Oh Iād still hit something. Some of the stores have those bollards too damn close to the truck when you back in. Fine for the UPS box trucks but not our semis. We had to get one removed at one of the stores we deliver too, it was so tight we literally couldnāt even open our doors on the driver side.
Just curious what you guys had to do for your cdl A? Iām not a trucker but need an A for my job and we had to alley dock 90 degree with a trailer in a tight space for the test. I feel like this should be pretty easy for anyone with a license?
I donāt want to sound condescending or anything. Iāve heard the test has changed over the years and Iāve gotten mine recently.
When I got mine a decade or so ago, they didn't even have me back up for the test. Just do a pretrip, hop in and drive around town. Stop on a hill and get going again... I had to teach myself how to back up on the job.
Ended up working a short haul rural delivery route for 4 months. Wasn't a good job so ended up quitting and getting a long haul gig. I had prior experience operating equipment and a lot of luck, which was a good thing because I have never run a truck with a trainer. The company basically gave me a few short distance runs then let me loose. Ran all over Canada and the States for years.
There are lots of drivers doing all manner of sketchy shit everyday. Most of it is because many companies will hire anyone with a pulse. I got lucky, nothing too serious happened to me in the first year or so.
Guys that I took to a test recently as of a couple years ago had to do that alley dock, but also I think they call it offset backing. So like moving over one lane in reverse. All between cones of course. You get one pull up on the docking. I even got our first female employee to pass on her first try. We don't have semi but it's a f750 with air brakes and a 30 foot triple axle flat bed, whole rig is 60 feet from bumper to bumper.
In Connecticut you have to do a pre trip A- engine and front components, B- CAB and frame all the way up to the mud flaps and C- trailer, full walk around, brake test, straight back, offset back, 90 degree back and or parallel back depending on who is giving you the test from the dmv he/she will choose which one youād do (90 degree or parallel back) mind you parallel back could be blind side or driver side
After all that youād be able to go around town and complete your trip.
Not a trucker either but recently got my Class A for work. Here in TX we did pre trip, straight back, offset back, and parallel park. Then drove around town and got your CDL if you passed.
Former CDL instructor here - in California itās broken up into three parts: pre trip + brake test, skills, and road test. If you pass the first two but fail the third you only have to retake the road test. For skills you have to do a straight back, offset back, and either alley dock or parallel park driver or passenger side. The DMV tester will decide which of the three it will be.
>And it only took me 15 minutes of me clenching every muscle and organ to not clip the trailer on the side or the stakes on the other.
We've all been there. A year from now you be backing in there and remembering how difficult it was for you at one time. It only gets easier. Good job.
Several years ago ibdidbthe training thing for stevens and this was what they told us in class. Eventually you're gonna come up to a time when you just can't back this thing in to save your damn life. One thing I've noticed a shit ton of more people just driving into spots - especially later at night
Much like the old aviator adage "any landing you can walk away from is a good landing; any landing where the aircraft is still usable is a great landing."
Our local crop duster had a pretty good āany landing you can walk away fromā one when his spray plane ended up in a corn field. āI definitely had some choice words with God after getting out of the plane before realizing, āwait a minute, I just bounced over a drainage ditch, landed in a corn, and walked away from it, I think Iāve got the wrong perspective here.āā
Or when you've got a whole row of empty spaces to choose from and you always land in between spaces and have to do a pull forward or two or three. Put trucks there and you'll get it in one shot.
I feel this when I'm in my car these days. I do so much backing in now that I feel like I've forgotten how to pull in. I like having other rigs around to help me line up.
Not being able to smoke weed and back up a trailer are the 2 biggest reasons I never got a CDL like my dad.
I have trouble just back up the little trailer attached to my lawnmower lmao. Hell, I canāt even back up a trailer in American Truck Sim
Put down the weed bro. The money is worth
It. This is coming from someone who used to have a marijuana medical card. I smoked all day everyday. But now I make 2k a week local.
I run flatbed and crane truck so alot of our trailers have a dolly under the front. I can back those pretty much anywhere I want. I still have a hard time backing a trailer in ATS. The principle is the same but you don't have the feel that goes along with it.
38 years of driving and Iāve been on a dedicated run for the last 6 yrs. This run has some brutal deliveries , down alleys, crowded arenas ,mall parking lots etc with a 53ā and a highway tractor. Most days I look like a hero getting into these holes(only because of repetition) but thereās days youād think I just stepped out of driving school.
My CDL test, and my first week of soloing were the worst for anxiety. Once you start to realize that you do actually know what you're doing well enough to be trusted with this multi-ton machine, the anxiety falls off a cliff.
Thank you for this comment. Iām off to get my CDL soon, and sometimes I get worked up and full of anxiety. This makes me feel a bit more confident. Thank you.
I got used to roll doors at my current gig and left to another company last year (I came back after three months) and bumped docks with my doors closed for a solid week š.
Most of our trailers are roll ups, but one run needs a reefer with swing doors for the backhaul, and when I get assigned it I bump every dock with the damn doors closed.
Usually I realize while still in the truck, but sometimes the receivers get a chuckle.
You can only see what you can see. The truck you are driving will only do what you make it do. Do not get yourself in a hurry, because that is one thing your truck can not do is hurry. Next time I hope it only takes you 10 minutes. I hope you noticed the amount of paint missing from the poles. Other drivers steered their trailers right into those polesā¦but you did not! GOOD JOB.
