Tweet
You should back your semi-truck and trailer into a parking spot
to improve safety, visibility, and ease of exit. Backing in means you are facing forward when you are ready to leave, allowing you to see pedestrians and other vehicles more easily and significantly reducing the risk of accidents and collisions. It also makes exiting much less stressful, as you don't have to back out of a potentially blind and busy spot.
Safety and visibility
- Reduced risk of accidents: When backing out, visibility is greatly reduced, making it easy to hit another vehicle, a pedestrian, or an obstacle. By backing in, you are facing forward when you leave, which is a much safer position.
- Better view of surroundings: Parking with the trailer first gives you more space and time to maneuver, allowing you to park precisely without worrying about what is behind you when you leave.
- Less stress: It eliminates the anxiety and stress of having to back out of a difficult spot later.
- Smoother departure: Exiting a space you have backed into is much simpler and faster because you don't have to perform a complex backing maneuver. You can simply drive straight out.
- More room: Backing into a spot allows for a more controlled and precise placement of the trailer, especially in tight truck stops or rest areas.
- Ease for other drivers: When you back in to parking spots, the truck next to you and the ones backing in beside you have an easier time getting into and out of their spots.
- Pull ahead: Pull your tractor-trailer past the parking spot to get a good angle for the turn.
- Swing out wide: Swing the tractor out wide to give yourself enough turning room to get the trailer to turn in the direction you want it to go.
- Use your mirrors: Watch the trailer and your surroundings carefully in your mirrors as you back in, making small, precise adjustments.
- Straighten out: As the trailer begins to align with the parking space, straighten the tractor to guide the trailer into the spot.