Yes, lots of younger drivers from the driving schools are unable to drive a manual. In my state it’s even one of the endorsements that come with a cdl either manual and automatic or automatic only. There is a push underway to eliminate manual transmissions in the transportation industry completely.
Found a decent yootoob demonstration of the arm through the wheel shifts:
OK so today was my first day driving with a trailer. No road driving - just backing up. I hate it. It’s a bitch. Every time I try to turn the wheel to get the back of the trailer moving where it needs to go, and then straighten up so that the cab is straight with the trailer, I wind up overcorrecting when I turn the wheel back in the other direction. It took me all goddamn day to just be able to back the trailer in a straight line.
I’ve been nailing the pre-trip inspection. I was able to back the tractor with no trailer into all 3 of the areas that are on the skills test. And I am fairly competent at shifting the tractor and driving it on the road with no trailer. So now I’m starting to worry that it’s going to take too much time to learn to use the trailer properly - time that I have to pay for, since my instructor is not doing this for free. Wondering if I should just cut my losses and go get the class B license so I can get to work, rather than putting in more time trying to master the trailer.
I’m not giving up just yet. I’ve told myself that if after four more days of lessons, I still can’t back the trailer properly, I’m just going to cut my losses.
If anyone has tips on backing a trailer, now would be the time. I have absolutely ZERO doubt that if I had a large empty lot, and a truck and trailer of my own, I could eventually teach myself to do this. ZERO doubt. It’s just a matter of trial-and-error. But I do not have those things and I do not have unlimited time.
If I were to borrow a large trailer, like a camper or horse trailer, from someone, and hitch it to my 4Runner and practice backing it, would that translate to building skills with the semi trailer? Because that’s something I could do for free on my own time. Are the basic kinetic principles the same, to the point where the muscle memory and mental focus of turning the wheel to steer the trailer could help me when I get in the truck, thereby cutting down on the amount of hesitation, starting and stopping, and re-positioning that eat up time and therefore money during my CDL training?
Both yes and no.
If you have absolutely no skills or experience backing any sort of trailer, then yes, it will help you learn the basic skills and principles of backing a trailer. The basic principles of trailer backing don’t change with size. However if you already know how to back a trailer, then maybe, but probably not.
Ball hitch is different from pintle is different from 5th wheel on how things move. Single axle is different from tandem axle. The bigger the vehicle and trailer, the longer it takes in both time and distance for the trailer to react to your input.
So yeah, there are a lot of things that affect moving a trailer, and you have to adjust your actions fir them,but the basic principles and skills remain the same no matter what
The most useful thing I was taught was ti do it with only one hand on the wheel, making sure the steers are dead center straight put your hand center bottom of the wheel and never move it until your done. That way you know where center straight is without and how much turn you have going without having to look
From my experience in hauling a pea combine behind a tractor and the limited backing I had to do in that job, I think it would mostly translate. For me the hardest part was remembering that the trailer goes the ‘wrong’ way, and that is true no matter what you are driving.
If you can back the 4-runner, I think the semi might actually be easier. I know I was a lot more comfortable backing the combine then the few times later I was backing up a pop-up camper with a station wagon/automatic transmission. I thought the clutch on the tractor gave me more control.
The other issue would be visibility - if the ‘large trailer’ is large enough that you can’t see around it any better than the semi-trailer, you should be good.
ETA: Vader got in - a real trucker’s advice is of course better.
…how have I lived this long without knowing this trick??:eek:
According my sister (a trucker), as well as truckers I’ve seen trying to back up their travel trailers at state campgrounds, smaller trailers are a lot more difficult to back up than larger trailers.
I can drive and operate most any kind of truck or piece of heavy equipment, but having to back up a trailer is why I own a motor home.
Alright it’s official, I’m through with the trailer. I have an opportunity to get to work with the Class B so I’m just gonna focus on that for the time being. I’m sure that with enough time, I’d master the trailer skills, but I’m just gonna fold that hand for now.
I’m going to keep hitting the inspection and the backing tests with the tractor. I can focus on nailing those down to the T, and save myself some aggravation with the trailer. It’s simply a better use of my time and money to take this path. I’ve already built up solid skills shifting the 10 speed transmission, using the brakes smoothly, and maneuvering the tractor. I’d rather just hone those skills than dedicate more time and frustration to trailer backing.
It was, after all, my original plan. I don’t NEED to do OTR. There are plenty of jobs driving straight trucks.
No, I didn’t throw up my hands in frustration during the training and angrily declare this to my instructor or anything, I just spent a little time thinking about it and came to the conclusion that it’d be a more efficient approach. So…that’s that.
Good job. I’ve seen several folks go through the trouble and expense of getting a class a cdl and then not doing anything with it because they decided they didn’t really like driving something that big, or just quitting completely halfway through because they weren’t getting (usually) backing a trailer as quickly as they thought they should be.
It’s good you thought it through and came to a logical conclusion that works positively for you in getting a cdl. I’m glad you did.
