Backing Advice for a Student Please

Easiest thing is to remember that if you are going to hit something with your trailer turn your wheel towards it. As far as doing a 90 driver side back, put your truck where you have plenty of room on both sides to maneuver and pull the truck plenty far past where you want to back into. I aim to have the end of my trailer at least half a trailers length past the spot I want if I can. And lastly open your door and lean out and watch your trailer, or at the least lower your window and lean out that way. I used to be totally against doing that but it makes it so much easier now I do it almost all the time. Remember when in doubt get out of your truck and look. You as a driver are responsible for the safe operation of that vehicle so you do whatever is necessary to back it in safely, and if you piss off supertrucker jimbob oh well.

 

Quick and dirty method to get you through the test:

When backing in car, you probably have one hand on the top of the steering wheel. When backing with a trailer, put one hand at the bottom of the steering wheel. Your hand will move in the same direction (left to right) as it does when backing without a trailer...

For over-correcting (very common when new). See where the tandems are aimed. Do they need to turn more or less? Steer accordingly.

 

When he gets on with a company he will be out with a trainer and he can let the trainer know he wants to work on backing quite a bit. Backing becomes part experience and part feel. IE...part experience=type of truck and position of tandems (trailer axles); part feel=how tired and frustrated you are or if your kidneys are about to blow up. There are no penalties for moving a couple feet and getting out to check but there are penalties for not checking and feeling that "bump".

 

Go slow, get out and look often- never expect or aim for perfection.
Don't let these nasty dirty drivers that stare at you in parking lots rush you, or make you feel bad.

Bear in mind that the huge majority of preventable accidents/incidents in trucking, occur when backing. You're more likely to get a preventable when backing than you are to get into a collision on the interstate.

It's one of the most overlooked things in training, in my most honest of opinions- not that I'm an expert by any means whatsoever; I'm just saying on a personal level that I wish my company would've focused more on backing and less on say, shifting or practicing just going forward. Backing is one of the hardest parts of the job when it comes to doing it safely, some days you're hot; you'll slam that thing right in the hole with zero problems, then some days you're not; it will take a complete reset and three pull ups just to bump a dock lopsided.

But hey, it's part of the job.

 

ShadowCat, you will likely get best advice from the experienced guys here, but I wanted to share my limited experience. I'm in a school that has the same practice as that of your hubby's wherein lingering upper classmen take up valuable time needed by my class to get the required practice time.
(Must be a common problem)

Fortunately for me I aced my backing test just today with a perfect score (100). My roommate however was not so fortunate and failed. Tonight we visited WalMart and purchased a truck and trailer with front steering and played on the floor like kids going over what happens when you turn the wheel. What we discovered was his confusion with which way to turn the wheel. My advice to him was to use the bottom of the steering wheel to steer instead of the top, (something I read in a post on this wonderful forum) and boom! Suddenly his eyes got big and he said, 'That's it!'

He has it now in his mind that by doing so he can steer in the direction that he needs the trailer to travel and it will be just like backing his auto.

Fyi and Best of luck to your S.O.!

 

Oh yeah the other thing. Put your hands at the bottom of the wheel, palms up pinkies together. Extend your thumbs out. Turn the wheel in the direction you want the trailer to go.

 

Where has he decided to go for his training period? Or where has he decided to go to get his first year in? What is he going to be doing? if he can get his CDL and is going with a trainer let him go, he will be able to work with the trainer on his backing! If he is just going to work and straight into a truck then he may want to roll over in class. I wish you luck.

 

I guess majority rules! There's your answer(s)!!