Basic Control, Shifting, and Backing
Steering and braking
Use push-pull (shuffle) steering in normal driving so both hands stay on the wheel and you never cross your arms. Hand-over-hand is acceptable only at low speed for sharp turns; never let the wheel spin back through your hands. Brake with steady, progressive pressure. Without ABS, use controlled braking (straight-line firm pressure that does not lock the wheels) or stab braking (apply fully, release as wheels lock, reapply).
Shifting
Know your pattern and shift inside the engine's power band. Upshifts may skip gears when you are light or rolling downhill; downshift one gear at a time so you do not overspeed the engine. Double-clutching - clutch, neutral, clutch, gear - is what most examiners want to see and it saves the synchronizers. Never coast in neutral, especially downhill.
Backing
Backing causes more crashes than any other maneuver. Get out and look before you start, use a spotter, and back toward the driver's side whenever possible. Back slowly, using both mirrors and the trailer's rear as your reference. If you lose sight of the spotter, stop. Use four-way flashers while backing.
Rule of thumb
A 53-foot trailer at a right-side dock: pull past the dock, set up with the trailer angled slightly left, get out and look, post a spotter, then ease back. If the spotter disappears from the mirror, stop and reset. Never back farther than you can see, and never back when a legal turnaround exists.