BAcking Up

Lot's of good advice so far. When you practice figure out how far your trailer tandems travel from when you initiate a jack knife until your tractor is at a 90 degree angle to the trailer. That will let you know how far ahead you need to set up before you can back into position to pivot around the trailer tandems.

 

Use the search function here to find dozens of very helpful posts on this subject.

Once you're out of school, here are a few tips that may help you as a new driver. Setting up for your back correctly is a key to success. If you don't set yourself up in a good position in front of the hole, you will struggle unnecessarily trying to compensate for the less-than-desirable attack angle on your backing procedure. Learn how to "read" the target. What I mean by this is before you even get to the dock, your mind will begin assessing the dock position and how you're going to set-up in front of it in order to back in. We all do this subconciously, but refine your awareness and make the analysis a conscious one. How? Like this:

- In the beginning, especially as a new driver, or going to a new location, see if you can find it on a satellite view via mapquest.com. Zoom in and study your target. How will you go in? Do you have options to enter and make your dock approach from the sighted side, or are you forced to make a blind-side back?

- Are there other trucks backing in? How are they setting up? Time permitting, stop and watch the other trucks, paying attention to how far they are pulling up, and particularly, where the back end of the trailer is in relation to the opening. That's the important bit.

- Go buy or borrow a toy tractor trailer and use it to study the behavior of the trailer as you pretend to back it up. It may sound silly, but the fundamentals are the same regardless of scale.

- Look on the ground for black marks left by the tires of other trucks. You can usually see the most-used traffic pattern that can give you some clues as to how others set-up.

- Don't get in a hurry, and never let yourself be rushed by other drivers. Yeah, I'll be irritated to wait for 5 minutes while a new driver blocks the pad, but I'll be really rustled if that new driver tries to rush and ends up blocking traffic for an hour while they take pictures of the damage because he hit something. Take your time, get out and look!!

Good luck, and welcome to The Truckers Report.

 

Very Very Stated, I still have days and sometime 2 in a row where I can't hit a hole the first time if my life depended on it, like this post says, get yourself a toy truck and tractor and then make sure you are not sliding it into where you want to go, I did this and I was picking the front of the truck up and moving it to where I needed it, It doesn't work like that. Good Luck Stay safe and TURN THE CB OFF WHEN BACKING UP!

 

Hey Shawn- Like one thread said set yourself up. Had to do this when I was hauling bunker oil. If you find a spot to park, I line my rear screws to the spot your going to back into. Then turn hard over and get straight. You will notice trailer will be lined up with spot almost perfect. Get out and look the spot over and then start backing. As long as the tractor tandems are centered to the spot its pretty easy. Very little adjustment. I hope this will help. And don't worry about other "eyes".

 

get a toy truck.

The overhead view, as you pretend to back with it, is an incredibly helpful training method.

Mikeeee

 

No one has mentioned the most important thing to remember when backing. If you're not 100% sure, for the love of god, GET OUT AND LOOK. That will save you a lot of grief.

it took me about 6 months to get comfortable with backing. When I was a newbie, I wouldn't be able to sleep the nite before a delivery. I just knew that they'd make me do some crazy kind of backing and I'd make a fool of myself. Well guess what, I've yet to encounter a dock I couldn't get it into. Sometimes it would (and still does) take me awhile, but I would take my time, try not to get frustrated, and get out and look if I wasn't sure. Never had a backing accident either.

Also, turn off the CB while you're backing. If another driver wants to get out and ground guide you to help out, that's fine. But never let someone guide you over the CB. You have no idea where they're at and what they can't see. Remember, it's your ### if you hit something.

heres a few rules for backing to keep in mind
1.GOAL (get out and look)
2.slow down and take your time
3.use as much room as you can, even if you don't think you need it
4.always take the easy spot

Good luck to you in your trucking adventure.

 

Look at what the lot lizards

 

When you have time, take the tight spots. Practice makes perfect. Sorry that aint true. No one is ever 100% perfect. But practice makes you better! And practicing those tight spots when you have time, and are not tired better prepares you for when you are are tired at the end of a long day.

Mikeeee

 

There certainly is a great deal of satisfaction being able to get a truck into a tight spot. While you earn your bread and butter on the open road getting miles under the frame, you really show your stuff parking or getting into a dock.