Angry - - with myself.

If nobody gets out to help in a tight...but everyone is ######## on the CB.

I'll turn the radio off then shut the whole shooting match down, and get out EXTRA times to look

 

When the horn was mentioned I recalled once when I was backing in at a T.S. and got the blast: almost peed myself. Turned out he was honking at someone else, but for a week after that I was G.O.A.L. even on the easy backs.

 

I have mentioned this before and so here it goes again. My very first back as a solo driver back in 05 was at a Flying hook in Phoenix. Set my self up did my G.O.A.L. I heard this other driver on the CB say " O Swifty, do you need help backing" I did it in one shot, no pull ups and that was the end of his remarks.. Always do your GOAL, and never worry about who is waiting to get by you for any reason.. We were all new once, and that some often for get that fact..

 

I HEAR THAT!! G O A L as often as YOU see fit. F the other drivers. it isn't THEIR DAC that will be screwed. it is yours. i would rather take an hour to get into a spot safely than get parked quickly with a wreck on the "wreckerd"

 

Heck I had to do a impossible blind side once down in Houston. The lot was small had only 4 docks. Two were reserved for other stuff. The one I had to get into was next to one of the buildings. I had to start out in the middle of the street. I had a fence to worry about as well. It took me 45 minutes, with the wife out side helping out.. I told her to watch for the stairs in front of the building, the ones in the back, next to the dock I needed to hit, and finally the Big built in fire hydrant wheel so I would not hit either.. And besides it was raining, and that only made it worse.. I made it got out more than a dozen times, but in the end I hit nothing..

 

...while you were smokin' a cigarette and makin' a sandwich with the other hand...
Naw, DD, you got it right. Whatever it takes and forget the clacky yackers. I scraped a blind side fence once, knowing where it was, but didn't know it had a big bulge in it. I wouldn't have hit it if I'd GOAL'ed.

 

I can sure relate to the "don't wanna pi$$ off any drivers waiting to get by me" thing. I used to be plagued by that. Now, after a decade, I don't care about them any more than they care about me at that moment.

As far as bad days, maybe this will help ya: Last year, April Fools Day in fact, I get my first and only moving violation citation. No Trucks Left Lane violation. I was almost at the top and came out a bit early...so did the other two behind me. There was a trooper for each one of us waiting. 15 minutes, $210. Never asked for my log book (which would have been fine).

Then, 33 days later, I'm bobtailing at one of our terminals. I back into a bobtail spot, careful to go far enough so that my mirrors will not clash with those of the units on either side of me when opening doors. Unfortunately, I forget about the NEW chain link fence behind me and didn't realize the parking blocks had yet to be installed. I park with my frame rails bending the fence. BEEP goes the Qualcomm about an hour later, asking me to call in "regarding an accident on May 3rd" (which was that day). I call, they tell me what's up, and I get out of my truck to find that, by golly, they're right! I'm an idiot!

Still got my bonus that quarter, and no monetary damages were listed. But I drove extra carefully for a good while after that.

And I won't even get into the times when I've been far luckier than smart...

Just keep up the good habits and stay safe!

 

Don't sweat it bat. Think that was bad. Back when I was a rookie I ripped the door off a trailer. I had been driving for 3 months and was delivering a load of K-B toys to a mall in Denver. Malls are not designed for big trucks. I backed into the dock, Designed for 30' straight trucks just fine. But got in to big a hurry coming out, Got to close to the left side of the door frame. And when I looked back, there was a white door twirling around like a top. Riped that thing off smooth as silk. Looked like it had been cut off. Lesson here, G.O.A.L. when ever you are in a tight spot. Backwards or forwards.

And ignore the idiots on the CB. Your job is to back up safely. Not move out of there way. If they don't get that oh well, there problem.

 

Dont sweat it too much, just dont let it happen on a consistent basis. I dont think they would like that. Probably most of us here were schmucks at one time or another. My first year out I caught someones mirror backing in, and instead of ripping the mirror off, it peeled his door open from the wrong way , talk about embarassing. Back then I never heard the term G.O.A.L. as they use it today but it sure makes sense. Be safe

 

Tinman told me at dinner the other night that the doors were now designed to rip off cleanly at the hinges now (because of noobs?) and I wasn't so sure of that since he's still new to trucking. Looks like it's true.

Did you get your jacks picked up before it stopped spinning?