How do you alley dock a tractor trailer?

Answer 1

The first thing I do is park the truck, get out of it and look at the situation. The goal in this exercise, contrary to what driving school teachers or DMV examiners might tell you, is to do a straight back. Figure out what setup will let you get the truck aligned straight with the dock, and do it. Next task: slide the tandems all the way to the rear. This totally eliminates backswing. Third is to do your setup. You might want to know that the North Carolina DMV demands a perfect 45 degree back on the driving test. This is complete insanity--no one should EVER do this setup if they can possibly avoid it--but there you are. This is what I would recommend. It's a really easy alley dock. First, drive the truck along the row of trailers until you get to the dock you're going to use. Drive forward until your shoulder is lined up with the right-hand side of the hole, and stop the truck. (Yes, this means you're doing a sight-side back, which is safest.) Stop the truck and turn the wheel all the way to the right--normally this is two full turns, but just crank the wheel until it stops. Next, drive the truck forward until your tractor's at the "12 o clock" position--when your truck is pointing exactly the same direction as the other trucks in the line, you're golden. Stop and crank the wheel all the way to the left. Now drive forward again until the truck's in the "9 o clock" position--your truck should be at a 90 degree angle to what it once was. When you're there, get out and look at your setup. You want the left-side rear tandems lined up with the place in the hole you're going to put them. If they're there, you're perfect. You can pull forward just a little if you want, but be sure to straighten the wheel out first. Now it's time to back! Turn your wheels all the way to the right and put the truck in a 90 degree jackknife--no more because you'll damage your air fairing. Once it's there, turn the wheels all the way to the left and back until you're under the trailer. And once you're THERE, you should be lined right up with the hole. Get out and look, and if you are just start backing in.