New trainee any tips on offset backing

I've been driving for almost 2 years now, what's off set backing??

 

I think he means blind side backing. That, you just learn on your own not required to pass school. I dont think we even practiced it. Just go slow 10 feet at a time and set tractor break and go peak out the passenger window to make sure youre good. Go slow until you find it in your mirror. I have to blind side every day to drop gas at a busy Fred Meyers here in Juneau.

 

Is the instructor giving you instruction, or just telling you to figure it out?

My tip for mastering it is to stop when you hit your reference points. Then turn your steering wheel. Then continue to your next reference point. Stop again, then counter-steer to your next reference point. If you are still rolling as you start to change the direction of your steering, you may be steering too slow or over steering. If that is the case, you will be spending all your time chasing the trailer instead of guiding it.

So, crank the wheel all the way in one direction. Reverse to the point you want to straighten the wheel. Stop. Straighten wheel. Reverse to the point you want to kick the trailer back the other way, Stop. Crank the wheel all the way. Reverse to the point where you want to straighten out, Stop. Straighten the wheel, etc.

And when you stop, try to do so without hitting the brake. Learn how to hold the truck in place by feathering the clutch.

I might have better suggestions, but you need to be more specific on where you are having trouble. --You can't see the cones?

 

I think the CDL school in NC had me do the same maneuver, is it like this?:

Spot A and Spot B are right next to eachother (like two dock doors, 2 parking spots, etc)

Start out completely in Spot A, pull forward until completely out of Spot A, then reverse the trailer into Spot B without encroaching on Spot A at all with the trailer/truck until the tractor/trailer is completely in Spot B?

Basically, like shifting over one dock door or shifting over to the parking spot next to you.

If we're thinking of the same thing, biggest thing for me was just learning how fast the trailer would start to react after turning the tractor and how quickly I could get the whole unit straightened back out. Just really took practice to get a feel for that.

 

It's funny how they turned backing into a science with special terminology too!

There's no science to it. You see that dock? Put the ### end of that trailer against it. Done.

 

Thats funny they teach that. I thought for sure he was talking Blind Side backing. Pulling away from one dock to slip into next is just Serpentine moves!

 

Its funny that they get so worked up about hiring people from schools or someone wit recent OTR experience. I drove OTR for a few years and found it to be the easiest job I ever had. My daily local deiveries are twice as dangerous with chance of error way higher than OTR. I would love to hear their reasoning. Surely it has to do with their concern of time management and load security. I am not trying to Hijack your thread but thought it was a good place to state it.