Ok then, driving wise you can reverse in comfort with maximum visibility and by holding the door with one hand you are able to twist your whole body instead of just your neck, so you can see from further outside the vehicle without having to twist your neck alone, and see all drivers side wheels fully.
Secondary benefit, by keeping the drivers window shut you get the full reflection of sound from the rear of the vehicle (much more than just with your head out the window), both from the tyres and the sounds of what they are going over to the greater possibility of hearing someone shout if the unthinkable happened and someone ended up in the danger zone…no that shouldn’t ever happen in an ideal world but it has happened in the real world and will do so again.
Worked for me all my driving life, not suggesting anyone else should do this, each to their own.
The position at which you start the reverse can automatically determine whether you’ll get it on a bay or not for a newb, and give someone experienced a right old job to get it on. Get the right bend and you’re half way there. Look on YouTube for videos plenty of baddens to watch to my instructor never showed me how to set up before reversing an artic in a real life situation and I struggled for a while till someone showed me. if the cab is at an angle of say 1-2pm to the trailer(pretending the head board of the trailer is 12pm) and start coming back gently with your turns ‘watch the middle of the 3 wheels’ as your adjusting the steering not your curtains/box. It does help if there’s lines obviously but you’ll be able to see if it’s going back flush. If it’s almost there pull forward as straight to the bay as possible and all the time going as slow as you can so you make make corrections before it’s too late. The red face and sweats will soon vanish and you’ll be laughing when you can’t get one on and telling the queue you’ve just passed your test thanks for being patient
I think your best option would be a couple of hours instructon then try a shift shunting as others have said with a bit of practice you can line it up so your only removing steering lock using small inputs at a time. As for reversing with the door open you can be banned off site in some places for doing this (guys have fallen out and died). Good luck
Stick with it, we all balls it up at some stage. Happens me every week.
On the door open thing, I do this only if its raining as I seem to get less wet, might be just imagination but seems to work for me.
And just to say as well, you would have got it on the bay, maybe not square, maybe not centre but you would have got it on. Stop for a second, relax a bit and try again.
Don’t work for nothing. Best of luck.
There is not one class 1 driver who reversed onto a bay the first time and got it spot on
All you need is some experience and you will get it right - so put this one down to experience and just give it another go as you will get it right just as everyone else has
I have to do a blind side reverse through a door then a 90 degree turn inside a shed everyday to get loaded!!!
do I get I right every time no possibly only 70%, some days I make a right pigs ear of it and get the ■■■■ taken by the loaders, and I have been doing the same manoeuvre nearly every day for the past 12 years on and off, so as other have said just take it slow if its going wrong just pull forward till its all back in line again and try again, it will come together in time
you need to be watching the trailer wheels its the pivot point for the trailor so when your wheels are in the right place your trailor will be too …I also try to visualise myself driving off the bay and the path the trailer would take and then just reverse it ? …
cupidstunt:
I think this highlights the problem with most LGV instructors, who teach people how to pass the test, not how to actually drive.
The reversing manoeuvre on the test is learned not by practicing but by learning to turn the wheel so many times at point a then another certain number of times at point b etc. This may get you through the test but doesn’t really help in the real world.
That could be true for many but certainly not most because there is usually times when it is done ‘for real’ such as parking up at the end of a session
One easy way to do a little real life stuff during training is to find a really quiet empty road perhaps at the back of an ind est etc and park up on the right about 3 feet from the kerb then reverse across the road to park up in a straight line and as tight as possible on the left hand side by doing it as efficiently as possible - without touching any kerb
Get straight back on your horse seany,you shouldn’t have gone home chum,get out of that frame of mind because you have plenty of reversing to do in the future, if you go home every time you have any difficulty in the job you’ll never get out the yard,take all the advice you’ve been given above and get stuck in, good luck.
maestegboy:
Some people find it easier to reverse with the drivers door open!
Give it a try!
Try it with a Renault. It’s like sitting in a bloody fruit machine with all the bleepers going off and lights flashing, and I doubt any other modern trucks are much different. OP needs as little distraction as possible IMO.
With modern truck mirrors it should rarely be necessary to hang out of the doors like we used to. I don’t consider it good practice anyway.
maestegboy:
Some people find it easier to reverse with the drivers door open!
Give it a try!
Try it with a Renault. It’s like sitting in a bloody fruit machine with all the bleepers going off and lights flashing, and I doubt any other modern trucks are much different. OP needs as little distraction as possible IMO.