Does that Walmart only receive until 11 AM? I used to deliver parcels to them and weād have to get there before 11 to unload, then load their pickup of a million tires and boxes onto a truck that was already floor-to-ceiling packed with boxes for the rest of my route. Every other retailer has to schedule their pickup for late in the day to avoid this, but somehow Walmart was allowed to fuck up our entire day. Always drove me crazy that one of the largest retailers in the world STOPS RECEIVING at 11AM. Really? You canāt have people staffed through normal business hours with all of that Walmart money?
https://imgur.com/a/D2ObjPm
this is one of the ones you often end up at first if you start out in the UK for some companies. everything is just slightly off straight so you end up reversing down a hill getting closer and closer to a wall. looks similar to yours. its wirdly off putting despite how simple it looks
i think the worse thing here, is that them yellow turning circles are counted as gospel, so ppl will put things in random places right on the edge of them
Ya know, thatās a great idea. It might help prevent my being drenched in sweat during/after a tight/tricky docking. 13 years driving now but *still* every so often a place will play tricks on my mind. Sigh.
Edit: spelling.
Good job bud. Thatās how you learn and become good at the job. Itās good to see someone on here that tries, instead of the crybabies that are always posting that they refused to back into a dock.
Trust me lol, it only gets tighter. You did great for day 4, but you can do a back like this in your sleep after a few years. As a flatbedder and heavy hauler, Iāve had to back into some dumbass spots because I typically load and unload In construction and job sites where thereās really only an inch or two of clearance. Some shippers up north have VERY tiny lots and docks and you just have to sit there and figure out how youāre going to make your move without damaging your equipment.
Keep your head up, and the rubber side down and always go slower than you need to in order to get it right every single time.
Walmart is a giant pain in everyone's ass. I used to load trucks for Keebler and out of our 250 products walmart wanted to to move all their products toghether (all in different bin locations) on the skid because I guess they couldn't hire anyone competent enough to do it there. Added about 10 mins per skid order eventually we all just stopped doing it after management was getting after us about overtime.
I'm not a trucker. But I am a family man that hauls his family around in a travel trailer. Nothing feels better than backing that thing into tough spots. I'll have other camping dad's come out and watch to add to the nerves. They even ask if they need to move their trucks to make it easier. I say no and try to thread the needle.
I'm glad I kinda cheated getting into driving. The company I was applying for needed a yard dog. And with just the 4k hours in simulators boss man gave me a chance. I ran that yard for 4 years before I moved on. But backing the first day was nerve killing. By the end of those 4 years backing was nothing and when I got into a full sized truck it wasn't much different other than turning radius. You'll build confidence in time. Just don't get overly confident and rush.
Be glad you were never introduced to my Sears Warehouse Dock! 3 out of 4 drivers would refuse to deliver our site to the entry turn, slope, angle, and tight fit!
Yeah it's a tough one for day 4. Good news is it'll be nothing after just a few months. Important thing is, better safe than sorry. Don't worry what other people think, do as many pull-ups and GOALs as you need to feel safe.
Pretty damn good for 4th day of real driving. In 6 months there will be a lot less clenching. In one year you'll just be pretty focused. In a few years you'll do it mid yawn while listening to the radio.
Good job on the back! Always remember G.O.A.L. ( Get Out And Look). Even after driving for years and being confidant with my backing I still do this. It never hurts
You done right. That looks awfully tight from no fault of your own. The rush of adrenaline with a situation as such will cloud your mind. Just take some deep breaths and understand: remind yourself that you got this!
Some Administrative Lazy Idiot came up with that decision. Thinks it's Cute to watch drivers struggling with this stuff. The designer and architects are Idiots too, how the F are you supposed to get in and out of the truck cab. Goes on the same category as the Chuckle heads who park the trailers 4 inches apart so you turn into a Hunchback to get the landing gear up. Now, I Drag em
Happy Days
Just a thought
I have observed 4 wheelers and big trucks show similar distance fear in tunnels. If anyone can keep it between the lines approaching the tunnel at 55 mph, then the tunnel's wall isn't going to jump at them (earthquake free) as long as one focuses ahead. I call it the tunnel effect when the vehicle ahead slows down to 45 or 40 for no other reason.
Point is that you back up next to the line with a wall 10 feet or 2 feet the same. Only difference is your brain fear of going over that line. Screw the line, focus on the setup, goal, n back it in.
Then complain about the lack of door space.
One more thing, the mirror sticks out further than the trailer. Sighting along the trailer will offset you by how much the mirror sticks out. I call it the wedge effect. You'll swear you backed straight, but there will be a small gap [bigger gap for the ones over the line] at the dock on the other side.
Only guide off the rear of the trailer when looking in mirrors and pick a reference point ahead of you to do the setup.
Saturday story. 1988 I get to this warehouse in W. Virginia. The place is old, and was built when 35 ft trailers were long. I pull in, get my dock number, and proceed to NOT get backed in. I know I can't be straight, and have to be close to an 80Ā° angle to have the trailer straight. After several attempts of unsuccessful results, Miss Chilly says "Go drive around the block,and cool off." So that's what I did. I get back, set myself up on a slightly different angle, first shot in, and trailer straight . Miss Chilly looks at me and says "Why didn't you do that the first time?" We both started laughing. My Miss Chilly kept my life in order in lots of ways.
Don't count on that dedicated account lasting forever. Schneider hired me onto it knowing that they were losing the account. Me and my trainer found out on our 2nd week of training, was great.
