Close Quarters Foibles and How to Prevent Them
This week I’ll expose two closely timed incidents that “happened” to me in early 2018 just due to my own failure to pay attention while maneuvering in relatively tight spaces pulling 53-foot trailers. Yes, happened to me but only because I brought the incidents on myself by failing to check my surroundings.
The first bad day came when I was backing into a dock at a grocery store. I was positioned to swing slightly to my right into a space where there was not much room on my left, so I thought at the time I’d have to back up slightly onto the grass bank on my left. As Dr. Phil would say “so how’s that working for ya?” The answer is not very well, because had I got out and checked the space I would have seen that I would have caught my bumper up on the turf. Instead, I found out the hard way! First I pulled as far forward as I thought I could, then as I began to back in, I caught that bumper on the turf, and tore the entire left third of the front plastic bumper right off the truck. This fits my definition of a bad day. Thankfully only equipment was damaged, and not a person injured.
On the second bad day, I was navigating to my supermarket with a load of groceries and while making a tight right into the parking lot in front of the store (the only pathway back to the loading dock) I misjudged how much turning room there was and simply failed to look in my right mirror as to make sure I was clearing the light pole on my right side. I actually had plenty of space to make a wider turn, but I failed to check my space around the truck to ensure I was clearing obstacles. I think I was being too confident instead of being observant. It happens, but it is a poor explanation. The damage was a blown tire and a bent rim from catching the outside right rear trailer wheel on the pedestal that holds the parking lot light pole. I also spent two hours waiting for a local truck service repair.
The misery of having to call the boss and tell him I damaged equipment (twice within two weeks) was bad enough, but the costs for repairs totaled something like $3,000 for my company. And after years and years of no incidents I felt like I must be losing my ability to handle the job all of a sudden. The lesson for me was, drive the truck first, above all else, with focus; check your surroundings by whatever method is necessary before tight space maneuvering – checking mirrors, getting out and checking space available for the maneuver, whatever it takes.
There is one other type of incident I have been successful at avoiding in my career so far, and preparation is the key here – and that is navigation. Before we even had highly portable GPS systems like we do now, I used to take a trucker’s atlas with me when I drove over the road in the northeast region, constantly delivering products to new destinations in NJ, PA, MD, DE, NY, and WV. I would map out my route manually by checking the atlas and writing down the steps, and then checking the charts by state to make sure that no road on my road carried any restrictions against full sized rigs, for either low bridges or weight limits. If I found any prohibited roadways on my route, I’d obviously adjust the route.
Now, with GPS’s and applications actually made for trucking, all I have to do is punch in the destination for most trips and follow the instructions. Why do I say “most trips”? Because some locations also have restrictions not posted on roads, but in the form of agreements between towns and certain shippers about routes for trucks not to take.
A recent incident I’m aware of where a trucking app wasn’t used resulted in the entire roof of a trailer being peeled off as the truck went under an unexpected low bridge. A typical tractor – trailer rig needs a minimum height clearance of 13’6” to safely get under a bridge, overpass, etc. I have approached bridges before where the sign may say something lower – one particular one, the location of which I no longer remember, had a sign reading ‘13’4”’ (thirteen feet, four inches). I approached it carefully, put on my hazard lights, eyeballed it to see if it looked high enough, then did the same thing three more times as I inched toward it to make sure I’d clear it. Clear it I did, but only by a very small margin, perhaps a half inch. Some bridges will be clearable in the middle or on one side or the other, but not all the way across their width. So truckers beware, navigating for a truck and not just using Google Maps or Apple Maps, etc. is critically important.
Stephen Clough - Senior Team Member/Driver - Brown Dog Carriers
