flatbed parking

The earlier you get there, the better chance you have at one of those spots.

 

That's why the improvised parking spots start filling up about 8 am while there are only 30-40 legal parking spots still available.

 

It gets backed like a normal van with two exceptions.

If you have a monster coil really top heavy, you better not back if at all possible.

Second a 10 foot spread axle with a dump valve on the rear trailer axle allows you to set it up on the forward spread like a pivot and shove it back into the dock. Do mind your corners. You can absolutely break stuff faster with it.

 

You've been pulling a box too long if it's easier to back than a deck. The deck lines up with the side of the truck, you can look straight down the side to the back end.

I line the back end of the trailer up to the spot I want it in and just steer it in.

 

I just pretend Im a Swift driver and take 3 or 4 tries.

 

When I started a couple months ago at my new company I did a driving test which ended doing a back into a fairly tight spot with little room to maneuver. I was pulling a dry van trailer and all I have ever done is flatbed spread axle. I put it right in no problems. The tester said it was the first time any of his road testers had done it without him getting out to guide them.

 

Lol... This last week I was at a Flying J off I-80 just west of Chicago for a 30 min break and fuel. I had to shake my head as I watched this empty flatbedder try to back into a spot...

It was about 7 or 8 pm and this lot was fairly small (2 rows of parking, all back in spots). First off he picked a spot on his blind side, then instead of turning around (which there was plenty of room to do) he proceeds to try and blind side it... Over steer, pull up... Understeer, pull up... Repeat and repeat and repeat again... For about 15 mins

This was all happening directly in front of my truck and actually delayed me leaving by 10 mins because he had me blocked in.

He eventually got frustrated and spun his drives in the snow all the way to the end of the lot to try the exact same technique on a different spot.

After waiting for the backup of other drivers to clear a bit I proceeded to the fuel island. The poor kid was still trying to get parked as I pulled out after fueling.

I felt bad for the kid... But had a bit off a chuckle at the same time... I suppose many of us started out the same way when we were learning what works and what doesn't.

 

Several things come to mind.
1. The big trick to backing flat bed is slow and steady.
2. Keep your arch wide. Unless your empty, you cannot bend a flat bed like you do a reefer or dry van. Your trailer has a whole different twist to it.
You try and bend it like a box trailer you stand the potential of flipping the trailer.
3. The tail of a flat bed will swing a lot faster than on a box trailer and get away from you very easily, so take your time.
4. Use your mirrors a lot, and when you back, line up on your passage side not your driver side. This keeps the back of the trailer straighter. If you line up on your driver side, you'll be sitting at an awkward angle.
Regardless of what some may say, flatbedder can back up, quite often much better, it just takes us a little longer.
Anybody who drives a box and says flatbedders can't back up, let me see one of them blind side into a job site, or back around the corner of a building.
The other nice thing about us flatbedders, we always no where the end of our trailer is in parking lots. You don't see a flatbedder sticking 8 or 10 feet of his trailer into the spot behind him, preventing another person from backing in.