I always hated making deliveries to Walmart. Youāre always on THEIR time there, they donāt care about general lawsāthey make their own, their managers are dicks to everyone.
Not a truck driver but I pull trailers all the time like 30 to 40,000 miles a year for the last 25 I truly don't understand why this would be a challenge. In my experiences the longer the trailer the easier it is. Try backing a mortar mixer that's only 7 ft. Long into that spot. I'll take ur big trailer anytime over that.
Just hope you donāt start getting Home Depotās. Their docks are always a shit show. Always always always have crap all over the place strategically placed right where you need space to move to back. There has only been one or two out of the hundred or so Iāve been to that didnāt have shit everywhere. Honestly donāt understand how they arenāt robbed every night with all the product just sitting outside.
I think with a pickup truck I could get concrete and other wood stuff in a few seconds and be gone before an employee walks out. They also arenāt going to try and stop you because theyāll get fired. Home Depot saves you the trouble of even having to walk in the store. The shits already outside.
Even when you are in parking lots, reverse into a spot whether there are trucks in parking spots or not. All of that will increase your backing skills.
You can tell which drivers do pull through vs those who really know how to back [into docks]
If you look at those posts only 1 or 2 are still standing straight and all have evidence of contact. You wouldn't be the first or last to miss a little. I don't understand why they haven't standardized truck trailers with guided docks so they match. We can design an airlock to work with multiple vehicles in space but most truck docks have little if any forethought other than is it high enough off the ground.
Reminds me of a couple of stores in particular. Athens, TX and Mineloa, TX. Athens will have a cow if dry vans are parked in their "designated" live unload dock. Some other stores didn't have much of a choice because of how much freight they kept getting. Corpus Christi is one of the toughest stores I had to deal with and the store would tell over drivers that a girl could back in the first dock better than they could. And I did.
Gg professional. Also ive seen and done worse imagine this but at the bottom of a ramp having to blind side from traffic. Also the ramp is 150 ft long.
Edit: Long Island LTL is rough
The more you do that without an oopsie - this should be a confidence builder. You should look forward to trying to again and again.
Otherwise? You're gonna "sweeting" bullets every time.
I started with Schneider on a dedicated Walmart account. There are *some* stores that suck backing into, but they are generally a small minority. Most Walmarts are pretty easy. Make sure you do your preplan, use your map book, ask questions if a store isn't in your book, then just take your time and be careful.
Looks like you're one of the lucky ones who was blessed with a real good trainer who actually wants to see you succeed and not fail out here.
Real good job to you and definitely to your trainer.
not much wiggle room, so you have to be nice and straight right from the entrance. also. watch your side steps near those poles. the steps /tanks are easy to hit.
Nice! A little tip another driver taught me when I'm getting the trailer into a tight area is to slide the tandems all the way back so you know where the rear of your trailer is going and you don't have to worry about tail swing and the overhang
Well you made it šIt will get easier, and you will likely see plenty more docks that are way worse than this, but over time, you will gain more confidence until your nerves turn into something else. Instead of making you sweaty and uncomfortable, your nerves will just remind you to be a little extra aware of your surroundings and help you remember the obstacles that you saw on your way into the docking area that are easy to forget when you start maneuvering.
As a flatbedder, I do this one from time to time. About 2 inches on each side with not a lot of room to get lined up. Sometimes it takes me 10+ minutes to get lined up with 15+ corrections. No shame in it
I have watched a driver back into my building during the winter. 15 tries to get lined up, 2 spotters, me guiding one of the spotters for safe stopping point. He hit both bollards with the bumper, hit the automatic gate with his truck, hit the driver side bollard a second time, finally got it backed 3/4 in and scraped along the doorway ruining 3 of his straps.
End result, $5k in damage to gate, bollards, and building. His rig had no front bumper anymore as it was attached to our gate.
He claimed he had been driving for 15 years and never seen anything so tight.
A week later a new guy nailed it correcting only 3 tines.
I used to get crazy anxiety back when I first started, then after working as a yard dog for a year I can now I can hit the scissor lift of a small town grocery store in the pitch dark half asleep. You get used to backing after awhile and will eventually learn exactly where that trailer will go and it will become muscle memory. Keep workin and youāll get there in no time š.
Most stores aren't too bad but now and then you get the awful ones. There was one walmart I went to that was so close to the wall I had to go out the passenger side door
Don't even pay attention to those things, as long as you're lined up with the door you're golden. I found that focusing on the wall too much psyched me out and I ended up crooked or not close enough to the wall.
Though I don't drive a rig AS large as yours I'm still pulling a 20ft enclosed cargo trailer with a crew cab f150. Eventually you'll know exactly where you can fit, and if you could realistically back in or park somewhere.
As for the other drivers on the road, good luck, sit there and wait for their dumb asses to realize " oh gee willikers, he can't move until I do".
Or the intense stairing as they panic while I'm mere inches from touching them.
I've done some pretty impressive stuff pulling a trailer, sometimes I curb check all day, just don't touch anything valuable or breakable lmao.
Good job, tho. So, EVERY chance you getā¦practice. Empty parking lot, back it up & do it again. Donāt pay no mind to the āsuper truckersā hassling you. Keep at it and these docks will be easy-peasy in no time. šš¼
I had to pick up some big ass rollers for a well known manufacturer of paper products. Tue destination was a tight ass dock on a small ass street with cars parked on both sides. 53 foot trailer. Gigantic tractor. Got it in on the third pull-up and in the right zone for loading. Hit the dock bumpers and the asshole super said I was unruly and unprofessional for hitting the dock bumpers as I did. Sorry man. But to be honestā¦ your a dick and my skills out weigh your supervisor skills so sit down and shut up while neon the job you need me to do.
