Backing Practice 01

I'd pull past the entrance, back INTO the lot from the entrance, back up past the door, and set up for a sight side alley dock.

Might even be able to do a serpentine setup.

I've seen some pretty stupid shipper setups, and this one is probably one of the dumber ones.

There's a shipper similar to this near my house. I used to sit for hours after school (when I was in county VoTech trucking school) watching drivers back. Learned a lot, and saw some truly bonehead moves (including incapacitating broken front axles - from hopping the curb into a similar planter).

Rick

Rick does things backwards:

I'd pull past the entrance, back INTO the lot from the entrance, back up past the door, and set up for a sight side alley dock.

That might work. But among the drivers and the yard dogs, no one will know what you're doing! Better get it right the first time, for the entertainment & amazement of your audience.

Errol can you make the door please I get all confused with word problems.

(Part 2)

I'd pull past the entrance, back INTO the lot from the entrance, back up past the door, and set up for a sight side alley dock.

Look at the photo. You come in down the street on the right. If you desire to back in from the street, two problems:

1. You will have to do a blind side 90° alley dock to get in! And that's what you are trying to avoid!

2. The street is only about thirty feet wide. If there's trucks parked on the street in your way you're out of luck.

An important point: whether you're in a truck stop parking lot or a warehouse dock area, remember you are driving to place the rear tandems where you want them. Don't think you're driving the front end and the rear will follow along. That causes accidents.

In your set-up before you back in, your objective is: First: place the tandems where they will simply roll into the assigned spot. (That is what kills "everybody" on your school's 90° alley dock.)

Second: do your best to arrange the trailer's angle so you'll be able to line it up with the slot.

Feel free to Get Out And Look, more than once if needed, because that's the only way you can see what the other side of the trailer is doing.

Finally, roll backwards looking in both mirrors, with all the speed of a turtle walking on eggshells.

Remember, once you get past your CDL skills test, you can do all the GOALs and pull-ups you want!

Here's my answer. Yours may be different.

Larger image link

My path is the green line. I pulled from right to left, as close to the dock as I could. At the "last second" I turned hard left and headed for the planter. That put the tandems close (no cigar* yet) to the dock. I still had to see-saw to get the tandems where they should be, and I could see it all out my driver window - not a blind docking.

The yellow path is the other driver I mentioned. Pulled past the planter, turned left into that free area, had just a bit of offset to get his dock.

If you know how to make screen shots, upload them to like, Photobucket, even add those truck path lines, then post your own backing problem for discussion.

*Close but no cigar = "Close" like in horseshoes and hand grenades.

You sweet talk dispatch into not doing this to you again.

If I had to turn around to sight side I would mostly likely u-turn around the planter, back towards the higher number doors and come back. If there was an empty spot on either side of my door I would probably just blind side, I've gotten almost as good at those at sight sides, although they occasionally require a GOAL.

I got to play P&D driver for some sprouts stores in CA the other week, yuck!

Justin has a different sense of reality:

You sweet talk dispatch into not doing this to you again.

Then just grab a hand cart and work on a dock instead. This particular "backing problem" is not uncommon. There's worse.

Justin has a different sense of reality:

You sweet talk dispatch into not doing this to you again.

Then just grab a hand cart and work on a dock instead. This particular "backing problem" is not uncommon. There's worse.

True. Thankfully I never tire of having my reality disillusioned and having to adapt to real reality. Really, lol.

Justin is disabused:

Thankfully I never tire of having my reality disillusioned and having to adapt to real reality. Really, lol.

That and your comment about driving over the planter got me wondering.