BACK THE TRUCK UP!

MILEMARKER #19


Whether you have been driving awhile or just beginning, the art of backing up comes with time. If you are a road driver, most of your time driving will be going in a forward motion. Backing up is not the safest procedure in trucking, but it is required. Most will get the hang of it quickly, and for some, they might not be as fortunate. I see drivers every day and know they have been driving for years, but backing a rig up is not their specialty. I consider myself a professional backer-upper. In the LTL business, I've accumulated many miles in reverse. The greater the audience, the better I perform. You will be able to showcase your back up skills Nationwide on numerous occasions. These situations might be: getting in and out of a truck stop, at busy loading docks, or backing in off the street. You might even come across a particular place that you think is impossible to back into. This situation is where you hear the famous line "trucks back in here all the time". When I hear that, I have to at least try to get in there. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing someone else backed in there and I didn't even make an attempt. It's just me, but I have to be included in that category of trucks that backed in there all the time. If I wasn't able to get in there, I need to meet this driver. Most likely, he or she was backing up a strait truck. A lot of people use the word trucks loosely. Trucks come in a broad rage of equipment. 90% of the time, someone will be watching you when you are backing. To some, backing can be an impressive task in which you might receive a compliment. Then there are those when you are having difficulties, can't wait to witness your left quadriceps burst from the skin. Eventually, anybody can learn how to drive a tractor/trailer forward, but that along with precision backing is where trucking becomes a skill.
If possible, back up distance should be kept at a minimum. Backing becomes a safety issue with all of the blind spots around a truck. In a perfect world, a spotter would be beneficial. The most common safety precaution would be to stop, get out, and look around and behind the trailer. In some cases, it never fails, by the time you walk 50 feet back to the cab, someone could sneak behind you. Anytime a driver is backing and hits a automobile or structure, it will always be the truck driver's fault. This situation falls under the category of "Improper Backing". Another debatable issue in the world of truck driving. Look out, he's backing up!