No Go on Backing

When you have the time, practice at an empty part of the truck stop. And your trainer is useless.

 

I agree. Go solo and during down times find a spot (back of the warehouse, truck stop, terminal) where you can practice backing by yourself. That’s how I did it. Once other drivers find out that you’re actually practicing they’ll come up to you and add their two cents.

 

Only 1 thing can help here. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTISE. Make your trainer get off his ads and help or watch you. At puck or del YOU back into dock. At the truck stop YOU back into the spot. If your trainer won't help you. Watch and see how many other drivers will. As for the guys who get impatient waiting. TFB hurry up and wait.

 

I say on one hand you are being muled for money to a no good trainer. I had my spouse out backing a certain amount of time per day on quiet non important loads so she can learn. The certain amount pertains to her ability to take instruction and learn by doing. In the end she backed it when she had to. It's not pretty. In those days FFE was very explict about that. They need a elite team and need it now. Can she drive forward? Great. Get going yer late already.

I don't think I want to talk about anything else here. You are going to have to find a 50 acre lot that is absolutely empty with a bit of ice on it (That's best) and bobtail only. Never with trailer (Because you are not set up for skid pad work with welded chains etc) Do a circle under total control. Do the other circle the same. Then do figure 8's Finally do the bootlegger backwards. Allow the drives to come out, come around and catch that front end as it comes around and go straight again in the opposite direction.

That is all I am going to say here. I do not want to get into trouble.

 

The difference in my backing between the first month solo and the third is night and day. I had experience backing but not with 70’ and a 5th wheel. At this point I can get the trailer in the most outrageous docks but it just takes me some time. Normal backing or TS parking lot is a breeze. With my trainer I did 40 back ups (all kinds) in 3 weeks, but like many here have said when you go solo you really start to learn.

You can do this. Don’t be worried about what other people think. They were there once as well. Just practice till you’ve got blisters. You’ll get it.

 

Here’s a drill you can do easily yourself. In an empty lot, find a long straight line, it can be a parking line or a crack on the cement, and practice backing straight. That’s it. If you can master a straight line, how get into a straight line, how to follow a curve into a straight line then everything else will come naturally. Your trailer can be in any angle possible but as long as you can master straightening it out at the right time, you can back into anything. That takes practice.

 

Part of my training was doing very short runs/preloading for other drivers. That way if I got into a pickle, an experienced driver was close by.

I feel like i got better faster without the constant fear of being treated like an idiot (I’m sorry...EVERY trainer I’ve ever had was an a-hole...can i say that here?).

 

Your logic is flawed.

You need to get out and do things on your own. It is the only way you will learn.

I have my guys for 6 days, and they usually have at least 8 backs. If you are not backing up at least once a day it will not get better. Go solo, stop being used.

 

I so hate agreeing with roger.

 

Let me add... people we’re always trying to give me the formula. This many feet from the hole or line the nose of the truck up with this line or opposite lock till you see the sand shoe... but every back up is different. Even into the same spot. All the set ups are great, the practice teaches you how to adjust on the fly. That’s when it feels like it starts to come together.

It was also comforting when some experienced drivers here mentioned they still had dumpsters fire back ups once in awhile. Usually when tired. I realized it’s almost always the end of the day when I seem to get a hard back. So I started making sure that I practiced when I was tired. Not sure if any of this helps. But it’s what I’ve learned.