Backing.....

I learned with a mega company and had my ups and downs with backing.. I think in flatbed you're generally going to be doing less of the more difficult backing maneuvers, but you should always know how to do them.

I've been in the 'hound winding' situation before, as someone who was never particularly great at backing, specially at the end of the day, at a busy truckstop with a heavy load on a spread axle... I made a proper fool of my self at the flying J in Cheyenne once. I gave a few spots a try before saying #### it and parking at the mcdonalds across the street. Heavy load of lumber + backing + stress = bad time for me, apparently. (almost had one spot but the trailer refused to play nice.) - another time, at the TA west of Minneapolis, I nailed a spot like a pro. Snow on the ground, stressed out, anxious because I ####ed up the setup the first try, dude in the spot next to me wouldn't shut up on the CB...

 

When I got my license, I sucked at backing. The school I used only taught what we needed to know to pass the test. Between us two students in the training truck....we got about an hour each of wheel time for dock backing.
But when I got my license, my first job was flatbed Super Bs. I thought "Thats great....at least I'll never need to back these things.....cuz its pretty much impossible"
Ohhh...how wrong I was. My 4th or 5th load I had to back into a steel plant about a half hour before closing time. The union boys weren't happy that I was there so late....then they had to wait for me to back em up. That sucked. But I got it done....and got better as years went by.
To the OP...I pull a 48ft flat now....and every second load usually requires me to back from a street into a yard. Or around things in the yard. AND if you want to stay in a truckstop...better learn how to back up....or get there before noon each day cuz some of them start filling up early.
Don't worry.....Practice makes nearly perfect.

 

I would say you'd back up very often? When loading or unloading, maybe you got yourself in a tight situation and gotta get out of one. I donno? Lol

 

Avoid it if I can it means I have to get out and lift drop axles .

 

This is my favorite kind of poster, like me new but willing to admit your learning mistakes. Nobody's perfect and everyone's #### stinks.

But we can learn by sharing our mistakes and not repeating them.

 

I've learnt that getting out and lifting the drop axels is easier than trying to get all them axels to turn a tight residential corner.

I've learnt traffic can wait for me to do what I need to do. When I first started, I was worried about holding up traffic but after working construction, I learnt that traffic is just part of business and its better to be safe and take your time.

 

Shifting>backing>tight turns> driving straight... In that order love a good challenge

 

Never seen a PC1200.

 

Your going to back a lot...Some places you will have to put a 102 into a 104 wide loading dock the full length of your trailer. You may have to back up or down a ramp into a building with little sight distance. Then some times you get those construction sites with all sorts of obstructions. You may even find yourself backing into a building off a street in NJ with parking on both sides and a lot of traffic. Just keep your cool, plan your set up and you will be fine. Also G.O.A.L.

 

When I had the crane service & trucks (lots of backing on/into job sites to the pick), 2 of my ground guys moved into trucks & got their CDL/A with me. I took them to a local AAA baseball stadium (no game of course) and we backed, blindside backed, backed around poles, turn around in impossibly small spaces, and backed some more, backed all day, another day if needed until I heard "I've got this". They were good hands (still are- both work for specialized co's now). When my kids had learner permits for regular DL I took them up into the snow & they would slide around empty parking lots, dynamite the brakes, etc. My daughter told me that experience saved her bacon a few years later.

Find an empty parking lot.

Whether it's driving a truck, running equipment, flying a plane, whatever- if you are scared, reallly scared- don't do it when it counts until you can say to yourself "I've got this".

Me? I've been driving a looong time, I back with a difficult setup in difficult situations- a lot. I get it done, though I like going forward more. Sometimes "you are the best driver I've ever seen", sometimes "must be your first day". Oh, the cussing & screaming that truck has heard.......