your location might help 
Just out of interest did you reverse ok on the test or just manage to wing it, reason I ask is I didnât learn to reverse properly to after I passed, I made a right arse of it on my test, and at that time (1979 
) it was the first thing that you done, so I went around the test course thinking I had failed already, on the test I had to do an emergency stop to avoid a kid which I reckon did it for me, at the end of test the guy told me I had passed but to get some reversing practice in as soon as, so donât worry it WILL come natural soon.
robroy:
Just out of interest did you reverse ok on the test or just manage to wing it, reason I ask is I didnât learn to reverse properly to after I passed, I made a right arse of it on my test, and at that time (1979
My reverse on the test was bang on, but the trailers are tiny, 5th wheel set back as far as poss to give a slow turn etc. 1st time I tried reversing onto a bay - big fridge trailer at Brakes in Bellshill at around 4am when all the rigidâs are getting on their way - was an absolute embarrasement, probably used more drive time getting onto that bay than the drive from Rochdale to Scotland 
I did ok though, got a job with some really awkward deliveries and also a bit of spare time waiting for a delivery slot and started messing around in car parks and yards and generally got an eye for it, but sometimes â â â â still goes wrong 
The slower you go the more time you have to react and correct the trailer.Like previous posts say if you are ever unsure get out and look saves any mishaps.Dont be afraid to ask someone to watch you back neither we have all been there trouble is thses days most drivers wont help unless asked.
I passed 4 years ago and been driving class 1 for around 2years full time when i started my reversing was ok but not great the only advise i can offer you is to make sure you set youe self up right before you start reversing it does get better and it will click into place good luck fella
There are certain locations that will test even the most experienced driver, one that comes to mind is bay 25 at morrisons Stockton on tees. Here setting it up before you reverse is the key
Find someone with a towbar on their car and a trailer and practise on a local car park
If you can master a tiny trailer, a 40 footer is a doddle, much less correcting.
It does get better, Iâve had some great advice off this forum, best thing I did is try as often as possible safely, plan as you approach where your gonna be reversing, get an idea where your trailer wheels need to be before you go backwards and the angle of the trailer and how much bend you need on the unit. I found that setting myself up to go straight back rarely worked at first, I was always off by a good few feet. I found that having the trailer pointing at an angle to where the front of the unit would end up with a bit of bend on the unit so I can stick my head out of the window and see how everything worked, as I started to go backwards I then got a feel for how much steering wheel input to use, look at the trailer wheels not the trailer, at first I was getting to within a foot of where I needed to be , but it does get better, nowadays I usually still need a shunt but Iâm usually only an inch or two off. Donât think that everyone is watching and laughing as that is rarely the case, and if you ask other drivers will keep an eye out for you, especially the n/s/r corner of the trailer. When you need a shunt to jink a few inches donât forget the artic wiggle, I also found that to be going straight back after a shunt/wiggle if I canât see any trailer wheels in my mirrors then Iâm straight, some use the edges of the headboard or how much trailer is in the mirrors. The other thing that I was guilty of is rushing it, donât, do your manoeuvre on idle whilst feathering the clutch/brake, you shouldnât need to use the loud pedal.
The other main point isâŚ
Donât forget to open the doors , seriously though, this is a great excuse to have a timeout if itâs not going to plan.
I donât get why companyâs stick Reverse on the bay in one thatâs parts of the assessment as its all practice reversing in one. even some one with 40 years experience canât do it with out a few shunts. best way how I remember it is when looking in your mirrors turn the direction you want to see less trailer
What exactly are new drivers being taught these days, no slowing by downchanging and engine brake braking, no controlled emergency stop, no manoeuvering especially reversing competence?
Do you have a towbar on your car or can you borrow one?, if so beg steal or borrow a caravan and or anything else you can get your mitts and go and practice every reverse you can think of till you can do it in your sleep, the rudiments are the same only the angles and turn ins will be different.
Get yourself fully experienced in this before buying a couple for hours from a good trainer, save some dosh.
I and probably many others learned such things long before we went for our HGVâs.
90% of reversing is start in the right position but its practice. The manoeuvre you do on your test is more than likely nothing like you will face in real life.
kr79:
90% of reversing is start in the right position but its practice. The manoeuvre you do on your test is more than likely nothing like you will face in real life.
Ainât that the truth. When was the last time you did an S reverse into a bay 
I think most of us have problems now and then when reversing, normally when there is an audience. I make a point, when in our yard, of reversing into the most difficult space. It helps that nobody makes comments.
I dont know if this will make much sense....But, I had trouble reversing when I first passed my test and got a job. I quickly realised that you need to go very slowly, watch where the trailer wheels are going in relation to the input from the steering wheel.....But the most important bit was starting off from the right point, great if you have lots of room, not so great if you dont. I did not have many drops where I had lot of room, so quickly got used to confined spaces and working it out in my head before I startedâŚThen when you get presented with lot`s of room, you promptly make a right pigs ear of it
Now this is the bit that may not make much senseâŚI visualised where I wanted to be, and was able to do it much more accurately, a bit like leaving the mind and body to just get on with it, relaxing and just going with it.
I still have days when I seem unable to get to where I want to be, but I reckon that is due to state of mind at the time.
Juddian:
What exactly are new drivers being taught these days, no slowing by downchanging and engine brake braking, no controlled emergency stop, no manoeuvering especially reversing competence?
