Why Cant I Consistently Do The Backing Maneuvers.

It's just crazy! I'm at Crowder and one day I am nailing the backing and as the day goes along it just gets worse. What the heck! I watch this and hear the same complaints from fellow students. What is happening???

The only thing consistent about backing is it's never consistent. The slightest errant turn of the steering wheel, or tiniest misjudgement can throw you into a whole new angle to recover from.

Don't sweat it, you'll get it. With practice, the mechanics become second nature. You'll not only become better at backing consistently, you'll also be able to recover more easily when you get out of whack.

I had the same problem in school, my solution was too nail it the first 2 or 3 times on the pad then not do it anymore. I saw I knew how to do it but for some reason after my 3rd attempt I got worse and it was hurting my confidence.

Not sure that would be the best approach for you but it worked for me as I got 0 points on the backing tests.

During training I sucked on Monday, did ok on Tuesday, good on Wednesday and great on Thursday. Then the cycle started over again.

The first step to consistency is your setup. It's easy to do this on the pad because of the familiarity. Pick out spots on the pad where you set up and spots to steer. When I did the 90 on my state test I used a GOAL to pick a spot where to stop for my bumper to be in the box. There was a black tar spot that stood out and I said if I stop when my tire is here, my bumper will be in the box. I got out to survey the ground, not the distance.

Watching other people also helped me. It's impossible to steer the same, but you can mimic the setup. The key to the setup is "do I see what I have to see" and understanding that you can't fix it going backwards.

A pull-up can save most errors. Turning towards the danger is what I had issues with because of car habits.

I also talk to myself when I'm backing. "I want the trailer to go left so I turn right". I still do this today because car habits. Practice makes good in this. Nobody is perfect all the time. We all have bad days, it's just a matter of learning from them and understanding how to get better.

Its said frequently out here among alot of drivers. "Some days I'll nail a back first try. Other days I can't back for my life". Something along those lines. It will all come in time. The only thing yoi need to be constituent at when it comes to backing is not hitting anything.

Thank you everyone! Tuesday is the big day! I'll let the backing failures role off and just think about the times I did it right!

Its said frequently out here among alot of drivers. "Some days I'll nail a back first try. Other days I can't back for my life". Something along those lines. It will all come in time. The only thing yoi need to be constituent at when it comes to backing is not hitting anything.

Im fairly good at backing after 10 months, don’t really worry much about getting in anywhere now.

I stopped at the TA in Waterloo NY the other night and for some reason had a hell of a time backing into what should be a very easy back. Lol. No idea why. Took 4 or 5 tries.

Roxi, everybody struggles with going backwards. Recently while I was sitting at a company terminal , a driver came to my door and asked me to help him back in between two parked trucks. He said, "I'm new at this and backing still makes me nervous." I replied, "No problem. I've been out here for years and it still makes me nervous!"

It's true. Going backwards in a big rig is counterintuitive. Every move you make is opposite of what you're accustomed to. So, try not to stress over it. Visualize yourself backing in during your test time with perfect execution. It will help some when you're testing.

Here's an amusing and informative article you should take the time to read...

The Backing Range - It's Like Clown Soup For The Soul

This is where my many years of experience backing landscape/utility trailers will hopefully help me some. I have been reversing my trailer into a shop/yard almost everyday for many, many years. My brain is already used to everything being backwards, although, set up and angles will surely be different due to longer trailer. Guess I’ll find out Feb/Mar. Can’t wait to stop dreaming and start doing!

I've been out here 31 years and some days, I could not hit a barn in a cornfield in reverse. It happens.