[LA90077]

Help please; I have had about 9 hours behind the wheel. I get about an hour a day so I am in the second week. Training in a day cab with a 28 ft trailer. The instructor said to me today “I can only do so much it is time you start getting it” I have never driven a trailer except a few times (Uhaul) to move crap or a boat.

So here are my questions.

Has anybody stopped at one school only to go to a better one and finish there?

As a novice should 1+ hour a day for 7 days practicing backing up and off set parking into the box be enough to master it?

Today the instructor set the trailer square in the box and told me to get in and look in the right mirror. He said “See how the end of the trailer top and bottom is parallel to the side of the mirror. This is square. Just line it up like that.” Me being the good student looked and then looked in the left mirror to check it’s the same. Guess what the right mirror its parallel and in the left mirror the trailer looks like it’s related to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. So of course I say something is not right. I am told just use the right side mirror so blind side offset parking for an hour today. I was better but still hitting in a little off.
Should both mirrors be the same?
If the truck is on a slight grade to the right would this be the issues in the mirror? I am training in a parking lot sloped to drain.

So it’s not all the instructors’ issues I will take responsibility for my crap.
I have to stop and think which way to turn the wheel to move the trailer some times and I lose the trailer sometimes. I will over correct too. When I lose it I just want to pull forward and reset. Sometime I think it would be better to leave me alone and let me screw up and fix it myself, the instructor is on a walkie-talkie telling me go left, go right, stop etc...

At 9 +- hours training in a truck what were you doing; donuts into the box?

Last on pulling forward the instructor said today the trailer will want to move left or right you will need to be constantly adjusting to keep it behind the truck. OK so every trailer I have pulled would track behind the car. I did not need to keep adjusting the wheel or keep an eye on the trailer to keep it behind the car unless the Santa Ana winds were up. Then be careful.

Not giving up just getting advice. I am also watching youtube and finding several ways to do the same move. It may take a littler longer but I will finish this and be backing into that spot in the truck stop very slow.

Better to give advice now then curse me when I block you in a truck stop for 15 minutes, just kidding.
I want to say thanks to all the good advice I have already received on the site and know there are some good driver out here glade to reply.
Thank you,

[Mr. Ford95]

Ask for more time to practice backing. 1 hour a day is not enough. I went thru a refresher, we spent 4 hours a day on backing for 4 days. Well, myself and another guy only spent 15 minutes a day, we were actually too good. So much so the one instructor started asking us to try different weird backs. We were doing 3 offsets to each side, 3 sets of 45 degree, 3 sets of 90 degree and 3 straight lines in 15 minutes.

You need to adjust the mirrors to YOUR comfort level. If your dead straight on one side but not the other, that side which is off is the mirror that needs adjusting possibly. Or the line on that side is not straight. Using just 1 mirror to back on any setup is wrong. What happens when the trailer disappears, you keep staring at that mirror? NO, you check the opposite mirror to "catch" the trailer with steering input.

If the lines are straight and equal distance apart from front to back, no, the slope won't change what you see in the mirror. IT WILL affect how the trailer is moving though. The trailer will have a tendency to want to go down the slope.

Take it slow, your on a 28 ft trailer. When it decides to start going left or right, it will go quickly. You will have to move the wheel quick to catch it. What I'm about to say, take with a grain of salt, it all depends on the back your doing and how far you want the trailer to kick out. Once the rear of the trailer disappears in the mirror your looking at, get your head looking to the other mirror to spot the rear of the trailer again and start turning the wheel the way your head is looking in order to get back in front of the trailer. Hope that makes sense and helps some.

[LA90077]

Yes it makes a lot of senses.

A rectangle trailer in a rectangle box should look the same in both mirrors.

Dam 6 to 9 back up moves in 15 minutes. I would have liked to have seen that.

I am also training in a working yard with trucks and 4 wheels driving through sometimes. So its good training. Some days I am sitting still as I watch others in the yard. So the truck driver are clear on there intentions, eye contact letting me know were they are going etc. Its the four wheels just blow through the yard the freak me out and slow me down.

I wonder if the four wheels have ever given it any thought that without a truck that car they are driving would never make it to the showroom?

