I had an epiphany about backing up a tractor-trailer on a city street

Yesterday I backed my tractor-trailer up on a city street in Ocala, FL, and I think I had an epiphany about trucking.

I was trying to get into the Pilot truckstop at I-75 exit 341 in Ocala, FL. When I drove up in the turn lane to make a left hand turn into the Pilot truckstop, another semi-truck with a 53' dry van trailer drove up the driveway of the truckstop. This other semi-truck was green-colored. Henceforth, I will call this other semi-truck the green semi-truck. The green semi-truck had a 53' dry van trailer. The green semi-truck was trying to make a right-hand turn onto the street. The problem was that there was not enough room for me to make my left-hand turn into the truckstop without smashing my trailer into the green semi-truck, and the green semi-truck did not have enough room to make his right-hand turn with my semi-truck in the turn lane because that street only had two driving lanes and no shoulder. Either I or the driver of the green semi-truck would have to back up before one of us could make our turns. I looked in both of my side mirrors, and I did not see any vehicles behind me in either side mirror. So I backed up about 30 feet. Then the green semi-truck made his right-hand turn and exited the truckstop. Then I pulled drove forward again in the turn lane so I would be ready to make my left-hand turn once it was clear. There was a lot of oncoming traffic at first, and I could not make my left-hand turn at first. Here is the epiphany: Then I looked in the side mirror on the passenger side of my truck, and I did NOT see any vehicle whatsoever behind me in the turn lane, but I thought I saw just a SLIVER of some movement. At the time, I did not know what this sliver of movement I saw was, but looking back at this, I might have seen a shadow. So I again checked the passenger side mirror, and I checked the driver side mirror as well, and I did not see a car in either side mirror. I thought that there was no vehicle directly behind me in the turn lane. Then I saw a car make a left hand turn into the Pilot truckstop. I am about 99% sure that there was a car behind me in the turn lane when I checked both of my side mirrors, but I could not see the car in either mirror. So if that car happened to be behind me when I backed up for the green semi-truck, I would have smashed into the car behind me!

I drive a Freightliner Cascadia semi-truck with a sleeper berth, and I pull 53' dry van trailers. Before this happened yesterday, I thought that if I was pulling a 53' dry van trailer, and if there was a car directly behind me in my lane, I would always be able to see the car in at least one of the side mirrors. Now I no longer think that this is the case. Now I think that if a car is directly behind me, and if the front of the car is only about two feet from my bumper, I might not be able to see the car directly behind me. I also think that I am extremely fortunate that I have never backed into a car before when backing up on a city street.

Am I correct that if I am pulling a 53' dry van trailer, and if a car pulls up about 2 feet directly behind the bumper of my trailer, I might NOT be able to see the car in EITHER of my side mirrors?

Another thing that occurred to me is if a motorcycle pulled up directly behind me in my lane, I definitely would not be able to see it if I backed up.

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Edited to add: I know that the entrance at the Pilot truckstop at I-75 exit 341 is supposed to be an ENTRANCE only, and semi-trucks are supposed to exit the Pilot truckstop at a different place. But the green truck just ignored the signs that say that the ENTRANCE is not the exit. This thread is about the visibility of seeing cars parked directly behind a semi-truck that is pulling a 53' trailer.

 

Before yesterday, I thought I would be able to see any car parked directly behind me in my lane.

 

I am not 100% sure, but I think that both me and the green truck pulled up at the exact same moment in time. It was hard to tell that there was not enough room for me to make the left-hand turn with another truck there until I got so close that I was blocking the green truck.

The green truck was in the wrong though because there are three VERY LARGE signs at this Pilot truckstop saying that the driveway the green truck was on is ENTRANCE ONLY, NOT AN EXIT. The truckstop has a separate entrance and exit BECAUSE there is not room for an entering truck making the left hand turn into the truckstop at the same time another truck on the driveway trying to exit the truckstop.

 

Sometimes it is hard to tell that there is not room for both trucks to make their turns at the same time until you are so close that you are already blocking by the time you realize that there is not enough room.

Could you say something about the visibility of cars behind the tractor-trailer issue? That's what this thread is about.