hi drivers
Been driving class 2 for a while now and wanted to go go class 1.So passed it month ago,few weeks later had my first class 1 job.Went to pick up a trailer went to peterborough and came back and took like 20 min to put it in a bay.so frustrated.it was easy when was doing it my class 1 practical but after passing hard.
Now after my third shift still cant get it.Yesterday was trying to put in a bay and couldnt so another driver did.
Wanted to know whats the trick?How u guys managed to do it? on top of that with those tight bays. advice please thanks a lot.
waj1d5:
hi drivers
Been driving class 2 for a while now and wanted to go go class 1.So passed it month ago,few weeks later had my first class 1 job.Went to pick up a trailer went to peterborough and came back and took like 20 min to put it in a bay.so frustrated.it was easy when was doing it my class 1 practical but after passing hard.
Now after my third shift still cant get it.Yesterday was trying to put in a bay and couldnt so another driver did.
Wanted to know whats the trick?How u guys managed to do it? on top of that with those tight bays. advice please thanks a lot.
Well done on passing pal! 
No advice as i’m greener than you (not ES green) but a bay is a hell of a lot tighter than the cones on the test…
I’d say practice, and letting someone else do it isn’t practice…
Evil8Beezle:
waj1d5:
hi drivers
Been driving class 2 for a while now and wanted to go go class 1.So passed it month ago,few weeks later had my first class 1 job.Went to pick up a trailer went to peterborough and came back and took like 20 min to put it in a bay.so frustrated.it was easy when was doing it my class 1 practical but after passing hard.
Now after my third shift still cant get it.Yesterday was trying to put in a bay and couldnt so another driver did.
Wanted to know whats the trick?How u guys managed to do it? on top of that with those tight bays. advice please thanks a lot.
Well done on passing pal!
No advice as i’m greener than you (not ES green) but a bay is a hell of a lot tighter than the cones on the test…
I’d say practice, and letting someone else do it isn’t practice…
thanks for the reply man
i thought there is a shortcut to learn the reversing 
i so embarrasing , u passed ur class 1 and the main skill u dont know how to do it. soon or later have to learn it 
There is no ’ secret ’ to reversing. It is simply trial and error. One of the main things that new artic drivers tend to do, is not give themselves enough room. Try and watch other drivers, and pick up on where they position themselves initially.
Also, the slower you go at first, the more time you have to ’ correct ’ yourself.
Have a search on the new and wannabe drivers forum here, there are many threads about reversing.
You’ll discover that it is a bit of a mystical art that just ‘clicks’ one day. Until then it’s hard work, trial and error, making lots of mistakes, possibly dinking a few things along the way. Once the magic kicks in you’ll be able to ‘feel’ the reverse and it is more of an instinct than a conscious thought process.
A few random snippets of advice from the other threads (search for them and you’ll find much more, well worth the effort if you’re struggling):
- go slowly
- use ALL the space available
- if in doubt, get out and have a look (things make more sense on foot)
- ASK for help if you need it, not to drive, but to be an extra pair of eyes where necessary
- take as many shunts as you need, there are no prizes for a ‘hole in one’
- find a technique for thinking which way to turn the wheel (‘left to bend, right to mend’ is a popular one, meaning left steer will deepen the bend between cab and trailer, right steer will reduce the bend and straighten out)…I simply look at which way the BOTTOM of the steering wheel is going, which tells me which way the trailer will go too
- concentrate on your initial positioning…get that right and you’re 80% done, the reverse itself is easy
One of the best bits of advice I’ve seen on here is, imagine you are sat on that bay, which way would you ideally want to come off it? Now try and do that manouevre backwards.
And remember that while you’re winding off that lock (common error is to overdo it) until the unit is bang in line with the trailer, it will continue in its present direction, regardless of the fact that you are turning the wheel the other way.
As said above mate, there isn’t a secret, it’s just practice that makes it easier. Even some of the more experienced chaps on here will admit that they have days where they can’t even put the bloody thing in the right postcode, let alone direction.
And remember, ignore anybody watching, as a newbie, I’d say it takes two to three extra shunts per every person watching.
It’ll come together, I assure you
As odd as it sounds, one day it’ll click and you’ll be bending it like beckam into the bay! Until then: take your time, no prizes for rushing. If stuck, ask for someone to see you in, we’ve all seen a newbie struggling to reverse before. Get the lining up right, I thunk everyone has different preferences on that but I like to make sure I’m well past the bay before I start to reverse. Finally, practice.
Good luck, cavey.
If it’s any comfort I stuffed up a blindside reverse yesterday. Dark and cold, busy yard, blindsiding into an angled 45 degree bay adjacent to another truck who had just arrived moments before me. I knew I was a bit close, I could see that as I gently eased back, but it was only when I got out the other driver told me I had caught his wing mirror on my way back. No damage as such, just a bit of paint transfer, but still soul destroying. I didn’t hear, see or feel a thing…wing mirrors are dark, the dark was dark, I had forgotten that they stick out a way. Doh!
So yes, even as my experience grows I still stuff up. I’m embarrassed about it, but I’ll share the information anyway if it helps others to relax a bit when it comes to newbie reversing…
i was told slow with plenty of small adjustments, and its helping me get into where i need to be, also try get the angle kinda there as you pull past the bay to bring it in.
We’ve all been there, it’s not just you. Took me ages on my first bay and it looked so easy!
As said; slowly does it, look and plan your moves, try not to oversteer (but you will, we can’t help it) and relax, nobody cares! Really, it will be obvious you’re new. If you are still having the same trouble in three months, then start to worry! 
Hi Mate I passed early on this Year,
My 1st Took like it seamed 20 Mins but only took a few, as they say Just take your time Very Small adjustments on the wheel, i got put in at the deep end and ended up doing the shunting with my unit, got in some tight space’s. I have done it 3 times now but it helped try to keep cool. AS they say Don’t panic and good luck.
This vid might help a bit.
