Chapter 2 Continued - Learning to back up on the blind side - on a slant

I had a regular delivery of very heavy glass bottles to a brewery - these loads ranged in the 45,000-47,000 pound range in a 47 foot trailer.

Picture the dock on the driver's right side, with a steep downhill grade on the street from where the dock is accessed.  Let's say conservatively that it's 20 degrees, maybe a bit more.

 The first time I approached it, I took the easy way out and went for the standard, non-blind-side back in.  It's about 1am on a cold night in Milwaukee, and I pull the Peterbilt up with the dock on my left.

I begin by checking out the area where I'm backing, hop back in the cab, and start the motion.  Now I'm hearing creaking sounds from the suspension of the tractor and the trailer.  Not surprising yet - I have a lot of weight and I'm on an angle.  Then I froze.  The left side wheels of the trailer are starting to come off the ground.  The trailer is, of course, canted to the downhill side of the street.  Alarmed, I slam on the brakes, and the trailer goes over even farther.  Crap!  Snicking the transmission into a low gear, I slowly pull out, and the trailer wheels are back on the ground.  Phew.  Looks like there must be a better solution.

I thought that maybe backing in from the blind side might be a better solution, and it turned out that was right.  Doing that would still put the trailer at the same angle, but the tractor could better support it by using both front and rear suspensions to keep it upright.  Sure enough, after a bunch of in and out of the cab, I put it in where it was supposed to be, without rolling the tractor and trailer.  Long night.

(As an afterword, I eventually got tired of doing the whole in/out of cab thing, and backed it in on the "natural" side, and though it was a bit hairy, the trailer never rolled over.  But I certainly learned a valuable lesson on the application of simple weight distribution.)

Next, the perfect docking.

Stay tuned,

dieseldon