Hi all, halfway into my training and keep messing up on the reverse procedure.
I keep doing daft stuff as well like missing the cone or focusing on not crossing the yellow line and not watching the cone in my right upper mirror. On day 2 I was acing the reverse, but now I can’t seem to complete it at all.
I’ll get it in once or twice, or get it close. Then do daft mistakes like turning the wrong way. I’ve only had about 6 tries at doing the manoeuvre as the reverse pad is always busy with a instructor that has a pupil really struggling. My test is at the end of the week and of course, I need to pass the 3A.
I’m hoping the pupil that is really struggling remains on mornings as I’m moving to afternoon lessons. Then I should be able to get some practice in and be tested on the 3A.
The reverse procedure isn’t really about ability to reverse, but more a planned rehearsal where everything must line up correctly as your instructor says and if you deviate from the script even slightly, you mess the positioning up.
My technique for teaching reversing is just that. I teach folks to reverse and then to complete the exercise. For reasons that escape me, the huge majority of instructors attempt the exercise before teaching reversing. To me, that’s an obvious flaw.
Or maybe it’s just me being old fashioned.
But the truth is that I’ve had very few reversing fails in my 50 years of HGV training.
Pete S:
My technique for teaching reversing is just that. I teach folks to reverse and then to complete the exercise. For reasons that escape me, the huge majority of instructors attempt the exercise before teaching reversing. To me, that’s an obvious flaw.
Hope it improves this coming week, Pete S
Thanks for the words of encouragement, on day 1 they taught me how to reverse in a straight line, that part is immaculate. It’s just the script I need to follow.
No doubt I will be working on it tomorrow, maybe even doing the test as the other instructor will be sitting at the reverse pad idle with a pupil out in his truck on test.
I will report back how I get on. The driving forwards part is immaculate, some tricky test route roads to revisit to ensure I know how to approach them.
It sounds to me like the instructor is ‘teaching by numbers’ - i.e. getting too bogged down following a series of several markers/reference points to complete the exercise, rather than teaching the art of reversing itself.
ARandomer:
on day 1 they taught me how to reverse in a straight line, that part is immaculate.
Take comfort from this, as this is the bit many struggle with!
If you can do the initial steering (full right, full left) to bring cone B into your O/S mirror and then guide the trailer toward the bay in some fashion, you can then take a nice shunt forwards, straighten out, and reverse straight back into the bay area.
BishBashBosh:
It sounds to me like the instructor is ‘teaching by numbers’ - i.e. getting too bogged down following a series of several markers/reference points to complete the exercise, rather than teaching the art of reversing itself.
Basically you start off at the start of the reverse, take a half turn to the right and then reverse back until you see a number come up on the trailer, once you see that number full lock left quickly. Then keep proceeding until you see your right underarm bar then begin straightening the trailer up and reverse into the bay.
Keep doing back in a straight line, adjusting the trailer where needed. Then go back until you see a marker number on the ground in the reverse pad, you may need to slightly adjust from here, so get out and check.
But day 1 I was taught how to reverse in a straight line, which I got good at.
I passed today without even needing a shunt which stunned my instructor, as it’s usually on the test when the nerves come and cause issues, not on the practice. We got down there within a hour of my lesson and began 2-3 practice reverses, then the other instructor pulled up to examine me.
Edit: As far as I’m aware, most places teach the 3A by this method and little reversing technique is taught. Once I got it close to where I wanted I just began editing the reverse myself to get close to the bay, you need to know when to turn the trailer and allow it to move. We’re pretty much revising how to do the practical test now, with some test routes and when to turn getting ironed out.
ARandomer:
Basically you start off at the start of the reverse, take a half turn to the right and then reverse back until you see a number come up on the trailer, once you see that number full lock left quickly. Then keep proceeding until you see your right underarm bar then begin straightening the trailer up and reverse into the bay.
Keep doing back in a straight line, adjusting the trailer where needed. Then go back until you see a marker number on the ground in the reverse pad
Sounds confusing!
Well done on getting it nailed, you can concentrate preparing for the on-road test now.
Well done on getting it nailed, you can concentrate preparing for the on-road test now.
Yeah, it’s more a rehearsed plan and if you don’t stick to the script you need to adjust the reverse yourself and know when and how to steer. It was easy to memorise. Just need to get the left lock on quick as possible.
You begin practicing it on day 1 or 2. On my second day I had it perfected but then I kept messing it up or steering too slow.
Just getting my road side of things perfected now, at least I don’t have to worry about getting the 3A passed now.
Forget what the instructor taught you now you’ve passed, It’s a pointless manoeuvre you’ll never do again. I was taught to watch for a bit tape on the headboard you can’t reverse into a bay watching the headboard.
