Backing a Trailer — What Finally Made It Click for You?

[RoadRunnerRick]

Let’s be honest, backing is what separates the rookies from the ones who’ve been around a while. I don’t care who you are — every one of us looked like a clown in a truck stop parking lot at some point. I sure did.

For me, it finally clicked one night in a dark dock in Memphis. No spotters, no help, just me and about a foot on each side. I stopped trying to rush it and started taking my time, little corrections instead of big swings. After that, something just clicked.

Curious how it went for y’all. Was it a certain trainer, a trick you figured out, or just one of those “it finally made sense” moments?

And for the new guys reading this — don’t sweat it. Nobody’s good at backing when they start. We’ve all been there.

 

[389 Hood]

Not sure how today's automatic transmissions operate when trying to make very slow moves, but the slower the better. You can make minor corrections that will have major effects.

Backing in the dark and in a tight spot? Get off of your ass and go look. NEVER depend on anyone to guide you into a spot or dock. They won't be there when you tap something and you have to answer for it.

 

[Duck]

Long before I got into trucking, when I was still a teenager, I worked at a crane shop as the "easy stuff" mechanic and the parts gopher.

One time the boss sent me to Wisconsin to get a tandem axle car hauler trailer the owner had bought at an auction, with the parts gopher vehicle, an underpowered 4 cylinder 80's model Toyota pickup that probably weighed less than the empty trailer I was pulling.

Anyway I got back to the shop after they were closed, & nobody was there.

So I had fun with it. I decided to back the trailer around the big empty gravel employee parking lot, because I'd never backed up a trailer before.

Nobody had ever told me that stupid "move the top of the steering wheel the opposite direction you want the trailer to go" thing.

That would've probably confused me.

So here's what I figured out on my own:

Move the BOTTOM of the steering wheel the SAME way you want the trailer to go.

Palm the wheel at it's 6 o'clock position where it's closest to your stomach, look in the mirror and move your hand in the direction you want it to go.

Once I figure that out, the rest was easy.