Great job! I got my CDL about 7 years ago...and school was tough until you practiced...A LOT! Passed my test on the first try and have never looked back. Keep at it and PRACTICE...testing is no joke. Good Luck to ya!
Pull up far enough and slightly in the opposite direction you want to off-set so your trailer will be pointed where you want to go. (half the battle) As you back up, pick a spot in front of your destination as a target and steer your trailer's wheels over that spot on their way to the new loading dock. If you put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel, the trailer will move in the direction you move the steering wheel. (Hand moves right, back of trailer moves right.) That seems to be more intuitive for most drivers as they back up. Once your trailer's wheels hit the spot you picked out, start focusing on getting the trailer and cab aligned with the new slot in front of the loading dock. First the trailer's wheels, then the sides of the trailer, then, straighten the cab. Find a line on the ground to help you get it straight and check the blind side for obstructions. Get into neutral, set the brakes, then get out and check the blind side. Think of it as being exactly like approaching a terminal. You drive past the target, near the trailers, break wide in a Z approach and point your trailer at the bay's entrance. Then, you steer the trailer into the narrow canyon between the two other expensive trailers like you always do. No problem. If you set it up and think about it that way, it's really the same thing you have always been doing. (Z approach.) If your doors are swingers, don't forget to pin them open before you back into the canyon of trailers in front of the loading dock. Once you are in there, the doors won't open if there are trucks on either side or the bay is too high. Everyone will laugh... I will laugh. ('Cause, Everyone has done that.) If you have swingers and you open them before you back up on the test, you might get a smile from the examiner. It shows you are thinking ahead.
Yea no problem I got you. My strategy was to, 1. go as SLOW as possible. Don’t be afraid to over use your breaks. 2. Once you the truck and the trailer is in a straight line. Go straight back until you get close to the cone. After that’s it’s the basics
