Mary, this is fantastic news! I am so happy for you! Your perseverance and hard work really paid off! You have much to be proud of! Continued success in all you do. Thanks so much for sharing your positive outcome with me! 🚌🚌🚌

I have to do mine for the second time in just over a week, tomorrow. The first time I actually managed to complete the damn alley dock (with 5 points left over) and the pre trip inspection. Then, less than 2 miles from the freaking bus yard, I had to hard stop for a stop sign that I’d momentarily lost sight of while looking at the road ahead. It was an area I’ve never driven in so had no familiarity with the roads. I feel like I made it in that spot by the skin of my teeth last time and making it again will be a miracle I don’t have hope for.

@@givemeahappyending if you did it once then you can do it again! I felt the same way at first, practice as much as you can. They might not make you do the alley dock again since you passed. You may just have to retake the road test. You got this!

@@MaryBrown-qp6iw thank you so much! I actually managed to pull it off! I didn’t even have to pull forward and adjust myself on the alley dock, I just went straight in.

I find most people will find their own sweet spot, but the tips help them find what works best for them. Thanks for sharing what worked best for you. :)

In Ohio, we are allowed two position checks, you must make an attempt to get the bus in the box before you take a position check. More than two position checks will result in an automatic failure. Thanks again for your comments, Anthony!

Oh my god seriously? You can get out? We can’t get out of our seat at all in Oregon. I have to do it tomorrow and I’m dreading it.

I am so happy to learn the video and methods were helpful for you! Continued success to you!

Hi, Tabatha Thank you for your comment and feedback. I’m glad to know the video has been helpful for you. When you make anything public, you open yourself up to both the positive and negative feedback. I try to focus on the positive and learn from the negative. Enjoy your weekend.😊

Thank you for your comment and kind feedback! You just made my morning, Ronald!

I can't see the conos

@@itzthewitz , have you tried adjusting your mirror settings? Sorry this message is so delayed, I just saw your comment.

@@itzthewitz I assume you mean you cant see on the computer (which was my problem) when I enlarged my screen I could see they were there in the mirror.

Im happy to learn you’re finding the videos helpful.

Way to go, Sonia, congratulations and continued success in all you do. 😊

Hi Dan, what are the dimensions they use in Maine? Will you be taking the test again?

Outstanding, Barrysimeone! Way to go. Continued success in all you do.

Awesome to hear!! Prepping for my class B skills test and the dreaded alley dock is what I am most nervous about ha. Happy this video is accurate and helpful, I am definitely going to test it out in the yard today!

@@jenkenj Embrace the alley dock...;) How'd it go today?

@@SchoolBusSass well, good and bad lol. I attempted the "wait until the cones disappear" technique, and it didn't work for me. But like you said I am sure it's the way my seat and mirrors were adjusted because I was starting the pivot too soon. So I went back to relying on getting to a certain point on my "wall" to start the pivot and nailed it. Basically the same technique you mentioned, just a diff way to determine when to start the hard pivot :) this understanding in general (about it being about pivoting rather than backing/angling in) was super helpful though!

Please help me!! I’m taking the test tomorrow and this utterly confused me. I was taught to start almost perpendicular to the cones(parking spot) and kinda eye it up myself until I couldn’t see cones on my view then start adjusting to parking spot. We can use back up camera as well (which I don’t) but this set up confused me. Wish me luck 🤞🏻

Janaya, I’m so glad to learn the video has been helpful for you!

Well, thank you very much, David! I appreciate your feedback and glad the videos have been helpful for you’.

Glad to learn this video has been helpful for you!

Girl I passed I’m a bus operator with my class B license w/passenger

You're welcome!

Glad to know the information has been helpful for you! Thank you for your comment and feedback!

Relax and remember to breathe. Your hard work will pay off. You've got this, Carvell! If you think of it, let me know how things go for you tomorrow. :)

Therese Mileti I just took my test and I had 8 questions left and missed 11 at the 8th to last question. I WAS SO CLOSE. I’m going to keep going until I get at least a 40/50 and go from there! I haven’t given up. I’m so determined about this

Don't give up, you can do this, Carvell. Do you remember which questions were challenging for you?

Therese Mileti yes I remember. Today was my 3rd time taking it and it was also my highest score. 32/50 is a lot better than 23/50. The questions today that’s I saw on practice test I flew by those except for one question. I’m trying to have the CLP between the 15th and 20th so I can have classes at the end of the month

Do you remember any of the questions you missed on the test? Is there a specific area you are struggling with?

Good morning, Carvell I’m not sure where you are located in Ohio. If you are looking at becoming a school bus driver, find a school district with a board owned fleet. They will train you at no cost, some have paid training, though there are far fewer of them. You only have to be 18 to obtain your CDL. I have posted the website with the requirements necessary. There is a nation wide shortage of drivers, so finding a job should not be a problem. I know the district I drive for is hiring. www.bmv.ohio.gov/dl-cdl-testing.aspx All the best to you!

Hey! Good morning!!! Thank you so much for your help. My school district (Liberty Local School District - Trumbull County) is board owned. I'll keep studying maybe 3 more times before i take the test

Yeah! Go for it!

