Use Your Satellite View Before Getting Into Trouble

I would take the purple entrance in RD's example. That was my initial guess based on the direction other trucks are facing inside. It would also allow me to do driverside back into my dock rather than blindsiding. It appears the angled docks on the left are likely pups.

To confirm my thoughts I used the street view which confirmed that the purple entrance has a sign "entrance only".

Rob T., I sure WAS gonna say the 'sight side back' in my diatribe, too...but then I questioned standing on my head to vizualize the turn by turn; lest I be wrong, to double check.

Street view, AH! Something I need to familiarize myself with.. any time now..haha!

Wouldn't it be something ..(else!) if RD stops in and says 'GREEN GREEN GREEN,' like Captain Obvious, after all these thought processes???

I actually MISS how MANY of y'all used to post "Games" per se; just like the above... :)

~ Anne ~

You all took some things into consideration and came up with some great ideas I didn't even think of. I went with the purple route for the simplest reason of all. The one Rob said...doing a drivers side back into the door. The place was actually more crowded in the back than the picture shows. They had to move a box truck out of the way before I could back in.

Good call on using street view to scope out the entrance sign!

You all took some things into consideration and came up with some great ideas I didn't even think of. I went with the purple route for the simplest reason of all. The one Rob said...doing a drivers side back into the door. The place was actually more crowded in the back than the picture shows. They had to move a box truck out of the way before I could back in.

Good call on using street view to scope out the entrance sign!

That WAS fun, RD . . . between you, BK, Rob T., etc.... the TT crew needs to DO this more often; we even have a 'tag' for "GAMES"/challenges now...for the new folks!

Well done, y'all. Thanks!

~ Anne ~

Bruce, I stumbled onto this site before I even got my permit. I don't know if I brought the satellite preview idea from my previous job of having to scope out customer locations or if it came from here. If it was here, probably G-Town (THANK YOU G-TOWN!). But, I've always done a satellite preview before going somewhere I haven't been.

I'll never forget (when driving for Schneider), taking a marked detour and being directed (via navigation) to take "Covered Bridge Road." I was in a small town and immediately pulled over, walked into a local store and asked for directions; something about "Covered Bridge Road" didn't seem like a place I should go in a big truck. The local's directions were spot on and disaster averted.

Bruce, this is such a great reminder for newbies. THANK YOU!

Yep, I ALWAYS used satelite and road view, to gather as much info I needed to make the right choice of entry. By pic it does look like purple woulda been entry, with a left off the dock to exit the green side.....Gotta love free apps like google maps with street view !! I'd even do this for my co-driver as well, so he'd be up on which way to go....

Michael has used Google reviews of at least a couple of places that haven't even showed up on satellite map views yet. It's amazing at the pace some buildings have gone up with streets and buildings completely different than less than a year ago. In one Google review some other driver was nice enough to post a photo of an aerial map that the company had posted inside. Some reviews have given tips on where to park if early, etc. but I know in one case he found it impossible to get a good phone number and called a neighboring business for help.

Yeah Harvey, we got that a lot @ CRST, either the customers number was wrong or we didn't get 1 to call if needed. So off to google to find a contact number. Was told once when I asked why we don't get EVERY customers correct phone numbers " We prefer you didn't call customers" HA B.S. , we NEED this intel dummies lol Some DM's just have NO clue what we dealt with out there, and need micromanaged hahaha.....Never asked a 2nd time, just found my own way to get info.

Good idea. I first came across this strategy several years ago while reading a post from G-Town explaining how he always scopes out a customer location before arrival so he knows the best way to get into the dock.

I just used this tactic today. If you looked ahead, which entrance would you choose to use to get behind the building to the dock doors, and why? Green or purple?

I would use purple so that the dock doors are on my left, thus not creating the need for a blind-side back.

It's amazing at the pace some buildings have gone up with streets and buildings completely different than less than a year ago.

Oh yeah. I'm going to a place now that's new. The satellite view shows all the contractor pickups and vans at the building during construction. The new road and road name doesn't register on my GPS or the Omnitracs GPS, either.

The new road and road name doesn't register on my GPS or the Omnitracs GPS

Speaking of new things not showing up on GPS, how about exit numbers? Why is Massachusetts so full of new exit numbers? Most of the time there is a small sign saying, "old exit #..." that helps. My GPS always shows the old numbers. Really have to pay attention there.