International Pro Star Backing Problem

So I’ve been out by myself for 3 weeks now with swift. :) yay. But the problem I have is when I back my truck shakes very VERY bad and it slings my stuff around. I have 14 international pro star... what is causing this ? It’s annoying when I try to back into a spot and at a truck stop.

Manual tranny? If so it's the way you are riding the clutch.

Oops. Sorry it’s a automatic. And I’m very careful about touching the gas. But just the slightest touch the thing shakes like crazy

How's it doing on a straight back?

How's it doing on a straight back?

When I straight back it’s fine. But when I have to set up for a angle back that’s when it’s a problem. It’s like when I have to turn the wheel that’s whe it starts shaking a lot.

Autoshift have that lovely little surge when you begin to back. If you're not riding the brakes or getting all goosey with the throttle, I'd be tempted to ask one of your fine shop techs about it.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the truck. I'm not familiar with that transmission. Hopefully someone in here who is can help us on this one. I'm fairly certain there's a technique you can use to prevent this, but you probably need to speak with another Swift driver in a similar truck.

I drive a 2016 and they all do it.. Keep an eye on the transmission temp gauge. If its getting above 150 F, it loves to jump into gear when you go into reverse from drive or even neutral. When it is cooler its not an issue. Just try to keep it as straight as possible.

Autos also like to slam kingpins when coupling. The best advise is to take as much weight off by raising the nose of the trailer so that it just barely touches the 5th wheel. Gently feather the throttle and let it roll back under the trailer until you hear the kingpin click into the 5th wheel. Give 2 sold pulls on it then get out and do a visual inspection from underneath the trailer.. need a flashlight.

I believe Big "T" runs a ProStar for Swift. Perhaps he'll check-in with some additional thoughts.

One thing to consider here...when learning how to back, there is a tendency to "start and stop" multiple times. It's a natural reaction to be somewhat unsure of the "newness of backing". The herky-jerky action is probably most noticeable when under a loaded trailer.

Once moderately sideways, there are a lot of forces working against each other when restarting from a dead stop. Try your best to keep it moving. Start easing into the throttle first and then turning the wheel as you begin to move.

A bit of Finesse'. "Work the truck", don't let it work you.

I drive a 2016 KWT680 with an auto shift. While backing it love to lurch and jerk. Mostly when shifting from drive to reverse and back.