I just took the “Sample” knowledge test for the first time in like 3 years and I got a PERFECT SCORE

Way to go, Carvell! Keep up the good work, you’ll be driving in no time. 😁

Hi Mary… Are you overshooting the alley dock box or coming in too short? If you’re coming in too short, on your approach into the alley dock box… Go straight back, a little bit further before you begin to turn the wheel to the left. If you are going beyond the alley dock parking box… If you are going straight back until both cones of the parking box just disappear, try turning after the first come disappears. By making small minor adjustments, you will find that sweet spot. It’s much easier to adjust to going too far back. A pull up can correct an overshoot. If you’re coming in too short, before the box, I would likely start over. It’s generally too difficult to correct. I hope this explanation helps.

What a great way to begin 2019, with your brand new shiny....ok, maybe not so shiny, CDL! Believe it, achieve it!

In Ohio, the examiner walks you through the skills course. There typically are no other vehicles on the skills course when you’re testing, making it unnecessary on a closed course.

It will depend on the surface the bus is on, if there is a slope,etc. an upward slope, very likely a downward slope… probably not.

I just read your comment, and will give you a proper response, when I return from vacation. Was this for parallel parking or for the alley dock maneuver?

Therese Mileti I apologize for not being a bit more transparent. My question is concerning the alley dock maneuver. When you mention the two front right cones at 1:25 of this video, which cones are you specifically talking about? From the perspective of if I am standing outside of the vehicle and staring straight, head-on down the alley at the rear cones, which cones would those be that were referred to in the video as the two front right cones? Also, when you are approaching a railroad crossing, do you stop in the box that has the X and the two Rs? I drive a class B dump truck, but your parking videos have pretty much worked effectively for me in this particular vehicle. Thank you so much for your assistance. I’ll keep an eye out for your response upon your return from vacation.

@@jonasa5090 , As you are looking into the lower right hand mirror, look for the two cones on the right hand side of the box behind you. You will eventually see two cones behind you in your lower right side mirror, and two cones in your lower left hand mirror as you center yourself between the parking space. I hope my explanation helps. Let me know if it is still unclear.

Therese Mileti perfect! That’s what I had figured! Thank you so much for the clarification. I’ve been practicing using my car when I’m not able to use the dump truck. Your methods are of great assistance. Lastly, are you able to look out your windows during the basic skills component? I find it helps me to properly angle myself when turning around that first pivot cone of the box and then I utilize my mirrors to get straight into the box.

Great question, thank you for asking! In the state oh Ohio, you are allowed to take two free pull ups, and two position checks. States guidelines may vary , check with your local Testing facility. Pull ups...any change of direction during a backup maneuver, is considered a “pull up” weather you move 6 inches or 26 feet(or start over) it counts as one pull up. For each additional, pull up, you are charged demerits, or points against your final score, two points for each additional pull-up. Position check, or as I like to call them, look abouts. These are very important! For parallel parking and Alley dock, you are allowed to check the position of you vehicle, twice. The bumper of your vehicle must cross the plane of the parking box for both parallel parking or the alley dock maneuver, before you can exit to check the position of your vehicle. Always check your final position...even if you thin you have, nailed, the skill. (Completed it perfectly) ALWAYS get out of your vehicle and check!!! That way, if something is not quite right...like...not backing up far enough into the box, or having one of your tires, resting on a line, you have the opportunity to correct the problem, then recheck your correction afterwards. Do NOT get out a third time! Getting out a third time will result in an automatic failure. As far as looking out your window...as long as you are not lifting yourself out of the drivers seat, you should be able to utilize your windows to assist you. Always check with your local testing site for specifics.

yes

In general, it is a best practice policy to choose the outer turn lane when more than one turn lane is available. Follow, or remain in the lane you start your turn in. If you begin your turn in the outside turn lane you will complete your turn in the lane nearest the curb. If you start your turn on the inside curb lane, you will finish your turn in the lane closest to the double yellow center lines or center median. Once you complete your turn, if you need to be in the right hand lane, you can initiate your indicator and make a lane change at that time. When turning right, you want to turn into the nearest lane available to you, then, make any necessary lane changes. I hope I have answered your question.

@@SchoolBusSass yes you have, I started my career as a CDL driver when I was 22 working for the transportation company of Philadelphia spent most of my time there now retired and driving part time as a school bus driver, I do know that septa the Philadelphia transit company always train their employees to make sure you were in the outside of the left lane so that no one could cut you off as you were turning besides they were big on staying in the right lane after the turn and change only if you had to. Was not sure if school bus was somewhat different. Thank you for your help. Richard

Happy to help... Continued success in all you do, Richard. 😊

You're welcome, hope it helps! :)

Hi Christian, Are you stopping before you turn your wheel or are you turning as your backing? Are your mirrors set to FMVSS? All of these will have some bearing on this maneuver. Practice is generally quite helpful, though I’m not certain practicing with a van would be beneficial. You’ve got this…

@@SchoolBusSass thanks for the reply. I am usually stopping. Trying to find a reference point to stop and make my left turn into box. How far should I be from the left and right front cones in width ? And how far should a be in length where are I start my back up. It's not marked where I was training at. Maybe I am off in that area . when the cones dissappear in left mirror. And make my turn its brings me past the right front cone. Is there any suggestion you can give me as well to practice . On my own without a bus. I have a long van I could use but as you said it wouldn't help . I used up my 10 hours . I still don't feel comfortable taking the test. So I want to find away to practice on my own . The videos are helping me alot. Any suggestion would be helpful. Once again I appreciate you taking time helping me. My mirrors seem to be line up properly.

