neon989:
hi all, been tramping now since beginning of April.
But while I can get the trailer wherever I need to … EVENTUALLY! easier reverses are not a problem however getting in between trucks at small services with not much room to manovere in front and basically have to jack knife in are problematic to the point where sometimes it takes that long I have to abort for the huge queue of lorries waiting to get in!we have a small yard and tight bays so reversing in then takes a while too with multiple times having to get out and check to make sure the line looks right and that I’m going in etc.
getting perfectly straight at times is also an issue I think I’m straight then get out and I’m slightly on the pass! lol.
When does it get to the point where you don’t need to get out and look and put it in between trucks in small spaces in seconds like 80% of people do? is there anything I can do to speed up the process.I even run out Sunday sometimes to practice in the mostly empty services but obviously it’s pretty easy then as no one is there! any advice, tips or anything would be much appreciated! Alex
I used to be abysmal at reversing when I first started training. In the last few months in my last job I discovered a couple of things on my own through lots of practice and helping other newer drivers in the yard:
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Don’t turn in too soon otherwise the approach angle will be at too sharp an angle and will be harder to correct. Turning in too late is far easier to correct. I try to make a gradual ‘L’ shape line when doing a 90 degree reverse.
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Try not to get to a point where you are having to bend the trailer excessively to correct the line. Excessive bend doesn’t make the trailer move backwards, but instead it pivots at the back wheels if that makes sense. For example, if you’ve bent the trailer too much on a 3-axle trailer and then stuck a huge imaginary pole down though the middle axle at the back into the ground…the trailer will only pivot around in a circle like a merry-go-round.
In short, I try to drive a gradually curved line backwards, not too much steering angle and not too little, and only pivot when necessary i.e when I’ve cocked it up, and even when I need to pivot I do it when the trailer is barely moving or turn the steering wheel when not moving at all.