One thing I could definately use some help with is backing into docks. I obviously am super careful and I take my time, I find myself scared to back right in to the dock, should I just go ahead and bump the dock and let the rubber do its job? Got any tips?
The American Trucking Associations sponsors each year the National Truck Driving Championships. Part of the competition is precision truck driving. Contestants maneuver trucks through a course that tests the driver's ability to position the truck EXACTLY where it should be for a given task.
When Diane and I practiced with fellow competitors for the event, they showed us a technique called "getting your marks." You can do this on your own and it will come in handy every time you bump a dock.
With your truck parked in the open, mark a line on the ground to show where your dock bumpers would be if the truck was then at a dock (that will be the line perpendicular to the truck, directly below the truck's dock bumpers).
You don't need to draw a line. Just place two markers (gloves, wood blocks, shoes, whatever) on the ground along that line. Place the markers just wide of the truck so you can see them in your mirrors when seated behind the wheel with the seat in your normal driving position.
When you look at one of the markers, you get your mark by imagining the straight sight line that goes from your mirror to the marker on the ground. If you follow that imaginary line along the side of your truck, the line will intersect with something that can be referenced when bumping a dock.
On our truck my left-side mark is one of the chicken lights. It is different for Diane because she sits shorter in the seat. When I am backing up to a dock, that chicken light will line up with the base of the building just when the dock is bumped. When backing to a dock, I watch that light relative to the base of the building. As the distance closes, I know I am getting close.
This becomes an exact science on a competitive course where you are positioning the truck relative to clearly defined and consistent objects, and where less than an inch can be the difference between victory and defeat. It is not an exact science when backing up to real-world loading docks. Docks vary in size, shape, approach geometry, how far they extend from the building, etc. In the contest, close is for losers. In the real world, close is good enough.
Marks work in shopping mall parking lots too, like when I park across a number of car parking spots and want to position the rear of the truck half-way into an open parking place behind us to keep a car from parking us in. I'll move the truck until my mark (that same chicken light) lines up with the center of the parking place. When the chicken light is there, I know that's where the back of the truck is too.
If you bowl, the same principle applies. Bowlers use the marks at the beginning of the lane to line up their shot. Don't look at the pins (loading dock bumpers), look at the lane marks (truck marks) to guide the shot.
Get your marks elsewhere on the truck to know where your front bumper is, the right side of the truck relative to the fog line on the road, etc. It is a stress-relieving technique, especially when you are driving on a narrow lane or uncomfortably close to jersey barriers in a construction zone. It may feel like you are too close but your marks will tell you exactly where your truck is relative to objects around it.
Placing actual sight marks on the truck is prohibited in the contest but if no marks on your truck suggest themselves, try putting small markers (white dots, bits of masking tape) on your mirrors or side windows, and on the windshield to indicate where the front, sides and rear of your truck is relative to objects around it.
Another way to get your rear-of-truck marks would be to place pieces of tape on your mirrors when you are at a loading dock. Mark the spots where the base of the building appears in each mirror. Again, docks vary so do not commit to a permenant mark (dots of White Out work great) until you have gotten your marks at a few docks. Getting your marks in an open area is more precise since the marks are calibrated to the truck itself and not a dock.
