backing question

I don't say "I won't do that again"....more like "I'll do it better next time".

Thing about truck driving is you have no control over where the load needs to go....just how it gets there. It may appear to be impossible, but if you step back and look at what you have to work with...develop a plan BEFORE you start....most of the time it works out alright. When in doubt, get out and look. The 20 seconds it takes to climb out and go look at what's behind you and how you're lining up in the space is far less than the 2+ hours you'll be sitting there filling out crash reports, exchanging insurance information, talking with the company safety dept., talking with police, etc...

There have been several job sites where I have parked out on the road and walked in to survey what I had to work with...get a lay of the land, making mental notes of any obstacles I would have to avoid...visually picture my truck making it's way in, where I'd have to position it to make it in where I needed to go. Then I go back to my truck and make it happen.

Just remember, you aren't driving a truck pulling a trailer...you are driving the trailer, and the truck is merely the steering mechanism.

 

Shoot yourself on the first, and on the second, "If ones head is full, one might want to see what it's full of"!

 

Actually, backing a square helps more. Lets you learn when to catch and when to cut. And from what I've seen in my travels, as somebody mentioned^^^ its all about the setup. That's the biggest mistake, not having the truck and trailer in the right place before you start. That and not thinking about what you're trying to accomplish with your pull ups. And it just takes practice to learn. You want the trailer as straight as possible to the hole, given the space you have to work with, and the tractor cut into your turn so you're not pushing the trailer the wrong way trying to get the truck in position to follow.

 

If it looks tight and I'm not sure I can make it in on my own I look to see if I can see someone in the trucks I'm trying to back between. If I do I just knock on the door and tell them I'm a rookie and sure could use some help backing in so I don't mess up thier truck. Most of them jump right out of the truck and help spot me cause they sure don't want me to mess up thier truck either.

 

This probably won't help you much...but it truly is how I managed to get (sorta) good at backing....we all have those days when we can't pull through a spot, let alone back into one.

When I first started I preferred to drive at night and would usually be ready to shut down around 3am...as I'm sure you know, even driving through most truck stops at 3am can be hard enough...and backing into a parking place IF one is available is #### near impossible....IF one is available, it will be because nobody else could back into it

It usually came down to sheer determination, LOL...I was tired, and I was gonna get parked...By parking in those spots, I learned to back into most any spot, anywhere....sight side, blind side....doesn't really matter anymore.

The moral of the story is...you'll never learn if you don't try, just remember to try VERY CAREFULLY....don't be afraid to get out and look.


And there is a sort of schedule to finding parking...alot of drivers pull out around 1am and that opens up a few spots here and there, but not for long...if you run past 1:30am or so...forget finding any easy parking because there usually won't be any until around 5am.

None of this is a problem for me very often any more...I slowly gravitated over to the ranks of what CB rambo's call a "solar powered driver"...I shut down early and pull out early (usually around 5am)

AND...below is a lesson I learned the hard way...could have cost me my job, but didn't

DON'T TRUST ANYBODY TO HELP YOU DO YOUR BACKING...DO IT YOURSELF!

Why do I say that? I'll tell you why...

This happened at a receiver in Mt. Holly, NC (SCR tech)....the dock guy was helping me back in because the trailer I had was too tall for their dock (long story as to why...and irrelevant), long story short...he didn't stop me soon enough and the trailer knocked a small chunk out of the wall when it went OVER the dock. I got safety points from my company for it...and learned a lesson I won't soon forget...I'll do my own backing!

When somebody tries to help me back into a spot...I politely tell them I can do it, if they persist...I just ignore them and do it myself...in the end, I think I have become a better driver because of it.

 

Amen to that...

 

Turn that darn BS box off when you're backing...if you're about to hit something somebody should blow their air horn...

Most drivers will react to the sound of a horn the same way when backing, and the reaction is usually instant...when I hear one...I STOP!!!

Trying to back with 15 people giving you directions and 5 more telling you to hurry is a recipe for disaster.

 

This is a bit of backing advice that has its roots at Schneider...but its still good advice, just another way of saying what you said...maybe easier to remember because it doesn't matter where your hands are on the wheel.

Its simple...steer towards the trouble.

If you're getting the trailer too close to something on the right side...turn the wheel to the right.

And when you're looking in the mirror or out the window while backing...don't focus on where the trailer is...visualize where its gonna be in 10-15 more feet, always be looking ahead.

 

I ran into the Pilot in Paducah for a new map book a year or two ago. When I came out, there was a Swift truck trying to back in a few spaces away. As I climb up into my truck, I hear on the CB someone say "Swift, you may want to get out and look....you're getting awful close to my trailer...Swift? SWIFT!!!!" Then there was an air horn.

Swift mashed the throttle and slammed into the side of the skateboard.

Apparently, Swift didn't have a CB, and when he heard the air horn he thought it was an impatient driver telling him to hurry up.

 

Hmmmm...as they say...there is always an exception to every rule. It always seemed to be common sense to me...if ya hear a horn while backing....STOP!!!

Swifty's mistake was getting in a hurry...horn or no horn.

I've been at this a while and I've never seen a driver mash it when they heard a horn...not saying it can't happen but thats not the usual reaction.