How To Get The Right Mindset?

Thanks all for the replies as far as the "why" goes. I want to provide a better future and foundation for myself and future family (if I ever decide to have one that is). Also I can't land any job better than this and to tell you the truth since I have been driving I can't seem to work in a building anymore. Believe me I have tried in the 8 months I've been away from the industry. I guess for me anyway I don't know about others nothing really beats the open road and the freedom you get from trucking. In the 8 months I've been gone I went back to what I knew which was food and I felt like I was suffocating. That might just be me though.

Brandon M.; you say you're faithful so, if you don't already, carry a Bible or daily devotional with you. Reading Proverbs everyday (there are only 31, so it fits well into a month) has been helpful for me. Someone gave me a Jesus Calling book and I've carried it with me (and read it) every day for the past 8+ years. It doesn't make me perfect, but is a constant reminder of what matters.

Hang in there. Old School can tell you about Western Express; how good it can be. If they're giving you a chance, there's no reason you can't be another success story. I can't wait to read your success story!

Brandon it is not just you that enjoy this industry and don’t want to be inside a building or punching a clock everyday.

This proffession is as much a lifestyle as it is a profession. It’s not for everyone, but many of us enjoy it.

This is going to be off the topic but I would like advice on this as well. I do have 5 months experience so far but this is still something that I struggle with. Backing, I understand the general concept of it. What I mess up the most is the setup. Any time I mess up at backing and it's taking me a little bit to get it in the dock or a spot at a truck stop especially when people are waiting I start to get in my head. That wasn't always the case though. My second run as a solo driver that I had I was at a receiver in Arizona and the lot was a pretty small lot and there were trucks everywhere I was struggling to get in the dock. About 5 minutes had gone by and a driver who was waiting on me got out of his truck and came up to me as said I need to hurry up and get in there he had places to be. I apologized to him and let him know this was my second run solo. He said I don't care your holding up the line and went back to his truck. I eventually got it in there about 5 minutes later and he drove by flipping me the bird. After that is when I started getting in my head. So any tips about getting the set up right would be great. I'll be pulling dry van if that helps.

Brandon, I can't offer any advice on the backing because I'm new and struggle with it. But the mindset I have when doing anything, be it backing, turning, anything: if someone gets upset I'm taking too long, I just remind myself they'd be even more upset and delayed if I hit their truck, or crashed/rolled/whatever blocking the roadway for hours.

Back as fast and carefully as required for each situation, just don't hit anything. More than 75% of all preventable accidents happen while backing, so don't add to this statistic by being unnecessarily rushed by an outside influence. Take as much time as you need to safely accomplish the backing maneuver. Now if some know-it-all super trucker presses on being a jerk, go three times slower. I hate rude drivers, whether on the Interstate or in parking lots for a customer.

For the mindset it's all about having an appropriate outlet for stresses. My outlets are Christianity and rigorous exercise. As for the backing never be in a rush, I've never took my time and got into a pickle. But when I'm in a rush that's when trouble can happen.

We have to shift people out of this mindset of what a "successful" back up looks like as well.

If the trailer is where you intended it, your equipment is undamaged, the equipment next to you is undamaged, and the doc door is intact, I'd say that's a pretty successful backing job.

Yeah, it's pretty awesome to nail a blind side with one GOAL and one pull up, but that isn't realistic. Yes I can do that every time with cones in a closed lot, yippity skippity. That's not the reality of real life.

Take the time you need, to maneuver your truck and trailer in a manner that you can safely control.

My slow and steady mantra was confirmed the other night on I-80 in Wyoming. East bound. Just passed Eagle Mountain. Rain. Temps were dropping. I backed it off and slowed significantly. I was flipped off a total of 4 times in 30 minutes.

Less than 20 minutes later, we were all at a dead stop in the interstate , watching the roadway turn from steady rain to solid ice. We watched it happen.

Just under two hours later, two trucks went by on wreckers. Both of them were trucks that had flown past me with their bird flying high, and wrecked their tukuses into the ditch. Do not let someone else's impatience dictate how you drive your truck.

Yes, I curse a blue streak for a moment when something crazy stupid happens in front of me. I let it fly out. For me, holding it in is a recipe for me to blow up. Let the words fly, and I'm over it before the last word settles.

This is going to be off the topic but I would like advice on this as well. I do have 5 months experience so far but this is still something that I struggle with. Backing, I understand the general concept of it. What I mess up the most is the setup. Any time I mess up at backing and it's taking me a little bit to get it in the dock or a spot at a truck stop especially when people are waiting I start to get in my head. That wasn't always the case though. My second run as a solo driver that I had I was at a receiver in Arizona and the lot was a pretty small lot and there were trucks everywhere I was struggling to get in the dock. About 5 minutes had gone by and a driver who was waiting on me got out of his truck and came up to me as said I need to hurry up and get in there he had places to be. I apologized to him and let him know this was my second run solo. He said I don't care your holding up the line and went back to his truck. I eventually got it in there about 5 minutes later and he drove by flipping me the bird. After that is when I started getting in my head. So any tips about getting the set up right would be great. I'll be pulling dry van if that helps.

First off, don’t rush yourself or let anyone else rush you. I’m sure you already realize that if you rush it’s actually going to take you longer to successfully complete the maneuver so what’s the point?

Second I 1000% agree with NaeNae about what a successful back looks like. Don’t worry about that at all. I’ve done my fair share of backing in the short 5 years I’ve been out here—I was a yard jockey part time for close to a year and drove local during at the same time, and I’ve done local driving for about half of my career—so I’m definitely comfortable backing up. Unfortunately with my current gig I don’t really back much so my backing isn’t amazing right now and I don’t really care what it looks like so most days my backing doesn’t look as good as I would prefer. It just looks ok, but I’m fine with that because the point is to get it in the hole without hitting anything and I do that every single time.

When you set up focus on where the back of your trailer and have your trailer more or less pointed toward the spot or dock you’re backing into but leave yourself enough space to complete the maneuver. Also don’t be afraid to readjust if your initial setup isn’t practical. My current truck has stacks that make it really hard to see the back of my trailer out my window when I’m setting up (and my trailer is a tad short which doesn’t help) so my setups aren’t the greatest sometimes. No big deal, just re-setup or start backing up and pull-up…whatever works best and gives you the necessary visibility.

Third, get a toy tractor trailer and practice your setups with that. Really helps visualize what’s going on

Like Pianoman said, the set up is very important. How do you determine the right set up? You gotta get out there and practice, man.

Find a lot with open space and nobody watching. For my first year or so, I carried 2 small traffic cones with me. I would use the cones to designate a spot, then practice backing into it. 45 degree back, 90 degree back. The key is to establish “reference points” that make a successful set up “repeatable”. Setting up for a 45, for example, do you want to be 3’ out in front or 6’ out? Do you want to be one space ahead when you start your right turn, or do you want to be two spaces ahead? Each driver has their own criteria. The key is what works for you and what works for you is determined by practice.

In my memory, the most difficult backing situation I have ever encountered was at night, in the rain, and a very tight location all around me. It took me 5 different setups to finally punch it in. Probably an hour in elapsed time. Lucky for me, I wasn’t blocking anyone. But as NaeNae wisely pointed out, I got the job done without any damage to any thing. And just to say, about 20 GOALS.

Practice, practice, practice.