JJ192:
claretmatt:
I give up…What’s this message about somebody?
another literate person who can write good understandable english pmsl
English is not Andrej’s first language… yet he’s still far more understandable than some on here that have been learning English since they were born. Strange that.
How many languages do you speak JJ192 and claretmatt?
I hope this helps.
I only ever drove 7.5 tons on the road.
But I have been pulling trailers with a car since I passed my test. Touch wood, I have never gone badly wrong. I just take it slow. I find longer trailers easier to reverse than short ones. And trailers narrower than the car are just pure evil.
While I was driving, my transport manager decided to teach me how to shunt one quiet day. He was gobsmacked that I lined up in one go. Although I did stop 6 feet short of the barrier. To me, in the mirrors, the trailer looked like it was close to touching the barrier.
I was lucky enough that my old man had his own trucks so I basically lived with him in the truck, he showed me the ins and outs and was reversing trucks spot on from the age of 13.
Some people never get it, I know a bloke that’s been driving 30 odd years and still takes 10 shots to hit a bay, he said in the transport office once “I’ve done more miles in reverse that you’ve done forward me ode lad” to which I replied " I’m not f-ing surprised, I’ve seen how many shunts you take getting on a bay"
My first outing in a truck on my own was aged 17 barking to Coalville, dad asleep in passenger side on SEI. But that’s between us lol.
I will say I have moto x bikes that I tow about on a trailer 8ft long and every time I mess up reversing always always over cook it.
Still say its something your born with!!
I’d say that I’m very average at reversing. One day I can get my truck in to the tightest of spots and really marvel at my work, then the very next place I’ll go will have all the room in the world and I’ll shunt back and forth trying to get it straight and feel a complete fool. Sometimes I get it first time, sometimes I get it 10th time. I’d rather be slow and shunt, and get out and look than hit something though.
One thing that does feel odd now is when I return to the UK and do some driving and just how manouverable European trucks are compared to the lumbering, clumbsy efforts I drive over here. Last winter I did two months driving in the UK and went to some old haunts that I used to struggle with before moving to Canada but now that I’m used to far worse trucks to back up, these old haunts are now a complete doddle.
Had a brilliant blind side yesterday. Straight onto bay 17 in one try. Pity I should have been on bay 16 but never mind.
Do you ever find as well if someone is trying to guide you reversing and is giving you too much information and shouting, lock it on, turn the wheel that way, no that way etc that it just makes it impossible to do. Best to just ignore them and get on with it, just shout if I’m about to hit something!
These are usually overly macho men that get the hump when you ignore them and just do it yourself.
Do you ever find as well if someone is trying to guide you reversing and is giving you too much information and shouting, lock it on, turn the wheel that way, no that way etc that it just makes it impossible to do. Best to just ignore them and get on with it, just shout if I’m about to hit something!
These are usually overly macho men that get the hump when you ignore them and just do it yourself.
Shortly after passing my class 1, I got to drive a 17t rigid (Renault) which was a bit overloaded with loose bags.
The trouble with the reversing was you needed arms like Popeye 'cos of no power steering.
“Popeye” I ain’t! 
One place I worked, we had this yard shunter. I think we called him bubble.
Took his class one 20 years ago, but only ever shunted in the yard.
He could screw trailers round like no one else, and could blind side reverse flat out and bang it in on one hit.
One day, we were desperate to get a wagon out, and he was asked to take it as the only class one driver available. The yard was near Swindon, and we asked him to get it to the NEC. Should of been about 6 hours driving all in Maximum.
Left the yard at 6 am. We had phone call at 4pm to say he had run out of hours and hadn’t got there yet. He was near Coventry.
When asked why it was taking so long, he said the wagon wouldn’t go above 30.
Long story short, turns out that he didn’t know where the high box was, and he got scared as the wagon went above 30. He practically had brown trousers when he was overtaken by other wagons. All those years in the yard and he only ever used second and reverse gears. He did not know about split boxes.
He did not know about split boxes. 
I took my Class 1 in the 70s when I was a TM. I never drove one in anger so to speak - just the odd drive around for practice or a trip to the garage.
