Saw something today - Just curious

Apparently this driver just threw the smith system right out the window.

 

My point exactly, you have to STOP and think. Don't just put it in reverse and go for it. Better to get help than kill someone. I stopped right in front of a police station once in Maryland and walked in to explain that I made a wrong turn and was concerned about the unmarked over pass up ahead. The officer said don't worry about it you will fit and that I could go around the block to get back on route with no problem.

I did not have a GPS or smart phone and this was not in my atlas.

EDIT: I'm simply offering another suggestion to the others already offered. I'm not claiming that it is the only solution, but getting out of the truck and looking around or asking for help has worked for me. 4 ways on and stopped is frequently better than winging it.

 

Looking at it on a computer or smart phone that might make sense if the road is not restricted. It doesn't sound like he took the time to do any of that though.

 

What I mean by thinking is if it was a busy area,you don't wanna stop right there and walk to get help or even ask traffic to spot you.KW has the right idea.I have missed many shopping centers.Either because too many stores and didn't see the store im to deliver to or the ever popular on the wrong side.Ive stopped in front of cop shops also for help.Thats the best thing to do is ask a cop for help if one is around.A couple times back in the day I had to call 911 asking to send help to block traffic because I got in a bad situation.

 

Smart phones intimidate me, that's why I have a dumb one.
I think the moral of the story is the more you know about your shipper's location (area nearby also), and best way in & out, the better off you will be, and these things can be avoided.

 

Looking at Google the Rail Road over pass down the street about 1.2 Miles would have presented a huge problem, If he chose to back into a street or drive way along the way, that may not have been a very good idea, I think he panicked and did what he thought was the best way around what he was about to face, what he didn't do was to think about what could have happened had there been someone not watching what they were doing and they let him back into them, I think he did the best he could do. I think he had probably been told that if he misses the entrance he backed up to that he will fall off the planet and never get his delivery made, I was not there but this is my 2 cents worth. Thanks.

 

Sorry meant to say pin B not pin A.

I always use my GPS as a guide with the directions I am given by the company or shipper/receiver. Technology can be flawed and the GPS on my phone several times told me to go to the wrong part of a city so I only use it as a guide not dead set directions. I also will look up a shipper/receiver by name if I am having problems finding the address or when I find the address but there is nothing on the map. Sometimes Google will just have a general address like COMPANY NAME on Hwy whatever but no actual address number. I'll have to zoom out a bit and look down the road one way or another. Obviously much harder in a large city with tons of buildings but for stuff out in the middle of nowhere it works great.

 

First, I commiserate with the driver's predicament. Even when I'm using Google Maps with StreetView and have totally memorized the entire thing beforehand, there's always the Navigation system that might indicate that I still have 0.2 miles to go... then "Doh!" I missed the critical entry. Many times the customer address IS NOT going to get you where a truck needs to go, and if said address is in the nav system then you really need to be heads up when you are approaching your destination.

That being said, the best option when you've missed your only turn into a customer like that is to KEEP GOING.... SLOWLY... and hit "Reroute" on the nav system. THEN try to find a place to pull over if possible. In this particular situation it might require getting back to 590 then around again on I-480.

BEWARE WHEN ASKING YOUR NAV SYSTEM TO REROUTE. In the Qualcomm system in situations like this they will often route you through residential streets, down alleys, or other non-truck friendly places. I'm sure anyone using Qualcomm can attest to that issue. I'm not sure how well Rand McNally or other systems will do, but QC really has issues with this.

If you REALLY get into deep hockey best to park, put on the 4-ways, call 911 and ask for some friendly help from your local LEO.

 

If you zoom in on the map, on Point A, the road is 4 lanes wide... there are 2 lanes westbound, 1 lane eastbound, and a turning lane eastbound. The entrance is a car and a half wide based on the car in the entrance, and the apron of the driveway entrance looks perpendicular to the road.

The road does have a curb on all sides, so that makes it tight, for sure. But if you pulled past the entrance a little and then had to jack your tractor back a little once you came up to the curb on your right front tire, could you not make it in? How many lanes do you need to make a u turn? 4 or 5? It would depend on the tractor and where the tandems were set. I pull a tanker, so it is shorter than the van trailers obviously. Just wondering what you guys think about turning into a drive way from a road that is 4 lanes wide....

 

I know exactly what you're saying Pumpkin, and tho you'd have to overshoot the entrance a bit before a hard jack turn, it looks like it is do-able.
Naturally tho, you'd have to start from the extreme right curb-line of Penfield Rd, and be turning left crossing the left w/b lane and across a solid yellow line.
That would make it illegal, on 2 counts, if caught. But do-able in the "mechanics" of it, I think so.