Frustrated With Alleydock ;(

When I started driving semis' thirty years ago for the first time, it was with a small regional general freight company. They threw me in a gas tractor (single axle) pulling pup trailers with a "trainer". I rode with the guy and observed for a few days and then the truck was mine and I was to deliver freight by myself all around Denver to butt-loads of stops every day. It was an OJT Class A training situation that was legal then.

The first morning by myself was the first time I had been behind the wheel!! I get to my first stop and try to back in. Now bear in mind that time is of an ultra premium to these around town drivers. I could not even get close to the dock, even trying from a straight backing start. Thankfully, it was a big lot with lots of room. One older guy sat patiently and watched me struggle for about forty-five minutes. He came over to my cab ( was very polite and empathetic) and said, "First day, huh?" I smiled and said yes and the look on my face must have been what made him chuckle. He said,"Look, it's your truck and I'm not trying to be rude, but we're all gonna be pretty late on our stops if you don't accept some help. You want me to put it in there for you and show you a couple of things that will help you?" I grinned and couldn't jump out of the cab fast enough!! Now mind you, these are 27' trailers and they react immediately!! By the time you realize you're off line, you are WAY off line!!

He told me the one thing that completely removed ALL of the mystery from backing and I have never forgotten it. He said that when you are turning your steering tires to direct trailer direction, point the back of your front tires in the direction you want the trailer to go. Takes all of the remembering opposite turn to reaction of trailer BS out of the equation. If the back of my steering tires are pointing left, the trailer will go left. Right, and the trailer will go right. Another big plus is you can control the degree of reaction by virtue of the same rule. The more the back of my steering tires are pointing in that direction, the quicker my trailer is gonna go that direction! Made tricky and fancy backing a piece of cake in no time at all!! It got to where I could put a trailer anywhere I wanted to!! You also have to remember that in those days, down on Blake street and other places in old downtown Denver warehouse district, there were docks where you had to finish and hit the dock with your tractor at a 90 degree angle to the trailer to not be blocking the street! That was REALLY fun the first few times!!!

The guy was very nice, very patient, the salvation to my dilemma, and I could not have thanked him enough...ever! I still have fond memories of that guy and that morning!!

Hope this helps someone.

DSTURBD

Flatie it might be a blessing in disguise, when they give you the extra week, you will have a lot more time to practice. This time next week I bet we'll be celebrating your graduation. Try to enjoy your weekend, the beast will be waiting for you Monday morning, tame it.

DSTURBD,

Did you ever come across that driver again?

Flatie I tested yesterday and I also fudged the alley dock, now I have added extra 3 days to my school. Hang in there, I know it is frustrating but like G-town mentioned, it just might be a blessing in disguise.

DSTURBD,

Did you ever come across that driver again?

As a matter of fact, I didn't. Never got the chance to thank him again and tell him what a difference our encounter made in my driving abilities. At this point, it has been many years since I've been in a semi, but I know that what he taught me is still there and am not worried too much about the backing exercises. The only things I am not sure about is with these much longer wheel-based tractors is, how long it takes them to come back around to straight after cutting a big angle and the swing of the long overhang of the 53's behind the tandems. That may take a couple of tries. LOL

I'm sure that I will look just as foolish as everyone else at first out there on the range. One tractor that I drove for about three years was almost as long as these, but it was a day cab and I pulled a flat bed with it so visibility was not a problem.

Am super excited to get started though! Can't wait to get in such nice equipment and get rolling across this country of ours. It has also been many years since I've had the chance to do any real traveling and am looking very forward to it.

DSTURBD

DSTURBD,

Did you ever come across that driver again?

As a matter of fact, I didn't. Never got the chance to thank him again and tell him what a difference our encounter made in my driving abilities. At this point, it has been many years since I've been in a semi, but I know that what he taught me is still there and am not worried too much about the backing exercises. The only things I am not sure about is with these much longer wheel-based tractors is, how long it takes them to come back around to straight after cutting a big angle and the swing of the long overhang of the 53's behind the tandems. That may take a couple of tries. LOL

I'm sure that I will look just as foolish as everyone else at first out there on the range. One tractor that I drove for about three years was almost as long as these, but it was a day cab and I pulled a flat bed with it so visibility was not a problem.

Am super excited to get started though! Can't wait to get in such nice equipment and get rolling across this country of ours. It has also been many years since I've had the chance to do any real traveling and am looking very forward to it.

DSTURBD

Most of the tractors the large TL carriers run have the front axle setback, some more so than others. It does help when maneuvering in close quarters and when straightening out after your setup. You will get use to it.

Ran out of pull up??? You get 2 free pull ups and 1 point for each additional. Which means if you have no points on the straight line back and offset you can do 15 pull ups before failing the alley dock. It takes 13 points to fail the backing test.

That's the nice thing about KY in their STATE CDL test you don't do alley back. You do straight line, off set and parallel park.

Flatie I tested yesterday and I also fudged the alley dock, now I have added extra 3 days to my school. Hang in there, I know it is frustrating but like G-town mentioned, it just might be a blessing in disguise.

That's the nice thing about KY in their STATE CDL test you don't do alley back. You do straight line, off set and parallel park.

Flatie I tested yesterday and I also fudged the alley dock, now I have added extra 3 days to my school. Hang in there, I know it is frustrating but like G-town mentioned, it just might be a blessing in disguise.

Alley back is the most common, everyday occurance backing maneuver there is. At some point a driver needs to learn how to safely perform it.

Ran out of pull up??? You get 2 free pull ups and 1 point for each additional. Which means if you have no points on the straight line back and offset you can do 15 pull ups before failing the alley dock. It takes 13 points to fail the backing test.

Not in Swift. I have 8 points bank but for some reason the instructor said Im out of pull ups! I didnt pull up over 4x!! Its crazy but I aint worried no more!!!

We had a great day and yeah I can do alleydock now no mater what the position of my trailer!!! The offset is easy too I can do left and right! It's a mater of understanding on how to read the trailer.

I'm 100% confident that I can pass my backing skills with no problem!! I am excited!!

Thank you all for the encouragement! Oh I forgot to mention 6 students quit in the class coz they got frustrated and said they couldn't do it!!!