Acceptable To Ask The Yard Dog?

Hello it’s been awhile since I’ve posted.

Delivered to Mclane in Lakewood Washington. Quarters were tight. That’s an understatement. It’s almost impossible to get the trailer in a dock with trucks on both sides of you already docked. Grateful I had a wide open spot and was early, 2 spots open to my left and then another truck, just watched a guy put his trailer in one of those 2 spots and it was 15 pull-ups and he hit the barrier swinging his front end around. Again grateful it was wide open for me to dock and it’s now filling up and I’m uncomfortable pulling out with a truck now on my right side. My question now.

Is it ever acceptable in this kind of situation, to ask the yard dog to dock the trailer. A couple of us drivers here are thinking of disconnecting when the next guy is assigned a dock next to us. Would a yard dog ever dock the trailer or is it out of the question.

Perfectly acceptable. I’ve had to ask the yard driver for help twice, and they gladly helped both times.

Once was getting a trailer into a tight spot and once was to pull a trailer out so I could get access to the crank handle.

I would be surprised if a yard driver would say no, but I think a ten dollar bill would convince him otherwise. Lol

It can't hurt to ask. I've asked for help when trailers were so close together that I wasn't able to pull out. Not only did the yard driver pull it out, he told me he'd bring it around to the gate and drop it for me right there.

I've also been in situations where I've voluntarily disconnected to make it easier for another driver to back in next to me and vice-versa.

This is strange for.me because in my head I'm like of course it is we all work for the same company. Then I remember it is different for the OTR drivers than it is in LTL. I've asked our spotters for help countless times and they never have a problem, but since we are coworkers I guess it's a little different.

In my short time OTR I asked once for help. Another time at a Chysler factory in Detroit, the spotter offered since he said it is too tight for sleeper trucks.

I was a yard dog at a large DC prior to my current gig. Only once did I decline to help a driver. He dropped his trailer without lowering the landing gear. I might have helped him with that but he also was in the wrong location and claimed ignorance when I asked him about it. This place was really well laid out and marked. I told him some time spent cranking up a trailer would help him remember next time.

I’ve had yard dogs offer to help before.

That was my last load before I took ten days off, my second time there. The only way to do it with trucks on eighteen side, is tandems forward, doors open already, and nearly jackknife it around, then slide tandems when straight. I cussed the whole time, GOAL 5 or 6 times, and cleared the front wall by inches. Impressed the heck out of the wife of the driver next to me

As a newbie, I would have probably asked the yard truck to assist. One or two of those docks I'd probably ask now as well. I would also disconnect if an incoming driver asked me to, because I'd rather take the time for that, than dealing with a torn up truck.

I should really proofread before hitting send. That is:

Trucks on either side.....

I had a drop in a very tight spot at a big yard. But the slots were very tight, and I ran around numerous times, trying to find 1 I could back into. I was getting frustrated, and wasting too much time. So I turned out, what I thought, was an exit, to go around the block. WRONG, it wasn't, it dead ended, now I'm stuck, and have to reverse out back where I came from ughhhh.

So this was at night, and a bit hard to see, so I got out, checked the area behind me. There were drivers personal cars along this 1 wall, I needed to avoid in the curve behind me, and there was a Schnieder trailer, to manuever around like OMG hahaha

I finally get it backed out, not touching anything, but my butt was puckered up I gotta say. So I see this yard dude, and offered him $20 to just spot the trailer, so I could get outta there, to my next load. Of course he was more than happy to for a "Dove", said drop it there and I'll get it, and it was well worth every nickle too!

Funny this topic was brought up. I was just going to drop a trailer in a door, but the jackwagon in the next door backed in really crooked (how did the dock plate lock?) While I was opening doors and getting ready to slide tandems , yard dog came and offered to be the one to get it in, because he was less likely to take the guys mirror off with how he was parked. I gladly let him, even though I could have made it happen!