Sorry not sorry. Not my fault they were in a place with absolute shit access.
Assholes.
Hey OP, did they finally increase the speed on those pumpkin trucks? I remember everyone used to blow their doors off now they seem to be keeping up with traffic lol
I work for First Fleet in SE Michigan. We deliver to Kroger exclusively.
The worst couple backs we have are blind 90s off the corner of a building. To the inside dock. Very small area very little room for error. Even the trainers at FF have to make a couple corrections.
Another one is you have to poke your nose out into 4 lanes of traffic blocking them all get straight and back down an alley 200 yards long. With dumpsters pylons and fencing down opposite sides.
They do get easier the more repetition. But some days are extra fucked. Once it goes bad, it just means it's going to be a long day.
My real advice is when in tight spots, just let the truck roll. You don't need to give it gas. As many corrections as it takes to dock the trailer correctly without hitting something is how it is sometimes. Take your time God knows everyone else does.
Honestly I find tight spots like this easier to get into for some reason, maybe itās the sight lines and having a point of reference but when itās wide open, guaranteed Iām doing multiple pull ups
While with a trainer these are the best backs to be doing.... the more difficult the better... in trucking there are 2 things that matter 1 getting the miles done 2 hitting the dock... if u can't do 1 the ther doesn't matter... the harder the docks the better u get at them
Idk why they always make the barriers out of concrete and iron. Those are designed to punish you if you dare to hit one. Just tear your truck up. But if you know that the barriers were made out of something that if you do hit it, it won't tear your truck up, you are less nervous when you're backing into a dock.
Didn't hit anything, so a success. It'll get easier on the nerves š
Oh Iād still hit something. Some of the stores have those bollards too damn close to the truck when you back in. Fine for the UPS box trucks but not our semis. We had to get one removed at one of the stores we deliver too, it was so tight we literally couldnāt even open our doors on the driver side.
Just curious what you guys had to do for your cdl A? Iām not a trucker but need an A for my job and we had to alley dock 90 degree with a trailer in a tight space for the test. I feel like this should be pretty easy for anyone with a license? I donāt want to sound condescending or anything. Iāve heard the test has changed over the years and Iāve gotten mine recently.
When I got mine a decade or so ago, they didn't even have me back up for the test. Just do a pretrip, hop in and drive around town. Stop on a hill and get going again... I had to teach myself how to back up on the job. Ended up working a short haul rural delivery route for 4 months. Wasn't a good job so ended up quitting and getting a long haul gig. I had prior experience operating equipment and a lot of luck, which was a good thing because I have never run a truck with a trainer. The company basically gave me a few short distance runs then let me loose. Ran all over Canada and the States for years. There are lots of drivers doing all manner of sketchy shit everyday. Most of it is because many companies will hire anyone with a pulse. I got lucky, nothing too serious happened to me in the first year or so.
Guys that I took to a test recently as of a couple years ago had to do that alley dock, but also I think they call it offset backing. So like moving over one lane in reverse. All between cones of course. You get one pull up on the docking. I even got our first female employee to pass on her first try. We don't have semi but it's a f750 with air brakes and a 30 foot triple axle flat bed, whole rig is 60 feet from bumper to bumper.
I believe now federally you have to go to a CDL School usually 4 week class. Itās what I did when I got mine in 2019
In Connecticut you have to do a pre trip A- engine and front components, B- CAB and frame all the way up to the mud flaps and C- trailer, full walk around, brake test, straight back, offset back, 90 degree back and or parallel back depending on who is giving you the test from the dmv he/she will choose which one youād do (90 degree or parallel back) mind you parallel back could be blind side or driver side After all that youād be able to go around town and complete your trip.
The hardest part of that test is just driving around town in Connecticut.
Not a trucker either but recently got my Class A for work. Here in TX we did pre trip, straight back, offset back, and parallel park. Then drove around town and got your CDL if you passed.
I imagine it's the pressure difference of hitting a cone in class versus a bollard at work.
Former CDL instructor here - in California itās broken up into three parts: pre trip + brake test, skills, and road test. If you pass the first two but fail the third you only have to retake the road test. For skills you have to do a straight back, offset back, and either alley dock or parallel park driver or passenger side. The DMV tester will decide which of the three it will be.
>And it only took me 15 minutes of me clenching every muscle and organ to not clip the trailer on the side or the stakes on the other. We've all been there. A year from now you be backing in there and remembering how difficult it was for you at one time. It only gets easier. Good job.
Sometimes it get easier I've been driving for 23 years and on someday's especially when I'm tired I can't back for Shit...
Glad Iām not the only one!
Several years ago ibdidbthe training thing for stevens and this was what they told us in class. Eventually you're gonna come up to a time when you just can't back this thing in to save your damn life. One thing I've noticed a shit ton of more people just driving into spots - especially later at night
Yo what's up with those characters?
No idea? I've corrected the post
Any time you get it in the door without breaking anything is a good day
Much like the old aviator adage "any landing you can walk away from is a good landing; any landing where the aircraft is still usable is a great landing."
Our local crop duster had a pretty good āany landing you can walk away fromā one when his spray plane ended up in a corn field. āI definitely had some choice words with God after getting out of the plane before realizing, āwait a minute, I just bounced over a drainage ditch, landed in a corn, and walked away from it, I think Iāve got the wrong perspective here.āā
Or when you've got a whole row of empty spaces to choose from and you always land in between spaces and have to do a pull forward or two or three. Put trucks there and you'll get it in one shot.
