[Drew10]

The point was in the "titling" of the post, and then answering your own question at the end of the OP. HWD, you even said that when starting out you had difficulty backing. Do you not afford the same thoughts toward others starting out.
Your description of the roadway is even "worse", more detailed, than I imagined from your OP.
Regarding doing a u turn in a 50' entrance, which I never suggested, but others have. This didnt even cross my mind as a possible way of turning around. To much truck not enough real estate, and the addition of 60' area of gravel past the entrance (added in your post of greater detail) also eliminates going inside the work site to do the u turn.

So now my question would be.....What is the point of this thread.
-To show how poor our "newbie" drivers are being taught? As suggested by your title.
unlikely since you self admitted to having "difficulty backing" when you were new and starting out
or
-To show you good deed for the day by following the driver then coming to his rescue and bailing him out of a difficult situation?
If so. then kudos to you. But...Im having my doubts on this one as well, because your titling of the post indicates otherwise.

[Drew10]

Originally Posted by HWD

I didn't question his backing skills. I judge no one. He was frazzled, he verbally indicated he was nervous, and I offered to help. He accepted.

Simple as that.

HWD...You did question his backing skills. In the title of the thread.
"Can drivers back anymore?" and you did judge him by the company he drives for.

He indicated that he hadn't been driving long. It was a company truck belonging to a large OTR carrier.

This is indicating a lack of quality training by the Large OTR carriers. Particularly in the backing skills.

[Malaki86]

I'll tell ya what. I just witnessed a Swift driver backing into a *VERY* tight spot at the T/A I'm sitting in. There's a couple trucks parked where they shouldn't be, making it all that much harder. He got the truck into the spot on his first try. No pullups, no adjustments, nothing. He set up his truck correctly and put it in the spot like a pro.

[Roadhog]

That is probably one of our CAD Swifty's. 8)
You should say howdy...and find out if it's Matcat....or [ insert name here ]

[Double R]

Originally Posted by Malaki86

I'll tell ya what. I just witnessed a Swift driver backing into a *VERY* tight spot at the T/A I'm sitting in. There's a couple trucks parked where they shouldn't be, making it all that much harder. He got the truck into the spot on his first try. No pullups, no adjustments, nothing. He set up his truck correctly and put it in the spot like a pro.

Must be at the T/A in Bloomsbury,NJ :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[HWD]

Originally Posted by Drew10

-To show you good deed for the day by following the driver then coming to his rescue and bailing him out of a difficult situation?
If so. then kudos to you. But...Im having my doubts on this one as well, because your titling of the post indicates otherwise.

That was the point. The guy was having trouble and I helped him. When I needed help back in the day, nobody judged me...they helped me.

I figured I would return the favor.

The title of this thread was contra-indicated.

I guess the title is the reason I got so much guff...poorly worded and sarcastic. Judgemental. The title should have read different.

You win the prize!

[golfhobo]

Originally Posted by HWD

I didn't question his backing skills. I judge no one. He was frazzled, he verbally indicated he was nervous, and I offered to help. He accepted.

Simple as that.

HWD: I SAID it was of no concern to me. I didn't mean to IMPLY that you had, (although as Drew has pointed out, your thread title does just that... and obviously by saying I agreed with you, I guess I DID!)

OTHERS on this thread, IIRC, questioned whether you should be "down" on a new driver. I was only making an observation of how simple this maneuver should have been.

It's a shame that, in the process of singling out MY post, you didn't even answer the ONE question I had! :roll:

Blind side, or Sight side??

[HWD]

Blind side, or Sight side??

Blind side.

[golfhobo]

Originally Posted by HWD

Blind side.

That's what I thought! This is hard for MANY drivers to do. And I'm not saying I'm very good at it either! But, I can do it when I HAVE to, especially with 50' of open area!

I think what you did for this driver is admirable. It IS nice to know that we ARE a fraternity of sorts, and that SOME will help others when they need it. I'm sure that driver is singing your praises even now!

I KNOW how good it made you feel to be able to help out, and mostly to be able to DO it! I guess, like the others, I was just wondering why you had to question the status of ALL new drivers? I would suppose it has always been the same. But, I never HAD that problem!

Believe me..... I have sat and shook my head more times than I can remember at those who couldn't back well! I'm convinced it is more a deficiency in "spatial awareness" than experience. I have done the same for MANY drivers! And, I KNOW you'll find this hard to believe, but..... I always tried to give them a LESSON in "spatial awareness" while doing it! :lol: :lol: :roll:

They don't TEST you for that when you go to get a CDL, or go through school. Perhaps, they SHOULD!

As I've said before, BACKING is the most important thing a new driver needs to learn! They should spend more time on it!

But they (the schools) don't! So, who is to blame? The guy who is trying to make a living, and is lost on a two lane road? Or the company that allowed him to BE there without the proper training?

Don't talk "professionalism" to me! :wink: You'd be preaching to the CHOIR!! :lol: If it were up to ME, nobody would get a CDL until they could back properly in ALL conditions! :shock:

LIke I said, HWD..... you did a GOOD thing! It made BOTH of you feel better! You PROVED you were a professional, and you helped the driver GET there! (and I don't mean to his destination!) It was a "Win - Win" situation!

If DRIVERS don't help drivers, who WILL? And who WINS..... and who LOSES?

I don't know why you are off the road right now, but have you considered (b]teaching? [/b] There's a school not too far from you in Conover. Maybe even one closer! Those roads up where you are - are a BEAR! But.... isn't it beautiful up there?!

[Orangetxguy]

I was making a delivery friday morning at Grace in Sulphur Louisiana. The operator for the plant unit, told me I could jack knife my truck around at a backward V intersection (">"), then back into the angled unload spot form the opposite side of the ">", into the unit's unload spot, which was angled to the right ( "/" ). The lane through the plant was only 11 feet wide, so blind-siding in was not an option.

The operator told me most guy's usually needed 10 or 11 tries to get in to where a 20 foot hose could reach.

I swung the truck around the corner of the ">" as he suggested...then backed onto the unload spot in one move, with my tractor clear of the road, and the trailer squared to the unload line, within reach of a 10 foot hose.


Operator said " Ok...you can do it in one move!!" after I set the brakes.