Hi everyone been driving artics now for a month and i still cannot get my head round reversing. My prob seems to be that i over steer too much. Would a steering wheel aid help. Its so frustrating it getting to the point that i wish sometimes that i stuck with a class 2.
pompeymark:
Hi everyone been driving artics now for a month and i still cannot get my head round reversing. My prob seems to be that i over steer too much. Would a steering wheel aid help. Its so frustrating it getting to the point that i wish sometimes that i stuck with a class 2.
NO You’d over cook it even more
you just need to slow everything down to a steady walking pace making little movements at a time … you could always book an hour with a school with the sole purpose in reversing and nothing else.
if in a big place like an RDC use the space . the easiest way is to run about 3 or 4 ft from the traffic on bays 1-7 then as your unit passes bay 8 hook to the left if you have the room to be straight line up and reverse .
If you don’t have the room Hook left then as you run out of room hook right to kink the trailer and stop when the trailer is lined up with the bay. as you revers bring the unit back behind the trl using small adjustments at slow speed
pompeymark:
Hi everyone been driving artics now for a month and i still cannot get my head round reversing. My prob seems to be that i over steer too much.
You know what the problem is so … do not over steer
I always found that under steering was better so it allowed the option to put more on if needed
As said above slow steady speed with small adjustments. I haven’t done my Artics yet but I reverse caravans daily and have been for years.
I found that once you have to go from lock to lock that’s it start again. Try to think ahead and predict what’s about to happen so you can correct it with little movements before it’s too late. If you predict you haven’t turned enough don’t go over the top and turn too much the other way, just turn a bit and wait for the trailer to come round.
I think that’s the problem people don’t wait for the trailer to come round, if it doesn’t start to turn then they think sod it just whack it on full lock. Patience is a virtue… If you have the space lol.
I actually find it easier to reverse really long twin axle caravans than I do a small car size trailer, gives you more time to act due to it coming round slower.
nurburg340:
I haven’t done my Artics yet but I reverse caravans daily and have been for years
You should find any type of trailer reversing easy as the principals are the same
ROG:
nurburg340:
I haven’t done my Artics yet but I reverse caravans daily and have been for yearsYou should find any type of trailer reversing easy as the principals are the same
That’s what I’m hoping and hoping that I will have an advantage when doing my artic because I’ve been reversing caravans for years. I’m also hoping I’ll find an artic easier to reverse as I do find bigger caravans easier than smaller.
Getting your starting position for the reverse right is key,gives you a ■■■■ site less to do actually going backwards…you want your trailer pointing to where you want to end up BEFORE you engage reverse and preferably your unit on a slight angle to your right (good side) so you can watch you trailer move.
Getting the forward movement is the key it will make the next part (going backwards) simple.
Try different approaches that other drivers use. Mine is
I see the bay or point that I want to be out of the front of my window.
I drive the unit steering to the right like a bomber diving into the bay or point that I need to be.
I then pull out of the dive steering wheel to the left .
And as the trailer follows a little turn on the steering to the right and voilla.
The trailer is ready to take back at an angled approach.
Welcome to the club Pompeymark, you’re not alone! I’ve been driving the equivalent of a few weeks as I do p/t (so much for latent learning then, lol!) - some reverses I can do in one, most take a few shunts, some I eventually get into, one last week I totally gave up on.
ckm1981 is spot on - positioning is everything… sadly I keep cocking that up too 
Time & patience is the only way, or so I’m told, no matter how many people explain how they do theirs (nicely put btw ■■■■■■!) we just have to work it out till it clicks into place.
My rules of thumb…
If you have plenty of space in front then drive past your intended bay and start your sharp turn when you’re level with the bay one beyond where you’re going. Go forward and away from the bays as far as you need until your back end is lined up with the one you want.
If you have limited space, start the turn TWO bays beyond and kink right at the end just as you run out of room. Keep going forwards if you need to, until your back end is roughly pointing at the bay, then gently shuffle it back.
I’ve mentioned this on the forum before. When I passed Class 1 (just over 40 years ago), I fluked the reverse. I couldn’t do it and I knew I couldn’t do it. But something happened on test and my reverse then was a beauty.
I then spent the next 2 years getting the proverbial ripped out of me every time I wanted to get the trailer to a particular point in reverse. Then, finally, the penny dropped. TBH I must have been a slow learner. It doesn’t normally take that long but - 1 month - fret not.
