Tandem placement and turning radius

About a month ago, I was at a receiver. The drawing in the photograph above represents the situation I was in at the receiver. I was trying to enter the drop lot at the entrance to the drop lot. I exited the drop lot at a receiver, and I was trying to do a U-turn and re-enter the drop lot through the entrance. My problem was that the yellow post and fence at the entrance would not allow me to go far enough to the right to keep the trailer from hitting the guard shack on my left. There was not much space behind me to back up to move the rear of the trailer over to the right so that I could keep the trailer from hitting the guard shack. I kept backing up and trying to move my trailer over to the right so I could clear the guard shack. Then I would pull forward to try to clear the guard shack, but I could not do it. There was another driver from my company trying to enter the drop lot. I did not draw my co-worker's truck in the drawing, but she was parked behind me. I am not 100% sure, but I believe that my tandems were all the way to the rear when I was trying to do a U-turn and re-enter this drop lot. After about ten attempts to back up and then re-enter the drop lot, my co-worker got out of her truck and walked to my truck and told me that I need to slide my tandems forward, so I could enter the drop lot. I slid the tandems like she advised me to do. Like I said, I am not 100% sure (this was at least a month ago), but I believe I slid the tandems forward. So I slid the tandems like she said, and, lo and behold, her strategy worked. I backed up and again and this time I was able to clear the guard shack and re-enter the drop lot.

I am 100% sure that my co-worker's strategy is what allowed me to re-enter the drop lot. I believe that my co-worker said that sliding the tandems forward would increase my turning radius. Does a tractor-trailer have a greater turning radius with the tandems forward than with the tandems all the way to the rear? Or is this a matter of trailer swing? Or is it both?

 

question why was the trailer wheels all the way back to start with. i got off work last night and put my king ranch in 4x4 auto before i left since it was snowing good. you got to thank ahead and move tandems before you leave your place. but next time run your tandems about mid way and cut your turn about half way in the first trailer tire

 

My tandems were all the way back to start with because the guard wouldn't let me enter the drop lot until I slid the tandems back. The receiver wants the tandems all the way to the rear on all trailers dropped in the drop lot.

So when I first arrived at the receiver, I had to slide the tandems back. Then I entered the drop lot. The traffic in the drop lot is supposed to be one way only. I passed up an open spot when I first entered the drop lot because there was not much forward space. It would have been a difficult back. So I kept going in the hope of finding a better parking spot, but I didn't find one. SO I had to exit the drop lot, and then I needed to do a U-turn and re-enter the drop lot. That's how I got in that situation.

 

Because most places require it.

 

yes.

But the guard let me slide the tandems forward temporarily so I could re-enter the drop lot and stop blocking everyone. Before I dropped the trailer, I slid the tandems back to the rear.

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What about my question about the turning radius?

 

slide back with handle if you got one still pulled out. then slide up to make your turn

 

I have been in a few rare situations where I slid tandems back to comply with guard shack, slid them forward to maneuver on property, then slid them back and locked them like their supposed to after backing in.

 

yea but most places dont help you when you tear up something. simply tell people you need to slide them up to make this turn. its not there trailer or truck.

 

It's called tracking. Should have been taught to you when you got your CDL. The trailer tracks you faster the closer the tandems are to you. Remember trailer swing?

 

That's not a real precise description. I am not 100% sure what you mean.

My interpretation of what you wrote is that you are advising me to slide back with the tandem release handle pulled out to slide my tandems forward. Then to drive forward to make the turn. That's what I think you are saying. IF IF IF that is what you are saying, saying "slide up to make your turn" is not a good description because sliding is a way to describe sliding the tandems. When a person drives a tractor-trailer forward without sliding the tandems, I would not consider that to be "sliding" anything.