How to Back a Tractor Trailer Into an Enclosed Dock

Driving a tractor trailer can be challenging when you have to back into an enclosed dock or bay. It's even harder when these docks lack painted lines or reflective tape to guide you into position. With a little practice, and by following these steps, you can master this task and hit these docks with little hassle.

Instructions

1. Approach the dock from the either side of your vehicle and swing past the dock entrance to line yourself up in a straight line with the dock door if possible. If this is not possible, swing wide enough to leave yourself plenty of room to approach the dock without having to pinch, or jack-knife, the truck too much when you back in.

2. Set your brakes and exit your vehicle. Check around the vehicle as you go to the rear of the trailer and open the trailer doors, watching for painted guidelines or tire marks from previous trucks using the dock, as you can use them as a helpful guide.

3. Inspect the dock while behind the trailer for any hazards that may complicate your task such as a low ceiling, building pillars or vehicles in or around the dock. Also make sure that no pedestrians are in or around the dock before backing in.

4. Return to your tractor and roll down your windows and clean the mirrors thoroughly and turn on the truck's lights. This step will help by making you more visible as you approach the dock, but more importantly it will illuminate the marker lights providing you with a helpful guide on the rear corners of the trailer in the dark dock. This is especially important in the daylight hours, even though it seems it would be less important.

5. Enter the dock door slowly, and give short blast of your horn to let anyone inside know you are coming in. Keep an eye on your marker lights on the rear corner of your trailer and keep them moving toward the dock plate. If there are guide lights around the dock plate, or reflective tape, keep your corner markers in line with them as you back.

6. Stop when you are half-way into the dock bay, and set your brakes. Get out of your truck and physically check the alignment of your vehicle with the dock. Many times this new perspective will show different results of what you thought was happening in your mirrors. If you need to pull up to realign, then do so. If your positioning is still good, then continue backing slowly, until you bump the dock.

7. Apply your tractor and trailer brakes, shut down your engine to avoid fumes collecting in the bay and chock your tires. Report to the dock personnel, and listen to them compliment you on your driving skills.

Tips & Warnings

• If the dock has no reflective tape or lights, use your flashlight. Turn it on and lay it on the ground on the driver's side of the dock plate. This makes an easy-to-see guide light. Or use your emergency triangles, one on either side of the dock plate. Aim your marker lights at these as you back in.

• Keep in mind that the last truck may not have entered the dock correctly. Previous tire marks can be a helpful guide but you should not depend upon them entirely.

• The difference in lighting between the inside dock and your mirrors outside of the dock for most of this task makes it very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to see your trailer.