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I can't remember the first time I backed a Semi,although I'm sure I learned by myself.

Apostolic

Apostolic

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Heres a driver trainer instructing a student for his first time,this trainer is a piece of work to say the least.
My opinion he should tell the guy what to do,then just leave him alone,unless he is heading for a crash.
Let him back into an open space next to a dropped trailer,after he masters the first time.
Have him do it a few more times,then have him back in a space between 2 dropped trailers.
It would drive me batty with a trainer training like this,well anyways lets see what you all think.

 
I remember my first time well. I was 14 and worked at a local trucking company after school fueling the tractors and putting them in the garage. One day the owner said, take that B67 Mack and go hook it to a trailer and learn how to back up. I did.

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Thats the way to go SuperCourse,experience is always the best teacher.
Reflecting back,I grew up on a small farm & worked for a dairy farm across the street.
Thats where I learned to drive his old International farm tractor,I bought my first car when I was 13.
Drove it around my family's farm,until my best friend wrecked it.
I had a few more cheap cars,& was driving without a license when I was 15.
I didn't get a drivers license till I was 17.
Got my first driving job at 19,but had to wait till I was 21 to get a union job.
After that I went from a Box Truck to a Semi,usually just messing around in the trucking yard.
 
When trainers did that with me, I struggled to back into holes big enough to park a 747. I dealt with it through my 'training', barely passed the backing test, and had no problems at all once I got my own truck.
 
I would have been stressed with this guy ....kept saying get under it...wtf did he pull the pin?

I agree with apo.... let the guy try it out in the open. .. then in a tighter spot... correct him if he is going to crash.
 
I learned with an old Ford Louisville tractor and a 27 ft. 13'0 high trailer in 1973. Just get in it and go. I'd go to a stop and start backing in, someone would come out and start waving their hands around at me, I'd get mad and wave them off. Later I would apologize. I shifted a two speed rear end like a four speed for months. When I started with Roadway in 1981, I had to call up a friend and have him explain to me, how to shift a ten speed transmission. No YouTube or CDL's back then.
 
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Oh yeah I forgot to mention the 45 years I was a P & D driver,I never had any assigned tractors with power steering.
Until the last 7 years of my career,kind of funny to be used non-power steering all of those years.
However finally being assigned a line haul commissioned into city driving,was pretty sweet.
Then when it went in the shop for a PM & I had to take a non-power steering unit for a couple days.
I wondered how I was able to drive so long without power steering.

Although now that I'm retired,I only have my wife's car & my pickup to drive both with power steering, so its all good now.
 
2 minutes into the video and the "trainer" had the Trainee in the WRONG setup.
Trainers should be in the jump seat, not outside yelling.

I would love to help train trainees (N Team running) as long as they speak, read and write English.
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My First Time backing a Combo was in 1990 or 1991 at a Heavy Equipment Company.
I just jumped in the rig, fired it up, released the brakes and backed her up, while the driver and some other company folks were watching.
No one blessed me out, just congratulated me.
 
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