Alley docking

I'll use an alley dock if I'm in a truck stop that has narrow lanes. I've used alley dock with dry van, reefer and even flatbeds. Once you have it figured out, it's actually easier in some ways than an angle back. Alley dock is a very good tool to have available, and there's no reason to fear it the way so many drivers seem to do.

 

I'm watching a guy try to get into a dock right now, he's having a heck of a time. It's a perfect place for an alley dock and he's trying angle into it, but it's a bit tight for that. He's not loving life right now. It looks like he realized he should do an alley dock... Yep there he goes. Shamrock in Sacramento. Wait, what? He lined up for an alley, then pulled out halfway, and is once again trying to angle in. This may take a while... He's got a guy guiding him now, which is Most Excellent, but just won't commit to the alley dock. Dude. Ok, good, the other driver is giving pointers. I would, but three is a crowd, and besides, whatever he's trying to do is beyond my basic skills set.

 

Check out My Trucking Skills on YouTube.

Helped me out gaining back confidence.

Enjoy

 

back up cameras helped me learn to alley dock

 

Get out of the truck A LOT when practicing A LOT. Walk around the entire truck.. walking around and looking at the entire truck will help you get how the whole thing works and where all of the corners are when doing this. There are basically 8 "corners" on a tractor trailer.

 

Also, oversteering is the most common problem for learners. You HAVE to get into your skull that sometimes, you do NO steering during these maneuvers. You also should try and visualize a "centerline" running down the center (top) of the truck and trailer. If you need the trailer to move to the right when alley docking, the tractor has to be on the RIGHT side of the centerline. Until the tractor is on the right side, the trailer will continue to turn to the left.. We had several toy trucks that the students could use to visualize these maneuvers. Good Luck