Backing Fun!

I agree with not letting someone else drive your truck. How would one explain that if he happened to hit something?

Or is this a common practice in the trucking world to allow more experienced drivers to assist in this manner?

I agree with not letting someone else drive your truck. How would one explain that if he happened to hit something?

Or is this a common practice in the trucking world to allow more experienced drivers to assist in this manner?

I wouldn't let anyone drive my truck, regardless of how hard of a time I was having. If they screw up and hit something, I know I would be on the hook for it.

I agree with not letting someone else drive your truck. How would one explain that if he happened to hit something?

Or is this a common practice in the trucking world to allow more experienced drivers to assist in this manner?

No, not at all a common practice. I have offered assistance but never to jump in and drive. No way.

I do pretty well with my tandems in hole 7. Not too much tail swing and the tandems react fairly quickly.

As far as having a bad spotter, I was at a reciever in NY and accidentally rubbed the rubber on my trailer doors on someone's mirror, moving it just a hair. No damage, just a rub. But this guy jumped out of his truck, yelling at me and then proceed to say that he was an experienced driver and knew what he was talking about and began telling me what to do. I followed his directions for a few minutes and then realized I was going to hit the truck on the other side and started correcting. At this point, he jumped up on the passenger steps and was hanging in my window yelling at me and telling me to keep going which would have caused me to hit the other truck. So I raised my voice and brought out the inner ChickieMonster and told him to get the heck off my truck. He started saying if I hit his truck he was going to call the cops. Right then a yard dog showed up and told him to get down and move his truck. Turns out he was parked too far over in his spot!! The yard dog very kindly helped me to get in my door and told me that I was doing just fine and that the other guy obviously couldn't park because he wasn't in the door properly.

I say all that to say that sometimes you have to be assertive and tell someone to back off when they are giving you bad instructions. Don't just blindly follow someone's instructions. Just because they can back up well doesn't mean they can help someone else do it!

And for the record, I would never have someone else drive my truck. For one thing, if they were to dock too hard, they would set off my camera and then it would be my job. Second, that's my home and sanctuary and I don't want some stranger in there. If this had been at a shipper/reciever, I would have taken Rainy's approach and got a yard dog to put it in the spot.

That's about the same deal I had, with the guy not seeing that I was going to hit on my drivers side from not being able to get back in front of the trailer fast enough. Generally, if they are putting me in a bad spot, I just ignore them then they seem to go away. Never had anyone get that aggressive about it though. I would've done the same thing in telling him to take a walk.

I do pretty well with my tandems in hole 7. Not too much tail swing and the tandems react fairly quickly.

As far as having a bad spotter, I was at a reciever in NY and accidentally rubbed the rubber on my trailer doors on someone's mirror, moving it just a hair. No damage, just a rub. But this guy jumped out of his truck, yelling at me and then proceed to say that he was an experienced driver and knew what he was talking about and began telling me what to do. I followed his directions for a few minutes and then realized I was going to hit the truck on the other side and started correcting. At this point, he jumped up on the passenger steps and was hanging in my window yelling at me and telling me to keep going which would have caused me to hit the other truck. So I raised my voice and brought out the inner ChickieMonster and told him to get the heck off my truck. He started saying if I hit his truck he was going to call the cops. Right then a yard dog showed up and told him to get down and move his truck. Turns out he was parked too far over in his spot!! The yard dog very kindly helped me to get in my door and told me that I was doing just fine and that the other guy obviously couldn't park because he wasn't in the door properly.

I say all that to say that sometimes you have to be assertive and tell someone to back off when they are giving you bad instructions. Don't just blindly follow someone's instructions. Just because they can back up well doesn't mean they can help someone else do it!

And for the record, I would never have someone else drive my truck. For one thing, if they were to dock too hard, they would set off my camera and then it would be my job. Second, that's my home and sanctuary and I don't want some stranger in there. If this had been at a shipper/reciever, I would have taken Rainy's approach and got a yard dog to put it in the spot.

Also (and maybe this is just my jaded point of view), but there seems to be two types of guys who will try to help. The first is the good kind. He remembers what it was like to be a struggling rookie and wants to pay it back for the times that he was helped in those difficult days. The other is the self-important King of the Truckers, who can do no wrong, and sees it as his duty to get the stupid rookie into his spot without hitting anything. I've encountered both types, and both have at times put me in a bad spot. It's the same solution for both, ignore or drive around the lot and come back and try again. I do feel kinda bad when I have to do it to the first type, but again, hurt feelings trump safety meetings in my opinion!

I like to back with the tandems to the rear but it's not always possible. And I also like that if they are to te rear and I'm more or less headed into the hole but still need a little room I can hop out and hit the release on a GOAL and slide them or rather the trailer into the hole while getting the tractor away from whatever was in front of me.. Hard to explain it but that particular trick has helped me out of a couple tight spots.

I like to back with the tandems to the rear but it's not always possible. And I also like that if they are to te rear and I'm more or less headed into the hole but still need a little room I can hop out and hit the release on a GOAL and slide them or rather the trailer into the hole while getting the tractor away from whatever was in front of me.. Hard to explain it but that particular trick has helped me out of a couple tight spots.

It also depends on the type of job. On average I back 5-6 times per day delivering to Walmart and SAMs Club. There are just a few stores requiring the tandems slid to the rear due to dock height. I'll get the trailer in the hole and then reset the tandems.

Although there a few exceptions, once I scale in the morning, usually they are set for the duration of my day. Don't have time to mess with them at every stop. Get in, get out, get movin'!

Wait...does having the tandems all the way to the rear help when there is very little room out front? I had mine all the way to the front...

In this case, yes. I was crowded in front of the docks, and close trucks on either side. If my tandems hadn't been al the way back, trailer swing would have put the end of my trailer into the guy on dock #1.