How much backing practice?

Ten years ago a Truck driver gave me an advise about backing up, he told me to buy a little scale truck and play with it, forward and back, its funny but it actually open my mind on the way how a truck trailer moves, once i start driving it wont take me to long to do it right because i had a lot idea about how my truck is going to move.
dont be scare, just be carefull when do it, its no mater how many times you have to get out of the truck to look by yourself.

 

How are you having trouble with the straight line back? The only things I can think that would make it hard are if you aren't paying attention to how your mirrors work, forget which way to turn the wheel and/or oversteering. Figure out your issue, then stop doing it. A week of straight line backing should be enough to, perhaps not master, but be somewhat confident in your ability to perform it. When you say 3 hours, are you estimating that as your behind the wheel time over the length of a week or so, or 3 hour period in one or 2 days in which you were sharing the truck with others?

 

straightline backing is the easyest of all of them, im guessing your over correcting, concentrate on slow small movements of the wheel and your get it, let the truck idle in gear don't give it any fuel think slow smooth movements.

 

Try not to over think it. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Just slow down, watch the track as you back. When you slow it down, watch your corrections. Slowing things down should reduce over corrections.

Every back is a learning experience and sharpens your skills. As long as you don't hit anything, even a back with several pull ups is a good one.

Mastering backing is a lifetime lesson as long as you're in the truck.

 

It has been said before but Straight line backing needs to be slow and steady, Don't over react to it, if the wheel has play then you shouldn't be moving the wheel more then half a turn either way, straight and slow no throttle, take it slow get out and look, it only gets harder from here, Also like stated, Get you a Play truck, they are not expensive, sit at a table and play with it, pull it in like you are at a T.S. and back it in, make your approach and set up like usual! You will get it, after all the time, I've been doing it, It does get easier but it is still a chore. You learn to watch which way the trailer is going, Good Luck! You will get it, Positive thinking is also key, Saying you "don't have a chance" you are done already! Say you "can" and you will Say you can't and you are done!

 

I don't know why trucking schools aren't using scale model trucks to review backing strategies. It is an EXCELLENT learning tool to give a student understanding of how much movement is required from the tractor to move the trailer wheels.

I concur with the posts above that note that if you are having difficulty with straight line backing you are almost certainly overcorrecting (moving the front end of the tractor too much). Make small movements of the wheel (front end of the tractor) as you go, let the backward movement catch up to your small movement before making another adjustment.

 

Don't over-steer is the thing. If you turn your wheel 1/2 the trailer will move 1 foot. Slow and easy. If you have an empty lot, place a can, water bottle down as a reference point.

 

The school that I went to used a saying "turn towards trouble". That saying confused the crap out of me. I was used to backing a trailer with my hand on the bottom of the wheel. while Looking in my mirrors if I wanted the trailer to come to the left, I would turn the wheel to the left(again, my hand was in the 6 oclock position). If I wanted the trailer to go right, I would turn the wheel a 1/4 of a turn to the right. Any movements over a 1/4 of a turn, will be way to much for straight line backing.

 

You need as much backing practice as it takes! There is no standard answer. Depends on your skill level