Worried About Backing

Hello all! I'm new here but I've been reading the site for about a month now. I've recently passed the academy and gotten my cdl , but I'm still having issues backing. I was just good enough to pass my examination but it still takes me awhile to get things lined up. I was wondering whether it's a big deal out in the real world how long it takes to get things situated.

Hello all! I'm new here but I've been reading the site for about a month now. I've recently passed the academy and gotten my cdl , but I'm still having issues backing. I was just good enough to pass my examination but it still takes me awhile to get things lined up. I was wondering whether it's a big deal out in the real world how long it takes to get things situated.

Take add much time as you need to back without hitting anything. With time, you will get better and take less time to do it. But, then, no matter how good you get, you will occasionally have an off day and look like you never learned how to bball! Lol.

Seriously though, don't worry if it takes a while. The most important thing is getting it done safely, not quickly.

Welcome aboard!

A successful back is one where you don't hit anything. It's not a timed competition. Oh there's gonna be a few knuckleheads out here that will get impatient with you and blow their air horns, but try your best to not let them rattle you.

If you want to know the truth, all of us struggled at backing as beginners, just like you. It is the arrogant fools who have forgotten just how hard it is for the new drivers to get the hang of things. Don't sweat it, just take your time, be careful, and after about six months you'll be doing it better than you could ever believe.

You are doing what everyone does, Speeluunjuur. You get your CDL but you (and nearly everyone else) can't realy back into a dock.

Just work on it til you can. DO NOT FORGET TO GET OUT AND LOOK at the places you can't see. If you have to explain a trailer-trailer bump, the worst words you can use are "I thought...". You have to know.

Your set up is a huge part of your success. Also be able to anticipate what the trailer is going to do. What that means is don't wait until the trailer is where you want it before turning the wheel. Time patience and practice. You will get it and like others said. When in doubt GOAL. I would rather get out and look or pull up 20 times then hit something once.

Hello all! I'm new here but I've been reading the site for about a month now. I've recently passed the academy and gotten my cdl , but I'm still having issues backing. I was just good enough to pass my examination but it still takes me awhile to get things lined up. I was wondering whether it's a big deal out in the real world how long it takes to get things situated.

I've been solo for four months now, and still pull forward about three times on average when lining up for a parking spot or dock between two trucks. Even though I normally am confident about what's happening at the back end of the truck, I still get out and look at least twice when there's a truck to either side of me and I'm not doing a straight back.

Nobody has given me a hard time yet, not even a blown horn (I haven't blocked city traffic yet.) If people are waiting on me, I jog back to look, then jog back to get back in the truck.

Your examination limits you on how many get out and looks and pull-ups you can do. The real world doesn't. Some drivers can line up and zip back into a hole in thirty seconds. I can't. I wouldn't even if I could. Take your time, do it right, and you will get better at it. I'm still improving after four months solo.

As a rookie driver myself I can say that backing is still hard for me even after being on the road for 4 weeks.

The biggest advice I can give you is that there is no shame in stepping out of the truck to check your blind spots. It's better to take a minute to get out to check than it is to a assume you are clear and hit something.

Like everyone else has said, take your time and don't worry about it. I can back fairly well now but if I have to get out and look 20 times, then I'm gonna get out and look 20 times. If someone doesnt like it then they can spot me.

Saw a guy this past month fresh out of training that didn't know what he was doing in a very busy yard and he almost had it but then gave up his hard work and reset to let everyone else go by. Could see the frustration on his face.

I've been there, it gets better. If I see someone GOAL a few times I'll jump out and spot for them or tell them how to back it in if need be.

While backing into docks is not easy, to me, that pales in comparison to backing into a truckstop parking lot.

Those places are full of super truckers who never once had a hard time.