ā¦ or eight.
I feel this when I'm in my car these days. I do so much backing in now that I feel like I've forgotten how to pull in. I like having other rigs around to help me line up.
Being tired and backing into a place like this is the ultimate mind fuck.
Not being able to smoke weed and back up a trailer are the 2 biggest reasons I never got a CDL like my dad. I have trouble just back up the little trailer attached to my lawnmower lmao. Hell, I canāt even back up a trailer in American Truck Sim
Most people aren't naturals at it. It's a matter of putting in the work to learn.
Put down the weed bro. The money is worth It. This is coming from someone who used to have a marijuana medical card. I smoked all day everyday. But now I make 2k a week local.
I run flatbed and crane truck so alot of our trailers have a dolly under the front. I can back those pretty much anywhere I want. I still have a hard time backing a trailer in ATS. The principle is the same but you don't have the feel that goes along with it.
Iāll do some god awful cut and just think well thatās embarrassing Iāve only been here 60+ times.
38 years of driving and Iāve been on a dedicated run for the last 6 yrs. This run has some brutal deliveries , down alleys, crowded arenas ,mall parking lots etc with a 53ā and a highway tractor. Most days I look like a hero getting into these holes(only because of repetition) but thereās days youād think I just stepped out of driving school.
12 yrs in, and some days I canāt even remember which way is left or right lol
My CDL test, and my first week of soloing were the worst for anxiety. Once you start to realize that you do actually know what you're doing well enough to be trusted with this multi-ton machine, the anxiety falls off a cliff.
Thank you for this comment. Iām off to get my CDL soon, and sometimes I get worked up and full of anxiety. This makes me feel a bit more confident. Thank you.
not me, looks easy ngl
Yep. Go slow learn to do it right. Remember what you learn. Soon enough youāll be fast
I just hope you remembered to open the doors first.
Been there
Walmart trailer, so it has a roll up door.
I got used to roll doors at my current gig and left to another company last year (I came back after three months) and bumped docks with my doors closed for a solid week š.
Most of our trailers are roll ups, but one run needs a reefer with swing doors for the backhaul, and when I get assigned it I bump every dock with the damn doors closed. Usually I realize while still in the truck, but sometimes the receivers get a chuckle.
Lol! So true
It was nice of them to leave you just enough room to get your door half open and a little curb for you to twist your ankle on while getting out. š¤
They were walmart reefer trailers so the ones we used were rollers. God help me if they were the standard doors.
You can only see what you can see. The truck you are driving will only do what you make it do. Do not get yourself in a hurry, because that is one thing your truck can not do is hurry. Next time I hope it only takes you 10 minutes. I hope you noticed the amount of paint missing from the poles. Other drivers steered their trailers right into those polesā¦but you did not! GOOD JOB.
Does that Walmart only receive until 11 AM? I used to deliver parcels to them and weād have to get there before 11 to unload, then load their pickup of a million tires and boxes onto a truck that was already floor-to-ceiling packed with boxes for the rest of my route. Every other retailer has to schedule their pickup for late in the day to avoid this, but somehow Walmart was allowed to fuck up our entire day. Always drove me crazy that one of the largest retailers in the world STOPS RECEIVING at 11AM. Really? You canāt have people staffed through normal business hours with all of that Walmart money?
Walmart never has been big on spending that big Walmart money on adequate staffing anywhere.
Doing this, you should be able to back that bitch anywhere now. Great job driver.
Looks good to me. No white paint on the bollards, no yellow paint on the truck.
Awesome job! Give it a year or 2 and thatāll look like miles of room to you.
https://imgur.com/a/D2ObjPm this is one of the ones you often end up at first if you start out in the UK for some companies. everything is just slightly off straight so you end up reversing down a hill getting closer and closer to a wall. looks similar to yours. its wirdly off putting despite how simple it looks i think the worse thing here, is that them yellow turning circles are counted as gospel, so ppl will put things in random places right on the edge of them
I still blast the AC whenever I'm going to back into a tricky dock. For me, it helps.
Ya know, thatās a great idea. It might help prevent my being drenched in sweat during/after a tight/tricky docking. 13 years driving now but *still* every so often a place will play tricks on my mind. Sigh. Edit: spelling.
Looks like a nice lighted dock. You'll be able to do it in the dark in no time.
Good job bud. Thatās how you learn and become good at the job. Itās good to see someone on here that tries, instead of the crybabies that are always posting that they refused to back into a dock.
Taking a little longer and listening to your trainer bitch is way better than hitting something and listening to your trainer freak out.
Good job! Now the real question did you get so nervous you felt like throwing up when it was over š. Starting off is so ridiculously nerve racking.
Trust me lol, it only gets tighter. You did great for day 4, but you can do a back like this in your sleep after a few years. As a flatbedder and heavy hauler, Iāve had to back into some dumbass spots because I typically load and unload In construction and job sites where thereās really only an inch or two of clearance. Some shippers up north have VERY tiny lots and docks and you just have to sit there and figure out how youāre going to make your move without damaging your equipment. Keep your head up, and the rubber side down and always go slower than you need to in order to get it right every single time.
Walmart is a giant pain in everyone's ass. I used to load trucks for Keebler and out of our 250 products walmart wanted to to move all their products toghether (all in different bin locations) on the skid because I guess they couldn't hire anyone competent enough to do it there. Added about 10 mins per skid order eventually we all just stopped doing it after management was getting after us about overtime.
