A friend of mine recently encountered a challenging circumstance. He believed he could easily stop for a bathroom break since the gas station he drove into had space for him to fit through around the back. From the satellite image on Google Maps, it seemed that way. When he rounded the rear, he encountered a couple of dumpsters obstructing his path. He remarked, “Darn, I should have known better,” after four years of experience.
He remarked, “I have to dock around the building now, and I can not see. This is a pretty unpleasant scenario.” He even suggested that I publish this article to make new drivers aware that they may encounter challenging circumstances throughout their driving careers, and that how they handle them will determine how things end out.
He was fortunate that there was no traffic since it was late at night. He backed up using his flashers and air horn, alerted any approaching customers by asking the shop employee to come out, and escaped the situation. It was boring. It was rather unpleasant. Then he said, “Tell your readers to remain calm and reflect. If they find themselves in such a circumstance, all they have to do is maintain their composure and leave.
I doubt I could have said it more succinctly than he did, but seasoned drivers often have this mindset. Panicked new drivers. Because they cannot move efficiently, they often worry that they may strike something. They are more prone to jackknife or, at the very least, break their cab extenders when turning too forcefully.
Some inexperienced drivers have good reason to be concerned. It requires practice to accurately assess the turn radius and maneuver that trailer. However, you may escape difficult circumstances if you go slowly and repeatedly GOAL (get out and look).
You are not alone. You are not the first person to discover yourself in a parking lot that is too small to turn around. Similar to what you just accomplished, many people have gone down the same path and have struggled to find a way back out. Are you aware of how I know? Considering that I have done it several times.
An Unsettling Experience Early in My Career
I had one tense incident early in my employment on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The next exit was around 25 miles distant since I missed my exit. I had to go an extra 50 miles and about an hour, so I was already anxious. I got off thinking there would be a spot to go back, but there wasn’t.
I followed a truck route after seeing a sign for it, hoping to find a big parking space or a client to turn around at. Wrong. I was suddenly on a winding, hilly road that reminded me of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot when I awoke. Extremely little roads were lined with 1700s-era stone homes, and I crossed a steep slope that seemed like a roller coaster going up and down.
I was scared. My forehead even started to warm up as my heart rate increased. Then, in front of me, a gravel lot covered with many tire marks appeared like a sign from above. There had been a lot of other vehicles here before me. But because of how steeply sloping the lot was, I thought of the trailer falling over. However, I turned around at the parking lot and went back.
The steep climb looked steeper, ascending on this side just as I was beginning to settle down, and I was not downshifting quickly enough. The vehicle halted. When I tried it in second gear, it stopped again, sending me backward. The majority of the intelligent traffic behind me kept far back. But a little red Mazda Miata, driven by a young man who seemed to be 20, kept edging closer and closer to me. I lost sight of him in my rearview mirror, and every time I started the engine, I feared I would roll backward and strike him.
I stepped out of the vehicle and told him that if I could not climb this slope, I would squish him out of wrath as my dread and terror turned to anger. He must have understood because he moved backward. I did not have to worry about his being so close behind me, so I could start the vehicle and continue traveling.
Another Unsettling Event
Another time, I made a delivery to a distributor of beer in a residential area. The driveway did not even have a large opening; it was only the right width for a vehicle. A fire hydrant was across the street, and utility poles were on both sides. I tried again and again, becoming angry as I tried to reverse onto the dock from the street. For more than an hour, I attempted while cars sped by me.
I finally said, “Screw it,” and stopped allowing myself to experience anxiety and annoyance. To get the trailer through the door, I purposefully leaped the curb. I discovered additional tire prints in the grass and mud where other vehicles had done the same when I got out of the truck. I apologized and told the client I was new. Eh, do not be, he retorted. You are our first 53-footer to enter this room. Most of the smaller vehicles struggle and need more time than that.
Simply put: wow. If I had known it right now, I might have remained composed. If I had not decided to become a truck driver, I may not have felt like a clueless idiot who took on more than she could handle.
Over the years, I have discovered that most clients who are difficult to back into often use box trucks and seldom have full-sized trailers.
Missing the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s entrance
At another time, I failed to see the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s entry. (I should avoid Pennsylvania, hehe) When I entered a parking lot, there was not enough area to turn around. A guy emerged and offered me instructions to a high school that was spacious and often used by vehicles. He said, “I have at least four trucks come into this lot daily, and they all proceed to the school to turn around. The man lived here. Thus he must be an authority on the subject, right?
On a winding, dark road, I came upon the school with new gates and a large sign that said, “Not a Truck Turn Around.” I could not even utilize it to enter the driveway. I found it amusing that the community would spend money on a fence to keep us from going back on an empty plot of land.
I soon came upon a cross street on this route, which was scarier than the previous one. I turned left with the idea that I could turn around by returning in a straight line across the major street. Mistake again. On the side street, I straightened up and saw how much traffic I would have to cross to go backward. Since the curved route, I was unsure whether oncoming cars would see me.
I looked at what was in front of me, a residential complex with really expensive properties, after becoming alarmed about what was behind me. Great! I may be accused of something, and my employer could terminate me. Because the development was very new and seemed to be a dirt lot in the photograph, Google Maps was of little assistance to me. There was no use in attempting to take a chance since I could not determine whether there was a route out of the development, and the trees were not clipped for my height.
Just then, a family entered their driveway, and I walked up to the dad and asked him if he could direct me. I could have turned around at a cul-de-sac, but I was concerned I could run into a mailbox or a tree. He agreed to assist, so as I turned around, I thanked him by getting out and shaking his hand. My God, you know how to drive that thing, she said in response. I am shocked by what you did. Although I never had the courage, I always wanted to drive.
He called my business, so I told him I was new and requested him not to. I had been traveling for six weeks when this shipment was headed home. I was irritated, new, and worn out. Most significant, though, is that I assessed the situation and avoided hitting anything or hurting anybody.
I was traveling along the same route a year later. I returned to the parking area and met the guy who gave me the school’s instructions. My receiver for this load was about two kilometers to the left. I could have located the client that evening and made a U-turn, averting the whole incident, had I utilized Google maps instead of paying attention to that guy.
These incidents—and I have had many more—have taught me to control my emotions and stop losing my cool. Instead, I attempt to insert the jigsaw piece into the right hole by treating the issue like a puzzle. The same applies when entering a location with no alternative exit, a sign that reads “No Trucks,” or a bridge with limited clearance.
Put your safety equipment on, slow down, and consider. Nobody around is aware that you are new. They will believe that either the vehicle broke down or someone is in front of them. Get rid of any bad thoughts in your head. You have to discover the solution if you want to escape the predicament. Although you are alone, you are not alone since someone else has already tried it and succeeded in finding a solution. And you can.
The Use of Emotions
You may benefit from controlling your emotions in other ways as well. One dispatcher kept sending me messages, warning me that I would be late for my load if I did not leave when he said I should. I am terrific at arranging trips; I simply need more sleep. The new man did not know me, did not know who I was, and did not know that outside sources were continuously disrupting my break. When he stated I would be late, I was so furious that I lost my tiredness and instead arrived at the customer’s location four hours early. I then sent a message to dispatch instructing them not to disturb or reload me until I gave them an update on my state of rest. The ability to regulate your emotions while driving is essential. I am not suggesting you become angry with the dispatcher or experience road rage.