trevorking1964:
Please continue to be a gentleman. As someone about to start class 1 training, I’m dreading the first weeks on the road after passing and finding gainful class 1 employment.
Reversing is my biggest fear. Hoping to come across plenty of helpful drivers in that time to guide me through it.
Good manners cost nothing as my parents used to say, you can be sure I’ll say thank you for all help received.
Good luck bud.
I’d say the most important things to remember (once you have got your class 1 as us old timers still call it is this); GOAL - Get out and look and reverse a bit like a threepenny/50p bit bit of lock on, take it off, bit on take it off. If you drive a Daf for some reason they are right so and so’s as you tend to oversteer (probably the twin steering axle set up). Any other make is fine!
A lot of yards are quite tight these days and the most common fault is clouting the trailer on your near side because you are (understanably) guessing where it is. There is often pressure to ‘gerrit on the bay’ and a night this time of year it is a bar-steward.
I presume you are young so your eyesight wont have started to go yet. Remember we’re backing 55ft of truck up so you have to start some way away.
Also remember most accidents are ‘dings’ in a yard. When you think about it you’ve got 4 points on the trailer at ground level, another four in the air (needed when near canopies) and same again on the unit. It is easy to forget the unit because you are concentrating on the trailer.
Another strategy in tight yards in fact any place you go to is ‘look before you leap.’ If you don’t know the arrangement at a drop go and ask. The last thing you wanna do is end up driving in to a place only to realise you should have reversed in!
Finally when manouvering think of the exit strategy. Sometimes it is better to do a loop the loop when turning. e.g you need to go to the right but it is tight, so you go left do a U-ey and hey presto your facing the right way. In essence look at your exit strategy.
Other than that crack on as they say. You’ll only learn through experience and the more you do it the easier it gets.