Mike-C:
Rowley010:
I’m not experienced, only been doing it for a few months. What I’ve found for blind side is to try and not get the unit at such an angle with the trailer where you can literally see nothing. It might be that I can only just about see the smallest corner in the wide angle mirror, but at least it’s not nothing. Or if I do have to get it to that angle i try and take it back off the other way as soon as possible to get some vision back in that mirror.
And the other thing I do when going in blind side is either to not be scared of asking someone in the yard, “excuse me mate can you watch my back for me and give me a shout if I’m about the hit something”, if they look at me weirdly I just tell them that going in from this angle means I can’t see anything at all, or if there’s no one to do that then I keep getting out and looking!
I’m sure a more experienced driver is able to judge it be better, but if you can’t see your still guessing no matter how much experience. Just it might be a better, more educated guess from an experienced driver compared to a newbie like me!
Comes down to practise, so don’t always avoid going in somewhere blindside just because it’s the asker thing to do. If you do that you’ll never get the practise. When somewhere has been quiet I’ve had a few goes blindside, then if I was really struggling I’ve gone and spun it round and done the good side. Might not have got it in blindside but at least I learned something for next time. I had a drop yesterday where I had to reverse in blindside into a yard off the road. No where to spin it round to go in the other way. If I hadn’t had a few goes in the previous months I’d have made a right mess of it. As it happen 3 shunts and I was in with no one watching my back, and not getting out and looking.
I like that Rowley. Top tips for blindside reversing is not go blind. Then it wouldn’t be blindside reversing would it ? IMO its always a case of kiss your arse goodbye and hope for the best based on your experience.
Haha I know what you mean, but, makes sense though? If you can avoid it being totally blind then do it! I know if it’s not totally blind then it’s not an actually blind side reverse, but my tip is if you can avoid then avoid it.
boredwivdrivin:
Rowley010:
And the other thing I do when going in blind side is either to not be scared of asking someone in the yard, “excuse me mate can you watch my back for me and give me a shout if I’m about the hit something”, if they look at me weirdly I just tell them that going in from this angle means I can’t see anything at all, or if there’s no one to do that then I keep getting out and looking!
this is exactly what you SHOULD NEVER do !
is he going to fill the insurance forms in when you [zb] something ■■
is he going to pay the excess on the claim ■■
is he going to fill in the prang on every job application for the next 5 years ■■
answers : no , no and … no !
i watched some polish dude wave a blindside reversing lorry onto his own tractor unit in milber ind est , newton abbot just a couple of weeks ago . is the pole going to admit liability ? no .
get out and look , as many times as you need , but the minute some fanny starts waving his hands at you ; get out and nut the footer
Ok ok. Don’t listen to me as I’m new as I said. However, this is what other drivers told me to do and also the company trainer told me to do. That said, you also need to use your loaf. Don’t just do what they say if your not comfortable.
You need to put your ■■■■■■■■■ radar on when your asking someone. If you find some ■■■■ that you’ve detected on your ■■■■■■■■■ radar and you feel that even though you’ve given them one simple job which is shout if I get close to anything. If you feel they are a ■■■■ and can’t do this simple task then don’t ask. If you feel that the person your asking hasn’t been picked up on the ■■■■■■■■■ radar and you can trust them to do that simple task then I’d still ask them.
But as I said, I’m inexperienced and if you’ve seen people hit things before whilst “being watched” then I understand your going to think twice.
If say on this just use a bit of common sense!
Sad to say but the days of asking someone to watch you back are on the way out. Some will still help but more and more will be aware of blame if something goes wrong.
Bloody health and safety ■■■■■■■■ and blame culture at work. Back in the day we used to happily watch a fellow colleague back but let them hit something then shout ‘stop’. Always funny this, well providing it wasn’t a small child.
Come to think of it knowing your mates are deliberately working against you helps fine tune one skills a bit. Do it these days and there’d be a massive enquiry and enough paperwork to fill half a skip.
Dipper_Dave:
Sad to say but the days of asking someone to watch you back are on the way out. Some will still help but more and more will be aware of blame if something goes wrong.
I helped a superdrug driver blind side it in on the left hand side at Magor services last week and he was getting pretty close to the next wagon so i put my hand up and he still came back another few feet but luckily nothing got hit but had it i wouldn’t have worried about it as i told him to stop besides what’s he going to do take me to court or call the old bill ?
Yeah done it myself at services for another driver (little did they know how untrustworthy I was). But on a customers premises unless it’s a banksman it can cause some wobbles. Usually I say just shout if I’m going to hit something don’t started pointing what way to go as by the time you’ve pointed I’m already committed. If I make a lash up of it don’t worry I don’t have be home till the weekend
Well I’d always try and pick a driver to watch me because at least they will know where to stand so you actually see them!
But anyway, without turning the thread into a debate about whether you should or shouldn’t ask some to watch your back, it’s just ONE thing I see as an option for a blind side reverse to make your life easier.
Obviously you often don’t have anyone to ask anyway.
Best advice for the original question is practise practise practise and you’ll start to be able to make your own judgement. One thing I’ve actually done to try and improve at this is if I’m at a services when it’s quiet, if there’s 3 or more spaces together I’ve reversed into a space blind side, with my intention to end up in the middle one of the 3. That way you know your not going to hit something at either side (unless you massively make a ■■■■ up of it) but it gives you chance to work out where your steering inputs have put your trailer.
Just as a matter of interest does anybody deliver to Tesco on the south coast? Years ago I worked briefly for Christian Salveson through an agency. Starting from Southall I had 3 deliveries on the south coast starting at 4pm. Portsmouth,Southampton and Eastleigh.
Can’t remember which one it was but it was a tricky blindside which had been explained to me before I left by a regular driver.
