Alley dock

Very rarely you will need a 90

 

You had better be able to do a TIGHT 90 at this location in Calexico! Nothing close to a 45 going on down there!

 

I know that. Arizona really screws the students with that bs.

That doesn’t change the fact that the school I went to was a mill. But it got the job done. The crusty mf that I had for the road portion was an interesting character that imparted a lot of industry info and had many good stories, but he really pissed of a couple guys in the truck. Lol. I didn’t mind him so much.

 

Yup......my attitude in Truck Driving School was ####, Fly under the radar, learn what I needed to learn, pass my skills and road test (did it on the first try), and get on the road. It was a tough 3 weeks, but.......I survived and am making a pretty good living out here

 

My comment is not directed at the students and drivers still with trainers. It is more directed to some comments in this thread about this docking procedure. Yes, there are some trucking operations where doing most any backing is rare. For the general driver, however, this is not true. I have seen so many different docks that I a long time ago stopped trying to call this docking anything other than spotting that load. I have seen 180-degree docks. Yes, I said 180-degree docking. Try that one on for size. Docking from a busy downtown anylarge city in the US into a garage dock that was never designed for a 53-foot box. I have had to parallel park to dock. Dangerous to do off a VERY busy highway! People need to get this idea that docking is always going to be perfect 45s and 90s. Trust me, they (AINT). You students, if you get any deliveries especially drop&hooks at places like a Walmart DC, PRACTICE doing this! Don't take the easy way out and straight line back. DO THE 45/90 EVEN if you have 5 acres of room. Once you start doing this you will be better prepared for those times when you have to do a VERY difficult back!

I have not even got into these situations where you are forced to blindside back in these difficult situations! I will save that for later!

 

While I agree backing up is a critical skill it is understandable why some state DOTs choose the parallel park option.

The parallel park skill test can be accomplished with a pad not much wider than a two lane road and can use the same space required for the offset and straight back.

The alley dock requires more than 130' of width and about the same length as the other tests.

I am sure the cost to states for those larger pads weighed on the AAMVA decision to allow for a choice between those two tests.

 

Watch tutorial videos and practice.

 

The last time I tried a 90-degree angle back, everything was going great until the ####ing airlines ripped out of the gladhands.

No airline damage. Got pretty #### lucky. Sure was blushing, though.

So yeah. Pay attention to that sort of thing. Lol

 

Did the air lines get caught up on the spare tire rack or catwalk somehow? Don't see how that could happen other than lines were too short??

 

That happened to me making a delivery at a HONDA plant in Southern California. Just one came out though. The gladhand socket on the trailer was very brittle and I failed to notice it when I made that pickup in Ohio a few days before. I was not hauling a company trailer. My Fleet manager told me to just drop it and leave. I have tried now for several minutes to remember the name of that logistics company that had the HONDA contract then!