Since you are learning to drive that truck to earn money, does that make you a bad mammon trucker …
I don’t think the pastor can complain about that one too much.
Class B is still a respectable achievement! The biggest, best skill you have acquired is SHIFTING. You can drive any-damned-thing, now.
Trailer backing is waiting in the wings whenever you are ready for it. It’s a good life skill to have, but world won’t fall apart if if you don’t have it.
Take your new job, and enjoy the hell out of it. These are hard times, and you lucked out. Congrats!
~VOW
Update for anyone who cares: took the test for Class B Manual CDL today and passed it. After being told by many Class B truck drivers that it took them multiple attempts, I feel pretty good about myself, and also feel like I out-hustled the testing place by passing it on the first go because I’ve been told they deliberately try to fail you to get your money on multiple attempts.
The instructor waved off roughly 50% of the items I started to point out on the pretrip inspection, saying “don’t worry about that”. I swear I must have been cut off 20 times. All he really seemed to care about was the lights, the oil dipstick, the coolant reservoir, the air compressor, the alternator, the steering rod and linkage, the air brakes, the leaf springs/mounts, and the tires. “The radiator is securely” - “don’t worry about it.” “The intake hose is” - “don’t worry about it”. “The fuel filter is” - “don’t worry about it.” The fan blades, the radiator hoses, the turbocharger, the cables securing the hood, and a number of other things, he dismissed as unimportant. I’m still glad I memorized more than I needed to.
The air pressure system test, which so many people told me was the biggest thing that causes people to fail, I made sure to practice the hell out of that, so I had no problem with it and passed.
The skill test was simple and relatively easy. Backing up straight into a lane of cones; backing up offset into a lane of cones, and parallel parking into a section of cones. The parallel parking threw me off a little because they made me take the test in a flatbed truck that was longer than either the dump truck or the semi truck that I had practiced in. I encroached on a line during the parallel parking, losing 2 points out of a total of 13. But it was easily corrected by pulling forward and trying again.
The road test was easy once I got a feel for how much travel the pedals had. The first couple of minutes I was slow shifting up through the gears to road speed, but I quickly figured out exactly how far I needed to push the pedal down to get the RPMs where I needed them to be. I had one downshift coming up on a stoplight that could have been smoother, but other than that my shifting was good. Made sure to watch the traffic lights far in advance so as to not run a yellow (which I was told could fail you if it turns red) and made sure to not shift while going over a railroad crossing. Fairly straightforward, even with the long flatbed which I was not accustomed to driving. Wearing a mask while doing all this was a bit of a distracting factor but I managed anyhow.
Now I feel a great sense of relief, and I can start looking for jobs…several dump truck places told me they’d hire me, months ago, after I got the license, and I was also offered a job delivering power tools and equipment by the place I rented a dump truck to practice with, when I told them I was using it to practice for the test. I’m looking forward to being able to have a second income stream doing work that doesn’t require close proximity to anyone else.
Congratulations!
StG
Good Job Lamoral.
“After the fact pro-tip”, all those “don’t worry about its” on the pretrip, he would have failed you for missing them. You didn’t memorize too much, he just wanted to save a little time. So as soon as you indicated a specific check, he knew that you know what you’re about and aren’t forgetting anything. So, ya dun gūd an now yer a truckin sump itch, welcum ter der fol brudda😉
I’m so proud of you! Consider me to be a proud virtual parent!
As for the stuff the examiner supposedly skipped, you simply sounded like you knew what you were talking about. You said the air pressure test was the rumored “hard part” of the test. When you handled that like a pro, the examiner knew this would be a passing grade.
As for the theory that folks are failed to collect more money, I hope you realize that’s bull 
That is sour grapes from people who got a fifteen-minute lesson in the parking lot of a truck stop for a six pack of beer.
Congratulations and safe travels always!
~VOW
Update for anyone who cares: tomorrow I start my job driving a tri-axle dump truck, hauling bulk materials for construction. The truck will be a Mack with an Eaton 8-speed transmission, which should be no problem after driving the 10-speed. I was told there will be a training period of about two weeks where i will have to ride/drive along with another driver for a while to get a grasp on the job duties, before driving solo. I told the owner when I spoke to him on the phone that I was pretty serious about wearing masks and staying safe from COVID, and he said he respected that but added that most of his drivers don’t wear masks. So…that’s kind of put a damper on my enthusiasm for the job, but I have a pack of ten N95 respirators, and it’s not yet cold enough that we can’t drive with the windows down, so between those two things I should be OK even if I can’t talk whatever driver I’m riding with to put on a mask of his own. (!) It’s unnerving to even have to consider this scenario, but these are the times we live in and I need the job.
Congratulations on putting your skills to use. I think a two week ride-along period would be a good thing, since you have little practical experience.
StG
Party-party-party!
Congrats on the new job!
These are extrordinarily tough times. Yet you searched out an opportunity and went after it…and successfully!
You are deserving of all the accolades!
~VOW