i failed the alley dock for the third time! uggggh.....

We have one instructor who teaches the "stop and start method". Another says to always keep the truck moving. Keeping it moving works better for me.

With alley docking I had to realize the trailer was still moving towards the left cone even though it looked like I was going to end up too far right. Once I got that down it was cake.

Here in FL we get two pullups and 2 GOALs, we get to hit cones as well. 12 total points for 3 skills tests.

 

It is my cost of business.
It's my company.
My trucks.
My bills
My insurance

A set of standard steers cost about $700
A set of 385's float steers cost about $1300. (425's are about $200 more)

 

Here in Missouri it is 2 free pull ups and 2 free get out and look, every extra is 2 pts and 13 pts is a fail. What I did was make sure I didn't use any freebies for the straight line backing or offset backing and saved everything for the alley dock or parellel parking ( it might be either one here but not both). So I ended up with a possible 8 pullups and or GOAL before failing.

 

I just realize I am too late to help you out, most likely. However, I will put my answer here anyhow - it may be of help to someone in the future. A few years back I was in training but i had to drop because of personal medical problems.

Today i am back into training in the classroom. I had an issue with this maneuver back then - I completed it when the trainer was telling me to turn the wheel this far...go back .. keep going .. this was not learning this was merely performing. So I studied the maneuvers on paper and with toy Tractor trailer model. I have concluded this is no different than playing pool. That's right pool as in Billiards.

In other words, Relational Geometry is what it is, (how geometric shapes relate to each other at an angle) and I'll explain to you.
I had to perform the alley dock with the truck all the way out in the field, at a 45° angle from the dock. I have also seen this right next to the dock where the rear bumper is at the left cone (looking out from inside the dock).
In your mind, think what must be done to go in reverse? Take the truck from the finished position - inside the dock, and put it in the position it is in now. Think in reverse is the key.
Look at the 45 degree angle I spoke of, to get the truck out there in that position I need to turn the tiresl at a 45 degree angle to get out of the dock, then go straight to get out in the field away from the dock. So the key is reverse those moves. Go back staight until your rear bumper is even with the driver's side cone, then turn the tires at a 45 °
to swing it around and go inside the dock - then straighten it out to go back as far as you need to.

If it is parallel to the dock - right next to the dock wth rear bumper next to cone. You are at a 90 ° angle to the dock so you'll need to turn the tires at the 90 degrees to go into the dock and straighten it out.

Keep in mind the angle you're at now is the angle you'll need to turn your wheels, but once you turn the wheels to this angle is when you'll begin to go in. Therefore, do not turn at the angle until your rear bumper is by the cone - cause it will start turning at that angle then and begin to go inside the dock.

Next, we should realize this is the basic maneuver - the others are built upon this one.
Parallel Park ( Conventional) Here you're doing the same thing except we add one more thing to it, to complete this maneuver.
You align your rear bumper to the cone.
You turn your wheels to the angle to go inside the port, to the left.
Tthen turn your wheels the same angle but in the opposite direction, to the right, so it will level out inside the port, and complete the maneuver.


Rear backup Serpintine : This is the grand finale - so to speak. This one maneuver combines the moves you've made with 1.) Straight line backup & 2.) Parallel parking.

You go back straight untill the cone at your rear bumper.
Turn wheels at 90° so your trailer swings between the first two cones ( this is the same as alley dock),

Now you turn wheels 90° in the opposite direction so you can swing
around the second cone

Now repeat that 90° angle in the same direction to slip between the last two cones - then straighten it out once you clear them.

You see the maneuvers each add to the previous and they truly are about the angle your wheels are at to make the maneuver. Get a toy semi to test out the angles you need to be at .. you have to " Get It In Your Head" before you can perform the maneuvers properly.. .. take the time to work it so it truly does click. This is my advice because this is what I did and i feel 100% confident now that I will have zero problem completing all of these maneuvers shortly after presented.
Sorry if this was super long, but i wanted to get this out there .. I hope it will help others.

 

well in MI we dont get get outs. You really dont need them since theres nothing to hit thats going to be wrecked. FYI theres supposed to be a limit to how far you can pull when you first start the maneuver. Its something ridiculous like 150 feet. In the case of where i did my test, its the edge fo the parking lot, LOL.

if you've even failed this test ONCE, i think you went to a school that did a very poor job at teaching you this. Either that or you didnt pay attention, but ill give you the benefit of the doubt! That test is HARD, in ways its harder than real life. Theres a way to get the trailer in thats fairly easy, itll look like crap when its in, but itll be IN. Thats how i did mine. Cause theres too many auto fail bits on the test. In real life its a little easier, for me atleast, becauase you have things next to you that will be damaged if you mess up. It encourages you to do it right!

 

Danny I know how you feel I took my CDL test today in MA . with a 48 ft Trailer . At the school I was nailing all the manuevers first time every time . On my test not only did I fail Alley dock , but Blind side and Site side Parellell , and Embarassingly enough I failed my Brake test as well . All I passed was Straight back and Pre Trip. But I will not give up already have another test schedualed and will be getting 2 extra weeks of school .

 

Well, the world still needs ditch diggers. Just kidding. It sounds like you are waiting too long to make your adjustments. It takes about ten feet of backing for your trailer to react. You have to watch your trailer tires and try to figure out what the trailer is going to do before it gets there. I guess that sounds confusing but it gets easier with practice. It really comes down to getting the trailer tires where they need to be. Once the tires are in the right line the rest of the trailer and tractor should be easy to maneuver.

 

When you fail your test in N.J your gonna have to wait up to 2 months to retest right now. Al least thats whats happening at my driving school and we test all over the state!

 

Don't know what you are doin wrong but think of the cones as people , the lines are curbs so if your over the line your on the sidewalk , you hit a cone you just ran over a person. Thats why the fail for doing those things. Now lets go thru the proper way to back up. #1 when approaching your target stay as close to the cones as possible (going forward 90 deg of intended target ) as soon as the tractor passes the second cone turn right, when end of trailer gets to second cone turn left continue forward untill tractor is just past straight in line w/ trailer(to the left) and trailer is just past 2nd cone. at this point you should have cut nearly half the angle you need to turn off and the tractor is going to start turning the trailer as soon as you start moving. start to back up steering to the right (do not let the tractor and the trailer angle to each other go more than 45 deg ) at that point you can adjust the direction of the trl to turn more or less as needed to go between the cones. do not steer lock to lock when making adjustments 1 turn of the steering wheel in either direction max . as the trl gets straight with the line follow the trl ( straighten the trk and trl w/ each other) . should be a breeze w/ a single axle if you dont over steer . dont try and pivot the trl into the hole make the trl travel an arch as you turn and move backward at the same time. if done correctly you should only need to pull up once to straighten up with the dock then straight back . oversteering and jacking the trk too far where you can't catch up to the trl(get both in line ) is the biggest mistake a rookie makes backing up. just remember the front is the trailer and you are the back end now. like the driver in the back end of a hook and ladder fire truck. the front is fifty feet behind you your just keepin the back end from goin on the curbs.