Learn how to reverse a trailer

Being able to reverse a trailer is a useful skill. It’s also pretty impressive if you can do it well. So, rather than spending many frustrating hours trying to master the technique on my own, I opt to join an AA Driving School Trailer Training course.

Available for AA Fleet and Business customers looking to upskill their staff, the trailer training course is held at locations around the country; I attend at Hampton Downs – a suitably spacious area for wide and potentially wonky manoeuvring.

Instructor Mandeep Shah has been teaching students for years and has the kind of calm, good-humoured demeanour perfect for alleviating my nervousness.

Prior to getting behind the wheel, course participants complete two theory training modules online to understand the basics of driving with a trailer. Then, on the day, they’ll work through safety checks and learn how to hitch and un-hitch the trailer.

I begin my session by tracing the course of road cones with Mandeep in the driver’s seat, explaining what he is doing and why. 

First is the slalom – weaving between cones spaced at varying distances. “You need to go as wide as possible to account for the trailer,” Mandeep explains. The slalom is designed to get participants used to steering while towing and to understand the extra spatial awareness that’s needed.

Next, Mandeep demonstrates how to park in a ‘garage’ made of cones, then reverse back into a second garage. “The main tip is to take it slow and steady. If it’s getting wonky, fix it. Go forward and start again,” he says.

The tasks on the course get progressively more difficult, ramping up to advanced skills like a reverse slalom, though only for participants who have shown aptitude throughout the rest of the course. “What I have seen is that if somebody is good at it, then they’re immediately good at it,” Mandeep says.

Next, it’s my turn behind the wheel.

Mandeep gets me to reverse from one garage, manoeuvring the trailer in a curve, to park it in a second garage.

“Watch in the mirrors so you can see that the trailer is forming an angle,” Mandeep says. “If you do it in one motion, that’s good. But if you can’t, it’s not a waste. If you think it’s getting wonky, just straighten up and go again.”

I learn that while the rearview mirror shows where the trailer is going, it doesn’t pick up which side of the vehicle it’s coming out. That’s why I need to use the wing mirrors, too.

“If you see the trailer in the right mirror, then you need to turn the steering wheel to the right to straighten up,” Mandeep explains. “And if you want the trailer to go left, you turn the wheel to the left. It’s not rocket science – it’s like any skill, the more you practice, the better you get.”  

The most common mistakes come from over-steering and over-correcting, Mandeep continues. “You only need to make small movements while watching where the trailer is going.”

How do you know if your steering wheel is straight? “Lock the wheel right to one side, turning it all the way, and then bring it back one and ¾ turns,” Mandeep explains. “If the trailer is straight, you keep it straight, this is why it’s so important to know where straight actually is on your steering wheel.”

Heading backwards, it looks like I’m going to hit one of the cones. “I say to participants ‘all these cones are kids. Don’t run them over!’” Mandeep laughs. “Just go forward a little and try again.”

Easing into the spot backwards, I squeak in with just a couple of centimetres to spare, but it’s almost a textbook perfect park.

Having successfully navigated arcs and reverse parking, I decide to quit while I’m ahead, leaving the course feeling buoyant: it is incredibly empowering to learn a new skill.