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Wow a guy next to me with a spotter cannot get into dock beside me

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by NewNashGuy, Apr 21, 2012.

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48Packard Ol' Two-stop Shag!

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tscottme said: ↑

This is what happens when drivers avoid backing at all cost. They prefer to park illegally on shoulders, at fuel pumps, across the driveway, anywhere but a back-in spot. You can't get better at backing even if you drive 40 million miles going forward. ALWAYS BACK IN, until you can do it as a reflex and never pull-thru as a shortcut.

Whatever excuse you come up with for not backing in, is just a delay on you getting better at backing in. And any dope that is embarrassed because he had to pull-up is similarly afflicted. Backing is a skill, it's not an IQ test, it's not a character defect. It's a skill and it improves with practice.

When there are two adjacent empty parking spots with painted lines, imagine the end of the painted line as the shiny bumper/hood of a truck and practice putting your rear tandems just on the safe side as you bend into the parking spot.

Develop a plan. 1) what to do when you are too far left in the spot. 2) what to do when to far right in the spot. 3) what to do when you have limited space in front of spot, but space to side of spot. 4) what to do when you have no space on sides and and more space in front.

These "can't back" drivers are usually the ones that go around every corner as if they are the Titanic and must occupy every inch of all lanes, leaving 2 city block between the curb and their rear tandems. It's really mostly about laziness and taking shortcuts. A professional developes his skill, not feels like he won the lottery because he got through another day without having to use a fundamental skill. You're not much of a driver if you avoid backing.
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Good post.

I remember in my CDL school days a number of students who would purposely avoid getting into the truck on the backing range unless they absolutely had to. That's an image problem...not wanting to appear (at least in your own mind) like an incompetent. Shoot....my class just razzed each other, then high-fived when we got it right. We had fun with it.

But you are spot on, I believe. And the problem is getting worse, not better.

48Packard, Apr 21, 2012

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starsonwindow Thanks this.
walstib Darkstar

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I have seen plenty of these situations where the trainer didn't possess the basic teaching/communication skills needed to convey his thoughts to the newb...

You can teach a monkey to drive a truck on a highway, but if he can't get it into a dock, with help no less!, he's worthless...Sounded like the blind leading the blind...

walstib, Apr 21, 2012

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48Packard and starsonwindow Thank this.
starsonwindow Medium Load Member

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Practice makes perfect, and no one should be ashamed of being new, we all were new once, I still feel new to some of these guys, but I have found that watching another driver builds my skills as well as just doing it, every dock is different every situation is different, just learn from it. These guys don't sound like they wanted any help...

starsonwindow, Apr 21, 2012

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pattyj Thanks this.
pattyj Road Train Member

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I'm not at all afraid to ask for help.The trailers I haul have their own 2 special docks,it's very tight and you have to blind side and one dock already had a trl in it so it only made it that much harder.Last week I could'nt back to save my life,I asked another driver with my company to back this thing in and he did.Now if it would have been somebody else from a different company I would have just ask him to spot me.

pattyj, Apr 21, 2012

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russellkanning Medium Load Member

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not wanting help seems like the problem this time .... outside eyes really help

russellkanning, Apr 21, 2012

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NewNashGuy Road Train Member

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Scorcher21 said: ↑

happens dude. some days stuff just doest go right. some days i can put this thing in on one shot everything clicks. some days i need ten pull ups. dont be so quick to judge or comment. and when you get frustrated it gets worse.
I may not jump in and help unless I'm asked, but i wouldn't judge or comment. A) its rude. and B) It's none of your business.
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You had to be there. There is a difference between knowing what to do but having trouble, and being totally lost. You could tell they didn't know how to get it in. They came within inches of my truck every time and they were blocking me for when it was time for me to leave so it was my business to get involved. I gave them a chance the first 30 minutes. It reminded me of trucking school when watching students who were learning how to backup.

NewNashGuy, Apr 21, 2012

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dodge24v Light Load Member

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I never offer my help for anybody that hasn't Gotten Out And Looked at least once.

The ones that just keep trying, i just laugh at them.

dodge24v, Apr 21, 2012

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tinytim Road Train Member

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tscottme said: ↑

This is what happens when drivers avoid backing at all cost. They prefer to park illegally on shoulders, at fuel pumps, across the driveway, anywhere but a back-in spot. You can't get better at backing even if you drive 40 million miles going forward. ALWAYS BACK IN, until you can do it as a reflex and never pull-thru as a shortcut.

Whatever excuse you come up with for not backing in, is just a delay on you getting better at backing in. And any dope that is embarrassed because he had to pull-up is similarly afflicted. Backing is a skill, it's not an IQ test, it's not a character defect. It's a skill and it improves with practice.

When there are two adjacent empty parking spots with painted lines, imagine the end of the painted line as the shiny bumper/hood of a truck and practice putting your rear tandems just on the safe side as you bend into the parking spot.

Develop a plan. 1) what to do when you are too far left in the spot. 2) what to do when to far right in the spot. 3) what to do when you have limited space in front of spot, but space to side of spot. 4) what to do when you have no space on sides and and more space in front.

These "can't back" drivers are usually the ones that go around every corner as if they are the Titanic and must occupy every inch of all lanes, leaving 2 city block between the curb and their rear tandems. It's really mostly about laziness and taking shortcuts. A professional developes his skill, not feels like he won the lottery because he got through another day without having to use a fundamental skill. You're not much of a driver if you avoid backing.
Click to expand...

Well said. If you're not progressing you're falling behind.

tinytim, Apr 21, 2012

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NewNashGuy Road Train Member

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dodge24v said: ↑

I never offer my help for anybody that hasn't Gotten Out And Looked at least once.

The ones that just keep trying, i just laugh at them.
Click to expand...

Yeah but if they hit my truck I didn't want to have to jump through hoops to report it and convince safety that I didn't do it.

NewNashGuy, Apr 21, 2012

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Pmracing Thanks this.
TLeaHeart Road Train Member

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sounds like a dumber and dumber team... two rookies in the truck together for a short period of time. Also sounds like their "trainers" did not allow them to back in at docks, as it would take to long, and that trainer needed more miles that week to pay his bills.

So they had no clue what they were doing, but hey, they never hit you, and eventually got it into the dock.

TLeaHeart, Apr 21, 2012

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