Pete
Sad as is ( Not done CE yet) but I’ve spent last few nights watching video after video on reversing to see it from different drivers for when I do mine
ALL bar NONE say same :
1 - Use as much space as possible that available
2 - Slow is key - walking pace or less
3 - Small steering wheel adjustments then WAIT till trail reacts and it will
4 - Take time and shunts till your comfortable with where its going
After watching these I far far more comfortable when I’ll get into an artic for training and real life.
Must note though very few actually line up straight into a bay even when room to do so, always at some angle going in? Not figured that one out unless its practice for when no room so your used to some angles going in.
I’ve got a huge amount of sympathy with the op and all I can say is just stick at it, I’ve been driving class 1 for 13 weeks it’s my first HGV job and I’ve struggled reversing going forward no problem. In the last couple of weeks its started to come together and I’m sure it will for you.
Don’t be afraid to ask for some guidance 99% of drivers will gladly help you in my experience but don’t let them do it if they offer you’ll achieve nothing that way.
Another thing that helps me is leaning out of the window it really does help.
If you’re in a tight yard ask the yard lads what the other drivers do to back on.
It really is frustrating but please stick at it, it will start to come together
Thanks for all your replies it really gets me down when i cant get the reverse right as we use different trailers everyday 6mtr 8mtr 12 n so on often 2 or 3 a day i start to get used to one trailer then when it goes to the docks i have to pick up another.
Its even getting to the stage that im affraid to go into services incase i cant park.
How bad is that. Lol.
If really struggling then try and see if you can offer yourself for free to work with a regular yard shunter for a few hours even if they are not using a regular unit
Hi my boss keeps telling me to come in on a sat but every time i do that i get talked into working, lol
Peter Smythe:
I’ve mentioned this on the forum before. When I passed Class 1 (just over 40 years ago), I fluked the reverse. I couldn’t do it and I knew I couldn’t do it. But something happened on test and my reverse then was a beauty.I then spent the next 2 years getting the proverbial ripped out of me every time I wanted to get the trailer to a particular point in reverse. Then, finally, the penny dropped. TBH I must have been a slow learner. It doesn’t normally take that long but - 1 month - fret not.
Pete
I’m so glad to read the above. I’ve been on C&E training this week & I’ve been struggling with the reverse AFTER I got the vehicle round the ‘B’ cone - too much steering, too little steering, vehicle too slow, catching up the steering too slowly etc etc - you get the picture! My saving grace: the shunt!
Yes, I picked up a minor for it but it got the reverse done. I picked up 2 further minors & this afternoon I passed with 3 minor faults in total, so I’m pretty happy right now.
I hope to improve my reversing skills in the coming months.
Regards
A.
nurburg340:
ROG:
nurburg340:
I haven’t done my Artics yet but I reverse caravans daily and have been for yearsYou should find any type of trailer reversing easy as the principals are the same
That’s what I’m hoping and hoping that I will have an advantage when doing my artic because I’ve been reversing caravans for years. I’m also hoping I’ll find an artic easier to reverse as I do find bigger caravans easier than smaller.
That’s what I found - so I reckon you’ll be fine. The bigger the easier. I’d soon reverse an artic than a small car trailer that by the time you see it in the mirrors its too late to send it the other way!
ckm1981:
Getting your starting position for the reverse right is key,gives you a ■■■■ site less to do actually going backwards…you want your trailer pointing to where you want to end up BEFORE you engage reverse and preferably your unit on a slight angle to your right (good side) so you can watch you trailer move.
Getting the forward movement is the key it will make the next part (going backwards) simple.
Agree 100%. Starting in the right place makes or breaks it.
My garden trailer at home gets taken off as I can’t reverse that for toffee as said before its out of view until it’s too late. My twin axle caravan is easy now after quite a few years with it and 3 months of class 1 driving I find the reverse is getting better all the time. I find an artic trailer is lazy or slower to turn that the caravan and also find the lean outa the window option easier. I have managed to get in some tight places with the artic and even complimented!!! Yet give me 3 acres of empty yard and a straight run to the bay and I bet I need a shunt lol.
If anyone knows polymer logistics in Castleford. …This was the first bay I needed to back onto and in the end the loader came out and with a smirk on his face told me “just put it onto whichever bay you get close to” after 6 visits there it is still my nemesis best I have done is 7 shunts…I tend to go in thinking right this time I’ll do it 1st time…then over think it then…well you can guess the rest lol.