Good morning, Christian When starting this maneuver, position the bus approximately 20’ to the left of the cones on the right, which indicate , the wall barrier. No part of your bus can cross this imaginary wall. Are you allowed any, pull-ups (change of directions), without getting charged points while demonstrating the maneuver? In Ohio we get the first two, change of directions, with no deductions. In addition to utilizing your lower left mirror to view the two forward cones of the alley dock parking space, you can also try looking in your student mirror as well. When the bumper of the bus visually appears to be adjacent to the forward set of cones, of the parking space, can also be a good reference point for when to start turning. You have a set amount of time allotted to practice? Can you ask your, OBI for additional drive time? In Ohio, we must spend a minimum of 15 hours of drive time. My average time spent with a new driver is approximately 24…some lower, some higher, but can’t imagine trying to finish up in 10 hours. Yikes! . Sidetracked, sorry…back to you. As for mirrors being set properly, I have a video, demonstration with a mirror grid. I will put the link below, that may help a bit as well. If you’re overshooting the parking space, start to turn sooner. It is easier to correct overshooting, than when you turn too soon. When do you take your test? kzfaq.info/get/bejne/npZpZ8We36irf6M.html

@@SchoolBusSass Thank you for the reply. When you the say the bumper of the bus. Should be adjacent to the forward front cones. When I back up I should line up the bumper with the front left cone ? . If I would look at it from my Mirrors backing up. I am going to try and look threw my students mirrors. And see if the cones dissappear then. Turn it all the way left . In NJ we get 2 pull ups and 2 get out and look. The school gives us 12 hours then brings us to DMV.Its not enough time. Unless you have had experience already. My test is on Jan 10 . Most likely it will be on backing,offset parking and alley docking. Pre inspection and air brakes . I know once I get a good reference point it will help me alot. But I thank you for the time you spend replying And all the videos you put out. You are helping alot of people .

Christian, if you think it will help, I will do a live training session on alley docking. Let me know if you are interested. This could take place this Thursday, if you’d like.

Unlike parallel parking, there is no precise moment to start turning. It will vary, based upon mirror placement, seat positioning, and driver size. I believe I have an updated alley dock video, which gives an idea on when to start turning. I tell new drivers to watch the two front cones of the box behind them, go straight back until they see the front cone of the box in the lower left mirror almost disappear from view, then start to turn, while continuing to back.

@@SchoolBusSass I'm asking alot of questions on different videos of yours because I test on Thursday so I'm a little nervous about the skills and road test

Ask away, Chris I will try to help as much as I am able. Remember to breathe. You can do this. If you believe it, you will achieve it.

@@SchoolBusSass so bumping a cone is just points not a automatic fail right? And also is scraping a curve points or a automatic fail? I know running up on the curve is a automatic fail. And I'm trying to breathe trust me LoL.

Yes, bumping a cone is points. Curbs are auto fails. I’m not sure what you mean curves. White lines are points in both maneuvers and the road test. Too fast and too slow are automatic fails as well. 11 miles over or under speed limit. I hope your test went well yesterday!

Good morning, Ljoel. Thank you for your comment. The pivot points are what we are trying to teach each new driving student. The pivot points will be very close to what is being shown. The cones are there to practive maneuverabilities for new drivers, but the maneuvers will still function in much the same way in real word driving. I will try to post a video with a bus to the front and rear of a parking space to demonstrate the pivot points are the same. Think of the cones as being a vehicle to the front and rear. You would just be using bumpers as reference points, instead of cones. While I would not recomment practicing these maneuvers with vehicles, to make the experience more "real", the concept is the same and translates as such. I hope this helps.

We will never have to alley dock a school bus either though

Hi Shaun, I understand your point and agree...somewhat. We may not do an exact alley dock maneuver, but we do turn arounds all day long, which basically the reverse of what is shown here. We back to the right, not the left. The principle, however, is very similar. To be fair, semi drivers likely will never parallel park their trailers either. We, however are far more likely to parallel park our busses at some point in our driving career. I use this skill when I travel into larger cities with fewer options for parking.

???

a joke.

Could you elaborate on what was confusing to you?

Therese Mileti Don't worry about it. To have a mirror in the middle of the screen just confused me... As you know there are none in the middle of your windshield. They are actually on both side... My dad showed me how to back a tractor with a wagon attached to it when i was not even a teen yet. But personally that video just isn't for me... Have a good day!

You have a good day too. 😊

also, there are no guidelines to look for

Hi Timothy...Thank you for your comment and feedback. I try to be as detailed as possible when I'm giving instructions on how to accomplish these maneuvers. Perhaps you have a few suggestions on how I could present this for better understanding. Happy New Year to you!