CFI At Crowder College

You will always miss shifts. Learning to recover helps. Also, always know which position your splitter is in. That instructor is great for you. He is the other truck honking at you or the car that just cut you off and slowed down and all the other crap we have to be ready for. Keep up the good work.

Big Scott. I wasn't having an issue with the splitter. This particular instructor was wanting us to down shift when our rpms were between 1000-1200 rpms and rev up to 1300-1500, then shift. He also wanted us to start in 5 gear at a full stop. All last week and up to today, I was told to start in third gear at a full stop; when downshifting, slow rpms to 800-1000 and rev to 1100-1300, then downshift. It was just messing me up.

You will always miss shifts. Learning to recover helps. Also, always know which position your splitter is in. That instructor is great for you. He is the other truck honking at you or the car that just cut you off and slowed down and all the other crap we have to be ready for. Keep up the good work.

Yes 5th is too high to start IMO. as you gain experience, you wo t need to rev as high because your hands and feet will be better timed. now your hand is probably slow so it allows the rpm time to drop by the time you get it in gear.

but OMG!!! you werent born shifting??? Really???? Or do You think you are soooooo special that you can just skip the learning and be an A+ shifter????

Im shocked. you need time to develop skills. who would have thunk it? lol

just try to ignore and relax. if you stall, put the hazards on and restart. no one around knows you are new. they could think you have engine problems. just breathe and recover. this is one of the reasons i could not go to a local a school. some other student would be laughing at me and my jersey would come out....it wouldnt be pretty lol

Don you are living one of the primary issues with most forms of hands-on training; consistency!

I totally agree with Rainy, 5th is too high. Not suggesting to confront the trainer, but considering you are learning, for I'd love to hear them justify the merit of doing that.

5/10/18, Day 9. Our day started off with range time to be tested out on our drivers side parallel. Most of us passed. I got dinged for two pullups, but I got it in the box. Then we practiced both blind-side and drivers-side parallel until lunch.

After lunch, we started learning offsets. Who was the instructor? Well, the same who graded my road test yesterday. I listened to his teaching and the pointers he gave us. I was goining to prove myself to him that I am better than our first interaction yesserday, and I did. He stated my "backing skills are very good", but then had to throw in some comments about yesterday. I kept quiet and stuck to him like glue. His teaching style was angering some of my classmates, so I wasn't imagining anything yesterday. They went and sat under the shelter and were not practicing their offsets, which irritated the instructor.

The lone female in our class drove the truck back with the instructor, rwo other students and myself. While she was grinding gears repeatedly, the instructor kept looking over at her but said nary a word. That irritated me, but I kept my mouth shut. The other two students in the truck (who were also with me yesterday during his rant) looked over at me like "what the heck? I just shrugged my shoulder like "I see it too."

All said, a good day. Tomorrow, we have mid-terms and our first pre-trip evaluation/score.

Sounds like you're progressing well. And you did right not to let that instructor get under your skin. Good luck.

Great people management skills, Don. I know you don't need to be told that, but it bears saying if only for others that will read this later down the road.

Minus the instructor, are you finding the parallels challenging or are you comfortable with them by now? I ask because, even though people's experiences are relative, I guess I'm just looking for some point to look forward to where I might be just comfortable enough to focus on the actual mechanics of what I'm doing instead of being overwhelmed by the simple fact that I'm doing them.

Wordy question, but I hope you know what I'm trying to ask.

Safe travels, brother!

Good Morning

Good posts Don. Since I am not in school yet, whenever someone talks about a parking maneuver, I YouTube it. Most of the time I can find a very informative video like I did with parallel parking a 18 wheeler. Happy Friday.

Be safe

Jeremy, for myself he parallels and offset are about your set-up and using the crossbar to assist your set-up. Then it is steering wheel control to nudge the trailer where to go. The hardest part for me was remembering which way to turn the steering wheel during each phase of backing.

Great to see your progress updates, Don.