Profile For Eugene K.

You’re also right that I shouldn’t get a CB, because while out on the road with my trainers I heard some of the most appallingly racist language I’ve ever heard thrown around casually as jokes. I know better than to repeat it here.

If that’s the kind of talk that’s considered appropriate workplace language, that’s another strike against the professionalism argument. What passes for normal chatter in trucking would end up in litigation where I come from.

Quite frankly Bird, you’re way off base here. You know nothing of my background and experience and are basing an opinion off one comment, which in itself was the height of unprofessionalism. Maybe I’m not as rough and tumble as a bunch of truck drivers, but I come from a luxury retail background where that blue collar “tell it like it is” mentality is considered low class. I delivered an appropriately low class response.

For the record, I was personally held up by the leadership in the training program as a model of professionalism for the other students to emulate, almost to the point of embarrassment. For three months I received nothing but praise and accolades for my work ethic and professionalism, and responded with blushing and humility for the recognition. Professionalism has nothing to do with this week: it’s simply that my backing was that poor. I was a nationwide leader in my industry that I voluntarily left to give this a try, and I didn’t get that way by being unprofessional. I didn’t handle multi-million dollar accounts by being unprofessional. It looks as if I have to return to this industry now, so if you want to learn something about professionalism I’ll be glad to invite you to my office to teach you.

That’s the plan! And I’m pretty confident that will be the end result. Whatever extra time I’ve given I will make sure isn’t wasted.

Anyways that’s enough for tonight all! Will update you tomorrow. Best case scenario is I’m out there practicing my backing by afternoon and getting better at it.

I go excruciatingly slow while I’m backing, which is why it takes me anywhere from 45 minutes to over an hour lately before I realize I can’t do it.

It’s really not that hard: set up at an angle. Hard right to put a sharp angle on it, straighten out to slow it down, hard left to put a soft angle on it. Soft right and soft left to accordingly adjust the angle less sharply. Tractor pushes the trailer in like a shopping cart. Don’t watch the back of the trailer; watch the tandems. When the tires start to creep, that’s when you adjust the steering wheel. Look out the window if you need to. Pull up and adjust as needed.

I’ve watched every video and been shown every pointer there is. I’ve been shown how to set up for a 45 degree back, SEVEN different ways. I’ve been taught a formula, and told there is no formula. I have executed the world’s most impossible backs on a one-shot, and yet failed to get it in with six empty spaces in a row and all the room in the world to pull up.

To be honest, it’s a coin toss whether I will successfully back. It’s just a “let’s see if he does it.” Apparently these odds are not acceptable to Wilson logistics.

All this may be true, but I don’t want to be sent home. I want to stay and work for THIS company. I am going to make the case that I deserve another chance and that I have what it takes to succeed.

Thanks DoctorWho, but I passed the CDL exam months ago.

It’s a matter of staying employed at this point.

Thanks Steve!

I had a successful sales management career for 15 years, so I can definitely tell people what they want and need to hear.

I just need to make sure I apply a healthy dose of humility 😂

I will choose my words carefully! At the end of the day, this is an opportunity I am grateful for and hope I still have.

Oh I’m not willing to give up at all.

If they try to send me packing, I’m going to fight tooth and nail. I don’t see how I’m giving the impression that I’m quitting. They are the ones who are giving the impression they are done with me.

John, I’ve struggled with my backing from the start, but eventually came to the acceptance that I would continue to struggle with it and would eventually get it.

The general consensus on the site seems to be that everyone is terrible at backing for a very long time, but eventually gets it, and not to worry.

Suddenly, my “titanic” moment occurs, and I struggle with backing quite visibly under everyone’s watchful eye during the final exam week. All of my successful backs seem not to matter, and all the advice on this site about not worrying and taking all the time I need so long as I don’t hit anything, seems to be wrong.

I haven’t hit anything, and get out and look obsessively. I just take too long, then ask for help. And now I’m at risk of not completing the program. I’m not blaming anyone but myself since I’m the one who can’t perform, but I do feel a bit misled as no one ever told me taking too long was unacceptable until now. Neither from Wilson nor from anybody on this site.

Thanks Xnihilo. The problem is that the calls for help have been made and can’t be undone. The conversations that have been had cannot be unspoken.

Had I simply kept my mouth shut and not made a call to ask for help (imagine that, a student asking for help...), I probably would have eventually gotten it in there, whether it took me another hour or not. The problem—and these are their words, not mine—is that 1 hour to back isn’t acceptable. 45 minutes to back is not acceptable. Hell, 30 minutes to back isn’t acceptable, if I’m at a vendor like Wal-Mart or Costco (their words, and major customers of ours). I don’t have unlimited time to figure it out, and time has run out. This is the “final exam,” as they repeated ad nauseam today.

I’ll repeat myself: calling to ask for help may have been a career-killing mistake. If I’m given another chance, it’s one I won’t make again. We will find out tomorrow.