Having problems with backing

I used to feel the exact way you described. I was nervous the entire trip, and very scared when arriving at a shipper. You’ll get over it after a few months once your skill improves. The older guys on here probably have some good advice about it.

Keep working at it, it’s too soon to give up. It gets easier and don’t worry about other drivers or cars watching you. Just ignore them.

It took me like 3 months to even start getting good

 

You should be nervous backing. You’re inexperienced and there’s a lot of money at stake if you #### something up.

That said, skills take time to develop and get good at. No one ever started doing something for the first time and was immediately a master. It’ll get easier as time goes on, and this is real life not a test, you can take as much time as you need to not destroy something.

To answer your question, yes, I was nervous backing for a while when I first started and felt particularly bad at it. Now I can pretty much back wherever I want without a problem, it might still take me a little while from time to time though.

 

You're fine!! Normal response. I would suggest when you have 30 mins and you are at a place out of the way..and you can straight back...
DO IT! Straight back for half a mile! Well...at least 50 yrds or more. Do it over and over until you begin to understand the wheel and the proper amount of input. Look way past the end of the trailer ..pick a spot way out there and watch that as well..you will see the trailer begin to move instantly and then you just add a little ..LITTLE input. The ideas is to get comfortable with gentle easy does it...steering wheel use. Then you can feel better when back and not swing the steering wheel WILDLY BACK AND FORTH.. Another very good tip..is to STOP and turn the steering wheel..dont keep rolling backwards and at a high pace and turn the wheel. You will eat up too much ground and the trailer will stillnot be where you wnat it. so, STOP..turn your wheels straight or whatevrer...and THEN release the brake and move back. You will not waste runway if you do that.

 

Just keep at it, you’ll get better.

 

And get out and look as many times as you need to in order to not hit anything and to make yourself comfortable.
in time, it will become second nature to you.

 

Everytime you're at a DC or a truck stop with lots of open spots, spend half an hour practicing. Try different approaches too.

 

I'm a yard jockey. Been doing it for the last 6 years and I get nervous at times too. Mainly of I have to back up next yo a live driver in the docks or at the plant where the docks are super tight.

Being nervous is fone. It just takes practice. As you get more backing practice the more confident you will become.

 

Biggest thing is to not care what others think.. every driver has been there.. so when your pulling into a spot take however long it takes for you to get it right. As a new driver if you have extra time on your run. Try to stop during nonbusy truckstop hours and back in to a open spot.

 

Don’t be afraid to come back around at a different angle. Sometimes entering a place doesn’t put you in the right setup. Take your time to setup properly. Meaning drive around and turn around if needed to approach from the other direction