90 degree backing

1. Look on the lot for the tire marks where other drivers have pivoted and use that point as a reference during the test.
2. Make sure your setup is good. If you don't start from the right point it makes things more difficult at the end.
3. Look out the window first and then transition to mirrors. When I did my test, I looked out the window the whole time.
4. Practice backing up straight and also pulling up and moving over a little bit. These basic skills help with your overall control.
5. It's better to overshoot the 90 a bit than to undershoot it a bit. When you undershoot the correction to fix it is much more complicated.
6. Try varying the angle that you "arc" into the space with. In other words, don't just jackknife into the space....arc it gradually in as an option.
7. Have a confederate sit on the sidelines and give you subtle hand signals to help you. (Yes, that's a joke! )
8. Place a rag or something on the ground and try to roll over that spot when you back up. This gives you accuracy practice.
9. Relax. It only costs about $100 to try again and again. Of course, you could go broke before you even go to work.

 

its like anything else that requires some skill,the more you do it the better you will become. get a little more wheel time and test again. you have come this far please dont give up now. lots of luck

 

Use bottom of steering wheel that way if you want to go left turn wheel left, turn right to go right. Get out and look once you think your in position.

 

Practice practice practice..

I know people who can hardly back up in a car, a rig with a trailer is an entirely different animal.
With the new guys I've noticed most of them go way too fast, therefore lessening the amount of time they have to react. Take ya time and back up slowly.

 

As a yard goat driver, I have to back into some crazy docks... a lot of time I am forced to alley dock.

Setup is key. Make sure that you are at least 3 trailer spaces ahead of the cones.

For sake of example, lets give you a real life visual. The cones you are shooting for is "door 1" and you have doors 2,3,4 and 5.. in this example you cannot straight back for whatever reason. ...

You drive up to door 1 and can see the hole on your drivers side. You pull up past doors 2,3, and as you are coming past door 4 and beginning to approach door 5, cut the wheel hard to the right. Almost as if you were going to jacknife.

As you approach the point of jack knife, cut your wheel hard to the left. Hold the wheel hard to the left and watch in your drivers side mirror --you will see the corner of the trailer eventually swing around and be lined up with the right side of the cones.

...as far as 90 degree backing, you absolutely must plan ahead and anticipate where the trailer will be before it actually gets there. Start out holding your wheel like 45 degrees to the right, which will bring your trailer left. Think of where the trailer will end up 8 seconds from now. Thats about how long it takes for the trailer to react to your steering .

 

I did mine in a few steps. I started at the line and then backed up straight about 10' or so. I did this because if your tire comes in too shallow in relation to the cone, there is no way to correct it by using a pull up the the right. You have to essentially pull up to the left and start over.

So I made sure I came up high and around the cone and then used one or two pull ups to sink it into the box. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to pass. gl

Edit: On this test I like "righty tighty, lefty lossey" <sp> steer right to move towards the cone, steer left to move away from the cone

 

The time you have is ample, use as much of it as you need so you can move slower and catch and make needed corrections sooner while they're small and less likely to invoke panic!

This is also a real world technique you may need, I needed it just this last Tuesday in Houston(regular customer), took this to show to friend who didn't believe they'd have us in a space so tight a 90 would be the only way to hit it.



When you're at the 90, you have about 2' infront of you to the fence, it's this or you're not hitting it. Takes me a couple of pull up and adjusts to hit it just right each time. Their lines help too. It's just one of those places, take your time...