Have you ever been to a dock that you absolutely couldn't back into

Tamko shingle plant in Frederick Maryland, the flatbed docks are very tight. Easy to get into as its just a simple swing around then straight line back, but the fact that the docks are 104 inches wide makes it tough for a rookie flatbedder with a 102" who hasn't developed his straight line backing skills with the very minute movements.

 

Why is EVERY convention center blindside back? What morons design these things?

 

Engineers

 

Seems like every dock here in the eastern shore for local delivery. The hospitals, colleges, etc. Not that they are particularly hard it just seems like ever single one I pull up to allows cars, vans and utility vehicles to park in the dock areas.

 

There are a few Family Dollar stores I can think of. There is a dock down by Laredo Texas where backing up to it will require your front trailer axle being suspended in the air.

Aother one along the Mexican border requires your truck park right in the middle of the street while you are unloading.

 

Brooklyn, NYC deliver to a 100 plus year old stone building that looks lile an apartment building. No loading dock just a stone stoop on the sidewalk. I had to drive the wrong way down the street and back trailer to the stoop at a 45 degree angle, which put my tractor & trailer spanning the street sidewalk to sidewalk. To be a nice guy I jacked the tractor so a unicycle or skateboard might get past me while parked. It only cost $120 in tolls and I only spent 45 minutes backing. The customer stood in the street when I was done to block traffic so I could back all the way down the street to leave.

 

Kroger in Roanoke makes me cry, if that is the one I think of with that giant interior wall in front of the docks... ugh.

 

It will be easier next time now that you've done it.

 

Delray NJ had a little shop I had to back into off a three lane jerseybarrier equipped road. I block off two lanes with the triangles and proceed blind side. There was a traffic light at the bottom of the hill there so everyone has a chance to merge all the way left to get around me. Talk about playing in traffic mommy. Whooo. (Hell if I do THAT today... gawsh, I was so young -and stupid...)

One day a little old lady in a barge of a 74 impala broke all my traingles and stopped under my trailer deck forcing me to slap the brakes on that daycab CH (Or CL... forget...) Mack. Trailer proceeds to tip all the way over pulling me to the sky before thinking about slamming over to the side of the pax door etc. (Flipping) The cab slammed back down onto the steer cracking the axle a little bit, but not enough to need a tow. Lady backed up and fled. I yellled all of the dockside profanity I knew at her. Abusing her verbally. I hope they buried her deep by now...

It was the one time I hear all my little three inch straps creaking thinking about dumping all of that belly load of shingles all over her. I swore right then and there, I will secure every freaking load with everything for the rest of my life. No more BS 6 straps....

That was duly reported to the boss. And it was the last time I went there too. It seemed like three weeks straight I was going up there every morning. I got nauseated thinking what I would have to do fighting three lanes of rush hour people angry with me pigging that whole road... UGH.

 

You think a tight dock is bad, wait until you have a wide open dock with absolutely nothing on either side of you, no lines, nothing to judge distance or angle... and a crowd watching. You just woke up.

There goes an hour of your day.