL test my trainer had to really get me figured on the alley dock. We never established hand signals so there would be lots of yelling back and forth and sometimes he would slip behind the trailer in my blind spot and a second later pop out frantically motioning something. Then he'd scream "what are you DOING?!!" and I'd scream back "what are YOU doing?!!" We would laugh, he would throw something at the cab, then we would try again.

Man, I wish I could help more. I know these are just feeble words and the test looms on the horizon as a much more real thing. You have two of three items knocked out sounds like and I want you to get the backing down without it playing games in your head.

Also helps to hopefully train and test on same equipment. I got nothing but closed axle loads on a 53 then tested on a spread axle 48. If you're going flatbed now or in the future , that first loaded trailer backing when the trailer wheels start binding and fighting back made me think I had hit something.

So what exactly is the backing issues? Just concerned or can't nail a maneuver specifically?

This may be some of the trainer purge in effect. That sucks man I am sorry. Hate to hear Prime represented that way. Just try to brush those two off, you can't possibly get three bad in a row.

Spotify or iheart radio and go to stand up comedy. So many comedians full shows. Boosts the happy chemicals no problem for me.

Eric, there's still the possibility they send him/you to another terminal like they did me and two others in a rental car. I understand what you're saying, but there is a number of changes going on in the company that may feel stressful on our end as drivers but is necessary for the company to do. Prime had a six month TNT phase at one point in the past I understand.

Let me just say this, for these few weeks of relative inconvenience, they will be a blip in your memory in no time. It's a hurdle you just have to mind while keeping the race going. Once you get that truck and your first load, there's no looking back.

Best of luck

Awesome job. I just got my 2018 last week too. I can absolutely relate the feeling. Completing my first week solo tomorrow, you'll love it out here.

I just GOALed twice not ten minutes ago on a 53 step deck for the last ten feet and meh, only ended up needing three of them.

Great golfers still use range finders. Expert contractors still use tape measures. Truckers use GOALs.

Kind of. I'm on my second solo load ever and it's five coils suicide. I was given a step deck out of the terminal (never got to grab one during training unfortunately) so I used the stake pocket count of 7 from the deck drop because my axles were spread.

Steers at 10800 Drives 31500 Rear combined 35500 ish

I looked at the center coil placement after counting to the stake pocket and ended up sliding it backwards away from the tractor about a foot, just seemed I would run out of room to chain the front coil cause I didn't see the diameter of the coil yet. He set it on and we went from there. Probably needed to leave that placement alone and my drives would have shouldered a bit more of the load.

I don't get why your steers are so heavy. What kind of truck and configuration is it again?

Obviously your student recognized me as Spaceman Spiff right?

We should start a thread just for meetup photos lol

i think i hold the overall record tho lol

A fine idea and yes I have no doubt you hold that record (for now).

Have there been any recent sightings of Todd?

Happy birthday at least!

I wasn't aware table manners were being evaluated, I could have at least put on my tuxedo t shirt.

Thanks to you both for adding to my impressive meeting rate of people from trucking truth. Old School, Rainy, Turtle, RealDiehl so far in a matter of weeks.

Who's next?

I'm gonna be hanging out in the little glass enclosed portion of the mess hall, playing on my phone. Tan pants, blue shirt grey hat, sunny disposition.

I've got a buddy with me who might join us. He's got three years with prime so not my level of rookieness but should add some additional points of view

I'm parked on the row closest to the chow hall entrance. I'm gonna just be hanging out checking this thread so y'all keep updating as you need to and I'll be ready when you arrive.

Oh my. I will certainly not forget to remind you of those edge protectors taking all that space up and adding unnecessary weight to your truck. I will happily assist you in removing them from your truck. Thank you.

Oh dang sounds perfect, I'm going to be here for sure. RD I won't make you wait til 1900 tho , we can meet up early and wait for Turtle

The angle of the picture doesn't allow conclusive evidence on whether the coil in fact was touching the deck or not

Stellar, hope to see you then