Seven Maneuvering Skills

You are going to learn 7 maneuvering skills, which you may have to perform in the DMV lot. You are allowed 14 points off maximum, like demerits, in all the skills combined.

1.) Bumper Stop. – You may have to do this. It just means pulling up bumper even with a cone.

2.) 100-foot Backup- Do this 100 times or until you can back up into the dock easily. All the otherskills below depend on this one.

3.) Blind Side Parallel … You are going to pull up on rightward, parallel along the left of a dock or box. The Box is 38 feet by 12feet. You will pull forward, then back up somewhat
diagonally into the box at 1/3 of the length of thebox from the back, or enter the box at about 11 feet up on the outside edge of the box. DMV has awhite line there, and the key is
to enter with your rear tire at that point. Pull up along the left of the box, using the farthest cone as a reference.
When that cone is at your passenger door, turn left, using another cone that is there to the left as a 2 that cone and get your truck about 5 feet to the right of it.

And or Then turn hard left forward untilyou can see the entry point in your left mirror and then straighten the truck out. There is plenty ofroom forward at the DMV to do this.
You want to pull up until your trailer is straight behind you. Now you back up straight for your 11 foot mark. Right before you hit it, about 5 feet out, come to astop, and turn your
wheel all the way clockwise. Then back up. Your truck will be jack-knifing, but thetrailer will be going into the back of the dock. To get a perfect score, you get the trailer all the
wayback, so that the DOT bar is in the box in the back of the dock. Also, you have to get more than ¾ ofthe trailer in the box, and not hit the back line at all. If you come up short, you
are only docked 1point. You can also be docked for not putting the whole trailer in the box.

4.) Sight Side Parallel same as blind side, but using the opposite mirror. DMV does not test you on this one.

5.) Right Turn You drive rightward around a cone, making your right rear tire as close to it as possible withouttouching it.

6.) Serpentine

There is a line of 3 cones with a wall on both sides, 40 feet from the cones on each side. There are 3 cones. The middle cone you are never allowed to touch … It is called “THE COPNE OF DEATH”.

There are two ways to perform this skill:

  • The Beginners Method The beginner’s method is to make a figure X. You will be docked 1 point for 1 Pull-Up … BUT THAT’s OK!
  • The Advanced Method The advanced method is to snake around the cone in one continuous motion without a Stop or Pull-Up.

Drive up with the cones close to the left side of the truck. Pull up till the last cone is next to your drive tires of the tractor, and then turn hard right as you’re still moving forward.

Immediately straighten the truck until you can see “The Cone Of Death” in your right mirror and the 1st cone in your left mirror. Then back-up straight … while avoiding “The Cone Of Death”.

The farther back you go the easier the second part is going to be. Back up past the middle cone. Then go forward and hard right so that you’re close to the middle cone.

When your right side drive tires are next to the middle cone, turn hard left then straighten out, pulling forward as far as you need to in order to get your trailer straight behind you, all the while trying to
find the middle cone in your left mirror. Then do a straight back up between the last 2 cones. You are not finish until your front bumper is behind the last cone. In this, you are not docked any points if your

trailer is all jacked when you’re done. Then hook your “CITY HORN” to let the DMV instructor know that you’re finished.The Key To The Serpentine Is That You Want To Stay As Close To The Middle Cone As

You Can Without Hitting It. Also when you are doing your forward pull-up, stay close to the middle cone and then shoot out. Then in the last back-up, stay close to the back cone, using your left mirror.

Advanced Method: When you are backing up the first time, when your rear trailer tires get close to the middle cone, jack your tractor right by steering counter-clockwise. Then you must chase it hard

immediately. If you miss it, you can do a pull-up, but remember to stay as far right as possible so that you can straighten up better for the backup.

7.) Alley Dock …At the DMV, before you start, walk into the dock … which is a 20 foot box. Look straight ahead of it for a reference point for later, so that you can aim the front of your truck to it. When you

are parked where the DMV tells you to start, and then pull forward …. Then turn right, pulling far enough forward to straighten your trailer. All the while finding the cheater marker in your left mirror.
Back up slowly and aim for your left rear tire to run over the marker, but when you are 4 or 5 feet before that, turn the wheel all the way clockwise. Your trailer will be pointing 100 degrees to your left …

keep backing up until your cab is pointing straight forward from the dock toward your reference point, then pull-up, find the dock in your mirrors, and steering a little left before you straighten out. Then

back up straight into the dock.

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