G!! O!!! A!!!! L!!!!!!!!!

if i remember correctly this was close 15,000 dollars damage when all said and done. does not include pay for truck being in shop. all because someone was in a hurry to back into a no parking spot.

 

I guess the only thing I would say is I hope the student learned a valuable lesson. I did P&D for about 4 years here and even though I bumped thousands of docks - following my own tracks into many of those, if I had any doubt, I Got Out And Looked. It sounds cheesy but it works. About 8 total years of driving for me now and never had a backing incident but even at our terminals with hectic pace they have, if I'm not sure, I'll Get Out And Look.

All new drivers - this can save you soooooo much trouble.

 

hahahaha

sorry about your buddy's truck

 

I agree...we spent 4 weeks on the skills pad...learning all sorts of backing manuevers...loved it. However, after 4 weeks, there were a couple of folks who just didn't get it.

 

Every manual you read about trucking and every instructor will tell you the same. Stop get out look before your continue to back up. If for what ever reason you don't here this, put the book down or get out of the class your in ASAP. It's sad that these things happen but I am sure if we all put the cell phones down or climbed down from the truck to look what your backing into such things could be avoided. I drive firetrucks not semi trucks but I have less than six inches on both sides of my mirrors and roughly less at the rear with no dock bumper when backing into a bay. Not always am I gifted with a backer but even so, I in most cases can't see a freak ing thing backing in during the day. I always stop the truck and look at what I am backing into.

Let me tell you about a something that I wish I only seen but only able to witness the aftermath. A fellow firefighter was backing in to the station with our ladder truck only to not realize the the aerial ladder was not complete put back in place. When he was backing into the bay all you heard was crash, bang, WTF, and STOP STOP. If you can picture a firetruck in a bay and than in the offices area on the other side of the bay wall a ladder sticking out. Wait gets better, he decided to pull ahead rather than stop to see what he hit. Can you say Open Bay! Lucky no one got hurt but just goes to show you, what happens when you do take the time to check your equipment. Oh yeah can you actually depend on a backer?

 

I did that once several years ago. Tailswing caught the guy's grill as I was setting up to back in. Never saw or felt it until AFTER I had backed in a guy came over and told me what happened. Didn't do much beyond cosmetic damage.

 

I was in my sleeper once watching a movie, when all of a sudden I heard boom. When I got out to see what happened, my mirror on the passenger side was gone.. They guy next to me turned to early and took it out while he was leaving, and did not bother to stop or anything.. I never say what company it was either.. Luckily Swift did not give me any grief over it, as I told them I was in the sleeper when it happened, and they fixed it, and did not put any thing negative against me on my DAC..

 

i can understand exactly where you're coming from. but where will the trainer be once the student driver goes solo? Sure you can point the finger at the trainer, but whos butt is in the left seat? the student could (should?) have got out of the truck themselves to GOAL. If you approach and setup right, you shouldn't ever have an issue like what happened with IROC girl. And once you DO get setup, you cannot judge the location of your trailer very well from behind the wheel. Spending 10-15 seconds getting the big picture would sure save you from the 2-3 hrs of paperwork.

 

Not bragging but I was a student (at least in class) that just got it. I could see in my mind's eye what I needed to do to accomplish the backing manuever.

The instructor said back the truck into this spot and I just did it usually with no more than one pull up if that one.

And the GOAL concept is one that I just couldn't convince those who were struggling in our class to do it.

If you can't conceptualize the backing of the trailer and what will happen to that trailer when you turn your wheel to the right or left, then you simply won't get it.

Thank goodness that there are straight trucks.