Our warehouse had a roller shutter door with a wall opposite and a road down the side. To reverse in, you had to get the unit at right angles by driving it into the road. Then you could reverse, keeping the 90 degrees and the trailer would line up with the bay. Three or four shunts to straighten it up and bingo. We only did it when the weather was cold because the warehouse staff didn’t like the doors left open.
If the driver was a first timer I would let them have a couple of tries to see if they could work it out for themselves, and then go out to tell them how to do it. Some would follow my advice but some were certainly not going to do it how some bloke in a suit said.
One cold and frosty day a driver, after spending half an hour trying, jumped out of his cab and I thought he was going to hit me. Instead he suggested politely (ha ha) that maybe I could do better. Of course I had done it many times in several different trucks so I did. Funny thing was that he didn’t even thank me…
I have been to many places where this ‘trick’ is the best way to get into an awkward bay.
When I started I was crap. Now I’m only crap on days with a “y” in them!
Some days I can put a trailer anywhere and some days it just goes anywhere!!
I just take my time and get there in the end. I’ve never hit anything either!
robinhood_1984:
I’d say that I’m very average at reversing. One day I can get my truck in to the tightest of spots and really marvel at my work, then the very next place I’ll go will have all the room in the world and I’ll shunt back and forth trying to get it straight and feel a complete fool. Sometimes I get it first time, sometimes I get it 10th time. I’d rather be slow and shunt, and get out and look than hit something though.
One thing that does feel odd now is when I return to the UK and do some driving and just how manouverable European trucks are compared to the lumbering, clumbsy efforts I drive over here. Last winter I did two months driving in the UK and went to some old haunts that I used to struggle with before moving to Canada but now that I’m used to far worse trucks to back up, these old haunts are now a complete doddle.
Must admit these yank tanks can be a pita look in the mirror all you really see is exhaust stacks.
Like everyone I have good and bad days some days I can blindside it in one in to a tight bay others I couldn’t reverse it on to a football pitch without a shunt.
I find its the easy loads of room ones I ■■■■ up lol
I spent 2 years driving a shunter in a yard, this then made me think why not go for my licence and change career, which I done, some of the situations I’ve been in so far, I wouldn’t of had a clue what to do if I hadn’t drove the shunter for the amount of time I have, still get some situations where I think hmmm… But the best advice I was givin which was GOAL - Go Out And Look, get out as many times as you need to, don’t rush for anyone, no matter how under pressure you feel, if you start rushing, that’s when things go wrong!!
Not long after passing i got sent into Boots in Aldershot shunting in an Atkinson Borderer with no power steering. You soon learnt how to position yourself.
It was a hot day in the summer and was sweating like a pig 
It didn’t help all the audience watching on the bay for the numpty to get it on. Happy days.
Im alot happier after reading this, starting a job on an artic after xmas. now i can reverse no problem, well at least i think i can, been reversing rigids and trailers for years. but even at that i still get the nerves when iv to go reversing an artic. i suppose that will go after a few tips.
I’ve been driving class 1’s on a casual basis for about a year now. I can honestly say my reversing is probably worse now than ever. I very rarely get it on the bay first time and just seem to struggle with revering full stop!
Clunk:
One place I worked, we had this yard shunter. I think we called him bubble.
Took his class one 20 years ago, but only ever shunted in the yard.
He could screw trailers round like no one else, and could blind side reverse flat out and bang it in on one hit.
One day, we were desperate to get a wagon out, and he was asked to take it as the only class one driver available. The yard was near Swindon, and we asked him to get it to the NEC. Should of been about 6 hours driving all in Maximum.
Left the yard at 6 am. We had phone call at 4pm to say he had run out of hours and hadn’t got there yet. He was near Coventry.
When asked why it was taking so long, he said the wagon wouldn’t go above 30.Long story short, turns out that he didn’t know where the high box was, and he got scared as the wagon went above 30. He practically had brown trousers when he was overtaken by other wagons. All those years in the yard and he only ever used second and reverse gears. He did not know about split boxes.
Awww…I hope this is true!