Tip for new drivers from a new driver :)

Yikes! That is scary! You could have ripped a couple doors off!

 

Don't feel bad lol it happens to most of us at least once. I did it while I was still on my trainers truck. Nailed a smooth one shot no pull-up beautiful 90 degree back into an enclosed dock in leominster, ma and he sat there and let me get all the way to the dock and then laughed his ### off as he asked me what I forgot. The doors. They were still closed and I knew it soon as he asked me. At least then I just had to pull straight out open them and back straight back in. One of those many mistakes in this job you generally only make once lol I sure never have after that lol

then there was the true certified supertrucker driving for swift I met in Seymour, Indiana who, after telling me all about his days hauling money shipments and nuclear material for the government...grabbed his bills and jumped in his truck with duct taped fenders and sped off out of the lot and down the road with the doors wide open.....

pesky doors lol happens to most of us in one form or other at least once

 

Yes I'm not a newbie but anywho here is a bit of good advice - always look up to see if there is any thing that will rip your trailer apart or that you will not clear.

Why?

Number one -

Not all docks are made for 12' 6" trailers. Some are made for box trucks which are under 12 feet. I go to a few which you would think would be fine for 12' 6" trailers

I saw it happen today that someone didn't see the BIG sign with the one foot letters on it that says "TRUCKS OVER 12 FEET - DO NOT USE THIS DOCK".

the driver had an opps! moment when he peeled back some of his roof on the rear of the trailer.

Number two -

Sometimes when you go into a dock area, it is accessible through a door. They open the door, you pull in and you and your truck are nice and cozy.

Some doors are pretty quick, they open in a minute or two but others are not.

A few weeks ago I had a delivery at a place they do Blanchard type grinding. There in the dock was a guy with the really nice KW W900L with a large ICT sleeper, all the chrome anyone would ever want and custom paint job. I had to wait until he was done unloading. He was delivering huge molds to be worked on and they had to use the crane inside the place to get them off the trailer. Well he got done, he was in a BIG hurry and saw the door opening, waited until he thought he was clear and proceeded to get out of there, taking the door with him. He later admitted to not thinking and not looking out the window to see if he would clear the door. So much for this paint job and the sleeper roof.

 

Those are always a treat, another note would be clean your mirrors and put the windows down to reduce the glare. You back into a dark dock you need all the vision you can get. If it's cold outside like this pic blast the heat to stay warm while windows down til you finish backing. Some docks like these as well I've backed the whole trailer and up to the mirrors inside. If the dock your using is by a support beam watch your mirrors, some inside docks are really close when you get straight to the yellow concrete post and even the support for the building. Not paying attention will be enough momentum even at a idle back can damage your mirror if you hit it, plus the building or worse case the truck.

 

It should go without saying, but always be polite and professional at a shipper or receiver. It can be tough to do, especially when you're having a bad day or racing the clock, but it pays off in the end. I pulled into a customer's lot at the same time as a truck from one of my company's competitors. We went inside to let them know we had arrived, and they informed us they were closed from 12-1 for lunch. It was noon. The other driver got annoyed and threw a little fit, complaining about how they were messing up his schedule, etc. I smiled and nodded, and went back to the truck. By 1215 they were backing me into the building, and I was back on the road by 1230. I deliver here a lot and am friendly with the receiving crew, so they're willing to get me in and out. The guy that unloaded me mentioned that the other driver would be waiting until 1 because he's always a jerk when he comes in.

 

I always lower my window when backing... so I can hear if somebody yells.

 

I was passing in a Road in the Fulton Industrial Blvd Area in Atlanta, and I saw a trucker in really trouble. He was hauling some very sophisticated electronic unit, it looks like a fridge; and seems that he forgot his back doors open. Some of those freaking things felled out and smashed on the road, I could see components everywhere. And there were Police, Fire Fighters, Company's people... you name it!! - I felt so bad for the poor drive, because those things seemed to be totally messed up. -- And it can happens when you forget to close the back door...

 

Do you think the driver will be fired?