Extremely close to a wall with the unit to get it right.
I managed (in the dark) without a shunt (more luck than judgement probably) and the guy who was unloading me commented how a most drivers really struggled.
It does make you feel good when it works like that.
So is it still the same now? Does anyone know?
beefy4605:
If its a regular blind side on to say a loading bay after time you get to know how and where to position yourself and where and when you need to be turning in or straightening up . If it not a regular one all bets are off . Get out and look as many times as you need to or get another driver/ person in the yard to guide you in. Afraid its just one of those things that experience makes slightly easier . You will always mess it up when someones watching and stick it on the bay first time when theres no one around to see you do it !!
Totally agree, when no one is there I always ace it, get a crowd watching me, I usually make such a balls up of it.
tommie1shunt:
Totally agree, when no one is there I always ace it, get a crowd watching me, I usually make such a balls up of it.
I’m the opposite when there’s a crowd i concentrate more and take it a tad slower because i want to nail it but when i’m on me own is usually when i might mess up.
Go all out to avoid having to do a blindside!! Even if it’s one way circuit at a drop, still screw it round and reverse in on the good side!! If someone kicks off, just the simple sorry mate didn’t realise, dumb driver routine!! 
the nodding donkey:
Ask any Stobrat driver.
Come on then you ■■■■■■■ boring prick. Ask me. I regularly turn in here.
Every time is a blindside. The ditches are about 4 feet deep. To get an angle so you can get out of the turning area you need to put the back axle over the edge, which has a 6 feet drop. I normally go in there very early morning so it’s pitch black (actually is in a dark sky area). No one to ask for help either.
So go and stick your head back up your mother’s chuff and stick to your boring baiting of immigrant.
Dan Bear 87:
Just a question for you artic drivers, in regards to the reversing do you have a certain technique or a way of doing things, can you adjust the near side mirrors to angle out a bit to see a bit more?
Obviously there’s no substitute for learning on the job, and I guess any reverse without hitting anything Is a plus lol! 
I appreciate your comments, cheers
D’B
Step out and check if you not sure,before you hit anything.
After a While you are either good or you never learn it
Just to add to give you an idea of the depth of that mud, the log on the ground to the right of the pic is 3m long. When the mud is soft the turning is easy. Monday morning the mud was frozen and had 4 inches of snow on top.
On the trolleys, so we have a few in the car parks, depending on where cars park depends how tough it’s going to be, including one that can only be done with a city trailer. As others have said most of our units have windows in the back which really does help, Usually play around with N/S mirror and you do get used to it, but if in doubt I simply get out and check my clearances. Our trucks now have all round cameras as well and the reverse one helps considerably. Great satisfaction when you get it right first time.
happysack:
the nodding donkey:
Ask any Stobrat driver.
Come on then you [zb] boring prick. Ask me. I regularly turn in here.
Every time is a blindside. The ditches are about 4 feet deep. To get an angle so you can get out of the turning area you need to put the back axle over the edge, which has a 6 feet drop. I normally go in there very early morning so it’s pitch black (actually is in a dark sky area). No one to ask for help either.
So go and stick your head back up your mother’s chuff and stick to your boring baiting of immigrant.
i cant for the life of me see the problem ■■
presumably you are approaching from the direction facing on photo
and going back the same way ■■
why not just hack it round into bit on right and reverse back towards where you are standing on the drivers side .?
might save getting hysterical on the interwebnet ■■
We all know that doing the “Dreaded blind side reverse”, is not done out of choice if there’s room to spin around and do it the easy way.
However, one has to be ready for anything, and over the years, one does get some practice, and practice makes perfect, well almost.
I do like the new Merc Actros’ we have with the extra button on the mirror controls that allow you to angle your main mirror outwards, not the wide angle mirror, so you need never lose sight of your trailer. When you have completed the movement, press the other power button and the mirror resets to it’s original position.
bestbooties:
We all know that doing the “Dreaded blind side reverse”, is not done out of choice if there’s room to spin around and do it the easy way.
However, one has to be ready for anything, and over the years, one does get some practice, and practice makes perfect, well almost.
I do like the new Merc Actros’ we have with the extra button on the mirror controls that allow you to angle your main mirror outwards, not the wide angle mirror, so you need never lose sight of your trailer. When you have completed the movement, press the other power button and the mirror resets to it’s original position.
Oh there is one good thing about us switching from MAN to MB, at least I won’t be losing my blindside assist mirror. Sounds from the above that you have control over it, rather than MAN deciding how long it should take, and turning it back in at the least friendly moment.
Blindside reverse mastery has and will always be the yardstick which driver ability is measured.
We all can or should be able to drive round without hitting stuff and get into tight spaces. But blindside reversing takes an extra degree of skill. It can be learnt but needs a bit of raw talent to start with.
A pure 90 degree proper blindside in poor visibility sorts the truckers out from the pretenders.
Don’t really agree with moving mirrors about, it confuses the angle. One should be able to blindside on skill and wide angle mirror alone and even the wide angle mirror is cheating a bit.
Did one the other day, proper blindside, pitch black coz I closed me eyes, into a bay between 2 trucks. Only wrote off one fuel tank and both my neighbours mirrors. But I didn’t need a bloomin shunt.
happysack:
Just to add to give you an idea of the depth of that mud, the log on the ground to the right of the pic is 3m long. When the mud is soft the turning is easy. Monday morning the mud was frozen and had 4 inches of snow on top.
Ahh,… The timber Lorries.
Not wanna that Job. Being alone in the Forest,making a 180 degree Turn on a fife Penny Coin and no help around if anything goes wrong.
The real Heros,we call them at Home
Went tesco this morning in my car,blind sided into a parking space…load of people around not one congratulated me…■■■■ em their loss not mine we could of become friends.
