Hi Guys
Finally I am driving a proper truck - 4 days so far
Hey I reversed into a parking bay - Straight but over lines = Only took 10 mins !!!
I luv it - I feel like a proper trucker rather than driving my old 26t
Working nights - Gosh tired
Takes yonks to put the curtain straps on… and on and on…
MY REVERSING Needs work - I know people are different but approx how long before it kicks in - I feel like a right Plonker !!!
Practise, take your time and get out and look if you need to.
I do 100 summat trailers a nite and i’m still crap… 
How are you doing it, ie through mirrors or what?
Most of reversing is feel, and even for those with MANY reverses under their belt, it still goes wrong now and then.
Only tip I can give, watch the trailer wheels - if it’s a tri axle then mainly the middle wheel - get the wheels straight and you’re in, once you know where and how much lock to take off, it’s 2nd nature, honest, it does get really easy - but I’ve never really struggled with it, so easy for me to say.
As I’ve said though, there are times when you have an empty yard and can’t get the trailer onto a bay / into a spot etc.
waynedl:
How are you doing it, ie through mirrors or what?Most of reversing is feel, and even for those with MANY reverses under their belt, it still goes wrong now and then.
Only tip I can give, watch the trailer wheels - if it’s a tri axle then mainly the middle wheel - get the wheels straight and you’re in, once you know where and how much lock to take off, it’s 2nd nature, honest, it does get really easy - but I’ve never really struggled with it, so easy for me to say.
As I’ve said though, there are times when you have an empty yard and can’t get the trailer onto a bay / into a spot etc.
Lol, thats me, give me a tight as ■■■■ bay, i’ll do it no probs, 100 empty bays and i’ll shunt like a proper knob.
I asked my Dad once how long it took him to feel comfortable with reversing (he drove artics for donkeys years).
He said that he’s not sure he ever did feel that he’d cracked it totally!
It’s one of those things, based on my limited experience, that you’ll suddenly think one day - ‘It’s going right a lot more often than it goes wrong.’ How much of a ■■■■-up you make is always directly related to the number of people watching. Give me a tight yard, at night, with nobody about, and I’ll get it in one. Give me an empty yard, in daylight, with 100 watching and it’ll take an hour, I’ll need a 45 in the middle of it, and it’ll still end up at an odd angle to the bay lines!
Gary
Cheers Lads
You have made me Smile
The Security lads were going to post my reversing on You Tube !!!
I have only been driving Hgv for 5 years - and i’m 44 - Wish I had done it years ago — Wasted life
We sat and watched a bloke take over an hour to put a trailer on a bay the other week, nothing for two bays either side, plenty space to back on straight. the poor bloke even asked one of us to do it for him. So your ten minutes is fine mate.
but i guess four shunters sat watching does put you off a bit. 
Aye
I said to Security I can’t reverse - So I back down and fork lift guys come out to me Yet the trailer still kinks and I still tell mysel Left to right etc
I drive either an Auto CF or Iveco Auto
But on overtime in the morning and got to drive a CF MANUAL !!! YUK
I’d rather drive a CF Manual than an auto anything.
Makes reversing a lot easier with a manual box.
Volunteer to do a bit of shunting , you will soon improve !
Just comes with practice, you’ll soon pick it up 
I’ve never ever passed remarks on new drivers, we were all new at some stage and we’ve all been there 
The ferries can be great fun though, especially when you have to reverse onto them as an in-experienced driver with about 30+ other drivers watching and waiting… 
dar1976:
I’d rather drive a CF Manual than an auto anything.Makes reversing a lot easier with a manual box.
It’s not just me then! I’ve only been driving automatics since September and for the life of me I can’t get used to not feathering the clutch when reversing, it’s driving me bloody mad!
Look over your right shoulder to begin with and try and get the trailer as straight as possible before you start, and keep an eye on the near side of the unit.
If you are in your 20’s you will be an ace in a matter of months, make the most of it my backwards mojo has gone the same direction as my hair, down the drain.
1 thing that will never leave me from newbie days (although I’m still relatively new). If you have the room, swing it round so you come at it from the right side. Nothing worse than trying to blindside in when there’s an easier drive side reverse.
If you are running along the row of parked trailers, wait till you are half to 2 thirds the length of your trailer in the middle of the bay you are going to reverse on to and then swing it out. It should have your back end just about right position to back in.
Getting the back end in the right direction is half the battle. If you are having to mess around getting that square then you will be there a while.
Take every opportunity to practice. MSAs with reversing bays is good practice.
Keep at it and you will become much better. Anyone that says they can reverse perfect 100 out of 100 times is full of ■■■. Technique will come in time.
lilysgranpa:
We sat and watched a bloke take over an hour to put a trailer on a bay the other week
It took you all, over an hour to realise between you all, that a fellow driver may be having difficulty backing on a a bay!!!
Which equates to:
We watched a driver struggle for over an hour 
Clap clap high five well done you!!!
lilysgranpa:
We sat and watched a bloke take over an hour to put a trailer on a bay the other week, nothing for two bays either side, plenty space to back on straight. the poor bloke even asked one of us to do it for him. So your ten minutes is fine mate.
but i guess four shunters sat watching does put you off a bit.
Why would it take an hour for 4 shutters to realise this a new driver was having problems?
I would have been out of my cab on the 5th shunt to offer a bit of help at least, but I suppose it made you shunters feel top dog a while eh!!!
Call me all the names you want to but … You can’t teach or help anyone to reverse a vehicle, be it rigid, wagon and drag or artic on here by writing it down or typing it for the guy to see. The best way to learn is to watch someone then practice, every trailer reverses differently, they can all be triaxles, tandems or whatever, each will turn different and the same trailer will turn in a different way depending on the load and where it is on the deck. You will have to learn the way most of us did, get in and do it and don’t ask anyone for help.
I taught myself when i was young pup at Swifts, nobody showed me beacuse I didn’t want them to, even now if I am reversing anywhere and some helpfull bloke comes along to guide me I just ignore him, concentrating on what the trailer is doing is all that matters, trying to get into a space using the mirrors and at the same time having to watch some do gooder who wants to interfere just because they themselves are useless at it doesn’t help.
Not all reversing is done using mirrors. Stick your head out the window to give you an idea of what’s happening. Mirrors can be very deceiving but first hand view out of a window can clarify things.
Pat… I’m not going to lower myself to calling you names. Just try to be a bit more constructive in your posts. The guy is a newbie and asking for help, not how much you can show off your talent.
Pat Hasler:
The best way to learn is to watch someone then practice, every trailer reverses differently, they can all be triaxles, tandems or whatever, each will turn different and the same trailer will turn in a different way depending on the load and where it is on the deck. You will have to learn the way most of us did, get in and do it and don’t ask anyone for help.
So the best way to Learn is to watch someone then practice, then you say get in and do it and don’t ask anyone for help.
Would Pat sit and watch somebody struggle for an hour to get on a bay?