Cant alley dock

If you haven't already google it there are a few videos on youtube I like the england instructor one watched it a doz times I want everyone to be confident in parking can sleep better, you know there is a open spot next to you at a truck stop and the lot is filling fast and some drivers back in like on easy street and others not so easy, but you cant worry about that so you hop in the bunk. Wake up take a look , Oh that driver did a perfect job parking or and it happens ,you are jolted awake. Some yahoo hit your mirror, it gets really tight in some of these truck stops, go slow practice get and look,square off first if possible or have little angle left and pull up has often has needed. Parking at truck stops is where a lot of new drivers lose their job. Its late they are tired its dark and they have to park so either create a new spot which you will see when you wake up new parking spots were created while you were asleep its kind of funny these trucks out in the middle of lot in the middle of the day with empty spots all around them,well they came in late after the lot was full.Okay enough rambling,anyway your out there and you can do it carefully.

 

Lee, first off let me say I know your pain. My three time to the cdl testing site here in northeast Ohio, the final maneuver was alley docks. When I was in school, the first maneuver we were shown was alley docking. I don't know how fast you are going, but we "crawled" at an idle. We were told to pull up next to the maneuver, (pull all the way up if necessary, depending how long your yard is, and straight back until your drive shoulder is parallel with (if your yard is set up with cones, and you have "crossovers" or off-set maneuvers) the first cone or whatever is there for that other maneuver. Remember, the first cut, (turn of the wheel) is to the right. Depending on what type rig you are in, ask your instructor to start the maneuver and get out and to show you where he stopped. My school fixed reflectors in between the trailer’s landing gear, and we were to pass the right leg so far, then counter by going left just until you can see the point of where the two vertical bars meet the horizontal bar. The put your right on again pass the right leg, back to the left.
Use small “bumps” to watch the trailer begin to bend. Once you get the trailer lined up where you think you want it, use judgment on how far to go past the legs. If you have to do the 90 degree, my instructor told me this. When you start out, watch the trailer “walk across the blind-side mirror (right) that will put the trailer in position, then straight back in. Oh, yeah, once you are in the box , put your first set of drive tires near or as close as you can get, to the first cone or boundary line without being even, and you shouldn’t have any problems. A bit long, I know. But hope this helps.

 

I'm having a hard time alley docking myself. I'm great with a straight truck. The tractor trailer & a yelling instructor is a whole new ball game for me. Good luck in your alley docking & future trucking career.

 

I had a lot of trouble with it at first also, the best advice is to practice, practice and more practice. You must do your straight line backing first and be able to do it with ease and perfection without thinking. Back all the way thru till your front tires are even with the last cone. After you master this then do your alley docking. The straight line backing was the most helpful. ALso you will be able to alley dock at sometime in the future and you will realize "wow thats the trick" ! Once you figure out what you are doing wrong with your steering, you will make mistakes less often. Just keep practicing. I thought I would never do it and felt really bad about it! I took my road test on August 4th and passed with ease. You can do this and you will! Hope this helps, Susan.

 

Yes you can. You just don't know it yet and haven't mastered it. Trust me, if a rock ape like me can learn to alley dock, ANYone can.

 

You might think I am crazy but here goes. Go find a friend who has a Lawn tractor and yard trailer both small. By 5 dollars worth of gas and have at it. If you can back one of them with no problems you will be surprised on how easy it gets.A boat behind a pick up works also. Anything smaller turns way faster then a big truck so you have to make fine adjustments to get it down pat....In my humble opinion..........

 

Practice. Nothing but. Go to the yard on your day off and practice in the drop lot with an empty trailer. Go slow and pay attention to how you set up. When you mess up and you will just pull around the lot and set up again. Keep doing this until you get it right. Take all day and you will find that when there is no pressure and no-one is staring at you you will get it.
The best scenario is if your company has a flatbed division. Hook onto an empty flatbed and use that to practice to start. You can see everything your trailer is doing including the back corner on the passenger side which you can't see with a van. By watching this you can see how you handle the truck will cause the trailer to go one way or another, how close you are to trailers, etc.. I started on a flatbed and never had to do much of it but I practiced every chance I got just in case and a few years down the road when I started hauling containers it came in handy.

 

Now why is that instructor yelling??? I enjoyed my classes and even the yelling instuctor! have fun out there and be carefull!

 

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Think of this, it will go back in the same way it comes out. See if you can start from the backed in position and pull out slowly. You will be surprised how little you really have to turn. That was my and almost all my classmates problem, over steering. Pay attention to your landing gear. You shouldn't have to go beyond the second leg or you are too jacked. I still am not the best backer in the world, but guess what, I passed and bad backing pays the same as good as long as you don't hit anything.