Any advice on backing?

There are many detailed explanations on how to back posted here. Do a search. Everyone has trouble to begin with. I would tell you the secret but it has already been posted. Search for it Grasshopper.

 

Wouldn't you have to have your head out the window to watch the tandems?

 

Only if you didn't have a spot mirror (the convex mirror below the rectangular, flat mirror). Students and newbies need to understand how important it is to have the spot mirror properly aimed. I aim mine to see from the drive-axles back.

I have been in certain trucks, however, with the aero mirrors where the shape of the spot mirror makes this particularly difficult to do.

 

Bah! Throw it into "high" reverse and FLOOR IT! You won't learn anything, but it's a heck of alot of fun!

Seriously, don't do that. Practice, and take your time. Backing is the hardest trucking skilll to learn for a lot of drivers.

 

just dont back, let sombody else do that is easier jajajajajjaaaaa , just kidding

 

Learning to back is kind of like first learning about sex. At first it is a huge mystery, we all want to learn and get better at it, so we watch movies, and listen to older,experienced guys talk about it. Then we finally get to try it.Really nervous about performing.Probably not very good at first, but you decide to practice and get better until you are happy with your performance.:smt008. You try this, and you try that, try getting the 'set-up' just right, different hand positions,everone has a different approach. Finally, after many attempts, you are satisfied with the results. It just took practice.
Then you get too old to back anymore, and you can tell others, "BACK IN MY DAY, I COULD.................. .................. ".

 

Get a toy semi and practise with that, move it slowly and think about what you'll do to make the truck do what you want it to.

 

There is some good and some bad advice here. First off, if you are straight line backing you watch the end corners of the trailer. If you watch the tandems you will be too much offline to correct by the time you determine they have moved. Turn towards the corner that is sticking out until it is straight. Don't oversteer. Quarter of a turn max. While straight line backing, our trainer actually got out of the drivers seat, walked back to the sleeper area and asked us "how hard is this" before getting back in the seat and finishing the back. Pretty impressive and a good way to say "don't try to do too much" just make small corrections.

 

That's the key... Take your time, when in doubt G.O.A.L. I don't know why some instructors feel the need to be yelling at students. I've never had to go through that. My instructors were always calm, and just talked to us. When we were learning to back, unless we wanted him/her in the truck, they would be outside the truck. One instructor used a hand-held CB radio, and would talk you through it over the radio. Yelling, how unprofessional..