Narrative:

While attempting to line up properly with the dgs (docking guidance system); both I and the first officer (first officer) were literally unable to see the J line. I lined up with the dgs very slowly as best I could; and gingerly inched forward; stopping; and even illuminating the taxi light a few times. To no avail. Neither one of us could pick up the J line with certainty. The first officer suggested calling for a marshaller for better and safer guidance. I happily agreed; and with the marshaller's guidance we were able to correct our path to the J line which was in fact to our left. The first officer notified the ramp ops of our exact difficulty and suggested that future crews parking at the gate that evening should be advised and offered the suggestion of a full compliment of marshallers.it had been raining in clt most of the day; up to and including our arrival. There were a few periods of heavy rain in the surrounding hours of our arrival. At any rate; the rain wasn't in fact heavy for us; it was raining and the ramp was extremely wet and shiny looking. Something about this gate area and the surrounding terminal lighting just made it a bear to see the markings.I'm not sure exactly what the solution is; but I do think it needs to be looked at. The fact that both of us had such difficulty leads me to believe most others would have just as hard a time. Though I'm sure all are crews would deal with it professionally; I don't think it's as safe as it could be with those conditions in the future. The first officer was a great help to me; and on behalf of myself and all our other personnel; I appreciate it. Looking back on it; though we believed it was safe to reposition with the marshaller's help; the safety margins could have been increased had I just shut down the engines and had a tug hooked up to us. Something I will very much consider if faced with such difficulty in the future.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Air carrier Captain reported being unable to see the lead-in line and other ramp markings approaching the gate during night and rainy conditions at CLT airport. Marshallers were needed to guide the aircraft to the gate.

Narrative: While attempting to line up properly with the DGS (Docking Guidance System); both I and the FO (First Officer) were literally unable to see the J line. I lined up with the DGS very slowly as best I could; and gingerly inched forward; stopping; and even illuminating the taxi light a few times. To no avail. Neither one of us could pick up the J line with certainty. The FO suggested calling for a Marshaller for better and safer guidance. I happily agreed; and with the marshaller's guidance we were able to correct our path to the J line which was in fact to our left. The FO notified the ramp ops of our exact difficulty and suggested that future crews parking at the gate that evening should be advised and offered the suggestion of a full compliment of marshallers.It had been raining in CLT most of the day; up to and including our arrival. There were a few periods of heavy rain in the surrounding hours of our arrival. At any rate; the rain wasn't in fact heavy for us; it was raining and the ramp was extremely wet and shiny looking. Something about this gate area and the surrounding terminal lighting just made it a bear to see the markings.I'm not sure exactly what the solution is; but I do think it needs to be looked at. The fact that both of us had such difficulty leads me to believe most others would have just as hard a time. Though I'm sure all are crews would deal with it professionally; I don't think it's as safe as it could be with those conditions in the future. The FO was a great help to me; and on behalf of myself and all our other personnel; I appreciate it. Looking back on it; though we believed it was safe to reposition with the marshaller's help; the safety margins could have been increased had I just shut down the engines and had a tug hooked up to us. Something I will very much consider if faced with such difficulty in the future.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.