Offset Parking

In the real world, when do you use offset parking?

Mark

In the real world, when do you use offset parking?

Mark

I felt that it was an exercise to get us thinking about how much we need to move the tractor to get the trailer where we want it. That being said, I have actually used it when the shipper came out an told me they meant to say dock 15 instead of 14

Mark, in Texas we have to do a blind side parallel parking maneuver on our driving test and if you bump the curb it is an automatic fail. I believe this is basically the same as what you are calling "offset". I heard students at school complaining that in the real world we will never park a truck like this, but you really never know what you are going to get into, and I have had to park my truck like that on several occasions

The whole purpose of it being on the test is so that you can prove to the examiners that you understand the dynamics of how the trailer responds to the movements of the tractor when backing and turning. Even with driving a flat-bed (which often is considered to have less difficult backing situations becaus of the way we are loaded) I find that some of my shippers and receivers have some very tricky places to back into or get out of. Craziness and challenging situations are all a part of the job.

I'm not sure exactly what "offset parking" is because different states use different terminology. But I can tell you this - you're going to use every bit of what you learned in school and a thousand times more than that in the real world.

Trucking, like pretty much anything else, really comes down to knowledge. The more you know the more you're capable of. I've watched tons of drivers over the years pass up perfectly fine parking spots because they weren't sure if they had the skills to get it backed in safely. I've also watched drivers back rigs in for other drivers at customers because they couldn't do it themselves.

The better you can handle that rig the better your chances are of getting safe miles and getting the job done. There isn't anything you won't need at some point. I've had to back underneath city hall in downtown Phoenix at 6:00 pm on a Friday while they blocked traffic on every side of the building for me and shut down the center of the city. I've had to backup alongside a commercial jet aircraft as they unloaded air freight straight from the jet into my trailer. I've had to maneuver around underground in old salt mines and backup to tight docks with walls only a few inches from me on every side. The circumstances you'll find yourself in out there are just mind-boggling.

Offset parking is changing from one lane to the lane beside it by pulling forward and then backing into the next lane.

As Brett said, you will use this skill, not exactly as you trained, but you will often find yourself trying to back into a slot you have set up incorrectly for. By having trained to do offsets, you'll find you have the skill to make the changes necessary to move over enough to 'hit the hole' without redoing the entire setup.

Tracy