Backing into a dark garage dock -

I've used the previous trucks tire tracks and at other times, a willing pair of eyes to help me...

 

Get out and look, Great trick of the trade.. I see that many truckers(even local ones) don't do this and 7 times out of 10 they bump into something or cause an accident.

 

I'll always flip my parking lights on (or leave on if idling) when someone is trying to back in next to me and it's dark and in a poorly lit area as a courtesy to the backing driver.

When having to "jack-knife" into a dock with limited space, prior to backing, I'll approximate an area about 30 feet from the dock and 90 degress to the dock corner where I think the trailer sides should be and use baby powder (or spray paint) to mark a "line" (or a spot) to indicate I'm more or less 90 degrees so long as my trailer corner is where it needs to be and the line of baby powder is about even with the edge of my trailer. Sometimes those situations can be somewhat of an optical illusion as to whether you are square to the dock or not.

 

wow, cool trick, I'll keep that in mind as I probably never would have carried more then one flashlight with me.. G.O.A.L. works too but when it's a dark garage, some extra light helps too.

 

keep an eye out in the truck stops for the large candle watt flash lights with rechargable battery. I purchased one about 3 weeks ago at a Wilco Hess for around $20 on sale. I used it for the first time the other morning backing into shadow at a dock. One of the best investments one can make as we are moving into the darker times of the year.

 

i used to use the flashlight trick as well, backing bee trucks down the dirt lanes within california lettuce fields at night. no backup lights, no curbs, no guides, nothing except starlight and serious consequences if you went off to the side into the mud alone at midnight.

propping up a flashlight 30 yards down the lane at the edge to give me a target saved my butt many times.