I wish I would have a little more time each day by the time I get it I need to get out. It would be better to slam a few more into the box once I am there.

At training I was told to use only one mirror; it was a youtube video I watched that the driver was using both mirrors. I started using both yesterday even when I was yelled at to just use the right side.

Don't worry about me on the road soon I plan to borrow a boat trailer this weekend and practice. I will get this at school or in the parking lot down the street from me. If I can offset a small boat and back it I will be moving a lot better on Monday.

Thanks again

[GAnthony]

Originally Posted by LA90077

Help please; I have had about 9 hours behind the wheel. I get about an hour a day so I am in the second week. Training in a day cab with a 28 ft trailer. The instructor said to me today “I can only do so much it is time you start getting it” I have never driven a trailer except a few times (Uhaul) to move crap or a boat.

So here are my questions.

Has anybody stopped at one school only to go to a better one and finish there?

As a novice should 1+ hour a day for 7 days practicing backing up and off set parking into the box be enough to master it?

Today the instructor set the trailer square in the box and told me to get in and look in the right mirror. He said “See how the end of the trailer top and bottom is parallel to the side of the mirror. This is square. Just line it up like that.” Me being the good student looked and then looked in the left mirror to check it’s the same. Guess what the right mirror its parallel and in the left mirror the trailer looks like it’s related to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. So of course I say something is not right. I am told just use the right side mirror so blind side offset parking for an hour today. I was better but still hitting in a little off.
Should both mirrors be the same?
If the truck is on a slight grade to the right would this be the issues in the mirror? I am training in a parking lot sloped to drain.

So it’s not all the instructors’ issues I will take responsibility for my crap.
I have to stop and think which way to turn the wheel to move the trailer some times and I lose the trailer sometimes. I will over correct too. When I lose it I just want to pull forward and reset. Sometime I think it would be better to leave me alone and let me screw up and fix it myself, the instructor is on a walkie-talkie telling me go left, go right, stop etc...

At 9 +- hours training in a truck what were you doing; donuts into the box?

Last on pulling forward the instructor said today the trailer will want to move left or right you will need to be constantly adjusting to keep it behind the truck. OK so every trailer I have pulled would track behind the car. I did not need to keep adjusting the wheel or keep an eye on the trailer to keep it behind the car unless the Santa Ana winds were up. Then be careful.

Not giving up just getting advice. I am also watching youtube and finding several ways to do the same move. It may take a littler longer but I will finish this and be backing into that spot in the truck stop very slow.

Better to give advice now then curse me when I block you in a truck stop for 15 minutes, just kidding.
I want to say thanks to all the good advice I have already received on the site and know there are some good driver out here glade to reply.
Thank you,

first a 28 foot trailer even gives us long time drivers a hard time, being so short, they react so fast. my former employer (a school i taught at) had 45, and 48 foot trailers. NEVER a 53 footer.

backing practice, depending on your hours each day at school should be an all day event, THEN a road lesson which at my employer, was only 1 hour each time.


i don;t know whay you only get 1 hour in the yard backing. unless you have a short day like either mornings only or afternoons.

[repete]

"At training I was told to use only one mirror; it was a youtube video I watched that the driver was using both mirrors. I started using both yesterday even when I was yelled at to just use the right side."
I use one mirror BUT sneak quick peeks in the other (right side)mirror all the time, after all ya can't look in both at the same time. Are the tandems adjustable on that trailer? If so move them allll the back that will help a lot, it gets rid of the over hang and you can then just steer it into the hole. I've got a little 4x8 trailer for my quad and it's a bitch to back anywhere because it's so short.