Brakes for slow and gears for go in normal conditions - modern braking systems make this possible, safer, easier and more economical than using intermediate gears
Controlled stop not done on test any more but the reality is that the trainee will be competant in doing that and may have done so a few times in training
Reversing ⌠if only the test reverse has been taught on training then the trainee will struggle in the real world but most good schools get the trainees to do more than that in real life situations such as parking up at the end of the session into a tight space
Dieseldoforme:
âŚimagine a piece of string tied from the RIGHT REAR of your trailer
to 3 oâclock on your steering wheel.
âŚimagine another piece of string tied from the LEFT REAR of your trailer to 9 oâclock on your steering wheel.
âŚas you reverse dead slow, your steering wheel will pull âthe imaginary string and
therefore the rear of the trailerâ in the direction that you want your trailer to go.
If it starts to go wrong, STOP. Ease forward. Straighten up. Try again. DONâT RUSH IT.
.
Thatâs probably the best answer on here, as well as the reverselessons,
I forgot I had a wheelbarrow sized trailer on my car, rememberef something 1/2 way home threw the the car in reverse & jacknifed it up the side if the car , what an amateur.
I can only re-iterate whatâs already been said in other posts here.
Reversing is probably the hardest part when it comes to operating an artic,but the more you do it,the easier it gets,youâll just get a âfeelâ for where you can and canât reverse into,and yes,you will â â â â it up even with years of experience behind you,it can be a steep learning curve for some,and others just pick it up,but nobodys perfect.
Donât beat yourself up about failing an assesment,it was nothing personal and doesnt mean youâre no good at what you do,practice is what it takes,youâll get there.
Best of luck with it. 
obsessivecompulsive2:
practice is what it takes,youâll get there.
That is the issue - how do they practice without the use of an artic ?
ROG:
obsessivecompulsive2:
practice is what it takes,youâll get there.That is the issue - how do they practice without the use of an artic ?
Good point.
Also, without âexperienceâ how do you know where to âstartâ off the reversing maneuverer?
ROG:
Juddian:
What exactly are new drivers being taught these days, no slowing by downchanging and engine brake braking, no controlled emergency stop, no manoeuvering especially reversing competence?Brakes for slow and gears for go in normal conditions - modern braking systems make this possible, safer, easier and more economical than using intermediate gears
Controlled stop not done on test any more but the reality is that the trainee will be competent in doing that and may have done so a few times in training
Reversing ⌠if only the test reverse has been taught on training then the trainee will struggle in the real world but most good schools get the trainees to do more than that in real life situations such as parking up at the end of the session into a tight space
Ah thanks for coming back Rog.
ââBrakes for slow and gears for go in normal conditionsââ
Yes, the eurosafe mantra, but why?, whats wrong with teaching a new driver to be in total control of his vehicle, in an appropriate gear using the auxilliary braking at all normal times?
Whats wrong with instilling in the driver the advantage of keeping the brakes cool, for safety and back up when something fails or goes badly wrong.
I know you chaps have to teach like this, but i and most other drivers who have done this job, properly, for dozens of years do not agree and old school trainers do not either, ââin normal conditionsââ, so presumably in abnormal conditions its OK for a driver to use the gears and engine braking to assist vehicle control?..if so thats grossly unfair on new drivers, they shouldnât be learning to control their vehicles in abnormal conditions, they should be doing so all the time so they are fully converstant and its second nature.
The day after they pass a test a new driver can be in a basically maintained battered old lorry in the Derbyshire Dales, how are they to know how to cope in such conditions when descending very steep hills fully loaded that often end in village cross roads (and have seen various tragedies over the years), yes the brakes will probably cope, but if something, anything, goes wrong the driver has nothing in reserve because the brakes are already almost glowing due to lack of assistance and progressive low geared engine braking during descent.
Vehicle manufacturers (MAN, DAF, Volvo at least and probably many others) who fit satans auto boxes usually fit a max engine braking switch to their vehicles, which automatically selects the lowest gear possible and automatically applies the retarder, this tells me the makers havenât yet decided eurosafe is the best form, and that their tranmissions are more than capable of taking the strain, so lets not get â â â â â â â in this brakes are cheaper than gearboxes rubbish, that might apply to a car but a car and a freighted lorry are a world apart and why chaps like you make money⌠.
âââControlled stop not done on test any more but the reality is that the trainee will be competant in doing that and may have done so a few times in trainingâââ
So a driver MAY have practised a few emergency stops in a lorry, does that mean he MAY not have done so as well, if so how do you the trainer or more importantly the examiner know that the driver is cool calm competent in a stressful situation, is there an exchange of words with the examiner or does he assume you have all trained to a standard, if not how does the examiner judge the drivers competence under emergency heavy braking.
ââââReversing ⌠if only the test reverse has been taught on training then the trainee will struggle in the real world but most good schools get the trainees to do more than that in real life situations such as parking up at the end of the session into a tight spaceââââ
Yes, i was lucky in my training, my more old fashioned than a old fashioned thing trainer (and none the worse for that) had me reversing the zig zag cones and all sorts of manoeuvers, the test reverse was a doddle.
It would appear however from the OP that good maoeuvering training is a bit of a lottery.
Iâm not having a go at you Rog, and i do appreciate you coming back.
I do wonder why you experienced trainers donât question things like the âeurosafeâ and âcontrolled stopâ, if enough of you stood up and said its not good enough then someone would have to sit up and listenâŚor is this another EU directive, so just put up and shut up and say nothing.