Blind side backing

I totally get that, and agree with you...but remember...I was with a mentor, and as such had to follow his instructions on when/where to back. I have no problem doing, or practicing blind side backs, or parallels, angles, or offsets. Now that I am upgraded, I have a lot more latitude to practice.

As an aside...is it just me, or it is easier to back next to, or between trucks simply for the visual cues?

 

Amen to that. I was at Twin Arrows on the 40 last week, and the parking spaces there seem to be a mile wide for the RV crowd....and I set up for a straight back into one of them, and I looked like a worm trying to get into the middle of 3 empty spaces. Finally, I pulled down a few spaces and dropped my trailer dead center between a pair of Roehl skateboards without a problem.

 

95% of my job is blind siding. Residential ( dumpsters ) Most houses have mailboxes on the blindside, sight side can easily run over a box and it's easier making a left turn exiting a drive way.

Before your trip, clean those dang mirrors from the sun and use the heater for rain days. GOAL if you have too. Unless you have a roll up door, Have to get out anyways to open the barn doors. do a quick look and no one will ever know.

 

I have to blind-side more in tankers than I ever did with dry vans. My eelectric mirrors help a lot, but the main thing is practice, now how to make the trailer go where you want, and GOAL. It sounds like you are doing everything you can do.

One thing I do, because I have to move the trailer unload port to exactly where the customer wants it, sometimes, is see or measure how much farther I need to back up (5 feet) and then stand beside driver seat outside the truck and walk back ALMOST that distance and then drop my glove on the ground to mark where I should stop.

For about $150 you can get a battery powered backup cam you could attach by magnet to trailer and see whatever direction from the cab.
https://www.amazon.com/Emmako-Wireless-Waterproof-Distortion-Reversing/dp/B078PDH6Z8/

 

It's a really good idea actually

 

Drive a yard mule for awhile and you'll be amazed at what you can learn to do with a regular truck.....and really pissed those times you cannot.

 

My best tip for blind siding is pull your brakes, and stick your head out the passenger window. Repeat as necessary.

If there's room, I've gotten where I can spin the truck so it's about perpendicular with the hole, then it's about like sight side.

Just lots of practice.

After you've been out here awhile, if you can't back up very well, the brutal truth is your lazy.