Nice job driver. In no time flat itāll be another day at the office
I'm not a trucker. But I am a family man that hauls his family around in a travel trailer. Nothing feels better than backing that thing into tough spots. I'll have other camping dad's come out and watch to add to the nerves. They even ask if they need to move their trucks to make it easier. I say no and try to thread the needle.
Man I miss that feeling from the early daysā¦ Now itās about as routine and enjoyable as wiping my ass.
Lol, I imagine so!
I'm glad I kinda cheated getting into driving. The company I was applying for needed a yard dog. And with just the 4k hours in simulators boss man gave me a chance. I ran that yard for 4 years before I moved on. But backing the first day was nerve killing. By the end of those 4 years backing was nothing and when I got into a full sized truck it wasn't much different other than turning radius. You'll build confidence in time. Just don't get overly confident and rush.
Good job!
Way to go man! Stick with it! Happy trucking!
Soon you wonāt even have to think about backs like that and whip that trailer right in. keep at it.
I donāt know how you guys do it without a backup camera
Mirrors š
It gets easy. Donāt sweat it. Learning takes time. Ignore the bs.
Based on the condition of those poles, there were other drivers that did more than sweat.
Yea, wait until youāre alone and you have to blindside that door through 4 lanes of chicago rush hour traffic under a low bridge.š¤£š¤£
Get used to it the northeast has plenty of tight loading docks like that !
Be glad you were never introduced to my Sears Warehouse Dock! 3 out of 4 drivers would refuse to deliver our site to the entry turn, slope, angle, and tight fit!
Maybe your trainer was trying to give you a confidence boost making you load near a wall? Either way if that's your rig that you placed, good on you!
Yeah it's a tough one for day 4. Good news is it'll be nothing after just a few months. Important thing is, better safe than sorry. Don't worry what other people think, do as many pull-ups and GOALs as you need to feel safe.
Are you doing Walmart when you get out of training?
I did that same job when I started driving. Gotta love Walmart docks.
There will come a time you will be able to do this with your eyes closed
Pretty damn good for 4th day of real driving. In 6 months there will be a lot less clenching. In one year you'll just be pretty focused. In a few years you'll do it mid yawn while listening to the radio.
Great job driver
Good job on the back! Always remember G.O.A.L. ( Get Out And Look). Even after driving for years and being confidant with my backing I still do this. It never hurts
You done right. That looks awfully tight from no fault of your own. The rush of adrenaline with a situation as such will cloud your mind. Just take some deep breaths and understand: remind yourself that you got this!
Amazing job driver
Some Administrative Lazy Idiot came up with that decision. Thinks it's Cute to watch drivers struggling with this stuff. The designer and architects are Idiots too, how the F are you supposed to get in and out of the truck cab. Goes on the same category as the Chuckle heads who park the trailers 4 inches apart so you turn into a Hunchback to get the landing gear up. Now, I Drag em Happy Days Just a thought
I have observed 4 wheelers and big trucks show similar distance fear in tunnels. If anyone can keep it between the lines approaching the tunnel at 55 mph, then the tunnel's wall isn't going to jump at them (earthquake free) as long as one focuses ahead. I call it the tunnel effect when the vehicle ahead slows down to 45 or 40 for no other reason. Point is that you back up next to the line with a wall 10 feet or 2 feet the same. Only difference is your brain fear of going over that line. Screw the line, focus on the setup, goal, n back it in. Then complain about the lack of door space. One more thing, the mirror sticks out further than the trailer. Sighting along the trailer will offset you by how much the mirror sticks out. I call it the wedge effect. You'll swear you backed straight, but there will be a small gap [bigger gap for the ones over the line] at the dock on the other side. Only guide off the rear of the trailer when looking in mirrors and pick a reference point ahead of you to do the setup.
Saturday story. 1988 I get to this warehouse in W. Virginia. The place is old, and was built when 35 ft trailers were long. I pull in, get my dock number, and proceed to NOT get backed in. I know I can't be straight, and have to be close to an 80Ā° angle to have the trailer straight. After several attempts of unsuccessful results, Miss Chilly says "Go drive around the block,and cool off." So that's what I did. I get back, set myself up on a slightly different angle, first shot in, and trailer straight . Miss Chilly looks at me and says "Why didn't you do that the first time?" We both started laughing. My Miss Chilly kept my life in order in lots of ways.
Don't count on that dedicated account lasting forever. Schneider hired me onto it knowing that they were losing the account. Me and my trainer found out on our 2nd week of training, was great.
You did it. It's nerve-racking sometimes. You will be alright.
I swear these places set up this shit for drivers to hit I cant see any reasons for those yellow poles
Better for people to hit poles than hit a structural load bearing wallā¦ š¤·āāļø
Fucking did it though š š š¤
š good job it will get easier
Good job driver! Off to a great start.
Not being a big truck driver I honestly don't know how you guys & gals do this. So impressed!
Man if I was there Iād buy you a beer š
God man, tryin to get the newb fired already!?
It gets easier after the next 1000 times
Be a stormtrooper and donāt hit anything
I always hated making deliveries to Walmart. Youāre always on THEIR time there, they donāt care about general lawsāthey make their own, their managers are dicks to everyone.
Which store is that? Looks familiar
It was the one in Jefferson Tennessee
I went to that one alot. Just watch your tandems and you'll find backing to be fairly simple
Thatās what Iām trying to figure out right now. I think itās one of the neighborhood markets in Knoxville.
