Been out for a week with my trainer, things are going good but I need backing advice.

First piece of advice is dont call yourself a baby trucker. You are a rookie.

 

On the straight line pull up to the spot u want to back into, let ur shoulder get to the middle of the spot and put in a hard turn and till tractor straight and then pull forward till u see both the spot on both sides. Then stop. Throw in reverse and back up only turning wheel little amounts to correct drift.

 

When you're sitting at a dock or truck stop, watch how the other drivers do it. Learn by watching. Everyone has their own technique (and terminology) so what might work for one mightn't work for another.

And this may sound a little New Age-y, but visualize how you want the trailer to go and what you have to do to get it done. Also, tell yourself, "I can do this" and you will. I've always said there isn't a hole I can't back into and so far I haven't come across one.

 

backing? lmao, dude i've been out here for a little over 2 years and i still think i suck at it. here's what i do. go SLOW. not sure where the trailer is or how close you are? GET OUT OF THE TRUCK AND GO LOOK. rarely is a rcvr or shipper needing you in that dock right a way and if they do who cares?

got extra time? drive around in the truck stop and practice repetition is the key to getting your set up down.

and one more thing.

RELAX!

 

A mistake I see alot of drivers make in a tight spot is they continue to back and pull up in their same tracks. Sometimes you need to go the opposite way you think to get a better set up to get the trailer going in the right direction.

 

Being new myself the best advice I can offer is always get out and look. The one time I didnt, I messed up my blind side mirror. (Luckily It just popped out and I fixed it with some elbow grease.)

Always get out and look though. I mean that. Don't be overconfident, you'll hit someone eventually. If you think you can't make it, just pull away and try again from the beginning.

Because I'm a visual learner and I learn by doing, I get out and walk the path I think my trailer will take and visualize how I'm turning the wheels.

Lastly, keep your foot off the gas. Use the clutch and brake only. That truck has more than enough power to push that trailer most anywhere. There's no need to rush no matter how many supertruckers tell you to rush.

 

Oh! Forgot something about the supertruckers!

They may stare, they may cuss, they may do worse... My dbl told me that what she'd do if they started that was set her parking brakes right where she's at, cross her arms and glare. My version is similar, I pop my brakes and put my feet on the dash and relax. They'll get the picture eventually.

 

GOAL!!!! I would rather wait for you to get into the hole correctly than to sit and wait for an accident investigation to complete because you ran into another truck. The more you get out and see what is happening as you back up, the faster you will become good at it. The best backers have spent a lot of time looking at what is happening and learning to correct mistakes on the fly. It takes time to learn but you will be a lot better off in the long run than some lazy person that never leaves the seat.

 

Mind Over Matter .. See It - Be It
[video=youtube_share;5ybxQAPPe64]http://youtu.be/5ybxQAPPe64[/video]