Do truckers "challenge" themselves?

While attending Big truckin' school, backing and shifting were my worst areas. But I had a great desire to be better. Much better.

Thanx, in part to the well un-maintained semi-trailers and containers provided by the railroads and ports around Los Angles, I got plenty of backing practice doing all SORTS of crazy backing there -- out of necessity and wondering if it could be done.

Even if it didn't get it exactly right --- all the CSI shows on TV could combine efforts and not find any damage I might have inflicted.
But on a positive note, I learned from my mistakes, and
I got to where I saw difficult backing situations as a challenge.

At one shipper near Chicago, Big trucks had to back onto well manicured lawn areas, so the local homeowners placed boulders exactly where a Big truck truck driver would hit them. When backing, they wouldn't be seen by the driver.

Plenty of battle scars on the rocks -- along with shaved aluminum and chrome lugnut covers.
An experienced driver will be scanning the area as they approach the area they'll be backing in or out. This is an easily missed trap, requiring a, seemingly, odd backin' set-up --one way to git 'er done, and it ain't easy.

To avoid contact with the trailer, it's necessary to stretch 'er out long so as to allow a sharper jack, and it was necessary to git back under it at, what seems to be, too late. Goes against a driver's senses, but it works.

Those situations can anger me.
Not because of the neighbors, but at the company that requires and requests Big trucks Too Big to really get in their docks.
I was 73 feet long at my shortest 5th wheel setting. This company was used to cab-overs.
THEY got 'er done without breaking a sweat.
Try it in a W-900. Thank gawd the power steering worked!
It's twue!
It's twue!

BTW Ducks, ....... I'm impresses that you noticed and enjoyed watching.
And I appreciate you telling us about it.
Makes me feel like maybe, just maybe, when I accomplished one of my 'impossible' backs, and, wouldn't y'all know it?
NObody's lookin' --- maybe SOMEone WAS (watchin')!

But, by-golly, they're always there when I'm havin' 'one-0-those-daze' when I can't get a straight back right.
Why dat?

 

Some days I even impress myself.I stopped for a quick shower the other day and the parking was limited. Had to hit a tight hole with a heavy load of lumber. Spread axles are no fun when you have about 50,000 lbs on them. I dropped her right in there. Other days I have a easy hole and think I hope no one is watching me.

 

Those containers are nice for learning how to back. You have to almost try to make any kind of noticeable damage.

The Jackknife Back: Setup so you are about 1-1.5 truck widths from the trucks already at the dock. Pull forward so you tandems are just past the truck next to the hole you are trying for. Crank the wheel all the way to the right and start backing up. When your tractor is roughly 90º to your trailer then crank the wheel the other direction. This should get your trailer in the hole, how far off you are just depends on how far back your tandems are.

When exactly you start straightening out is a bit hard to tell. The wheelbase of your truck and how far back you have your tandems will make all the difference. If you are centered on the dock but can't get your tractor straight in time then keep going until your steer axle is in front of the hole(assuming you won't hit anything). Then do a pull up to straighten it out.

A couple nice things about this back, when you go to open your doors you aren't blocking traffic, plus you can take a look at where you are going. Once you've tried it a few times you will see that it is easy to move your trailer over to center it mid-back.

It looks goofy but it works.

 

~snip~

~snip~

If I'm backing into a dock -- it's an area for Big trucks. If general traffic uses those areas, THEY can wait for ME.

 

Think he meant not blocking other trucks who could be backing in the doors down the line !? Some newbies take forever to dock (10+ pullups..heh heh). I try to be patient, cause been there too

 

Same here, amigo.
And I'm not beyond helping other drivers who might be having difficulty backin' in -- to speed up the progress --- while some of the other drivers are honkin' their horns.
I figure those honkin' are the 'new breed' that are replacing the REAL Big truck truck drivers.
Ya reckon.

 

I always try to make sure I am out of the way of other people whenever I do something, unless it will make my job significantly more difficult/dangerous.

It isn't uncommon for me to wave traffic through before doing a pull up. Those people get to get through and I don't have to worry about them moving when I'm trying to back. Its a win-win for everyone.

Once I'm actually moving then I'm not letting you through at all.

 

LOL that is so true... I always tell people I have no real issues getting into really tight places but give me a football field of wide open space and it takes me 5 pull ups or more to get it in... i have no ideal why that is...


Well I would say the word challenge is a deceiving one when it comes to trucking.. As in anything what may challenge one may be a simple task for another. Challenge? well I would say at some point all challenged themselves.. It would be how they went about it in doing so... Such as, did they get out and look? did they have people help guide them in? ext....

 

I agree that wide open docking areas w/o lines are almost impossible to hit w/o pullups! Also makes experienced drivers feel (and maybe look!) stupid....heh heh There are things like this that make us veteran drivers 'humble'...

 

I used to spot trailers, so I love backing. Its a neat feeling to be able to 90 deg a 72 ft vehicle into an 8 ft wide space without a pullup. Ive only pulled that off a few times, though. However, I do NOT try any weird backing if there is anything on either side of where Im backing into.
So yes, I do challenge myself occasionally.