If the pilot car driver has done his homework properly, he already knew of any impaired vertical clearances before they even started the trip. The mast is just sort of a double-check, looking for something that wasn't previously noted, low-hanging wires being the most common thing encountered. And although it's a less than ideal situation, any truck driver worth his salt can easily back up a trailer for a mile or two if necessary.
All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
And this, my friends, is why I don't drive a truck for a living.Originally Posted by KJ6BSO
Kelli, if you're backing in a straight line, it's actually easier to back up a 53' semi-trailer than it is the type of trailer you might pull behind your car. They react to steering input much more slowly than something like a boat trailer so they aren't so likely to get you all crossed up.
All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
Really? I didn't know that. I figured it would be much more difficult to back up a tractor-trailer. The very thought of it makes me cringe. I can back up a small trailer -- another thing my father taught me. One day I was parked behind a store, getting boxes from a cardboard dumpster for moving. This truck pulled up and was trying to back up to the loading dock. He must have been inexperienced because he backed up and pulled forward for -- I swear -- like 10 minutes trying to line the truck up. After seeing that I figured it must be next to impossible to back one of those things up and make it go the way you want it.
Backing into a dock is a whole different kettle of fish. Depending on how it's set up, that can be a real bitch. I've had a few where it took me ten or more tries to hit the door properly, especially if it required blind-side backing or there was limited pull-up space in front of the dock.
Last edited by NQ6U; 11-04-2010 at 01:43 PM.
All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
Well, shows you how much I know about trucks (not much). I've had (and have) truck driver friends, but never even rode in one much less tried to drive one. Ice Road Truckers is an interesting show though.
I'll say. I'm the son of a long-haul trucker, but the longest trailer I tow is thirty feet of fifth-wheel RV. Backing up a standard trailer and a fifth-wheel trailer are two different animals. The standard trailer is twitchy. The fifth-wheel takes forever to turn when going backwards. And I have to go backwards after every trip to put the thing away.
73 de Richard W4RLR
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