With modern truck mirrors it should rarely be necessary to hang out of the doors like we used to. I don’t consider it good practice anyway.
agreed,handbrake not applied warning with the door open,seatbelt warning and door open warning,puts you right off.
Juddian:
Do you have a towbar on your car, or can you borrow someones car and/or trailer, if you can spend a few hours in a quiet car park perfecting reversing, size isn’t the problem (as i keep telling my mrs) the basics are exactly the same.
Otherwise you’ll have to find someone prepared to teach you, either a friend if he has access to a motor or you’ll have to pay a driving instructor for some intense training.
Don’t worry about bollxing up we’ve all done it, and don;t worry about going home unpaid, put it down to just one of those things…in a short while you’ll look back on this and laugh.
I say this to every new driver, take a few minutes every day every trip to practice the reverses you don’t like where there’s no danger of hitting something, its when the pressures on that you muck up so make it easy for yourself by getting used to it.
I don’t think the car thing would be worth bothering with, to be honest an artic is easier. The op needs practice reversing with nobody about to get his confidence back.
I can see why you’d say that but think Juddian has a point about getting to understand the dynamics of articulated reversing. Personally I find the longer the trailer the better it seems to go, I prefer 4 to 6 legger units, and struggle more with an empty yard than a tight space (probably the reference points that you use).
Jack Nicklaus used to be called a lucky golfer and his response was to say that the more he practiced the luckier he got. That’s my take with reversing.
seany-225577:
So… I passed my class 2 around two years ago and have been driving 7.5 very regular since and in June this year I decided to go for my class 1 which I passed first time.
Today was the first day I went for an agency shift on class 1. After quite frankly making a hash of reversing onto the dock we came to an agreement I would cut my loss and go home unpaid.
Obviously this has put a downer on me as I would love to learn but just don’t know how? Any advice on best place/way to get some experience and practice.
Please don’t take the p##s as I’m sure we have all been there??
Thanks
Your experience won’t be uncommon, I’m sure we have all made a hash of reversing at some point, blimey I have trouble parking my own car and the missus takes the pee.
As mentioned if you can get some practice in great but even just buying or borrowing a toy truck and seeing how it reverses on a table will help. Its all about the trailer and how it responds to your actions, make as small steering wheel actions as possible and always anticipate starting to correct just before you have to.
Starting position is key though and try and use as much space as is available and just before the reverse put a slight but of opposite lock on to start as this acts as a trigger for me that when i’m putting on left hand down the trailers going to the right (obvious I know but when your new to this it will help).
Don’t worry about getting embarrassed and folks watching, see it as a challenge, I’ve made some right lash ups of simple reverses that i have felt like kissing the tarmac when its completed (not advisable in a lorry park).
Winding your window down will help, also make sure your mirrors are as clean and well adjusted as possible, I carry a roll of bounty kitchen tissue(other brands are available) for cleaning the mirrors as often as I can, amongst other things
Now I’m not the one to be giving advice out about this because I’m still a rooky on the artic,and in any case,reading these replies,theres some pure gold here.
But just to keep Your spirits up I will say this.
About 1 month ago I was in the same boat as You,could reverse the thing for love nor money.Now I don’t have to reverse on bays because I drive a car transporter.I always have to reverse into the dealers entrance or down no through roads and what have You.Sometimes inbetween brand new cars.
So amagine how far out My comfort zone I was.
What I was doing was too much rushing,and the famous over steering.
Now I reckon I’m entering the ( click ) stage,because I’ve slowed things right down and I now do whats been mentioned on here,bit of lock on,then of again,bit of lock on,of again,nice and slowly.
But ey,saying all this,I was up in Alnwick yesterday morning on lionheart estate and made a rite pigs ear of My reverse.If the red lowloader drivers on Here who I made to wait for Me messing about,soz Mate.But then,My 2nd pickup in Southshields,reversed it straight in no bother.Its a funny old game.
But stick with it matey.You WILL get there.Best of luck.
I too agree with what Folk say.The lgv test does not realy set You up for the real world.
my instructor never showed me how to set up before reversing an artic in a real life situation and I struggled for a while till someone showed me. if the cab is at an angle of say 1-2pm to the trailer(pretending the head board of the trailer is 12pm) and start coming back gently with your turns ‘watch the middle of the 3 wheels’ as your adjusting the steering not your curtains/box. It does help if there’s lines obviously but you’ll be able to see if it’s going back flush. If it’s almost there pull forward as straight to the bay as possible and all the time going as slow as you can so you make make corrections before it’s too late. The red face and sweats will soon vanish and you’ll be laughing when you can’t get one on and telling the queue you’ve just passed your test thanks for being patient 
