Do you reverse-park your Tacoma in parking lots?

I drive a newer FS crew cab truck that also suffers from a wider turn than the previous model of the same truck I owned.

I can park it just fine in forward, but it's a 3 point operation now. I pull in forward when we know we'll need to load the truck bed up. Otherwise, I back in as it is the better way to do it, and I even do that with our little Corolla hatchback.

I drive a 14k pound Super Duty bucket truck in Seattle as part of my job. I can even parallel park that beast in downtown. So, all of the complaints about modern trucks turning radius doesn't move the needle much for me.

I will say, where I don't appreciate the wider turning radius is on trails that my previous truck had no issues with. I've had to adapt, and sometimes need to back up to correct the turn on tight trails. That sucks, but parking lots haven't been a problem at all.

BTW, if you are wondering where the reduced turn radius comes from, it's the addition of extra structures in the front wheel wells near the firewall that greatly improves offset crash protection. Those structures eat into the the room available for the wheels to turn. The truck either gets longer, or the turning radius is reduced, no way to make everyone happy.

Just be glad your new truck is safer due to the engineering efforts put into crash structures

 

All the time! Love that camera.

 

That's called Combat Parking and allow vehicles quick egress to safety

And yes I park my truck that way

 

I always back in [even in my driveway] unless it is the slanty parking spots with the one way lanes..
People drive like crap - it is much safer to back in than to back out

 

My previous car was a tiny subcompact with a back up camera. It was easy to park so I always pulled into a spot and backing out was "safer" than pulling out of a spot because the back up camera has a much wider view of what's behind me. Then I started working at a rental company and whenever we parked cars in our lot, we were instructed to back in. Ever since then, I've gotten much more used to backing in than pulling in. Now that I have my Tacoma, it sits so high up and the hood is so long and doesn't curve downward like in cars, I can't see shit so backing in is just easier. I currently also have an FA5 with no back up camera, obviously, so I back in to a spot so I can pull out when easier than trying to back out with no camera and huge blind spots to my rear left and right.

 

I try to back in but to be honest its been awhile since i have had a truck and I still need practice unless I have room.

 

usually the only place i don't back in is at lowes

 

Always back in!

 

Like others, I park far away from other cars when I can, so I don't practice backing up that much. Still getting used to the guide lines on the backup camera.

 

I worked overseas on a project with a lot of people from India, I would be in front of them, and they would always move forklifts a foot or so forward towards me then put it in reverse instead of just reversing, couldn't get them to stop doing this for anything, then one tells me, in India its bad luck to start in reverse.

 

I almost always either back in or go far enough out in the lot that I can pull through.

 

yes, whenever I can. Some parking places don't allow it and sometimes people get sooo close to me that I can't even try it.

 

Does a moose shit in the woods?

 

Ive backed into parking spots for so long, i cant park for shit when i try to pull in forward ‍♂️

 

I have a long bed and live in a big city where some of the parking spaces are tiny. Backing in puts the overhang further over the concrete curb so I usually fit better. Some parking lots make that difficult so sometimes you need to color outside the lines a bit.

 

I thought it was always common sense for pickup drivers to back in, due to increased maneuverability. Or pulling thru if available.

But ... I can't say I back into every spot: a bunch of lots have the angled one-way design rendering it impossible!

Other old school practices ... if you have running boards or sliders, purposely park next to lower sedans, as if they swing their door wide, it won't touch your paint. And avoid parking next to coupes, that have long wide swinging doors.

 

Have you ever had the intent to reverse park, driving past the desired space in order to back in, only to have someone behind you take the space by forward parking into it?

 

No. Cause I always park way out where nobody wants to park. I can walk. Y'all fight over those spots.

 

I try not to park close. Then I will look to back in first unless I am going to hold up traffic then I just whip it in nose first. I CANNOT stand those that demand to back in and have no business backing in.