I Am Not Able To Perform 90 Degree Blindside Backing, AT ALL

(For the record, this is a prerequisite to obtaining a license to haul freight here in Canada. I can't just simply 'not do 90 degree blindside backing.')

Here is a link to the video of the procedure in question: https://youtu.be/9qcIiOnd3d8?si=X2uAnKc-wcZ09BCP

Same truck, same yard. Except, that yard is now covered in about one to two inches of ice.

I'm doing EXACTLY as my instructor tells me to. Reverse, turn the wheels all the way left, wait to see my 4 way flasher in the mirror and begin turning the wheel right, chase it and try to get to the front of the trailer. More often than not, I'm jackknifing the trailer or ending up somewhere in Narnia.

I like to take ownership of the things I do and admit to wrongdoing, because unless I do that, I'll never learn. But I am doing EVERYTHING the instructor asks me to do, and this still isn't working. I think the built up snow and ice on the lot is playing a large part in me screwing this up. A lot of the times I notice my trailer sliding sideways on the tandems and NOT turning via wheel rotation. I'm essentially trying to perform this procedure on a literal skating rink. Could that be why I'm having such extreme difficulties doing this?

Is there any techniques/tricks or procedures I can do to enable me to succeed at this? Because I'm really close to giving up. There is NO wAY I'm going to be able to do this procedure in ten minutes to pass my road exam. It's one thing to have to try and guess where the painted lines are on the road after a snow storm, but I can't even back this thing up despite following all of the directions given.

HI, Jim! Welcome to Trucking Truth. I watched the video (Clickable link here.) Down south in the USA, the blind side alley dock is rarely a requirement. But I'll give you a few pointers you might be able to use. I teach CDL in the States, but not the blind side.

First, though, what is your failure point? Are you ending up too close to one side or the other? When the back of the trailer gets to the front cones, are you at the wrong angle?

You say you are jackknifing the trailer. That means you are waiting too long to turn and straighten out the tractor/trailer. Pay attention to the que of when to start turning the wheel. The video shows the driver has a view of the back of the trailer all the time.

You say the trailer slides on the ice. That is possible, but since you are moving as such a slow speed (engine idle) that should not be much of a factor. And if you've done this enough you should make allowance for it.

If you are following "steps" as straightforward as 1, 2, 3, you will miss some important ques from the trailer. Keep your eyes on the tandems , both in their position (left and right of the real track) and make your turns according to that. Also, the tandems only roll in the direction the trailer is pointing, so you mostly need to control that direction.

When you turn the steering wheel. it takes up to ten feet of rolling for the trailer to respond. So always imagine where the tandems will be in a few feet, and start your turns way before you think you need to.

It is easier to turn the wheel to make the turn tighter than it is to turn the other way and open/loosen up the turn. In other words, when your turn is to theright, stay wide/outside/left of your target until the last moment, then with a spin to the right, you can pop the tandems in where you want them.

Answer the questions in the second paragraph, and keep us posted.

I'm essentially trying to perform this procedure on a literal skating rink. Could that be why I'm having such extreme difficulties doing this?

In short, yes.

During my cdl training I had the great fortune of lots of practice. I spent literally hours upon hours going through the various maneuvers, and I could park on a dime, (even a Canadian one).

On the day of my exam, there was a fresh two inches of snow and some freezing rain on the pad. It completely changed the way my trailer reacted, throwing my alley dock way off from what I had been used to.

Errol said:

If you are following "steps" as straightforward as 1, 2, 3, you will miss some important ques from the trailer.

100% true. The maneuvers I practiced were very 1,2,3, giving no thought to what the trailer was doing. That why it took no more than a changing variable to mess me up.

The practice pad is one place. Out on the road you will encounter many different variables that will dictate a change in your maneuvering. Pay attention to what your trailer is doing and take your cues from that.

Don't let it get into your head. Just remember that you are driving the trailer, not the other way around.

Hey Jim, I feel your pain. Like was said, that maneuver was not part of my test. Even after more than 2 years of driving, I hate the word “blindside”. I’ll go to great lengths to avoid a blindside backing situation. When I am faced with one, I find myself doing a large number of GOALs.

That being said, don’t give up. Many of us have felt pushed to the limit in our training but pushed through it. Not everyone passes their test the first time but it is no shame to have to do it twice.

This winter I have had to back into several dock doors where the lot was a sheet of ice. I had difficulty both times but finally got it done after a lot of maneuvering. So yes, the conditions you are facing can make a difference, but you will encounter similar conditions when you get out there solo. Don’t give up. Try to get more practice time and you will eventually get it. Good luck, hang in there!

This is the exact reason I take issue with a "parking formula" style of teaching a backing maneuver. The formula only works 100 percent of the time, in very controlled situations. You aren't really learning the finessing you will need to adapt and correct mid maneuver.

Hopefully the tips from Erroll will assist you getting the hang of it. When I'm tired and cranky, blindsiding becomes my own personal hell, and I'll GOAL way more than someone else would, just because I know what conditions make blindsiding more difficult for me.

Don't give up on yourself. Sometimes, the simple act of a GOAL where you slowly walk fully around truck and trailer is enough of a brain pause to get you out of the negative feedback loop we can get caught in.

Also of note, once I started asking myself this question during a GOAL, suddenly backing became way easier.

"If I continue exactly what I am doing right now, where will the trailer get in trouble (hit something) FIRST?"

NaeNae has issues:

This is the exact reason I take issue with a "parking formula" style of teaching a backing maneuver.

I used my 12 years experience teaching (middle school math) to design my backing class. I listed much of it above, to watch where the tandems are, where the trailer points, and the importance of steering control in a backing turn.

Students with no clue start with the ol' 1-2-3, but I tell them it's more important to watch the trailer.

Hey I’m not sure what province you’re in but here in Ontario we don’t have to learn how to blindside a trailer. I had to teach myself and actually prefer going in blindsided most of the time. Just keep an eye on your tandems and imagine an invisible line of where they are going. Once you get to a certain point you can pull up then go in on your normal side if that makes sense lol

Once you get to a certain point you can pull up then go in on your normal side if that makes sense lol

Yep. Once you are able to get aligned with the trailer, if you need to straighten up in the box, you can pull up in a manner that allows you to maneuver on the sight side.

When I trained students I only had them straight back on the first day. The majority of the first day would be driving. Then the next day we'd set out to do loads in the PSD (student driver) phase. I'd try to let the student back as much as possible in the real world for the week½ - 2 weeks of PSD. That way when we returned to the terminal 2 days prior to testing (for backing pad practice), the student would have at least some idea of how to make corrections on the pad if they were a little off on one of the standardized steps of a backing maneuver.

Full disclosure: I've never had to do a blind side 90°. Honestly it would probably take me forever with all the G.O.A.L I'd need to do. Heck, I G.O.A.L to back onto blind side, angled parking spaces.

I have enough to open a whole News Stand 😜

NaeNae has issues: