I have found as time has passed and I gain more experience backing into docks or between trucks, the better I have become. It will come to you.
I thought I'd give an update since I made Nervous Backing At Truck Stops.
Well it's been about a month now and since then I have forced myself to park at truck stops, as I'll never get better without doing it. I don't stay at rest areas to often anymore, unless its just more convenient mostly on those toll roads. I've been doing a lot better since creating that thread. I'm currently at a flying j in Joplin Missouri.
I've better planned my stopping places, I always try to park at the bigger truck stops with a lot of truck parking. I've even paid for parking a few times only because I was low on hours and couldn't go anywhere else without running over. Nonetheless, I'm not so nervous parking at truck stops as I was. I've had a few close calls with getting to close to trucks, but that's about it.
I totally get what you're saying. I have pulled in your truck stops when I'm running out of time and I will find a spot or two but I don't know if it's just because I'm exhausted or what the deal is but I just can't seem to get in. Other times I put it right in the slot. There are several apps I use to find parking one is truckers path and I have used that with great success to find little out-of-the-way places that I can park with little stress. It has a history of when the truck stops or parking areas are usually full. Another thing I do is 2 to 4 hours before I know I'm done driving I'll pull over and write down anywhere from 5 to 10 spots that I see on these apps and approximate where I'll be when it's time to call it a day. Takes a lot of the stress out of it. Trust me I understand brother how after a long day we have to deal with the idea of finding a spot to safely Park. Some parts of the country are much easier than others that's why I try to plan ahead.
That's awesome Jamie. Keep going after it and force yourself to get better. You're right - you'll never get better unless you work at it. In trucking you really don't want to shy away from challenges. They never stop coming. You're going to find yourself in uncomfortable situations all the time and that never changes. So the more often you operate outside of your comfort zone, the more comfortable you'll get with being uncomfortable. Odd statement, right? I know, but it's true.
You want to keep improving your knowledge and your skills. Trucking is one of those things that you really need a lot of experience to become great at it. Never stop looking for opportunities to do things better, or do them in new ways, or looking for new angles on old ideas. It's the drivers who can find creative solutions to common problems that really excel at trucking.
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I thought I'd give an update since I made Nervous Backing At Truck Stops.
Well it's been about a month now and since then I have forced myself to park at truck stops, as I'll never get better without doing it. I don't stay at rest areas to often anymore, unless its just more convenient mostly on those toll roads. I've been doing a lot better since creating that thread. I'm currently at a flying j in Joplin Missouri.
I've better planned my stopping places, I always try to park at the bigger truck stops with a lot of truck parking. I've even paid for parking a few times only because I was low on hours and couldn't go anywhere else without running over. Nonetheless, I'm not so nervous parking at truck stops as I was. I've had a few close calls with getting to close to trucks, but that's about it.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.