Just read a tweet from Luke (switchlogic) about reversing on ferries. I never been on one with a truck just wondered how hard it is on various ones. Any anecdotes anyone?
Have done runs out of Liverpool, Fleetwood, Holyhead, Belfast, Larne and Dunlaoghrie (or however it’s spelt 
)
The unnerving parts are the height (or lack of sometimes) and the initial U-turn (not too much room and I’ve been known to snap an air line) though the final reversing in bit can be dodgy, especially if it’s slightly blind side - though in fairness there is usually a deckhand or two marshalling you in to position.
Try reversing a Lorry and drag with a spread axle, up a slippery ramp with the sun in your eyes. Gt.Yarmouth to Esbjerg, 1987
viking7000:
Try reversing a Lorry and drag with a spread axle, up a slippery ramp with the sun in your eyes. Gt.Yarmouth to Esbjerg, 1987
LOL. nightmare
Reversing is the easy bit. Its getting back in the cab in the morning which is the hard part. Even finding the lorry in morning can be difficult 
ye done quite few over years but worst one maybe 20 yrs ago getting on old Purbeck outa poole midnight in thunder storm up ramp blind side oh ye had been in ferrymans boozer while waiting for boat usual them days
I’m on a ferry normally twice a week that requires reversing on it. Remember this is not Uk with 17m truck . This is FIN/SWE so 25m trucks. And the best part is when there are guys With D/PL/LT plates and just a simple 16,5m trailer that requires 15min to get on to the ferry While waiting on the Swedish side you have a perfect entertainment watching some guys trying to reverse.
I have run this type of combination recently before i went on vacation and can’t say I have any problems reversing 2minutes and I’m there
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Its one of those things that just needs practice and patience. My first ever reverse in my first truck driving job was onto a ferry, Merchant Ferries as it was then out of Dublin, I then went on to catch about 250 ferries the following year with Nolans so that was my baptism of fire and how I learnt to reverse. I can see why people struggle though, if you only do it once in a blue moon then it may be hard, plus drivers get stressed with the fact others are waiting for them and often you’ve a deckhand front and rear telling you different things. Top tip is to stay calm and try and follow their instructions, but not religiously, if you think you know better on how to get it into the gap then do it your way, they aren’t drivers remember you are. I tend not to laugh at others struggling, its not nice.
LASHHGV:
Just read a tweet from Luke (switchlogic) about reversing on ferries. I never been on one with a truck just wondered how hard it is on various ones. Any anecdotes anyone?
If in doubt, ask a Dutch driver to do it for you. They love it!
LASHHGV:
Just read a tweet from Luke (switchlogic) about reversing on ferries. I never been on one with a truck just wondered how hard it is on various ones. Any anecdotes anyone?
A week tomorrow I’ll let you know - my first time on Hull - Europort ferry!
From what I can gather - it will either be straight up ramp, tight turn around the front and keep forwards, or straight up ramp and then reverse back, depending on when I get there. I think if I end up on lower deck I might have to back on down the ramp.
Anyway, have decided to just chill and take it nice and slow; I’d rather be laughed at for taking an age then laughed at for hitting something! It would be nice if the ferry company produced some diagrams or even videos, but hey ho.
switchlogic:
Its one of those things that just needs practice and patience. My first ever reverse in my first truck driving job was onto a ferry, Merchant Ferries as it was then out of Dublin, I then went on to catch about 250 ferries the following year with Nolans so that was my baptism of fire and how I learnt to reverse. I can see why people struggle though, if you only do it once in a blue moon then it may be hard, plus drivers get stressed with the fact others are waiting for them and often you’ve a deckhand front and rear telling you different things. Top tip is to stay calm and try and follow their instructions, but not religiously, if you think you know better on how to get it into the gap then do it your way, they aren’t drivers remember you are. I tend not to laugh at others struggling, its not nice.
That just about sums it up perfect 
. Thing is… they want you to keep between the yellow lane lines so they can get the chains on, so it’s pretty much a straight reverse then quickly grab your bag an get out or you’ll be sleeping in the cab, and if YOU are a BIG BOY you won’t get out.
don’t worry m8 n.sea ferries seen it all b4 besides the oh im great first time every time everybody even old hands av bad day sometimes. just take your time and blank out any a…holes trying to rush ya then go get ur cabin and find rather nice restaurant they have on there it all be distant memory gd luck
Jack up the trailer suspension to avoid parting company with the rear underrun bar if the linkspan is at a particularly jaunty angle 
Passed my test in Swindon on a Thursday, reversing onto the Hull boat Saturday! That was a baptism of fire. If you were on the lower deck on that boat you had to watch your under-run bars on the trailer when backing on.
Another good one was the Ipswich boat out of Ostende. You had an L shaped floating pontoon to drive on, then reverse onto the boat. The pontoon moved on the water as the truck drives over it.
Hull to Europort, Europrt to Hull…Hardest reverse onto ferry is if you have to reverse your truck down the ramp staying on the lower deck, keeping your trucks nearside to the side of the ship, they cram them in like sardines and you have to get really close up to the side of the ship, if you hit anything, your truck will come off worse !! Driving straight up to the top level is a doddle, and even if you have to reverse on top deck theres plenty of room. You will be fine, btw the grub in the drivers lounge is spot on !
my favourite was the heysham to douglas ferry, in a wagon and drag( centre axles) you drove in and had to turn around the centre bulkhead and come back up the other side, great fun
I have run this type of combination recently before i went on vacation and can’t say I have any problems reversing 2minutes and I’m there
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Great respect and slight jealousy 
This is the way to do it
My first time with a wagon and drag reversing onto the ferry in Harwich to the hook was a nightmare, never reversed a drag in my life before, had 25 shunts before blaming the trailer, till a docker saved my life and offered to do it and what a driver, no shunts, just a straight reverse. What i did find out though for the next time in an artic was, as you reversed down the ramp was the darkness inside the ferry, bright sunshine outside and couldnt see the rear end of the trailer for darkness a nightmare at the time.
Slightly off topic… But does anyone remember the turners tanker that was hanging off the back of the HSS, think it was 2009, he didn’t have to worry about reversing on or off