Offset backing

A few years ago we finished construction work for the year in Washington. They had me drop a 57 foot lime mixing trailer off in Vegas they had rented.. I grabbed a power only out of vegas going to Atlanta, and it was a 20 foot container on the short chassis, shorter than my 310 inch truck. lol
I didn't think anything about it till I started backing into what was a relatively easy parking spot at the truck stop. lol

 

What state is this in?! When I got my license in WA, straight line, offset and alley dock were ALL on the state test

 

Yep I remember my teacher trying to get me to look at the landing gear in my mirrors to align up. It didn't work for me then, and it doesn't work now.

The best real life scenario I can compare offset backing to is to imagine it's night and you've been told to back into door 25. You head over and align yourself up with what you think is 25 but it's really 26. Now you need to move the trailer over one spot as you're backing up. All I do is watch the back tire on the trailer (tandems) and watch the yellow line on the space I want to be in. In your case it's probably an orange cone instead of a line. Angle that back trailer tire so it's heading straight toward that orange cone, and as the rear tire edge gets to the cone cut the wheel hard and swing the trailer around the cone and into the slot. As soon as the front tandem reaches the cone, start to straighten out your wheel and you should be in pretty good shape.

Of course when you're out driving for real and there are trucks in the slots next to the one you want to be in, completely ignore the above advice and just move your truck over before backing, otherwise you might hit something. But for the CDL offset portion of the test, this method worked best for me.

 

Maryland. I was quite surprised that the single most useful maneuver not only wasn’t on the test, but wasn’t taught in the class.

 

I took the test in December in Salisbury after taking the weekend classes at Wor-Wic Community College.

I grew up in Bowie, and most recently lived in Ocean Pines 2002-20012, driving coach bus charters and playing in an Ocean City bar band. I live in Texas now, though.

 

I might be an idiot... for I have been accused before... but isn’t parallel parking and offset the same thing?

 

Maneuver wise, yes..... but it's the entrance from the front or side of the box that's different