Newbies, Dont try this

I see guys pulling double flats hauling steel coils do it quite regularly. This one place I deliver to has a steel co. across the street, and the guys with the doubles pull into the dock area I'm sitting in and they have to back across a two lane blacktop holding up traffic to get into the building across the street. Honestly, it looks like a pain in the ###. It's a busy street and the 4 wheelers really don't give a hoot if a double is trying to back across the street at a 45 degree angle, they try to squeeze through. I've seen a lot of close calls and waiting to hear the crunch. These guys are good, but even they can get twisted up if they aren't set up just right from the get go. I sure hope they get paid good because it wouldn't be worth the hassle if they didn't. By the way, their dock is inside the building and on a steep slant, I don't know how they can even see the dock being so far away from it.

 

I've tried with flats and 28 footers, haven't mastered it. they just twist up after a bit. it's easy for them to get away from ya. as mentioned practice, practice, practice

 

Yes gravity will help but not nessasary. If your dolly tounge is 10 feet or longer you can back them up on flat ground or up a hill/ramp and around corners. I have seen it done and I can do it too. Remember in some states you start out early in your carrer driving trains. If you don't learn to back them up you will not have a job for long. Getting,keeping and moving up the latter is all about your skill level. Also there are few secret tricks to backing trains up.

 

Watched someone else back up in a set of bottom hoppers. that's what got me started.

 

I remember my father driving for Hallaway in MI, driving those triples,,,called them trains due to the pup on the end. I was just little but looking back, I don't recall him ever saying he couldn't do it...LOL He would even have to load the things himself,,they hauled sand. Watching him on the loader was kool at that age.. He said he would unhook and back one at a time down the sometimes, miles of road they were building at the time. I always tell me people; My dad Hauled everything from Dinomite to pickles...LOL

 

I learned to back doubles and triples back when I started in the 70's. This was all line haul work, so all we ever did was drag trailers from one terminal to another.
So while sitting around waiting, it was not uncommon to set up cones in the yard and the drivers would throw a couple bucks each into a pot, then take turns backing. The guy that killed the least cones got the pot.
Then we'd start again.
We called it Truckers Poker.
I won some, but in the long haul lost more than I won.
But it sure made a better backer out of me!

 

Ok, I'm not to proud to admit that sounds difficult. I'm sure with practice I can do it. On the other end of the spectrum....try driving a t plate 1 ton dump truck with a full headerboard on the bed pulling a towable air compressor maybe 8' total length from ball to back bumper. Now back it down a winding 8' wide cemetery road using only your side mirrors....oh and you cannot actually see the compressor in your mirrors until it's jacknifed beyond saving without pulling forward. Least on these big trucks you can see what you're towing. I could have a gremlin surfing on top of that compressor while I do 70 down the highway and I'd never see it.

 

A man's got to know his limitations and I do. I'll sit back and admire the answers and skills of those who can do it!

 

Oh boy. It's not the size but how you move it. If you can back up that combination you can back up most others with practice. I had a similar job off road like that. Guys that can jump in any kind of rig/truck and maneuver it are the ones that keep working after the lay-offs. We refer to them as Utility drivers. I can't tell you how many times those kind of skills have kept me working. Course you always seem to get the sh*& jobs too.