Can You Back a Semi Into a Tight Spot?

Most beginning drivers can't. It takes training and practice. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and stick my head out of the sleeper and look at all of the trucks parked all around me. How in the world do they get them big trucks into those small places without smacking into one another?

Any idea how to back a truck
What is the best way to begin
How do you set up your truck to get it in the slot
When you first start backing a truck you have to make sure that you know what is behind you. G.O.A.L is an acronym used by many companies. Get Out and Look! It doesn't get any easier than that. Clean your windows and mirrors. Next and what I feel is the most important is to take it real slow. You can't worry about the impatient driver behind you because in the long run if you make a mistake it is going to take you longer anyway.

When you are first learning to back the truck just go up and back in the straightest line that you can. You'll discover that when backing that even a slight movement of the steering wheel will make a big change in the direction of the trailer. Just go back and forth until you get a feel of how the trailer reacts to your steering. Get a feel for how heavy the clutch feels. In tight spots your leg me become shaky when you have to use the clutch too much. A little secret that some drivers swear is bad and even more mechanics will frown upon and that is once you have mastered your shifting you can change gears both up shifting and down shifting without using the clutch.

Back to backing in. You're going back and forth and now it is time to learn how to put your trailer to a door or in a slot in a truck stop. If at all possible ALWAYS back to the driver's side of the truck. Blindside backing which is backing to the side where you can't see is too difficult and not for beginners. Go out of your way to avoid blindside backing. You can do that when there are no alternatives or you have become proficient at backing.

Set up you truck by pulling in front of the slot where you intend to back into. Continue to drive in front of the hole and pull out at about 45 degrees and continue until the trailer has completely passed the spot, but not by too much. Slowly start to back into the hole, watch the front of your trailer tandems, and line them up to a spot that you pick out. Steer back and forth to try and get the trailer to hit that spot. Never be afraid to get out and look to make sure the trailer is doing what you want it to do. Once you see that you are going to make it in to the slot then if necessary pull forward. Don't over compensate because you can take yourself out of good alignment.

After pulling up, try to get the rig as straight as possible so all you have to do is go straight back. Hopefully you had remembered to open your doors before you get in the spot. Actually I forgot to mention it so I put the blame on the reader. Open the trailer doors before you back and that will save you from walking into the customer to get loaded or unloaded and then having to go back outside to do it again.

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Bodacious Bicycling Benefits

Want to save money and reduce your impact on the planet? Want to be healthier and feel better? These are some of the bicycling benefits you can enjoy when you ride just a few days a week. No need to worry if you haven't ridden in years. Give it a try, and it will all come back to you. It's just like, well, like riding a bike!

Bicycling benefits your environment. A bicycle requires far fewer resources to produce than a car, so its impact on the environment is less right from the get-go. And bicycling produces no emissions, leading to cleaner air. It's been shown that 40% of automobile trips are within two miles of home, and that 60% of pollution from emissions happens in the first few minutes, when the engine is cold. In fact, a four-mile trip by bicycle avoids 15 pounds of pollutants.

Bicycling benefits your economy. Obviously, a bicycle costs much less than a car to buy and maintain, and there is no gas to buy -- an expense that just keeps going up with a car. Bicycling can cut health care costs, as the exercise leads to greater fitness. A study has shown that an obese person averages up to $1500 more in medical costs per year than a fit person. Fitness also reduces the need for Medicare and Medicaid payments, thus saving taxpayer dollars.

Bicycling benefits your health. In 2000, 16.6% of all deaths were due to obesity, a figure roughly equal to those caused by cigarette smoking. Bicycling helps you lose weight and improve cardiovascular fitness, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. The improved circulation reduces aches and pains, and the joint movement (without the pounding produced by running) reduces the risk of arthritis. You'll develop a stronger immune system to fight off illness. And bicycling reduces the blood level of cortisol, which has been associated with the mysterious Syndrome X -- a cluster of conditions and symptoms including heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and diabetes.

It's easy to reap those bicycling benefits. Most people have been riding a bike since they were kids, so there's no new skills to learn. It's just a matter of getting started. It's not like hard, strenuous exercise -- it's an enjoyable activity you can do with your friends and family. And if the weather's bad, you can put your bicycle on a trainer and ride indoors. Make a commitment to bicycle several times a week, and these bicycling benefits are yours!

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Which Side Of The Road Should You Ride Your Bike On?

When you are riding a bicycle along a public road you need to decide which side of the road that you are going to be on. The two major concerns that you need to worry about are which side of the road will be safer for you, and what are your legal obligations?

When riding your bicycle down the road, you should always ride with traffic (except where local laws state otherwise) because it is much safer for you. In most areas, you must follow all of the same laws as any other traffic and it is illegal for you to ride your bicycle on facing traffic. You are also obligated to follow posted speed limits and must obey all traffic signals and stop signs.

You should always use hand signals before you make a turn to let traffic or other cyclists know what you are going to do. Always ride in single file, and if there are vehicles parked on the side of the road then ride in a line to their left rather than weaving in and out of the road. Predictability is important.

Some specific reasons that you should ride with traffic are because...

...in the US it is illegal to ride opposing traffic.
...you are more likely to escape collisions without a serious injury.
...if everybody did this, then you would not have to worry about passing somebody going in the other direction while two cars are also vying for road real estate at the same time.
...drivers expect you to be riding along with them and predictability makes you safer.
...drivers would often not have enough time to react to your being on their side of the road if you were both going at each other with any sort of speed.

When you plan your routes in an area where traffic drives on the right side of the road, try to make them go in a (generally) clockwise direction so that you will be riding with traffic and will not have to cross traffic as often. If traffic moves along the left side of the road, then you should run in a (generally) counter-clockwise direction.

You should not ride your bike on a sidewalk because in most places it is illegal. If there are bicycle lanes between the road and the shoulder, you should stay within the bicycle lane but still be traveling in the same direction as traffic. If you are on a bicycle path or trail, then you should ride on the same side as traffic moves along the roads (right side in the United States, left side in the United Kingdom.) This will make it less confusing if you are passing runners, roller bladders, or other cyclists. Again, predictability will make you safer.

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