alley dock

yup

piss off drivers > getting preventable

every driver had to start somewhere, even those you piss off werent that good when they began but they forget about that part.

 

75% of your backing will be a 45 degree dock. 20% will be a straight back. 5% will be a 90 degree dock. I never had to do a blind back. If you do....ask the yard jockey to back it in for you.

Since most of the docks you do are 45 degree docks. I'll try to explain. Hopefully, it's easy to understand. Lets say you have to drop a trailer next to a line of other trailers.

Have the trailers your going to drop it next to on your drivers side. Drive up to the spot you want to drop it in until your landing gear is in the middle of the spot then make a hard right....let the truck go right for about 20 feet....then make a hard left. Stick your head out the window. Your trailer should be set up in a way that when you back up....your trailer goes right into the spot with minor steering adjustments. The biggest problem I find is when you make that hard left......pull up enough so when your backing & you need to make adjustments....you have enough room left to make corrections before your truck goes in the hole.

 

Tell your schools instructor to leave you alone. Its hard to gauge what you need to do from outside the truck. The best person who can tell what to do is the person behind the steering wheel. Have him leave you alone. You'll get it after you screw it up a few times. Don't let it discourage you when you mess up.

Is there anyone in your class who can do it ? Ask them if you can sit with them & watch what they do. The 90 I think is easier than the 45. The set up is the most important. Check out some of the YouTube videos. Those might help.

 

Remember, you only have to do this to make them.happy and maybe on the cdl test (dunno @ that in.Texas it was not part of the road test.)

Once your out solo, you may find yourself doing 17, 96, and 39 degree backs who cares? Just get the thing in the hole without hitting any thing. Seriously, I've looked at some spots and went, well lets just pull all the way up then straightline back. I coulda done a 45 degree back but why? Pulling.up.and straight lining was easier. Dunno, maybe I'm just lazy.

Relax man. You are gonna find a way to back that suits you. Might not work for me or your instructor, but who cares? You get it in SAFELY. that's all that really matters.

 

I dont call it lazy, I take easy backs every chance I have, minimizes stress and chances

 

Y'all are putting too much emphasis on backing and giving yourselves performance anxiety. Just put the truck in the hole and be done with it. Trying to be PC about it will just lead to you doing 5 million pull-ups, holding me and everyone else up.

Steer into the problem. That's all you need to remember besides GOAL.

 

If the instructors will let you, ask to have some time just backing. No pressure of going into a dock.

I made it though school and 2 months of training with an instructor but the first time I got my own rig I spent a few hours practicing on a dead end industrial park. That's when I finally GOT it.

Also once the trailer starts to "hook" don't think of the steering as "left" & "right" but "less" & "more".

As in, "give the trailer less angle" and "hook the trailer more"

And when the trailer is finally going in the hole like you want, "get [the tractor] under it!" (aka get the combo straight)

Good luck.

 

I back ugly... you will not want to emulate me, but I get it into the hole and against the dock flush... have yet to have anyone come up to me and say "#### you back ugly"

Like Ghost said... just put it in the hole.

 

I have found that the setup is what is most important. For the 1st few months driving, I would pull up and set up. Then before backing, I would get out of my truck and look. While looking I would try and picture what I wanted the trailer to do. That would give me more information, so when I got back to the tractor, I had a plan. Sure I got laughed at, but I did not hit nothing.

Bottom line, if I slow down the super trucker waiting on me a little, then he can kiss my #####, but if I hit something, then I screwed up.