Hi all I’m a new pass (Friday) on Monday I’m taking out my first artic with a rear steer 2axle urban trailer. What I’m after is any advice/help on what I should be aware of and how is this likely to be different to the tri axle 40 odd foot trailer I trained in? Any help gratefully received
Thanks
Andy
Most important thing to be aware of is that the rear end will kick out quite a bit when turning tightly.
When going forward it will follow the unit route round bends, when reversing don’t move the steering wheel as much.
To be honest once you drive it you will work out how it behaves.
mrginge:
When going forward it will follow the unit route round bends, when reversing don’t move the steering wheel as much.To be honest once you drive it you will work out how it behaves.
Sounds good.
Try to play with it your transport yard for 5 minutes before taking it out.
Make a couple of reverses in the depot, rather than do the first one between a parked Rolls and Ferrari with a queue of waiting cars crowding you!
Andy1969:
Hi all I’m a new pass (Friday) on Monday I’m taking out my first artic with a rear steer 2axle urban trailer. What I’m after is any advice/help on what I should be aware of and how is this likely to be different to the tri axle 40 odd foot trailer I trained in? Any help gratefully received
Thanks
Andy
Use TINY amounts of steering inputs when reversing. If it’s any more than tiny, you’ll be looking at your trailer through the truck windscreen 
. They are quite the handful until you get used to them but once you do you can get them in anywhere.
I haven’t used a rear-steer trailer but I’ve done quite a bit with rear-steer rigids, they can be a godsend for reversing, but handle weirdly when you’re snaking between stationary/parked traffic, a driver I once worked with had a very bad day doing just that in a rear-steer bin wagon, trashed a brand new car right outside the owner’s house 
The trailer will pivot on the front fixed axle, and yes kick out at the rear, so take a different line to normal, don’t be too close to something on the about to become blind side as you would in a normal trailer when you make a turn.
Whilst still in the yard, position yourself beside a continuous line in the ground and turn the tractor one way hard lock then drive the tractor a few feet still turning then stop and go take a look see how far the rear axle and rear of trailer has gone over the line, give you a ball park idea of the tail swing involved.
When reversing remember its still pivoting on that fixed axle, so will turn in much quicker than a fixed axle trailer of similar dimensions.
Juddian:
The trailer will pivot on the front fixed axle, and yes kick out at the rear, so take a different line to normal
Great advice and…
Normally very good advice but, the OP is a new pass, he’s not gonna know what normal is. Monday is apparently his first day out.
Planners don’t give a crap but, a TM with a bit of nous might give him a straight trailer and an easier run.
Congratulations on the pass.
What goes around quicker, comes around quicker if you see what I mean. You need to think about the back-end and any cars / pedestrians.
If you had the time, you could set up cones in the yard and drive parallel with them a certain distance away and make a few turns with varying degrees of turn on up to and including full lock. Even get someone to video. You would most likely find that the rear-wheel steer will take out the cones before a fixed wheel trailer would.
It is difficult to give advice on positioning because every situation is different. If in doubt get out and look and to be honest get out and look anyway, so you can build up an idea of exactly how close you are.
yourhavingalarf:
Juddian:
The trailer will pivot on the front fixed axle, and yes kick out at the rear, so take a different line to normalGreat advice and…
Normally very good advice but, the OP is a new pass, he’s not gonna know what normal is. Monday is apparently his first day out.
Planners don’t give a crap but, a TM with a bit of nous might give him a straight trailer and an easier run.
Quite right, should have qualified it a bit.
A normal 2 fixed axle trailer will pivot at a point between the two axles, a 3 fixed axles trailer will normally pivot on the middle axle, all this assumes the ground you are turning on has uniform friction, ie is one solid surface, when you encounter loose ground things tend to change a bit.
Loose ground is where the raer steer won’t change, because the rear is a steering axle changes in the surface will make liitle or no difference to where the trailer pivots.
There. clear as mud, bet the OP wishes i’d bugger off, though probably not alone in that wish 
Look in your mirrors and gently adjust your steering accordingly, a little and often is what you need
Thanks for all the advice.
I’ll certainly be taking my time and doing this nice and slowly, looking forward to tomorrow but quite nervous at the same time hope my planner goes easy on me lol
Cheers
Andy
I’ll let you all know how it goes
Thanks for all the advice.
I’ll certainly be taking my time and doing this nice and slowly, looking forward to tomorrow but quite nervous at the same time hope my planner goes easy on me lol
Cheers
Andy
I’ll let you all know how it goes
Just stop when u here a big bang best advice
The best advice is to not be afraid to get out and have a look. two or three times or even more if it’s tight. And if the trailer has barn doors, don’t forget to open them before you back onto the bay.
Just make sure your not in front of me on a night , I want to get on & go home , not sit there for a ■■■■■■■ hour whilst you do your slow & bloody gently , & these bloody idiots are encouraging you to do it , if you get out & started wandering around , that will be it , I’ll be out & you’ll be getting both barrels , you need to learn bloody quickly , slow & gently , give me bloody strength !!!
dozy:
Just make sure your not in front of me on a night , I want to get on & go home , not sit there for a ■■■■■■■ hour whilst you do your slow & bloody gently , & these bloody idiots are encouraging you to do it , if you get out & started wandering around , that will be it , I’ll be out & you’ll be getting both barrels , you need to learn bloody quickly , slow & gently , give me bloody strength !!!
One thing you’ll learn very quickly is there’s 90% of drivers out there that’ll either help you or at least give you time, as they were new starts once, but that still leaves 10% who won’t…
Andy1969:
I’ll let you all know how it goes
Well…
What happened? Bearing in mind this is the most exciting thing that will happen for me this month, spice it up eh?
TruckDriverBen:
Just stop when u here a big bang best advice
If this…
Occurs, there’s a good chance you won’t need to actually press the brake pedal at all.
dozy:
Just make sure your not in front of me on a night , I want to get on & go home , not sit there for a ■■■■■■■ hour whilst you do your slow & bloody gently , & these bloody idiots are encouraging you to do it , if you get out & started wandering around , that will be it , I’ll be out & you’ll be getting both barrels , you need to learn bloody quickly , slow & gently , give me bloody strength !!!
Still getting heavily stressed about the job I see doze. 
Have a coffee and chill out man. 