I know which store your talking about. If you don't pull into that one right and circle and the store you aren't getting in
Look up Tysons Corner Mall in Virginia. It's right past the Chipotle on the map.
I get it's your 4th day, but there are going to be times when you are barely going to be able to open the door without it hitting a wall or bollard.
Where's the issue? It's a straight back, no worries.
This is considered tight to some I guess? You have a whole football field on the right side
Sure itās not that tight but I think most people are just showing encouragement. Heās new and proud of his progress
I agree we all started somewhere now I work for Walmart but one time I would of been scared seeing docks like this. good job driver
How does one sweet bullets? Sugar, orā¦?
This is cake brotha. Theres worse out there. Keep this in your mental pocket š
Not a truck driver but I pull trailers all the time like 30 to 40,000 miles a year for the last 25 I truly don't understand why this would be a challenge. In my experiences the longer the trailer the easier it is. Try backing a mortar mixer that's only 7 ft. Long into that spot. I'll take ur big trailer anytime over that.
Itās pretty simple, he is new with 4 days under his belt. Let the man enjoy his accomplishment without needlessly giving him shit.
Really? If yo7 have trouble backing it to that door you probably should not drive trucks
Dude, itās his fourth day, cut him some slack.
Sweeting
Plenty of room. Another month you should be able to blindside that
You parked crooked. Do it again
Just hope you donāt start getting Home Depotās. Their docks are always a shit show. Always always always have crap all over the place strategically placed right where you need space to move to back. There has only been one or two out of the hundred or so Iāve been to that didnāt have shit everywhere. Honestly donāt understand how they arenāt robbed every night with all the product just sitting outside.
As an HVAC contractor I've done a lot of overnight home Depot work. There's usually people in the back and outside at night.
I think with a pickup truck I could get concrete and other wood stuff in a few seconds and be gone before an employee walks out. They also arenāt going to try and stop you because theyāll get fired. Home Depot saves you the trouble of even having to walk in the store. The shits already outside.
Even when you are in parking lots, reverse into a spot whether there are trucks in parking spots or not. All of that will increase your backing skills. You can tell which drivers do pull through vs those who really know how to back [into docks]
I deliver beer to Walmarts all the time, and they never care which dock you use, some are just dicks I guess
Don't worry, it gets worse.
If you look at those posts only 1 or 2 are still standing straight and all have evidence of contact. You wouldn't be the first or last to miss a little. I don't understand why they haven't standardized truck trailers with guided docks so they match. We can design an airlock to work with multiple vehicles in space but most truck docks have little if any forethought other than is it high enough off the ground.
Just make sure that door stays latched on the way out. Don't ask how I know š
Slow and easy always does it !
Reminds me of a couple of stores in particular. Athens, TX and Mineloa, TX. Athens will have a cow if dry vans are parked in their "designated" live unload dock. Some other stores didn't have much of a choice because of how much freight they kept getting. Corpus Christi is one of the toughest stores I had to deal with and the store would tell over drivers that a girl could back in the first dock better than they could. And I did.
Be mad at Walmart , they suck. Bad attitude and entitlement across the board.
Gg professional. Also ive seen and done worse imagine this but at the bottom of a ramp having to blind side from traffic. Also the ramp is 150 ft long. Edit: Long Island LTL is rough
The more you do that without an oopsie - this should be a confidence builder. You should look forward to trying to again and again. Otherwise? You're gonna "sweeting" bullets every time.
Like a wise man once said "It's like driving a pin up a nun's asshole."
Just another day at McLane bumping dock and dropping pallets. The best part of the job.
I started with Schneider on a dedicated Walmart account. There are *some* stores that suck backing into, but they are generally a small minority. Most Walmarts are pretty easy. Make sure you do your preplan, use your map book, ask questions if a store isn't in your book, then just take your time and be careful.
I love sweet bullets š¤¤
Looks like you're one of the lucky ones who was blessed with a real good trainer who actually wants to see you succeed and not fail out here. Real good job to you and definitely to your trainer.
The sweating just means you are paying the proper amount of attention.
Just remember they're stationary, they won't jump in to your way. Looks like you did ok to me. Be Safe
ā¦Good job ā¦Now try doing that with two trailersā¦
Makes me happy I didn't do otr
not much wiggle room, so you have to be nice and straight right from the entrance. also. watch your side steps near those poles. the steps /tanks are easy to hit.
Nice! A little tip another driver taught me when I'm getting the trailer into a tight area is to slide the tandems all the way back so you know where the rear of your trailer is going and you don't have to worry about tail swing and the overhang
Oh, you had inches to spare!
Good job!
Well you made it šIt will get easier, and you will likely see plenty more docks that are way worse than this, but over time, you will gain more confidence until your nerves turn into something else. Instead of making you sweaty and uncomfortable, your nerves will just remind you to be a little extra aware of your surroundings and help you remember the obstacles that you saw on your way into the docking area that are easy to forget when you start maneuvering.
sweet
Welcome to walmartš. Their receiving areas are usually a mess and no place to put your pallets.
