Offset backing

I just go by feel after lots of practice. I guess I go by time so counting could work. To gain consistency always idle when you do the manouver.

 

First off never do offset not sure if you mean Ally dock from the right unless your in a daycab. Or being spotted. The rest sounds about right.
Don't worry you will get practice everyday or two on the job. Just remember the slower you go the better off you are, incase you bump into something .
Practice at truck stops to, in the day nobody is around usually.

 

Offset is required for the CDL test, but it isn’t something I find myself actually doing in real life. Alley docking happens every day but isn’t on the test.

How does that make sense?

 

Alley docking not on the test? That's cute! Off set is done everyday after you come from alley docking. Or when parking at a truck stop.

 

Offset is something I work with now and then over my lifetime. Forward is no problem. There is a certain point at which after you say follow the left rail and intent is to swing right and get into the second half of the bars... There is a point at which you can wind the wheel all the way over and she will do it for you. But beyond that? Forget it. IF you tried it too soon your trailer will eliminate one rail of the first half you have not gotten out of yet.

Backwards? euch.

We had learned parallel parking when it was not required on test. AND THAT came in handy a few times when the opportunity presented itself.

The tractor and trailer have different circles under each wheel set or axle. Management of the circles will get you into anywhere PROVIDED there is room to fit.

 

When my son in law was prepping to get his license, he was using my truck. He had gotten a printout of the test as to how to set up the cones. He kept trting one manuever Iirc it was the parallel parking and could not get it down, so came and ask me to show him how. lol It wouldn't and was never going to work, so I called my friend and ask what he thought they were doing with it set up like that. He said it was easy, pull up so many feet outside of the cone and so many feet past a cone, turn the wheel all the way, with it idling count to lets say 5, then turn the wheel all the way the other direction, count so many and straighten. lol I ask if he always used the same truck, which was a day cab with an old 40 foot flat, and he told me yes, why? lol, So I told him he should come over and try that method with my truck and a 53. lol He admitted it would not work, but said all the students used the schools truck, so had the course set up size wise for it. lol The trade school portion of the community college had a driving school and a friend of mine was the instructor. the test was given on their coarse.

 

Ok here goes the method.



To offset back to the left.

Turn the wheel all the way right.

Back up until you see the middle of the landing gear.

Straighten the wheel and back up until you see the far side leg.

Turn the wheel completely to the left. Back up until you see the middle of the landing gear in the passenger mirror.

Straighten the wheel and back up until you see the drivers side leg of the landing gear in the passenger mirror.

Turn the wheel back fully to the right and back up to bring the cab in line with the trailer.

Straighten the wheel and continue to back straight into the spot.

Offset backing is very rare unless you are trying to position yourself under a load that cant be moved closer to you.

Alley docking is way more common and quite a bit harder.

 

In school they make you lose your target in the mirrors and then all this count here align landing gear there jive comes into play. Its not realistic to real life in my opinion. A driver shouldnt be losing both view sides in proximity to danger or expensive stuff.

If you REALLY cant get it down, sacrifice your one pullup for the maneuver. Back straight up the way they want for a good distance.. steer just enough to point the trailer a little bit at the target dock, say jumping one over to the passenger side but do not worry about the back of the trailer much, as long as you dont get to a cone.. Worry about making room in FRONT of the truck.

Now pull forward again and drive the tractor to the left while going forward, until you can get your driver mirror looking straight down the driver side of box. steer big and quick if need but do not run out of room up front. Dont be scared to really snake that cab any way necessary to aim the box straight at the target cone like a rifle site and keep it in your mirror. Now your forward work is done and you are on target. In my experience you have access to an entire parking lot on each side as long as you didnt go thru forward cones and landed in the dock one over from where you pulled out.

If done correctly youll be out in the open and you will see your target on the view side. just back straight to it and curl in as you get there.

Try this in practice first, so that you will know for sure if theyll allow you to perform the maneuver that way for test.

 

I think about this situation and consider the Dumas Meat Plant with shipping of hides out of a side dock inside their railcar yard. I had to back around about 10 railcars, some of which were covered in big flies meaning your windows were up all the way to that dock. It can be done. But just be careful and examine your work.