Backing Does Not Just “click”

Backing comes and goes for me.

It seems like the harder the back the more I succeed. The simplest ones I mess up.

I agree with the previous post. Take as long as you need and don’t hit anything.

Cheers,

G

I have heard it a thousand times it will just click thats a flat out lie i have tried and tried i am barely on the acceptable range for backing and nothing jas clicked and yet i keep hearing that if it clicks then why hasnt it? It tales me about 10 to 15 minites to back and get it just right in a dock nothing has clicked and made it seem easier its hit or miss and it has driven me to near insanity and yes i know some truckers have been doing this for years and still havent perfected backing it cant be done but I should be able to do better than this

It's not hit or miss, you're doing something wrong. I've been there and I know what you're talking about...in fact I've been there recently :)

Here's the thing about backing, if you're actually going backwards and the back is still in doubt then you screwed up, the back is all about the set up. Watch the trailer angle and make sure the tractor doesn't need too much correction. Ideally a sight-side back should need nothing but some left on the wheel to put the trailer in the hole unless it's a 90 and even then you give it a little bit of right just to get the trailer turning.

The second mistake is the pull up. 15 minutes? You're pulling up wrong. Don't cut your steers one way or the other, keep them straight, that gives you options on both sides when when you're trying to correct to get in the hole. And take all the room you have.

Backing takes a lot of practice.

We drive a lot of miles forward but very little backward. It does come with time, one problem and I'm not sure you have this is overall length. When I drove over the road all our trailers were 53 footers and It was my tractor so my tractor and trailer movement was virtually the same every time. So it was easier to adapt to the amount of movement and changes I had to make. Over correcting is a major failure when backing, try to defeat that bad habit. GOAL can't be said enough if you Get Out And Look and get it in the hole without incident it's a successful back. Everyone is correct keep at it you will understand how the trailer reacts. If you run different length trailers and tractors as I now do it will be a little more difficult. One last thing I don't care how good you are you're going to have good days and bad ones, you might have something on your mind, be tired, a lot of sun blinding you, etc... Try to blackout those and all distractions when backing that should help. GOOD LUCK and stick with it.

I’ve heard this from several people about almost everything there is to do with trucking “you can do it 1,000 times too slow but only once too fast” it’s usually not so extreme with backing but the principle still applies.

I’ve heard this from several people about almost everything there is to do with trucking “you can do it 1,000 times too slow but only once too fast” it’s usually not so extreme with backing but the principle still applies.

Wiky Wiky; cool to see you back around; congrats w/getting on with Prime, for sure~!! Are you still with Prime? Fine company, IMHO.. hard to get on with, understandably.

Just have ONE thing to say.. your 'screen name' always brings up this. . . (and shows my age, haha!)

Jam on it, Wiky Wiky ~!!

Best of luck, driver...wish you'd start a thread, tbh~!!!