Hi all had my second class 1 job last night what a nightmare got back to the yard and had to reverse across the yard on a deg leg to the tightest spot yet but turned into the nightmare of all nightmares 
had to shunt quite a few times but what annoyed me was trying to guess where the back was once i lost sight of it as the trailer obscured the mirror is there a nack to it 
all i can say is at least no one was there to see me hash it up (0130am) mind you i was trying to avoid all other lorries in the yard to. Other than that it was good fun and i loved it so a few helpfull tips would be nice please if poss.
All i can say to you is always try to turn the truck around on the good side if its possible, that way you can look out the window.
If on the other hand you have to blindside somewhere then just take your time & if your unsure about anything dont be affraid to get out & look. If you use the wide angled mirror you can see much more then just using the bigger mirror.
Dont worry mate it does get easier i promise, ive only been driving artics for 5 months & i felt like giving it all up as i couldnt see myself getting any better. However i stuck at it & i can honestly say my reversing is now as good as the next guy.
I still have times when i mess it right up but the difference is i dont care what people think, i just pull out & start again. Its always harder to reverse with an audience & if you can learn to just concentrate on what your doing & not how many people are watching then your half way there.
Goodluck mate
Reversing can be soul destroying when you first start but it does get easier and you get to accept that you arenāt going to get it right every time. Still ā ā ā ā it up some times, I just donāt worry about it any more.
after 32 years at it sometimes i get it spot on but sometimes i LIKE all other drivers have a bad day so dont think you are the first(cos i was) and dont think you will bw the last (cos i still is) just do it and when other drivers are standing ther ,they are not taking the micky the are hoping you get it in one cos they know they were that man once.
It does get easier and it also gets to the stage that you stop worrying or caring what other people think and if you need a shunt or two you take them. After a while youāll find that you can reverse into the tightest places no problem but when you have all the room in the world you ā ā ā ā it up. Or is that just me? 
Youāll get there in the end chris, donāt worry about it there is a lot of us on here in the same boat, youāre lucky that it was quiet it gets worse with an audience, I can vouch for that
Like said above ,always try and reverse from you good side even if it means spinning the motor around.
I was a nightmare when i first started and saw no light at the end of the tunnel,but you soon get the knack
i mess up every now and again,usually when thereās loads of other drivers about
Just keep at it and it gets much easier over time - although normally the more space you have the worse you are !!!
G
Hi all
Many thansk for all the tips etc will give them a try i did get out a few times as it was pitch black and the yard lights didnāt work and the reversing lights were well lets say not very good once again many thanks i will keep going as i am enjoying myself cheers 
bikemonkey:
i mess up every now and again,usually when thereās loads of other drivers about
If the loaders are waiting on the dock for me, then thatās pretty much a guarantee that itāll take me at least 10 minutes to get on the bay 
In answer to the original question, it does get easier to some extent, although I think Iāve gone backwards recently (excuse the pun) because I havenāt done much driving, and therefore Iām out of practice.
Iāve got shares in this 
!
Iāve only had my class 1 for a year and only work weekends and it does get easier or is it that you get pass caring!
I worked for the first time in 7 weeks ā¦yep stuffed up BIG time, reversing onto a Morrisons bay!
Take Care
It does get easier - I can now fit 8 zig-zags into a straight reverse onto the bay. When I started I could only manage 5
Coffeeholic:
It does get easier and it also gets to the stage that you stop worrying or caring what other people think and if you need a shunt or two you take them. After a while youāll find that you can reverse into the tightest places no problem but when you have all the room in the world you ā ā ā ā it up. Or is that just me?
been there before. day after day doing the same run but you always get the odd days where you just cannot get it right.
on the other hand, i dont really know how i get the trailer where i want it. i just do it. when i think about it, i mess it up. instinct seems to play a big part in it. of course it doesnt help when you can go from a 4 wheeler to 6 axles to a decker to a 20ā single axle etc etc etc. the joys of agency work
Hi all
Doesnāt look like the agency have got anything yet so fingers crossed but will try to put all tips into action but no it doesnāt help only doing class 1 evry now and then and going class 2 for ages then class 1 etc so hopefully class 1 will purk up a bit never know i might do it first time this time instead of the normal trip all round the yard so will let you all know take it easy out there. 
