passed my class 1 in october and just been driving rigids since, had a class 1 assesment with my company this evening done all the coupling and uncoupling, pulled out of the bay, everything was going good, then he said back on to bay 12 which was a simple reverse which somehow i made a mess of it… seems to have shot my confidence a bit now.
If your Company/TM is willing to try you out, maybe they’ll put you out with someone (preferably someone with a bit of patience) couple of days would be a big help, don’t give up at the first hurdle.
I will guess that it went back like a drunken snake.
Try to remember that an artic reacts a little slower when steering backwards and the biggest problem is that drivers use too much too soon. They then try to get it back by using too much opposite steering.
Watch the back of the trailer and use small turns and it will behave better.
Practice and learn, it will come.
3 words…practice practice practice.
Don’t worry, even the most experienced drivers make a hash of simple reverses from time to time. NEVER think that you have mastered the art of reversing, no matter how confident you may become, it WILL bite you on the arse 
I’ve been on class 1 for 2 years and I’m still not completely confident with reversing, though I’m a lot better than I was. Had to get on a bay at Nisa Scunthorpe a couple months ago, middle of about 10 empty bays, and took half a dozen shunts at it! 
wouldnt worry some days everyone has that day where it goes ■■■■ up even the simplest reverse that you have done 100 times.
learn from it try to work out where it was going wrong and chalk it up as experience. as others have said its normally too much too soon and then trying to correct.
Trick is where you position yourself before reversing. If it’s a big yard then use it to get as straight as you can before going backward. Don’t use the steering too much. Take your time. Turn the radio off and open both Windows. That way if you get close to hitting something normally someone will holler. As people say practise makes it easier. When stopping in services if it’s emptyish have a practise parking from all angles. Don’t be afraid to shunt. It wil come
Slow & steady, don’t rush it, even if other trucks are waiting. Nice smooth turns of the wheel. Don’t be put off by so-called perfect drivers watching you.
Some days you’ll nail every reverse 100%, so days you f.up everyone… happens to everyone, but very few will admit it.
I was a complete chopper at Iceland near Swindon the other week. Isn’t even a hard one as previous said some days it happens
have a quiet word with your tm and ask him if you can practice in your own time for an hour maybe on sat when quiet,also don’t doubt yourself because all trailers are not the same ,if you have the same set up all the time it becomes the norm but if one day you had say a 20ft trailer it will throw you ,the longer the trailer the easier it is to reverse ,it’s basicly like scratching your arse ,it becomes the norm,just to add ,for the tm to take you off a rigid and the test you on a bender as a newbie wasn’t unfair as you know you can do it ,but neither was it fair ,
midlifetrucker:
I was a complete chopper at Iceland near Swindon the other week. Isn’t even a hard one as previous said some days it happens
The bay’s are easy enough there, the problem is getting into one of the 5 or 6 parking bays right next to the goods in gulag. A right PITA, especially if all the empty cages opposite them are sticking out. 
When I went there many moons ago, I couldn’t even get out of my parking bay because of the bays opposite, had to go the wrong way around the one way, much to the anger of the shunter. Bell end.
If it’s a tri-axle trailer, watch the middle axle and line that one up where you want the trailer to be… And go s l o w l y.
Everyone ■■■■■ up sometimes. I backed on the bay at Washington Asda loads of times without much drama … then one day there was an almighty ■■■■ up and I had to have about 5 shunts at it. It was of course the day the shunters were watching (though at the time I was doing it, I didn’t realise - it was afterwards I spotted them and thought, oh bugger!! 
CHEERS GUYS FOR THE ADVICE MUCHLY APPRECIATED
I’ve been on class 1 for about 4 months and I’m still not absolutely 100% at reversing, but I’m 100% better than when I first start because it is what others have said, just practise!
My company put me with a trainer for 2 days which really helped as I’d done no other ever sing than in the test. Even with that though I was still making a completely hash of it when I was in my own for the first few days. Like someone else has said it was like a drunken snake.
As a complete beginner you feel the need to put loads of lock on and then you don’t or can’t take it off soon enough so you then need to compensate by putting it all back on the other way. You then keep doing that until you end up side ways across the bay with some fork lift driver thinking he could do it better.
Also the key thing I found is try and use all the space available to set yourself up when going forward. The key to a successful reverse is try and do all your hard work by positioning yourself correctly when your driving forwards up to it. And if your reversing to a tighter space then try and not have the back of your trailer at an angle as it goes in. Try and have it go in straight because if it’s at an angle then that’s when you start having trouble with is swinging into another trailer or wall at the side of it. Yes, I’ve done it! Fortunately no damage caused! But there you go.
Finally, when you get somewhere to park, unless your holding other people up by doing this in which case I wouldn’t bother because it will cause you too much stress, don’t go for the easiest sauce available. If it’s quiet in my trailer park I still don’t go for the easiest space. That way you get to practise. Now and again if it’s really quiet in my trailer park I purposely set myself up for a blind side reverse, just for the practise, because you never know when you might get to a delivery or collection where you have no other option to blind side in, and if you’ve never even given it a go because you’ve always taken the easy option, you’ll be screwed!
If you do have to go blind side at someone else’s premises though I always ask some one to watch my back just to be on the side! Better safe than sorry!
Best bit of advice I ever had was…
If in doubt, stop and get out and have a look… Much better than trashing someone’s new wagon… 
Pretend to be a Bulgarian !
best advice I always give drivers and its stayed with me since I passed
Don’t be C@@T and take a shunt !!!
My instructor gave me that advice 10yrs ago.
works for me…