I find it difficult to get square on the bay when there is no painted yellow lines, it’s worse when the bays either side are empty because there is no point of reference to use for squaring up - I have come up with a potential solution; using a laser level, lined up and placed on the ground in line with the bay then following the beam onto the bay, do you think it would work, would it be visible enough?
I know what you mean, give me a bay with a trailer either side and I’ll get on fine, give me one with loads of room and nothing either side and I end up having to take a shunt…strange!
As for the laster thing, it sounds like to much messing round, by the time you had got out and set up you could have reversed on already.
I usually try and use lines in the concrete or tread marks as points of reference if there’s no pained lines or bananas, you’ll get better with practice no doubt.
Paul J:
I know what you mean, give me a bay with a trailer either side and I’ll get on fine, give me one with loads of room and nothing either side and I end up having to take a shunt…strange!As for the laser thing, it sounds like to much messing round, by the time you had got out and set up you could have reversed on already.
I usually try and use lines in the concrete or tread marks as points of reference if there’s no pained lines or bananas, you’ll get better with practice no doubt.
For me taking a minute to plonk a laser line down would be loads quicker than the 50 extra shunts it takes me to get onto bays without the painted lines 
I always look for lines in the concrete or any other points of reference but seldom find them.
MickyB666:
I find it difficult to get square on the bay when there is no painted yellow lines, it’s worse when the bays either side are empty because there is no point of reference to use for squaring up - I have come up with a potential solution; using a laser level, lined up and placed on the ground in line with the bay then following the beam onto the bay, do you think it would work, would it be visible enough?
You’ll get there with practice.
Using the building lines ie doors, door to truck weather seals marks on the floor. How do you reverse under normal conditions it no different than being in your car
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+1…im almost embarrased to be in the same profession if this is what its came to… 
I’m thinking “CRUNCH”, as I run over the laser level! 
Well I thought it was a good idea 
I totally sympathise with the OP and I suffered similar problems as a newbie. But patience and persistence will probably win over a laser line.
I am the man who managed to remove the draught excluder from a dock on one of many shunts at 3 in the morning. Loads of room. No other trailers to worry about (and that was half the trouble) and still I managed to get the overrun bar to do battle with the steelwork on the building! All part of the learning curve. Never happened since.
Onwards and upwards!
Pete
It just comes with practice and patience, I wouldn’t rush out and buy a laser level… If your backing onto a bay can you not see if the edge of your trailer is square with the actual bay? If it takes you 10/12 shunts aslong as you don’t trash the place ‘jobs a gud un’
If people sit and watch ■■■■ em… You’ll more than likely never have to see them again…
Crack on drive!
I’m still having the odd bad day with the reversing and find it frustrating that it is taking so long to master, each time I make a mess of things I try to think about what went wrong and how I could make it better and I thought this idea might help me learn a bit quicker as sometimes it feels like one step forward and two back.
I am mostly okay with the ‘normal’ reverse onto the bay but find little things can throw me out such as bays with no painted lines (as mentioned), another example is a depot in Aylesford which I have visited twice recently and made a complete mess of the reverse on both occasions, I couldn’t understand what it was about this particular place that was causing me to get it so wrong as it’s just normal bays that are not particularly tight, then the difference dawned on me, the place runs mainly rigid’s and the allocated bay is sandwiched in the middle of a run of rigid’s and I wasn’t taking into account the fact that they are 15ft (or so) shorter so once I had bent it around the parked rigid’s I had less distance left to straighten up … … like I say little things throw me.
I wouldnt trust the painted lines either most are not in line with the dock leveler anyway. Best to aim for the yellow strips on the curtain around the door if they have them.
m_attt:
I wouldnt trust the painted lines either most are not in line with the dock leveler anyway.
I’d agree with that. the amount of times ive lined myself up perfect with the line on one side to go and check the other and find im miles off parallel… thats just the norm!
For a long time I was driving trucks with reversing cameras. I saw a huge improvement in my reversing when I had a few days in a truck without a camera. Sometimes there is no cunning plan, it just comes with practice and experience.
Had a real off day (night) one of those that make me wonder if driving is for me 
Hopefully I will feel better after a bit of kip - if I don’t get sacked first lol
MickyB666:
Had a real off day (night) one of those that make me wonder if driving is for me
What you hit?? lol we’ve all been there, cheer up it gets easier
I’m having an off day myself, even though I like to think I’m one of the best backeruppers around.
Nothing wrong with my style just my positioning is way off, will put this down to complacency creeping in and try harder.
We all have good days where you reverse in one and those bad days with multiple shunts . The main thing is not to hit anything and then it always a good reverse 