Best Backing Videos On YouTube?

Man, quit stressing about not being perfect with the backing! You will get it, but you will not get it in a few weeks or months. How will you get it? Experience. That's it! Not theory, pictures, pep talks, videos, etc.

If it helps, visualize the goal:

Your own truck

Sleeping stationary on your own truck

Proper diet and peace on your own truck

Pursuit of your exercise stuff on your time, on your own truck

See the trend here? Think about that, instead of so much overthinking about backing!

Too harsh? Sorry, but I want to see you in VB with YOUR OWN TRUCK.

I know I will. Or I'll hunt you down.

Another perspective:

You start watching backing videos now, and that may negate any progress you've made to this point.

You've learned a certain way, and practiced a certain way. Stick with that, and just get better at it. Some dude on YouTube thinks he has a secret sauce, and if you fall for it you'll suddenly be back at square one, rethinking everything you thought you knew.

You will not learn from a video.

Don't sweat it man. Just get familiar with your truck, and make it happen. The only thing that will help is seat time. When you become part of that truck, you'll eventually learn to feel your way through any backing scenario. That simply can't be taught.

The key to backing is don’t hit anything. That’s it. Take your time. Don’t rush. GOAL. Sometimes you’ll have to pull up multiple times. Sometimes you’ll have to drive around and start from the beginning. But as long as you don’t hit anything your backing is fine.

The backing skills needed for the CDL Skills Test are a different animal from what anybody uses for the rest of their career.

For Skills, you must back differently that you do at a dock. You are limited in how many pull-ups you can do. This is the hurtle you must pass before you get that CDL. Then you can add a new meaning to Freedom of the Open Road.

This is the issue the OP is worried about.

I would hope that the company won't punish or dismiss you for being 'bad at backing' as long as you don't hit anything. The fact that it takes you seemingly forever, and a dozen or more GOALs, just shows that you're careful, willing to check and double-check, and take seriously the possible consequences of messing up. They should value that in a new employee. As others have said, the skills will come with repetition, but the safety-oriented mindset is what you need from the start.

Thanks all! Lo and behold, we were crushing some serious team miles last week, and the lack of sleep affected my judgment a bit.

Suffice it to say I have less to worry about than I thought. My trainer has repeatedly stated that the purpose of the solo week is simply to prove that I can perform the job duties without hitting anything—no more, no less.

If it takes me an hour to dock at every delivery until I get better, that’s what it takes! At the end of the day, no one earns extra credit for backing it in faster than anyone else. A docked trailer is a docked trailer. If the trailer is destroyed because some hotshot decided to back in five minutes or less, they’ll look like much more of an idiot than me who feels he doesn’t know much about what he’s doing.

“What do you call the person who graduated last in their class from medical school? Doctor.”

Thanks all! Lo and behold, we were crushing some serious team miles last week, and the lack of sleep affected my judgment a bit.

Suffice it to say I have less to worry about than I thought. My trainer has repeatedly stated that the purpose of the solo week is simply to prove that I can perform the job duties without hitting anything—no more, no less.

If it takes me an hour to dock at every delivery until I get better, that’s what it takes! At the end of the day, no one earns extra credit for backing it in faster than anyone else. A docked trailer is a docked trailer. If the trailer is destroyed because some hotshot decided to back in five minutes or less, they’ll look like much more of an idiot than me who feels he doesn’t know much about what he’s doing.

“What do you call the person who graduated last in their class from medical school? Doctor.”

YES EFFING SIR.

I would hope that the company won't punish or dismiss you for being 'bad at backing' as long as you don't hit anything. The fact that it takes you seemingly forever, and a dozen or more GOALs, just shows that you're careful, willing to check and double-check, and take seriously the possible consequences of messing up. They should value that in a new employee. As others have said, the skills will come with repetition, but the safety-oriented mindset is what you need from the start.

Care to share? ie: Start a thread?!? You are correct on SO many accounts, true be it.

Do you drive? Are you aspiring to?

Nice first post .. just need more, so we can HELP YOU, helping others!

~ Anne ~

I fear that backing will be difficult too for me as i suck at times with a small bike trailer and pickup

This is actually an unfair assessment of your backing skills when it comes to a tractor/trailer. Believe it or not, the smaller a trailer is, the harder it is to back since it responds so fast. I had my brother in law’s snowmobile trailer take me three pull ups the other day-turn the wheel a fraction....and it’s jackknifing! Don’t psych yourself out before you ever get in the truck.