Backing... a 53 ft monster

Yeah, the Old Man knows his stuff.

 

Seen guys down under back B double and even triples into parking spaces and docks. I don't even want to try that

 

I don't know. If you have your mirrors adjusted right and you GOAL you can make it look a little too easy, but I do it as a last resort myself or sometimes just for practice if there is nothing to beat up around the docks. I've probably blind-side backed about 1/3rd to the 2/3rds of the regular backs I've done over the years. Mostly, I'll loop around in a congested dock and pivot the trailer where it can straight back into the hole and in crunched spaces with little pull forward room I'll go back out and come back in so I can get set up for a left to right 90. There are docks where you can't do a left 90 though and your only open dock is that one with the concrete or building where your left set-up is and you must do a slow careful blind-side otherwise you wind up waiting 5-6 hours for another open dock and having the customer bleed your bills with LATE two or three times on it.

 

When I was with Sentinel, we dragged two 28' trailers around but our yard was set up where we had to back into our parking spaces. I used to get so ###### frustrated. Also used to have to back a set of chip doubles onto the ramp so we could dump them. We'd back the rear trailer onto the deck, unhook, dump, hook up and remove the rear trailer, move it, drop it and then back the front trailer on. Talk about a PITA.

 

Try not to get over confident.I use to drive a day cab.It had a short wheel base.I was able to look out the back window when in a tight spot.
I was put in a Westernstar road tractor and found out in a hurry how important it is to go slow,if in doubt get out and look.It was like trying to back-up blindfolded compared to the day cab I was used to.
My wife told me once my short day cab hooked to a 53 foot trailer looked like a pick-up truck pulling a mobile-home

 

just rem backing is a day by day thing.You can take someone thats been trucking
a year or 40 years and depending on the day it might take them both 50 pullups to get it in,
And dont get over confident with the blind siding or your regret it one day

 

ALWAYS G O A L.
You'll be thankfull in the end. Rather than pissed off because you have to fill out an acciedent form and take pictures of the damage you did.

 

For some reason indoor docks make me nervous. Roehl delivers to Volkswagen in Ajax Ontario Ca. and to a grocery wharehouse in Tewksbury Mass. that are indoors. There is something about being confined in a building that makes me feel like there is something to hit everywhere. It doesn't help when they place cars, building material, delivery vans ect. in the space you need to setup and swing into the dock. My second least favorite place to back is most Pilot parking spots. They don't get much more narrow or tighter to back into, and there is always someone that pulls up as close to you as they can while you try to back into that last spot. I guess if it was easy it would be boring.

 

Back a Triple??? WOW!!!

 

It's a pain, but if you slide your tandems to the rear you move the pivot point to the rear of the trailer. In a tight spot this can help, it allows you to set up closer to the spot. I agree with avoiding "blind side" backing as much as possible. What I do in a tight spot is pull forward until the trailer is just past the spot I want to back into. Next I slide the tandems and open the doors. Then I jack knife into the spot. I pull up as necessary to straighten out as I continue to back in. If in doubt, get out and look. Don't keep backing hoping not to hit anything. I will admit I still have a problem with oversteering, but it doesn't keep me from getting into some pretty tight spots.

Learn how to distinquish helpful drivers from jerks. There are a lot of drivers who will be willing to help you, some of us have been trainers and we remember what it is to be new. When I was new more than once I had other drivers who were glad to help, even now I still have drivers that on their own jump out and spot for me. I do the same as the opportunity arises. That is called being a professional driver.