As the trucking industry changes, drivers are having challenges backing their trucks into shipping docks that have not been updated for quite some time. Historically, most drivers used to use a 96 inch wide roll up door trailer. Now, most drivers use an average of a 102 inch trailer and to top it off additional space is required in order to open the doors on the trailer.
Many drivers discuss the tight situations that they are forced to back into. Many times when backing into a shipping dock that has not been updated, the clearance on the side of the trailer can be as little as one foot on each side. After opening the doors this clearance is lowered to approximately eight inches on each side. When backing up a trailer that is more than forty feet long many drivers with minimal experience have trouble ensuring that they do not hit the sides of the docking station.
As trailers have changed, many drivers now use a fifty three foot long trailer. This is also an inconvenience to the other drivers. Many times drivers will be forced to back their trailers into blind side turns around other trucks. In some cases the docking situation is tight enough to force the fifty three footers to drop the trailer and park the truck so that backing in is even an option for the other trucks. In some areas backing a fifty three foot trailer into the docking station will require the tractor to be as far as half way into the street due to limited amount of space.
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