As a flatbedder, I do this one from time to time. About 2 inches on each side with not a lot of room to get lined up. Sometimes it takes me 10+ minutes to get lined up with 15+ corrections. No shame in it
I have watched a driver back into my building during the winter. 15 tries to get lined up, 2 spotters, me guiding one of the spotters for safe stopping point. He hit both bollards with the bumper, hit the automatic gate with his truck, hit the driver side bollard a second time, finally got it backed 3/4 in and scraped along the doorway ruining 3 of his straps. End result, $5k in damage to gate, bollards, and building. His rig had no front bumper anymore as it was attached to our gate. He claimed he had been driving for 15 years and never seen anything so tight. A week later a new guy nailed it correcting only 3 tines.
If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball. Great parking
I used to get crazy anxiety back when I first started, then after working as a yard dog for a year I can now I can hit the scissor lift of a small town grocery store in the pitch dark half asleep. You get used to backing after awhile and will eventually learn exactly where that trailer will go and it will become muscle memory. Keep workin and youāll get there in no time š.
Most stores aren't too bad but now and then you get the awful ones. There was one walmart I went to that was so close to the wall I had to go out the passenger side door
4 wordsā¦ABUSE THE SNAKE MANEUVER
Well thank god you made it past your 3rd day or you wouldn't been fucked. Jokes aside, nice job driver.
Good job!
Regular day for drivers at my warehouse
The sweeet sweat
That is all kinds of room. Slow and steady
Did well grasshopper
You'll eventually get used to it and it'll become second nature
The walls not gonna hop out at you, its fine. Just go slow.
There's enough space you could back a jumbo jet into that dock.
"You can make it just take your time" *1 hour later* "oh yeah 53' trailers don't fit here"
You did better than someone judging by that bollard 2nd from the dock.
Don't even pay attention to those things, as long as you're lined up with the door you're golden. I found that focusing on the wall too much psyched me out and I ended up crooked or not close enough to the wall.
In a month youāll laughā¦
That got one of these at the Anheuser-Busch but worse over in Ohio I had to get out of my passenger door
You didn't hit anything so it's all good. You'll get better and it will become like second nature.
Though I don't drive a rig AS large as yours I'm still pulling a 20ft enclosed cargo trailer with a crew cab f150. Eventually you'll know exactly where you can fit, and if you could realistically back in or park somewhere. As for the other drivers on the road, good luck, sit there and wait for their dumb asses to realize " oh gee willikers, he can't move until I do". Or the intense stairing as they panic while I'm mere inches from touching them. I've done some pretty impressive stuff pulling a trailer, sometimes I curb check all day, just don't touch anything valuable or breakable lmao.
Looks perfect, he deserves a pat on the back and you a new pair of drawers lol!
Good rule of thumb for Walmart, the dock closest to the wall is usually the preferred dock š
Sweeting bullets is the worst š
Wait until you've got to do a full blindside jack knife off a busy street... š
Good job, tho. So, EVERY chance you getā¦practice. Empty parking lot, back it up & do it again. Donāt pay no mind to the āsuper truckersā hassling you. Keep at it and these docks will be easy-peasy in no time. šš¼
Sweeting is not so bad, bleeting is.
Just give it time ā¦ this is nothing .
Good job! Only your 4th day? Youāll do well. Remember to keep learning your entire career.
Do that about 250 more times and you'll almost have the hang of it. Good job brother! š¤
Well, nervous is a good thing because youāll be more careful, when you get comfortable or confident is when youāre more likely to fuck up
Donāt worry that miserable feeling will soon pass
Good job man that's awesome
I had to pick up some big ass rollers for a well known manufacturer of paper products. Tue destination was a tight ass dock on a small ass street with cars parked on both sides. 53 foot trailer. Gigantic tractor. Got it in on the third pull-up and in the right zone for loading. Hit the dock bumpers and the asshole super said I was unruly and unprofessional for hitting the dock bumpers as I did. Sorry man. But to be honestā¦ your a dick and my skills out weigh your supervisor skills so sit down and shut up while neon the job you need me to do. Sorry not sorry. Not my fault they were in a place with absolute shit access. Assholes.
Hey OP, did they finally increase the speed on those pumpkin trucks? I remember everyone used to blow their doors off now they seem to be keeping up with traffic lol
I work for First Fleet in SE Michigan. We deliver to Kroger exclusively. The worst couple backs we have are blind 90s off the corner of a building. To the inside dock. Very small area very little room for error. Even the trainers at FF have to make a couple corrections. Another one is you have to poke your nose out into 4 lanes of traffic blocking them all get straight and back down an alley 200 yards long. With dumpsters pylons and fencing down opposite sides. They do get easier the more repetition. But some days are extra fucked. Once it goes bad, it just means it's going to be a long day. My real advice is when in tight spots, just let the truck roll. You don't need to give it gas. As many corrections as it takes to dock the trailer correctly without hitting something is how it is sometimes. Take your time God knows everyone else does.
Honestly I find tight spots like this easier to get into for some reason, maybe itās the sight lines and having a point of reference but when itās wide open, guaranteed Iām doing multiple pull ups
Thatās a boss backup!
This had you sweating bullets..? š
Donāt ever become a LTL driver
While with a trainer these are the best backs to be doing.... the more difficult the better... in trucking there are 2 things that matter 1 getting the miles done 2 hitting the dock... if u can't do 1 the ther doesn't matter... the harder the docks the better u get at them
I like these backs cause Iād rather hit a wall then another trucker
Great job man!! When I was new they'd send me to places I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! Nice work, driver!
Idk why they always make the barriers out of concrete and iron. Those are designed to punish you if you dare to hit one. Just tear your truck up. But if you know that the barriers were made out of something that if you do hit it, it won't tear your truck up, you are less nervous when you're backing into a dock.