Backing Practice™ 17

Topic 15985 | Page 1

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Errol V.'s Comment
member avatar

This Backing Practice is from ChickieMonster! You can look up the location yourself: 921 Hwy K O'Fallon MO

It looks like you enter at the bottom, from either direction. You go up past the building, and the dock is that little notch at the top of the building. Those parking lines on concrete to the right of the dock are actually parking for the next door business. There's a line of trees blocking your use of that area.

So, how do you get in? How do you get out? Who you gonna call?

2016-08-24%2021.30.09_zpsiwjusih6.jpg

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Rob S.'s Comment
member avatar

I Googled it for the big picture. Looks like entry from Hwy K in the lower right, exit out the top. Just hope you don't have too many parked or abandoned cars in the way. Not a lot of options. Places like this or for the local guys with 30ft trailers and daycabs.

Sambo's Comment
member avatar

From the bottom, go past the last parking spot along the building near the dock, cut in a little around the dock, then once trailer is about mid way past the dock, cut hard right briefly, then cut back to the left trying to get as close to a 45 as possible, but with your tractor near the middle of the lane of travel, so you have room to swing it around as you back in.

G-Town's Comment
member avatar

Rob wrote:

Not a lot of options. Places like this or for the local guys with 30ft trailers and daycabs.

Perhaps,...but "places like this" that appear to be designed for shorter equipment are very common. Many shippers/receivers or retail stores with docks were designed and built 35-40 years ago when the regulations only allowed for a maximum length of 45 feet. Up until about 1994-95, 45' and 48' trailer lengths were the norm.

Yes a 53' wagon is going to be a bit more tricky to maneuver in and out of spaces like this, but it can be done, safely even if the parking spaces are all occupied. I'd much rather back into a spot like this than deal with a 90 degree blind into an enclosed dock off of a busy urban road.

Shipper:

The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.

Rick S.'s Comment
member avatar

I'd come in from the bottom - Fitness Fuzion side. Jog to the left a few feet then serpentine forward. Should be close to a 45 dock at that point - maybe 2 pullups from a straight back.

Now - GETTING OUT.

Gonna have to sneak through the Lions Choice parking lot - onto Veterans. At least that's not a 1-way like behind the CVS (and you're never going to get a 53'-er INTO the CVS parking lot). You "might" be able to snake it out the KFC parking lot - but yer gonna nail a curb going that way.

Now - all of this could change, if you learn how to "power slide" your tandems. That is - unlock them and use the trailer brake to move them back and forth to accommodate your desired turning radius. Sliding them FORWARD - makes it turn shorter (what that overhang though). I watched someone do this at one of the WORST SHIPPERS in my area (used to go after school to watch guys back) and thought it was so cool, I got the driver to do it again for me and talk me through the geometry of it as he was doing it.

Rick

Shipper:

The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.

Tandems:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

Tandem:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

Pianoman's Comment
member avatar

I'd come in from the bottom - Fitness Fuzion side. Jog to the left a few feet then serpentine forward. Should be close to a 45 dock at that point - maybe 2 pullups from a straight back.

Now - GETTING OUT.

Gonna have to sneak through the Lions Choice parking lot - onto Veterans. At least that's not a 1-way like behind the CVS (and you're never going to get a 53'-er INTO the CVS parking lot). You "might" be able to snake it out the KFC parking lot - but yer gonna nail a curb going that way.

Now - all of this could change, if you learn how to "power slide" your tandems. That is - unlock them and use the trailer brake to move them back and forth to accommodate your desired turning radius. Sliding them FORWARD - makes it turn shorter (what that overhang though). I watched someone do this at one of the WORST SHIPPERS in my area (used to go after school to watch guys back) and thought it was so cool, I got the driver to do it again for me and talk me through the geometry of it as he was doing it.

Rick

Unless TransAm's reefers are different than Swift's, she won't be able to do the "power sliding." Reefers usually use an air-powered tandem release instead of the bar, so once you release the trailer brakes, the tandem pins re-engage. I wasn't able to power slide my tandems until I started pulling dry trailers.

Shipper:

The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.

Tandems:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

Tandem:

Tandem Axles

A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

ChickieMonster's Comment
member avatar

Nope no power slide. I had them all the way up too.

The biggest problem I had with this dock was that I could not get right next to it to set up. On either side of the lighter concrete was a pretty good little "hill". I would have ripped the skirt off the trailer.

Also, they were several more cars in the parking lot, some taking up space I could have used to maneuver.

It was crazy and convoluted but I came in from the bottom and set up sort of a cross between a 90 and a 45. I had to use al of the available room, and I mean all. I was just sort going in a big half circle to hit the door while avoiding the hill and the cars.

Oh and I couldn't turn right out of the dock because of that hill either. I had to sneak up the one way there. Luckily people were really good about seeing me and going a different direction!

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