A Tale Of Getting Stuck Really Bad

Had a delivery to a customer (street names blocked out and no other info given about said customer because I don't think we are allowed to make their info public I blocked it out). It was going decently well. Lots of tight turns but honestly I'm used to it. Dropped off the freight and went on my way. Take note in this picture that I am driving towards the purple circle. The yellow lines show my backing. I am in a 48' foot trailer.

Plan was to deliver and continue driving and I'll hit an easy left turn right after the curve. I am driving towards the purple colored circle. That is a tree. A tree I discovered I cannot clear.

Note: photo taken with truck turned off (as I sat there and let out a longgggg groan.)

There's not enough room to go around it. Heck I'm having to use up the entire road just to drive! So here goes. I have to back up along this entire curve where I barely managed to even squeeze by driving forward. Had a few cars that were trying to drive past and they had to move. 10 minutes later I'm finally in the red area on my photo.

I had to ride the curb on my blind side to provide just barely enough room for my tractor to swing around. Finally, I had to back up through a mildly busy intersection in the green area and lastly make a left to get out.

This is why folks warn about P&D. There's no place that is off limits and you're often stuck with a longer trailer than you would have hoped for. You'll eventually become a master at reverse. We get stuck..... a lot! I been at this for 2.5 years now, and almost been driving for 8. This is honestly the tip of the iceberg of what you'll experience as a local driver. Heck, you should have seen me last week doing a delivery to a residential in the mountains 2 weeks ago. I couldn't make a right turn even with a pup trailer so I had to get out of the truck and move a large rock that was preventing me from making the turn.

Hey Daniel, thanks for the reminder! P&D isn't any walk in the park. You guys get dispatched into some gnarly places. I remember posting something about this a good while back. Here's a thread where Dee Squared posted about tight places. In the conversation I posted a photo of an ABF P&D driver stuck under a tree.

Here's The Conversation

That had to be nerve wracking backing down that curved road. I'm glad you made it!

Hey Daniel, thanks for the reminder! P&D isn't any walk in the park. You guys get dispatched into some gnarly places. I remember posting something about this a good while back. Here's a thread where Dee Squared posted about tight places. In the conversation I posted a photo of an ABF P&D driver stuck under a tree.

Here's The Conversation

That had to be nerve wracking backing down that curved road. I'm glad you made it!

One of my fellow drivers got in a pickle with a tree before! He went under it and the giant branch snapped off between his truck and trailer! He couldn't move.

Luckily a local had a chainsaw and sawed it off for him. Only an hour delay he said!

YIKES! That's brutal. Great job getting out of that without damaging anything that's impressive. Doing foodservice it wasn't uncommon at all to drive on routes marked no trucks but thankfully never dealt with anything like that. You handled the rock much more professionally than the milk guys around here. They seem to just run them over and either get the tandems stuck on top of it, or drag them out to the middle of the roadway requiring a tow truck to pull it back in place.

Now that is some 2.0 driving there!

You ever consider competing in the Rodeo??

Now that is some 2.0 driving there!

You ever consider competing in the Rodeo??

Last year I was disqualified because a driver backed up into me (lol no joke). This year I was good to go but its cancelled. But yeah I am planning on competing but trying to not take it seriously because I can be extremely competitive in stuff like this to the point where I can make it not a fun experience for myself.

🙃

I thought if the accident was your fault your not eligible for a year, seems nuts to not allow you in because of some bad luck.

I keep passing on it because I can not back with someone watching me, without fail if I notice someone watching I forget everything and look like I am back in school.

Which is a shame because when I was in school 2 of my instructors had 5 combined state titles and a national titles between them. It would be nice to try and join them

I thought if the accident was your fault your not eligible for a year, seems nuts to not allow you in because of some bad luck.

I keep passing on it because I can not back with someone watching me, without fail if I notice someone watching I forget everything and look like I am back in school.

Which is a shame because when I was in school 2 of my instructors had 5 combined state titles and a national titles between them. It would be nice to try and join them

No, I think it's ANY kind of accident.

One of our guys had a lady run into him on the highway a few years ago and he was disqualified for the next competition.

Yep. Its total BS. I do recommend you go though Bob. One of our city drivers who is considered one of our very best placed in last place and no one said a word. It's actually a very friendly competition.

I went last year even though I was disqualified but I went as a guest just to observe how its all done. That way when I do compete it wont all be a mystery for me.

Yowza, looks like exactly the kind of thing I'm scared of every time I get into a tight area I haven't been before. Fortunately so far I've always found a way to get out without straight up reversing. Been close a couple times though. Gj getting out.