Well friends, after my fiasco with Swift, I've been looking for something in terms of a local driving job. I was tentatively hired on with the local school bus company, but that job really doesn't offer too many hours of driving.
The other day, I responded to an ad on Career Builder. It was listed by a small local father/son company running on their own authority. I talked with the owner and we got along well. He promises to keep the wheels rollin' and has a good viewpoint on safety and legality issues. No multiple logbooks and no nonsense. He has 16 years of experience and seems to be an upright guy.
I'm essentially hired (as a contractor) .... we're just waiting for the results of the drug screen. It should be back today and he said that he'll probably have me out by Monday or Tuesday.
The catch is this. Even with a couple of years of experience 27 years ago, I still would have liked to spend time with a trainer. I am, in reality a newbie.
I'm a little worried about correct log book entries but I'm more worried about backing into docks. The school I attended was like most of them, I imagine. They teach you enough to pass the test, but really don't offer any real world dock experience. If we knew where to look for the colored rocks on the backing range and the marks on the trailer, we could get set up well enough to pass the alley dock test with or without a couple of pullups.
When I drove years ago, I was the second seat driver on a HHG truck. The only time we had to hit a dock, was when we had to load a car. I think I remember that happening twice in two years. Otherwise, we just pulled up to the curb in front of the shipper's house, did our thing and then disappeared into the sunset. I was lucky to have hooked up with a good friend and a good driver during that time. He taught me a lot.
I also ran some freight with the same driver later, and had to pull into a dock a couple of times. I sort of remember how he taught me to do it, but it's going to be an adventure in trucking when I have to drop my first load. I guess that even if I have to do 23 pullups to get it in, I'll have at least gotten it in there. I'm a strong believer in GOAL'ing, and I anticipate putting a few miles on my shoes.
Somewhere in my surfing the Trucking websites, I saw a pretty good tutorial about alley dock backing. (NOT the one that is interactive and is around everywhere you look) The one I saw, had a pretty good description on how to do the setup, like when to cut the tractor out from a row of docks, landmarks to look for and some good safety hints. If any of you know the one I'm talking about, I'd appreciate you shooting me a link to it. OR, if any of you feel like taking the time to describe your setup techniques, I'll sure appreciate any hints you can offer. I'll also appreciate any suggestions you can offer about scale/checkpoint protocol.
I'm not too worried about gettin' the truck from point A to point B, it's just what I'm going to run into along the way in terms of DOT type things, and what the heck I'm going to do when I hit that first dock.
So, if any of you folks see the old FriPilot out there looking dazed, confused and lost with a truck that's nowhere close to being properly set up, feel free to holler "hey dummy! Do this or do that!" I guarantee I'll listen!

Thanks, guys and girls.

FriPilot

 

I had never hit a dock before my first trip either. I drove local dump truck & pup or possum belly chip trailers for 7 years prior to going out on the road.

Chip truck is similar to a dock situation. They do back into narrower spots, but there is nothing on either side of you.

Just take it easy. Go slow. If you can, set up your truck so you have as little turning of the tractor as possible. Make as many pullups as you need. Don't let the cb jockeys get you down.

Take it easy.

No rushing is necessary.

Make sure your trailers doors are open. :P

 

Thanks Colin. I appreciate your encouragement.
It's funny you should mention the trailer doors though. I was thinking
to myself earlier, how much it would suck if I struggled to get the truck into the hole and THEN realized that the doors were still shut. I DO have a question about that though. If the trailer is sealed, do I have to get the receiver to remove it? Or do I just go ahead and break the seal?

FriPilot

 

Contractor=1099
Good for him-bad for you

 

I always ask first. Some tell you go ahead and open her up. Others ask you to bring the seal in, and there are those who want to inspect and remove the seal themselves.

Whenever you check in, before you are assigned a door, or lets say as you pull into a yard with a guard shack, you let them know it's sealed and what do they want you to do.

 

There have been countless times where I rolled into a new shipper or receiver and told them I had never been there before and just gotten blank stares. Then after I was given what I needed to know, 3/4 of the way through the process of checking in/getting a door, I was told something the gate guard failed to mention. :roll:

Big things, like I need to show my driver's license at the check in window. Now it's no big deal to go get it (regardless of the snow and ice on the yard asphalt), but it's the 10 minutes I waited in line the first time. No, there are rarely signs alerting you to what is needed to check in.

I eventually started bringing almost everything with me to check in. Bills, wallet, logbook, ICC, permit book, extra can of soda, Slim Jims to bribe the check in clerk... :wink:

 

I used to deliver some high dollar freight to a company in Canada. They always used a big bolt rather than a seal and then bent it. The U.S. manufacturer actually put the bolt on the shipment. When I got to the receiver, I had to back up to their receiving door and they would cut the bolt. Once the bolt was cut and removed, I would then need to pull out, open the trailer doors and back into the receiving door again. The interesting thing about this receiver is that they would never allow me, or any driver, to cut the bolt, even though they were right there watching. :?

 

:lol: That's great! I find myself grabbing my wallet, a PEN :shock: , etc. and etc. but the only time I found really need it is when I decided I wouldn't need it. :cry: ....the cruel irony.

One place...a Bottled water supplier in Northern Vermont, I haul backloads to Michigan...always requests even the trailer license plate number. It also never fails...twice now it is a downpour when I get there and need to go take a look. Last time I walked casual...I somehow realized I was going to be soaked to the bone anyway...so why look like a whimp dodging a little bone soaking rain. I took it like a lunitic.

Okay..I guess the John Wayne movies took its toll. I like to look at guys dodging a little rain like what are you...some sorta girlyman...gonna get your hairdo wet. ....and stories like this prove I'm a little bored right now. :P

 

Found this one tonight, but for some reason it's a little confusing to me. Maybe I'm just too sleepy to get it.


Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2005 4:53 am
Depending on if your driving a dual axle tractor and the length of the trailer, here is a general guidline.

On setup, pull forward slowly untill the middle of your drives are at the centerline of the hole. Then turn out (right, presumably) hard over till your at a 90 degree,(does this mean that the tractor comes to a 90 angle to the trailer?) then hard over again (left this time, I guess) till your tractor is back 90 degrees. (and does this mean that the tractor and trailer are now in a straight line?) Then just back her in. The rest of it is just practice. Watch for visual cues to know how much to adjust. Turn the wheel for your adjustments in precise measuments, 1/4 turn, 1/2 turn, etc. This will give you known movements. If you miss the hole to your blind side, and you turned the wheel 1/2 turn, next time only turn it 1/4 turn instead.

 

What they are telling you to do is this: When you're headed straight with the dock to your left you'll turn the wheel hard right so the tractor is facing straight away from the dock, then you'll turn it back hard left until the tractor is facing straight forward again. This will leave the trailer pointed at the dock, at an angle. You'll be able to see the rear of the trailer out the driver's side window, as well as the dock. Roll down your window, hang your head out (if you can't see the rear of the trailer in your mirror) and back it in.

I wouldn't worry about the timings of this too much, it all depends on how much room you have. You'll want to get the trailer as straight as possible so you don't have to turn the wheel much to guide it in. If you're in a tight situation you'll have to really make hard turns quickly to get it straight by the time it is at the dock.