Backing & Docking Big Trucks
Backing is one of the most common causes of truck crashes and damage, and backing over a person is one of the most tragic. Most backing incidents happen at low speed in places the driver knows, like docks, yards and jobsites. Slow down, look, and get help.
- Truck drivers
- Warehouses
Avoid backing when you can
- Plan routes and parking so you can pull through.
- At truck stops, choose pull-through spaces when available.
- Don’t back onto a road or highway; find another way.
Before backing
- GOAL: Get Out And Look. Check the space, overhead clearances, poles, posts, people, vehicles and anything low that won’t show in mirrors.
- Look again if you’ve waited or the situation changed.
- Set up so you can back on the sight side (driver’s side) where you can see the trailer best.
- Roll down the windows, turn off the radio and turn on the four-way flashers.
- Use a spotter if one is available, and agree on signals first. See Backing & Spotters.
While backing
- Back slowly, using the lowest reverse gear.
- Check both mirrors constantly.
- Make small steering corrections. On a tractor-trailer, turn the bottom of the steering wheel the way you want the trailer to go.
- Stop and get out to look again as often as you need to (“pull ups” are better than crashes).
- If you lose sight of your spotter, stop.
At the dock
- Back in straight and gently against the dock bumpers
- Set the brakes and chock the wheels, or make sure the dock’s vehicle restraint is engaged
- Follow the dock’s light system; don’t pull out until you get the green light and the restraint is released
- Support the nose of an unhooked trailer with jack stands if forklifts will drive in
- Open swing doors and secure them before backing in, so they don’t swing into people
Early departures kill. When a truck pulls away while a forklift is entering the trailer, the forklift can fall between the dock and the trailer. Never move your truck until the warehouse confirms loading is complete. See Warehouse Safety.
Where to wait
Many warehouses have driver waiting areas or require you to stay in the cab. Don’t wander onto the dock where forklifts are working. If you must be on the dock, wear hi-vis and stay in marked walkways. See Forklifts.
Standards & references
- Your state’s CDL manual: Backing section
- 29 CFR 1910.178(k): Trucks and railroad cars at docks
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