[Kranky]

Nobody mentioned another important point:

While you're fixated on what the trailer is doing, don't forget to keep an eye on where the front of your tractor is!!!

Real easy to swing the front corner of the tractor into something when in a tight spot if you're not paying attention.

[jw6831]

When correcting, start w/quarter turns on your steering, & wait for correction,

[golfhobo]

It takes 8 feet from the time the steering wheel starts to turn until your trailer tires make the turn.

This leads to a few of my favorite tips.

THINK AHEAD..... and move even SOONER!

Start your "jack" before you think you need to, and more importantly..... start to turn OUT of it before you think you need to. If you wait until you "think" you need to turn the wheel..... you are already too late.

Also, SMALL MOVES. Don't over jack the wheel thinking it is not turning "fast enough" or soon enough.

Once you get the trailer turning into the hole, turn OUT of it right to the point where it would start to go in the WRONG direction. Then turn the wheel back just a LITTLE. You are now at the "break point" and NO LARGE moves will be necessary. You will be in control of the TANDEMS.

Also, once you get the trailer going down the side of the truck next to you, watch your DRIVES. There should be a line separating the slots. Measure (with your eyes) the distance between your sight side tandems and the line, then look down (in the mirror) at your drives, and "steer" to put them parallel to that line at the same distance. If the drives get more "inside" than the tandems.... you are about to hit the truck on your blind side.

And if your tandems are far forward (alot of overhang,) keep them about 15 feet in front of the nose of the other truck before starting your jack. You can't "sneak" them around his fender if they are too far forward. You MUST be more or less straight with the slot before they get near his nose.

I don't know any specific tips for "lefties" or care which eye is dominant, you will push the trailer with the drives. Think about what you have to do to get your drives in the right place to "couple" a trailer. It is very similar. Steer the cab to position the drives.

[EviLynn]

I am left-handed and I passed after many failed attempts. I don't think it was my"handedness" that was the problem though, I think I was being too much of a perfectionist. It doesn't have to be pretty, just score-able. Knock out some of those cones, it doesn't hurt them. I wish I remembered the joke my instructor told me that had those exact words in it. I am pretty sure it had something to do with last call at the bar, you are giving up on pretty and looking for score-able. :lol:

And most importantly, don't listen to me. :wink:

[Soladad]

Maybe this will help you. I struggled with the "hand on the top" method and "hand on the bottom method". Regardless if you are left handed or right handed this will work.

Think "Rightisy tightsy, Lefty loosy". Think and look at the angle between the tractor and trailer on the driver's side. If you want to make the back of the trailer go left you are "tighening" up the angle on the left between the tractor and trailer. Turn your wheels to the right. To loosen up the angle, turn your wheels to the left.

Just stopping to think what you want to do with the angle sometimes makes all the difference in backing. The rest is practice and retraining the brain to think in reverse and using mirrors.

As long as you touch the dock at least on one side and the dock plate makes solid contact along with not hitting anything (another trailer or truck) as you back is all that is important. Good luck.

[ORPLINER]

just graduated-so i'm no expert-but 1 of the teachers showed us students a fool-proof way to paralell park. Shouldn't matter if your r or l handed-cause your are using your mirrors for the most part.. Pull 2 to 3 ft. past cone,hard left-SLOW reverse- to 2 oclock(angle of tractor to trailer)-then hard right-SLOW reverse-to put your truck in the box. We had certain spots on the trailer that we used for marks- dot tape, row of rivets,etc. that we lined the edge of the cab up on. Need to go as slow as you can with no rolling. We didn"t know what we were doing, but it worked! By the way- we were backing 28 ft. trailers at school-hope the heck it works with the big boys. (I'll find out real soon)

BOL to ya

[got mud?]

Originally Posted by ORPLINER

just graduated-so i'm no expert-but 1 of the teachers showed us students a fool-proof way to paralell park. Shouldn't matter if your r or l handed-cause your are using your mirrors for the most part.. Pull 2 to 3 ft. past cone,hard left-SLOW reverse- to 2 oclock(angle of tractor to trailer)-then hard right-SLOW reverse-to put your truck in the box. We had certain spots on the trailer that we used for marks- dot tape, row of rivets,etc. that we lined the edge of the cab up on. Need to go as slow as you can with no rolling. We didn"t know what we were doing, but it worked! By the way- we were backing 28 ft. trailers at school-hope the heck it works with the big boys. (I'll find out real soon)

BOL to ya

the problem with using tricks to back up is they only work if you set up the same way in the same place. you never really learn the feel of backing. you don't learn what the trailer will do if you do this or that. yes you will notice a big diffrence between the 28 footer and a 53. it will seem like that 53 is never going to turn for you. the longer the trailer the longer it takes to turn it. seems basic but you will probably keep turning the wheel trying to get it to turn and when it does you will be so jacked you won't be able to chase the trailer in the small amount of space you have left.

[jonekatz1]

E-Zist Method is as Uturn2001 mentioned, the post after Rawlco .! :wink:

[BigWheels]

For whatever reason, hands at the bottom of the steering wheel worked for me. I guess it made sense to move the steering wheel in the direction to where you wanted the trailer to go.

Can't emphasize enough (as has been already stated), know where your nose is while making the turn! It is amazing how quickly a boulder, car, building, tree, etc., can approach your front bumper!

Maybe driving schools should come up with talking orange cones that say "Ouch! Watch where you're going!" or "Busted...that will be a $1,500.00 insurance claim thank you very much!" :lol:

[lurchgs]

One thing that wasn't pointed out here.. unless all the practice trucks are the same, how you steer into a parallel parking slot will differ, depending on the tractor - AND trailer. They are all different.

One truck, start by turning steering wheel .75 turn to the right .. and don't over steer on the counters

Other truck, steering wheel starts at a full turn to the right, and crank HARD when countering.

and so on.

Instructors tell you (at least, at first) what THEY see in the mirrors as markers. If you are the same size they are, that probably works. If you are (as I am) over a foot taller, their markers won't work at all for you. You have to develop your own.

You check your tractor tandems exactly one place - and that's passing that first cone. If you pay attention to them any other time, you'll kill a cone or to for sure.

Get in as much practice as you can using the test truck (the truck in which you will be tested). I wasn't able to, so I murdered a cone - but it was the only points against me in the driving portion of the test.