Can You Spot The Impostor?

Heavy C speaking my language:

That really is the key Jeremy. Set-up. If you get the setup right, any back can be "easy" or "smooth". You get that setup wrong and your gonna spend an hour trying to fix it. Knowing how to properly setup each individual back will come with time.

Totally 100% spot-on! Could not agree more.

G-Town in case your interested here's my personal YouTube channel. I uploaded a number of videos when I was with my last company Olympia Sports. I did this as a courtesy to the company to help new drivers navigate to stores. Some of them are pretty fun. Sorry no sound. The dash cams microphone was pretty terrible so I turned it off.

HeavyC's YouTube

That really is the key Jeremy. Set-up. If you get the setup right, any back can be "easy" or "smooth". You get that setup wrong and your gonna spend an hour trying to fix it. Knowing how to properly setup each individual back will come with time.

Ahhhhhh... Time. That thing that seems to take forever, lol. I don't seem to get as many opportunities as I'd like to practice right now on the trainers truck (ironic, huh?) but when me and my buddy finally team up in our own truck, we plan to practice whenever we can find the time and space.

My first load delivered to a Walmart distribution center in San Antonio. I pulled in and had to wait on a guy backing into what seemed like the only available spot, and he had to set up in a way the looked like he was jackknifing the rig to get it in. No pressure or anything! I found one and tried to get it in for something like an hour and a half. Finally a yard guy came along and seemed to take pity on me, and told me to drop it at the end of a row for him to take. That day felt like the first day of basic training at infantry school, where it's all screaming and pushups and holding everything you own over your head until your arms get numb, except it's a truck and I couldn't figure out the pivots and mechanics of that maneuver.

Since then I've pulled mostly doubles , but I did pull a tridem axle flatbed for a while and that thing can be a beast when you need to back it up with a load on it. If the pavement isn't pretty smooth and level, your trailer could react in undesirable ways and make a backing maneuver kind of frustrating if you don't have the luxury for a straight-in back.

My first load delivered to a Walmart distribution center in San Antonio. I pulled in and had to wait on a guy backing into what seemed like the only available spot, and he had to set up in a way the looked like he was jackknifing the rig to get it in. No pressure or anything! I found one and tried to get it in for something like an hour and a half. Finally a yard guy came along and seemed to take pity on me, and told me to drop it at the end of a row for him to take. That day felt like the first day of basic training at infantry school, where it's all screaming and pushups and holding everything you own over your head until your arms get numb, except it's a truck and I couldn't figure out the pivots and mechanics of that maneuver.

Since then I've pulled mostly doubles , but I did pull a tridem axle flatbed for a while and that thing can be a beast when you need to back it up with a load on it. If the pavement isn't pretty smooth and level, your trailer could react in undesirable ways and make a backing maneuver kind of frustrating if you don't have the luxury for a straight-in back.

Yikes! I feel like on every back I currently attempt. 😲

I thought about the doubles and triples endorsement when I first went for my CDL , but having no actual training with the things I passed on that idea.

Do you find turning or backing with doubles more interesting than a 53 footer?

My first load delivered to a Walmart distribution center in San Antonio. I pulled in and had to wait on a guy backing into what seemed like the only available spot, and he had to set up in a way the looked like he was jackknifing the rig to get it in. No pressure or anything! I found one and tried to get it in for something like an hour and a half. Finally a yard guy came along and seemed to take pity on me, and told me to drop it at the end of a row for him to take. That day felt like the first day of basic training at infantry school, where it's all screaming and pushups and holding everything you own over your head until your arms get numb, except it's a truck and I couldn't figure out the pivots and mechanics of that maneuver.

Since then I've pulled mostly doubles , but I did pull a tridem axle flatbed for a while and that thing can be a beast when you need to back it up with a load on it. If the pavement isn't pretty smooth and level, your trailer could react in undesirable ways and make a backing maneuver kind of frustrating if you don't have the luxury for a straight-in back.

Yikes! I feel like on every back I currently attempt. 😲

I thought about the doubles and triples endorsement when I first went for my CDL , but having no actual training with the things I passed on that idea.

Do you find turning or backing with doubles more interesting than a 53 footer?

I pulled double pup trailers with OD. So much fun and so easy. You generally don't back when you've got both hooked though.

G-Town in case your interested here's my personal YouTube channel. I uploaded a number of videos when I was with my last company Olympia Sports. I did this as a courtesy to the company to help new drivers navigate to stores. Some of them are pretty fun. Sorry no sound. The dash cams microphone was pretty terrible so I turned it off.

HeavyC's YouTube

Thanks. Been to many if the towns on your site;

Dixon City, Hazleton, and Paramus. Good stuff.

Jeremy wrote:

Ahhhhhh... Time. That thing that seems to take forever, lol. I don't seem to get as many opportunities as I'd like to practice right now on the trainers truck (ironic, huh?) but when me and my buddy finally team up in our own truck, we plan to practice whenever we can find the time and space.

“Time”...it will go fast. Just ask anyone through their first year, they’ll agree with that.

Practice whenever you can; right now the number one goal is to setup and back without hitting anything. You seem to have that aspect well under control. It’s a work in progress, and obviously you have progressed. Credit due! Props on that.

Efficiency will build over,...here is that word again; “time”.

Here's a question for ya....

Nope! Actually gonna start another thread on it. But certainly want your input, G-Town!

Work hard, be humble, give it everything you have, and appreciate those who are willing to help you out. Take pride in being the best you that you're capable of being and having the courage to get in the ring and fight the good fight. If the veterans tease you, laugh with them, because they're right - you do look silly. And hey, that's ok because you're doing all you can to get better and you will get better. It just all takes time. And that's ok too.

Wow, what a simple and respectful response. Man I love this site.