Does Backing Scare And Frustrate You? Of Course! Here Are Some Stories To Help Calm The Nerves.

The satellite image goes with the above reply. The dock on the right is for grocery (left is general merchandise (GM), the grocery dock is where I needed to spot the trailer to be unloaded. There is a wall the extends past the top trailer about 20' additional feet, difficult to see in the image. Best to enter from the left. I should start putting some of these in Errol's backing practice thread. So yes, the first time I was dispatched here was my third day on the account, about 5 years ago. For context read my reply before this...

Backing nervousness was just mentioned on another thread so i figured i would.bump this for those soon going to school

Bump

My first solo load was to a grocery distributor in Layton UT. Boy howdy it looked tight going in. As an added element, had to slide the tandems back before guard shack would let me it. It's one of those places where it had a concrete retaining wall in front of the dock area and once docked you uncoupled then headed to a bobtail area. Took some wiggling to get'r in but did it! Woot right? Nope... silly me for got to open the doors. So pulled out and open the doors. While following my same tracks back in, I thought to myself, dang this is going to be easy. Why couldn't it been this easy the first time? Setup is the answer.

After a lot of backing into tight spots and and wide open spaces I still ain't very good at setup. Wide open lots are my arch enemy. Think the loves in Hardin MT in the early afternoon or Pilot/Flying J in Butte MT. 100 spots open and it'll take me 20 minutes to back in.

Give me a Henze plant in Holland Michigan any day and I'll be in the spot in minutes.

Rainy-

Thanks for bumping this to the top. It will be interesting to see if I have forgotten anything in all these years.

Thanks for starting this thread. I often worry about going to new customers especially after reading it’s going to be tight. I’m new to trucking. Got my CDL in January and have had my truck for a month. My backing skills need a lot of work.

Thanks for starting this thread. I often worry about going to new customers especially after reading it’s going to be tight. I’m new to trucking. Got my CDL in January and have had my truck for a month. My backing skills need a lot of work.

Backing will take several months to get a handle on, so the more practice you get, the better you should become. If you have the time and space, practice at truck stops, shippers/receivers, or at a terminal.

The main thing is take your time, don't forget your surroundings, use as many GOALs as necessary, and don't hit anything.

Back when I had customers to go to, I would tell who ever I spoke with there that I was new and it might take me awhile. They all where very understanding and told me to take my time

Thanks for the tips. I do tell people I’m new but I still get stressed. I need to figure out a way to manage this anxiety because I don’t want to quit.

The day you stop worrying about hitting stuff is the day you will hit something. It's ok to be nervous, downright scared even, but take as long as it needs and get out as many times as you need to. Cant say I was ever too careful while performing a backing maneuver. One day you will have a moment of clarity that will ease much of the fear and nervousness. From then on please remember to guard against complacency.