bet they have a good chuckle when they look back at some of the cctv footage
when i reverse
wonder if it will get shown on you,ve been framed if it does i want 50 %
HI i have been Class 1 since 89 and i still get it wrong. the important thing is to remeber its better to go slow and easy rather than try and impress anyone and rip your passenger wing mirror off or put a big gouge in your unit or trailer. ( done that one ) as said always try and use the easy side so yo can look out your window. there are some good tip on this site under FAQ and tip page.
another tip i was given was : if there is room to drive to your bay and swing around and line yourself up straight then do so, rather than trying to look smart in a complicated angle approach. Always take the easy option if it is there. better to swing around line up straight and go straight back IMHO. as for blind reversing i always ask for help if it is there, noone really minds.
also if you have a good boss then be honest and ask if you can spend an hour or so in the yard practising and practice more. if you do not ask you do not get!
First job I was given was a night run to an RDC about 50 miles down the motorway. How easy was that? Well, all went fine until I had to reverse onto the bay. After about 10 shunts the Ediie Stobart driver next to me came to to āhelpā but seemed more intent on shouting and poking fun. I just couldnāt quite get the accuracy I needed. Anyway, about 20 shunts later I managed to dock but with the unit at an angle and I was too scared to pull forward and straighten up so left it there for the amusement of all who passed over the next three hours. When I got back to base I found an easy place to park!
Resigned to the fact that I clearly wasnāt cut out for this I was pleased that at least Iād given it a go.
Next weekend the agency called with an urgent job for a big name supermarket. I decided to give it one more try, packed my bag and set off. I nice run down to Devon on a summerās evening, found the store OK but couldnāt believe the yard - how I longed for a nice big RDC again! Anyway, I pulled in, spun the lorry on the spot (1st time Iād ever done that!) and eased back onto the bay without even a shunt. Confidence restored.
If Iām somewhere new I always walk in and plan my moves first and if itās not obvious, ask how the other drivers do it.
It still goes wrong sometimes, usually when I have spectators but I remind myself thatās all they are - they couldnāt do it themselves.
Apart from the driver mentioned above ALL the others Iāve met have been very helpful - from explaining a āstrangeā gearbox to guiding a blindside reverse. Just donāt be afraid to ask.
Anyway, about 20 shunts later I managed to dock but with the unit at an angle and I was too scared to pull forward and straighten up so left it there for the amusement of all who passed over the next three hours.
Pure classic
Unfortunatley all to familar for me
[/quote]
Hi chris520j
A bit ago, I had a class 1 job through agency with a local haulier.Job went well but when I got back to yard there was one very tight space left to drop trailer. It was dark and misty and took me ages, keeping getting out checking. In the end I could just squeeze between the two sides of the trailer. All this time there were 2 or 3 other drivers looking on with arms folded, waiting for me to hit something, shaking their heads. Next night I got the same company, talking to a driver before leaving the yard he said āyou canāt be any worse than the one we had last nightā¦ took him over half an hour to reverse. Absolutely uselessā!!!
C
Got to work tonight at the same time as our deliveryā¦ some joker has decided out the back of our store, to dig up some random bits of the rear car park. This meant our driver had to get the lorry through a gap my mum would struggle to reverse her car through. Nowā¦ this - Google Maps -
is our access road (our Argos is the corner store, yard entrance next to the layby in the centre of the page) , and he had to get it round 90 degrees into said tiny gap. Now, the yardās a lot less cluttered than in that picture, but itās still no walk in the park, when the room at the front end is as limited as seen.
Full credit to the guy, he got it in without even a scratch - as said, better to take a few attempts at it, than to have popped into one of the trenches. Iāll be doing that in the not-too-distant future, fingers crossedā¦
Pete
link shortened Denis F