The second week is dedicated to two of the most difficult maneuvers, the alley dock and the off set back. If you ever been to a truck stop and were observant you will see rows of tractor trailers parked, the alley dock is designed to simulate parking your trailer in such a lot. You actually go past the open parking space and then your attempt to put your trailer between the trailers already there.

The slightest mismanagement of the wheel will send your trailer into another rig parked there and insuring the wrath of the driver, it will be even more unpleasant if it is an owner operator. Owner operators are just that, they have purchased the tractor and trailer and the costs exceed $180,000.00. So they won't be too happy that some rookie scratched their rig. It is actually a maneuver broken down into four parts, and after the first day I could only get the first, second and fourth parts without help.

The last and the most difficult is the offset backing. It is rather difficult to explain, but I will attempt it. Your rig is parked at the starting point at a cone and behind you are two parking slots. Depending on what side of the cone your rig is on will depend on what slot you attempt to back into. If you are on the left you back into the slot on your right, if on the right you back into the one on the left. The right side back is easy as you can see the cones and your can poke your head out the window. The left side back is very difficult as you are blind once the trailer starts to swing and you stay blind until you see the cones in your convex mirror.

So we now have experienced our 4 basic maneuvers. They change your assignment daily, and some days you get lab and the pre-trip inspection. In the brutal heat we had back in July, I was having a difficult day, I was making the same mistakes over and over again. The instructor was yelling at me and I had just about had it. I got out of the cab and sat down to have a smoke, when I realized I was out I drove to the local service station to purchase some.

I then decided that in my current frame of mind it would have not been a good idea to go back, so I drove home. I was an instructor myself and would tell my students that there will come a time when it's best to go home and come back the next day refreshed. I took my own advice and that's what I told them the next day when my absence was questioned. All the instructors agreed with me.

The days went by and one morning I was assigned to road training....To be continued...