It's a Team's Life
Practice makes perfect
Truck backing in, Donna's Truck Stop, WA
Practicing backing in a near vacant truck stop can alleviate the stress when backing into a dock on a customer’s property. Backing is also beneficial in many ways as it is a learning guide in learning the length of the truck while looking. While backing we unconsciously learn the pivot points of the truck. Learning the pivot points helps greatly when making a tight right hand turn and not hitting a curb or another vehicle.
Each truck handles differently and to me backing is a great way to learn the truck and or truck and trailer combination. When learning a new truck I like to back slowly and the auto shift plus transmission does not like to back slowly and we have had a few battles, which I have lost. Sometimes when backing the auto shift plus transmission I look as if I have never backed a truck before. When backing correctly at the correct speed this transmission is amazing and the truck makes me look like the professional I am. When backing into a tight space or down a hill it is another story and it is sometimes actually laughable at how I get this truck backed into a dock.
When driving a new or different truck take the time to practice backing and going around corners. Drive to a vacated part of a truck stop and pick out a spot to back into, watch the lines and do not cross them, I always pretend there is a truck on either side of those lines. Back into the spot pull out and find another spot and try backing from different directions. Each time I backed the truck up I gained confidence that helped me when driving forward as well as backing into a tight parking spot or dock.
When pulling into a customers lot and seeing a very tight spot I have to back into I have the confidence to do it and do it right. The time to get this perfect is before you get to a customers location. One of the hardest docks for me is backing inside a building; it is difficult to go from the light outside to inside a building. The best way is for me to get out and look over the situation and know what I am backing into, if there are other trucks all ready in the building and what the doorposts look like. There always seems to be a short period of time when I am blinded by not having any light from outside and am still not deep enough in the building to see the dock in my mirrors, this is when back up cameras come in very handy.
Another dock that is interesting is one where I have to back down a hill into the dock area. When doing this I let the truck do the work and I am prepared to apply the brake when needed. When backing into any dock I will touch the dock with the truck and then pull forward a few inches so the dock bumpers are not torn off of the truck. The weight of the forklift, even with the dolly legs down will cause the truck to move and if backed up hard against a dock this can tear the bumper pads off of the truck.
So practice makes perfect, take the time to back the truck
into parking spots so that when the time comes and you have to back into a
tight dock you will have the confidence to do so.
Pull through parking spot, Donna's Truck Stop, WA
Bob & Linda Caffee
Leased to: FedEx Custom Critical 

TeamCaffee

Saint Louis MO
Expediters 6 years been out here on the road 11 years
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle; 

Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;

Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;

Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.