Offset Backing Is Killing Me

Toonces wrote:

The thing is, when the instructor is telling me when & where to turn, I don't understand *why* I need to do that.

Toonces, have you ever seen Karate Kid? The "wax on, wax off" scene? The "why" at this point in your training isn't as important as the "how". You will eventually understand the 'why' as you get more and more repetitions that begin to net consistent results. When your instructor is telling you what to do, focus on executing his commands exactly, don't be distracted by the "why" of the moment, learn the moves and watch what happens, repeatedly. Over and over again. In real estate it's location, location, location. While learning how to drive a truck it's repetition, repetition, repetition. Eventually the "Why" will become obvious to you because your mind is in lock-step with your muscles as they preform the maneuver, becoming almost instinctive. All the advice and techniques that are shared and you attempt to digest, cannot replace practice and repetition. Get as much of that as you possibly can. Ask for more if you can get it.

The other piece of advice is relax, expect mistakes to happen because you are learning something you have never done before and it's counter intuitive to backing a car and what you have known for many years. Don't beat yourself up and focus on applying yourself without getting too emotional. Good luck.

Any time I find myself in a stressfull situation like you described, I have to remind myself to stop, breath and relax. Remember your failures are the rungs in your ladder to success. Every time you get it wrong think you are one step closer to getting it right. Good luck.

I was like you when I first started in school. Then a particular instructor showed me how he does it, and I finally understood the offset. Now I'm the offset champ. The only problem is I'm not good at much else.

I made you some pictures in Paint, click here. Know that Photobucket has scrambled them out of order for some reason, but I numbered them so just use the numbers. Assume you are offsetting from box A to box B.

1. Pull up out of box A and get close to the center line, but not too close. Tandems ten inches or so off the line will do. STOP.

2. Turn your wheel one full turn left to make the trailer go right (towards box B). Hold this until your trailer blocks out the middle cone in the top and bottom mirrors. At this time, your tandems ought to touch, or be close to, the dotted line. It doesn't matter whether you have a line or not, just imagine one. Know that the middle cone up front would be right at the end of that line. Oh, and STOP.

3. Turn towards the direction the trailer is pointing to straighten it out. Your vehicle should now be in a straight line. STOP. Begin looking out of your driver side mirror (look out of your passenger side mirror if backing from B to A).

4. Come back until the tandems in the mirror you're using touch the line or get close to it (i.e., get kind of even with the middle cone). STOP. Then make two full turns away (to the passenger side in this case). This will jack the trailer over the line. STOP once this happens.

5. Turn all the way to the driver's side (in this case) to get your vehicle straight again. STOP. Then straight back into box B. You may need to pull up to adjust yourself better for this straight back.

And that is my instructor's method.

Picture 6 is where the cones are in our yard, and how I imagine them in this example. The big black circles/dots represent the cones.

Hopefully nobody beat me to this, I've been working on this post for 40 minutes or so.

Thank you everyone for the advice. I'm just going to try to chill, try to memorize what my instructor is telling me to do, and hopefully replicate that later. I know I shouldn't let my emotions get in the way or compare myself to other drivers, but it's so much easier said than done for me :)

And Blue Hotel, that was incredibly nice of you to take the time to make those images for me. I'm going to read over them a few times tonight and hopefully it will help tomorrow.

Try to get Mr. Davis help you. He really helped me.

Blue Hotel Is working hard on a post:

Hopefully nobody beat me to this, I've been working on this post for 40 minutes or so.

When I do a long post like yours, when I'm done, I "select all", copy, then reload the page to see if anything new is there.

Then add a reply box, paste my stuff back in, make any changes then post it!

I know: all that work and after you Post, find another person has answered already!

Blue Hotel Is working hard on a post:

Hopefully nobody beat me to this, I've been working on this post for 40 minutes or so.

When I do a long post like yours, when I'm done, I "select all", copy, then reload the page to see if anything new is there.

Then add a reply box, paste my stuff back in, make any changes then post it!

I know: all that work and after you Post, find another person has answered already!

Genius! I knew you were a mod for merit (aside from being an awesome Swiftie...of course). Hope I run into you some day in Memphis. 👍

My public awaits:

Hope I run into you some day in Memphis. 👍

Usually Fridays or Saturdays. I'll post here. Also Monday when I start, I'll bring a few people to the terminal (4:30am) to do my pre-trip for me.