OssieD:
…he pulled out of line and spun the motor round and proceeded to back the trailer blind side in hitting the trailer on the nearside badly scraping it, then pulled out to have another go, backed in and hit the trailer on the off side gouging a big lump out of the trailer…
Reversing is all about minimising the risk of hitting something. It’s about taking the time to do the reverse in a way that can be repeated again and again for many years without incident. No one will remember that you were very slow when you were new. The best advice that I was given is that slow is fast, get out and look, and use all the available space. Don’t even get close to hitting something. Pull forward and have another go. If having a bad day, uncouple the trailer and let the shunter do it.