Backing a trailer into the places that we put them can be challenging. We don’t do it every day and there are usually a fair share of obstacles to avoid. Practice makes perfect of course but we are really only doing it a few times a year. A partner makes the task a whole lot easier as you now have eyes thirty or forty feet behind you. To make a second person more effective you really need to brief what signals you will use. Here is a chart. While you don’t need wands it is important to understand that your hands must be clearly visible from forty feet away viewed through a mirror. The person who is marshalling also needs to constantly make sure he/she is in view of the person driving.
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The consequences of poor communication are frustration, yelling, items run over, damaged trailers and divorce! When we picked up our trailer we used walkie talkies. We still worked out key words for communicating but it allowed the driver to focus on the trailer not the marshaller. We were able to put the trailer exactly where we wanted it on the first try. The marshaller was able to convey instructions to the driver much quicker and clearer than using hand signals. For thirty dollars I don’t think that I would back up a trailer without them.