Talk About Nerve Wracking

Sorry I didn’t take pictures for you to see but I was so nervous I actually forgot. However, being a newbie at this, I was finally assigned our toughest delivery spot Friday.

It’s a place where you have to back into off the main highway. And it never fails that just as soon as you get twisted sideways in the road, traffic starts backing up making me even more nervous. Manage to get off the main road the first try and now you have to back about 150 yards all the way to the back of the building. However, you have cars parked on both sides of you the entire distance. You only have about a foot on either side to make small adjustments as you go back. Made it through this with no pull ups and then the dreaded last 20 yards. The last section is a small sight side twist into an immediate blind side twist. Sounds simple? No, because on your blind side is a drop off of about 80 feet straight down a hill. The driveway you are backing on is barely big enough for the tractor alone much less trying to twist around. Needless to say I took a GOAL to see how close my front end was from sliding over. Had about a foot to go. Nothing hit and nothing damaged. Might have been slow and ugly but I took that as a success. Hope I never go there again!

Congrats on not hitting anything, or backing off the cliff! Welcome to the real world, there, Brian.

Non-straight backing is not uncommon. With my trainer, I had to regularly do that: Starting in a parking lot, back around a set of yellow posts on the left side and cross a road while getting ready to avoid a fenced area on my right then back between dropped trailers to drop my own empty one. Par for the course. Next time you're in there it won't be so bad, for sure.

And it never fails that just as soon as you get twisted sideways in the road, traffic starts backing up making me even more nervous.

This is nearly the same self conscious feeling you get when you are backing in to a spot at a truck stop. You "know" CB channel 19 is full of more experienced drivers laughing at your backing up. Just remember you're a professional doing your job, and the only way to get to your delivery is to block the highway for a few minutes. No way out of that.

Kudos to you on that one. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Those are the situations you need to instill you with confidence in your ability to get the tough ones done safely.

Way to go!

Good job. I had a very similar experience in Omaha few months back.

Great job.

I’ll never forget the first time my trainer backed in off the street. He just pulled over to the left side right into opposing traffic, swing right right across the road, and backed in. Completely ignored the traffic.

It truly amazes me how companies scream, 'safety, safety, safety' but, we have to do silly crap like this.

Sooo, that being said, Good Job!

Absolutely Grumpy. You have to swerve and stategically block traffic (4 ways on) and just take control of the road. They'll just have to wait.

It truly amazes me how companies scream, 'safety, safety, safety' but, we have to do silly crap like this.

Sooo, that being said, Good Job!

I'd imagine most times they're just given an address and dont have the time to look each one up. Not every delivery can be to large distribution centers, it's up to us as professional drivers to do what it takes to get it done.

It truly amazes me how companies scream, 'safety, safety, safety' but, we have to do silly crap like this.

Sooo, that being said, Good Job!

I'd imagine most times they're just given an address and dont have the time to look each one up. Not every delivery can be to large distribution centers, it's up to us as professional drivers to do what it takes to get it done.

Companies are aware of the circumstances out here. They've heard it a million times from drivers over the years.

That's why I said, Good Job! because yes, we do definitely have to all exercise proffesionalism out here.

Be safe...