Please give me advice on straight line backing.

keeping the truck straight with the trailer is the whole idea.

but you also have to aim for where your backing to park.

so it's basically 2 concepts.

 

Okay, this is the last time, until next time that I answer this question.

Some folks here have already put it down and some have put it mostly down but.....

Backing up straight is a function of the trailer wheels. The wheels on the trailer are supposed to be perfectly alligned but they never are. Therefore the trailer drifts. In zero wind, it will drift either left or right. It will not drift left once and then right. It will always go the same direction. So you put the correction in and then take it out. Do not oversteer. Put it in, take it out. Put it in, take it out. Why is that making me horney.....

Anyway.... To put the correction in you need to look in your mirrors. If you have you hand on the top of the steering wheel, the trailer will run away from your hand. Move your hand toward the offending rear end of the trailer. If the trailer rear end is moving toward the drivers side move your hand Counter-Clockwise or toward the left. If the rear end of the trailer is moving toward the passengers side, move your hand toward the right or Clockwise. Only move your hand two hours on the clock in either direction. By that I mean move it from 12 to 10 and then back to 12. That should keep it from going back the other way. Little movements not large corrections.

Local drivers like to use the old suicide knobs and for them they move the wheel in the other directions.

Now if you are driving for Swift just get out and flag someone down. They will back it up for you for $40.

 

Because rhino's have horns.

 

Dont over correct

 

Straigt line backing is the easy part of driveing line youre trailer tires up with youre tractor and keep in line

 

Hey expedite_it, don't sweat... it will come to you with practice and time. You just need to take your time and practice... and practice... and practice some more. For me, one thing that helps is to move the truck slowly so I can fix as soon as end of trailer starts going the wrong direction. My instructors used to say, while backing, look in the left mirror (flat one) and if you lose sight of the rear of trailer, move the steering wheel a little to the right... "lose sight, move to the right". Keep backing slowly. Of course, you will have to bring steering wheel back to left (small adjustment) once you see end of trailer in the mirror again. And don't move the steering wheel to much, just a little and watch where the trailer is going. If it goes to left in a angle, move steering wheel to the left, if it goes to the right, move steering wheel to the right. Slowly. Try to do this in first gear, in very slow motion. If you get confused, STOP and figure out where the end of trailer is going and what direction you need to move the steering wheel... That's what I do. Good luck.