Alley Docking...so Confused

I was evaluating out tonight to be cleared to test. Made it through the driving evaluation...made 100% on pre-trip and did 5 of the 6 backing maneuvers without batting an eyelash. Alley dock, however, threw me on my a$$. Before tonight I had only done it twice...once being guided through it by the instructor and the second time completely on my own. I must have just been extremely lucky because I put that bad boy right into the box without even using a pull up. Tonight I just couldn't seem to get it in the right spot, and because I didn't mess it up while practicing, I had no idea how to fix my mistake.

Maybe some of you that have more experience can help...

When I had my truck in position, I turned all the way away from the box I was trying to get into...backed until I could see just a small gap between my landing gear foot and my tire. I turned so that my tires were straight and gave it one more turn toward the box. At that point, I backed while keeping that angle (using the gap between the landing gear and tire) until the center of my rear tandem tire rim was in line with the cone on the left side end of the space I wanted to get into. Here's where things get sketchy for me...

I was told to turn all the way toward the box, back for about two seconds, then turn it all the way to the other way to swing the end of the trailer around into the end of the space. Then you just wiggle it in almost as a straight line back. This whole setup assumes that the space you want into is on the driver's side as you set it up. Tonight, I was always running over the cone on the far right side of the box opening and just couldn't get it adjusted to go in. I still have no idea what I was doing wrong since the instructor said everything looked beautiful right up to the point where I line the tire up. Everything just goes to hell afterward.

I'm going back on Sunday night for about an hour's worth of practice just with alley dock, and I'm hoping to clear up my confusion so I can test on Tuesday. Any words of advice??

Kat, don't beat yourself up. Alley dock is the hardest back in my opinion. I know everyone is different, but for some reason I can get into just about any spot but almost always have to do an extra pullup or two.

I'm pretty leery about telling you to use a "formula" for the alley dock, like it sounds like you're using. It can work pretty well with the other backs, but it's pretty hard to set up exactly the same way for the alley dock every time.

I think the key is to think about the angles. You don't have to be a geometry whiz. Just realize that the angle between the tractor and the trailer is one of the most important details to pay attention to. The tighter the angle between the tractor and the trailer, the tighter/faster your trailer will turn as you back. The straighter your tractor is with your trailer, the straighter your trailer will go as you back.

So if it looks like you are going to hit the cones on the far side of the hole, you need to turn your trailer sharper to get it straight in the hole. How do you do that? By getting a tighter between your tractor and your trailer.

For a sight side back (what you're doing), to give yourself a sharper angle between your tractor and trailer: back with your wheel to the right or pull forward with your wheel to the left. For a sight side back, to make your tractor straighter with your trailer, back with your wheel to the left or pull forward with your wheel to the right (just don't go too far, otherwise you'll end up doing a blindside back.)

Hopefully that helps. Sorry it's not very specific, but thinking of those angles is what works for me. A word of advice: as a rule if thumb, don't pull up with your wheel a certain direction and back up again with your wheel that same direction (I.e. don't pull forward with your wheel hard right, then back up again with your wheel to the right). You'll waste a perfectly good pull-up. I used to do this until a seasoned trucker taught me otherwise at a shipping dock.

Good luck

Kat unless I missed something, your evaluation was only the third attempt at alley docking?

Practice, you need practice. Repetition will get the result you are looking for. Try not to beat yourself up.

Good luck.

Practice, like Gtown said. For comparison, I did about 150 alley docks before I tested. You'll get it.

I'll start out by saying that, not only am I not a veteran or an expert, but I had trouble with alley docking too. And if your instructor watched you and couldn't tell you what was wrong, then I think it's difficult for someone on a forum to advise you.

That said, if you're hitting the far side cones then I think either you're not staying close enough to the sight side cones, or else you're straightening out too early, before the trailer is turned into the dock enough. n the first case I think either the setup could be off, or else you're not making that first turn fast enough. In the second case, maybe you're making that second turn too soon, or rushing the 2 seconds.

So my advice (for what it's worth) would be, if it happens again tomorrow night, get out and look at where you are, and try to see if you're too far from the sight side cones, or if you straightened out too soon, and then you'll have some idea of which part of the procedure needs adjustment.

As Kurt said: G.O.A.L. even if you have to get out after every maneuver, remember it takes ~10ft for your trailer to completely react to your steering maneuvers. I found that when I was doing my alley dock, if I kept my rear-driverside-trailer within one shoe length of the cone and front of trailer within 10-15deg angle (~1 o'clock), then counter-steer and chase-push the trailer I made it in everytime....I would always do a pullup to straighten out no matter how it was in the "box"....the drivers on here will tell ya in the real-world good setup, GOAL and pull-ups are the keys.

^scott

Scott makes a good point - you don't really have to wait until you hit the cones. If your tandems are going around that first sight side cone and you're like 3 or 4 feet away from it, you're already not going to make it and you know that you need to do something different in the setup or first turns.

Kat...you are getting a lot of advice, all good. You have one very basic problem; you have performed the alley back a total of three times. Practice is what you need. While you are practicing try to apply the advice you received.

Everyone has difficulty backing, you are not alone. It will come together...practice.

For me, the hardest part of alley docking is the setup. For a standard alley dock starting at 90 degrees, with your tandems all the way to the rear, as you set up, you want your rearmost trailer tire about six feet past the hole, and about six feet away (which is about nine feet in a straight line.)

If your tandems are more forward, you need to be farther away from the hole, but you still only want to be about six feet past the hole. Even though the tandems will turn almost exactly the same, the difference is trailer swing at the ass-end of your trailer will be wider, so you have to get more turn in before you hit the hole.

As mentioned by others, practice. Practice will get you there. Once you can nail it with the tandems all the way back (assuming that's what you are training on), try to get the chance to do maneuvers a few times with the tandems in the same position that you will actually be tested on.

In the real world, you can get out and look as many times as you need to, and most other drivers won't give you much of a hard time about it as long as you are making progress. In your test, you probably have a limit on how many times you can get out and look, and a limit on pull-forwards to make corrections. The test is harder than the real world.

Kat, you need to get with your trainer. That person is the only one who can see what you're doing, and can go over with you how they want you to do it. Too many different suggestions are going to confuse you more. G-Town gave the best advice, get more reps.

I feel your pain. I am having all types of difficulties with alley dock. If I draw that when I take my test, I pray I got through the off set with no points, and even then it will be close. Good luck, and get more reps.