Need advice about Alley docking ( 45 )

At the same time you are looking at the trailer...keep watching your trailer tires mostly. In other words, watch everything, but watching your trailer tires, on the ground, and "picturing them going where you want to go" is the most important part. Imagine your tandems following the path you want...imagine a line leading you right in. Hope this helps, hard to explain on computer, LOL. Basically it is kind of a mind-trick of keeping an eye on the big picture and taking all in at once...you can do it, don't get nervous.

Watching your trailer TAMDEMS are the key here...make them "pivot" right where you want to...do NOT be afraid to stick your head out the window!

 

Thank god that I did not have to do that one I have done it a few times but it is no longer required in my state for the test.

But I had to do offset backing, straight line, pull up and stop, and paralle park {sp?}

 

This is similar to the 90 deg docking, you start out sitting still with the back of the truck about 20ft from the first red cone in a right angle, you need to be about two truck widths out where your sitting 90 deg to the dock/box.

If you crank the wheel right about 1 turn, you will then start backward as the other guy said watch your back tires. when the trailer is at about a 30 deg angle start turning the wheel back to the left ever so slowly to make your tandem axle on the trailer move toward the corner cone. Then sa you get closer adjust the wheel till you hit the center of the box. Now it is important that when the back of the trailer is just about starting in the box you crank the wheel all the way to the left so as you start to settle into it the front of your tracter is going to align with the trailer as you stop. Practice this if you can, it can be tricky. fith wheel trailers are not as sensitive as one hitched to the rear of a truck or car. Hope this helps..

 

This sounds funny, but the way I was shown, was you start cranking to straighten the truck to the trailer when you can see the second foot of the landing gear, and that will straighten you out so you're not hitting the closer edge of the box.

Like Wiseone said, watch the tandems, no the end of your trailer, and if you need to go super slow ands lean out the window to look, do it. Mirrors just aren't enough.

 

I'm still in school right now and I (and several other students) did EXACTLY THAT. You have NO idea how much it helps!

 

How about on a trailer with triples? I'm having the same trouble,,,,I can drive, shift, etc... and do the other two backings required but the alley dock gets me. We have to do it at a 90, not a 45. Any advice?

 

we were trained to just make a honest attempt then to do pull up, pull up one pt allowed 14 points on whole pad

 

Hey you stole that from me from another thread! At least you omitted making the shifting sounds as you swing it around!