Help,help, help with 45 degree alley backing

I'm glad it is not my rig in the hole next to you.......EYES CLOSED?

 

A trick I taught my students in the military.. put you hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and what ever direction your hand went at that position was the direction your trailer would go

 

steer towards danger. if the back of your trailer is going right with your hand at the TOP of the steering wheel turn to the right. that will make your trailer go left.

 

Here in Illinois ya gotta do the 45 to get your CDL and some examiners want it perfect. As I noted above, after 2 weeks in the yard (waitin in line behind 8 other desperate losers) I was at about 60%. Took the test and blew it, after a reset and a pull up the trailer was straight but tractor was jacked and not enough room to back into the scoring zone without bustin out the front corner. Back to the yard ( by now only 4 retrobates in line including me) for 3 days and it finally made sense. This is really a Zen thing. You have to free your mind and let it happen. dave-0755 actually claims he closed his eyes, which I can't recommend, but this is primal stuff. Anyway I tested yesterday and nailed it, tractor straight, trailer straight with one 15' pullup and scored a 3 without a GOAL. After 2 weeks of near clinical depression it suddenly got FUN. I was one of the last in my class to grasp this thing so I'm not bragging but I finally got it. Now I need somebody to hire me so I can make that trailer my byatch every time. There's probably a small percentage of the human race that cannot do this due to spatial perception issues. We had a holdover student from the previous class who had seven weeks in the yard and still tried to back in 20' from the hole ( I am not exagerating. Guess the whole mirror thing is too overwhelming). But I'm guessing 95% of the population can do this thing at least adaquately given time. Just hang in there, ignore your fellow students and instructors if they're adding to your grief. You will get it.

 

Sitting in Yuma waiting on a load. While reading this thread I noticed a mexican truck trying to back into a hole a couple doors down. LOL this guy is Captain Clueless he's broke every rule in the book trying to find that hole. I swear he's jack knifed it twice, and his "trainer" looks like he's crapped his pants twice already today. There's a really nice KW900 sitting beside me, I think this guy wants to leave BADLY as he's the target if the mexi noob has his way. I can feel his pain, with my currently duct taped hood simply because some ### hole forgot to set the brakes before he went to the sleeper.

You new guys pay attention in school listen to your trainers on the road. Take it slow, learn to do it right, and don't ever let anybody sweat ya. Go slow and GOAL it. I don't want have to put a firearm back in my truck

 

If you hold the wheel at the bottom, whichever way you turn the wheel, the trailer will go.

 

which is the eact same as steer toward danger using the top of the steering wheel. thats the way i was taught. grab the top of the wheel and if the trailer is drifting to the right you steer right. going left you steer left. it works for me. i cant steer with the bottom of the steering wheel. screws me up.