[Fozzy]

Backing is one of those things that until it "clicks".. it just doesn't. Adults seem to have this funny idea that if other adults can do something.. that they should too. I always asked my students;"How much effort do you take tying your shoes?". long did it take you to learn how to tie your shoes? Ask your mom.. she knows. The fact is that this is a pretty demanding task and its like nothing you've ever done before. There really are no "naturals" at this. This takes time and it takes patience and it takes observing from all sorts of angles OUTSIDE the truck. Get a toy tractor trailer and play with it in different scenarios! it helps! I always FORCED drivers to use two mirrors. If they were a "starer", I would even cover their favorite mirror. ALL backing comes from being able to control drift. ALL backing starts with straight backing fundamentals! Get the truck lined up place both hands on the wheel (this presses your back against the seat) and LOOK! The truck is straight, the trailer is straight but the angles you see are ALL JACKED UP! You must learn what straight is before you try and get all fancy. Start backing straight. The best way to begin for most is knowing center. all maneuvers are a 'correct - center- correct" affair. Check your mirrors Got trailer tires on the left? On the right? YOU'RE GOING STRAIGHT!! If you start to lose wheels on one side of the trailer STEER TOWARD THAT SIDE.. You will start seeing the trailer wheels. Use the observation time wisely.. don't smoke and joke and fart around IF YOU GET ANGRY... STOP!! Take a breather.. get out and walk around the truck.. go to the rear of the trailer and look at the relation between the truck, trailer and where you were wanting to go. Just keep at it. There are a hundred things that you can do.. but you have to find the one out of that hundreds that works for you. Sometimes.. the instructor needs to shut up and let a student fight for a while.

[GAnthony]

Originally Posted by Fozzy

Backing is one of those things that until it "clicks".. it just doesn't. Adults seem to have this funny idea that if other adults can do something.. that they should too. I always asked my students;"How much effort do you take tying your shoes?". long did it take you to learn how to tie your shoes? Ask your mom.. she knows. The fact is that this is a pretty demanding task and its like nothing you've ever done before. There really are no "naturals" at this. This takes time and it takes patience and it takes observing from all sorts of angles OUTSIDE the truck. Get a toy tractor trailer and play with it in different scenarios! it helps! I always FORCED drivers to use two mirrors. If they were a "starer", I would even cover their favorite mirror. ALL backing comes from being able to control drift. ALL backing starts with straight backing fundamentals! Get the truck lined up place both hands on the wheel (this presses your back against the seat) and LOOK! The truck is straight, the trailer is straight but the angles you see are ALL JACKED UP! You must learn what straight is before you try and get all fancy. Start backing straight. The best way to begin for most is knowing center. all maneuvers are a 'correct - center- correct" affair. Check your mirrors Got trailer tires on the left? On the right? YOU'RE GOING STRAIGHT!! If you start to lose wheels on one side of the trailer STEER TOWARD THAT SIDE.. You will start seeing the trailer wheels. Use the observation time wisely.. don't smoke and joke and fart around IF YOU GET ANGRY... STOP!! Take a breather.. get out and walk around the truck.. go to the rear of the trailer and look at the relation between the truck, trailer and where you were wanting to go. Just keep at it. There are a hundred things that you can do.. but you have to find the one out of that hundreds that works for you. Sometimes.. the instructor needs to shut up and let a student fight for a while.

about tying shoes. i taught my niece how to tie then when she was tiny. it took her some time, but the smile on her face was priceless. many people did away with such an arduous task, by getting velcro nowadays....

regarding backing up, as i said, even us guys/gals with over 30-35-40 years experience have difficult days as well.

when you go from a 53 footer down to a set of 28 footer pups, and have to back them in, you gotta do it slower as they react faster. i am VERY surprised that school the o/p is going to, put them into backing such a small trailer.

and for the record, regarding what someone else said, in my school we taught how to back up with 2 mirrors, ya never know when someone is going to walk behind you, or be driving a forklift, in the side you ain't watching!!!

[repete]

Fozzy put it into words very well, it's tough trying to tell someone how to back and even tougher when your not there.
When you are backing pay attention to what your doing and change one thing at a time such as turn the wheel just a bit faster or slower, set up a bit farther out or a bit closer ectra. Once you complete it successfully then look it over and repeat everything down to a T. Any time you change ANYTHING it will effect how you back so try to keep it as close as possible. Hope this helps.

[Fozzy]

If there is one thing I would use on trucks on the backing range.. it would be the disabling of the power steering.. 99.999% of backing issues at angles/offsets is from over steering..

[GAnthony]

Originally Posted by Fozzy

If there is one thing I would use on trucks on the backing range.. it would be the disabling of the power steering.. 99.999% of backing issues at angles/offsets is from over steering..

or, we could just remove the steering wheel, and install a tiller?