Day 1 - Wednesday
Met up at the truck, jumped in and got the seat etc all set up how i like it.
Trailer was already coupled (Wag & Drag), and we set off towards Stone via Rugeley. Gears & Mirrors and everything else Class 2 related ive got down to a T now. Just having to get used to the extra 30ft sticking out behind me lol.
Everyone i spoke to said a W+D combo is easy to drive, the trailer follows the cab without cutting in… they lied … it does cut in ever so slightly , a few kerbs have some scuff marks on them now lol. after an hour or so of driving i finally get the hang of the trailer cutting in .
We headed upto the airfield to practice the maneuvering. started with an emergency stop. then straight into the reverse. This is where i surprised both myself and my instructor. after he had talked me through one reverse with him walking along side the cab giving instructions from outside the cab to me as to what i need to do, we got the trailer in the ‘box’ and i noted the position of the mark on the mud guard for future reference .
So off i go and line myself up for a solo attempt, as soon as i start inching backwards i put full lock on right hand down, just to get the trailer to kick round to the left, a few seconds later i take the lock off and im now pointing at 45 degrees heading towards the ‘garage’. manage to keep it going all the way back till i can see the trailer wheels are the right side of an ‘invisible’ line i had drawn in my head indicating what would be the side wall of a ‘garage’ but obvioulsy im still 10 foot forward of the first cone. so now im where i need to be i start to straighten the truck and trailer up, and then reverse it back in the bay as if id done this countless times before. i managed to do this on all 6 attempts bar 1, where i had to take a shunt as i didnt take the lock off quick enough at the start and ended up jack-knifing the trailer.
Reverse is now nailed i would say, and just needs practicing each day to make sure i dont lose it. Now the couple / uncouple procedure.
get out the cab with engine off, get shown round what i need to do. then he tells me to uncouple the trailer myself.
started off by first putting the parking brake on, then wind down the legs, take off the number plate , disconnect the suies (which he has changed for continental susies btw, much easier lol. apparently he used to do a lot of continental work before he retired from that , was an owner driver. he kept the truck and started a truck school). then its disconnect the pin.
parked the truck up next to the trailer, then he said couple the trailer up, but treat the trailer as if youve never used it before. So i pull the truck up infront of the drag. stopping about 3 foot forward of actually coupling up. jump out of cab and check the alignment is good. and as its a pressure operated pin, we have to wind the trailer up 2 turns on the legs in high gear. then i get back in the truck, reverse back till i feel the coupling connect, and hear the pin drop. then its into 1st or 2nd and give 2 quick tugs to check im hooked up.
round to the back again after getting out, connect the susies up, give the trailer a good check over, twistlocks are done up (its a dropbox wag & drag) , plating certificate is in place and good, nothing is missing, and as im walking round place the number plate back on the trailer. then when im happy the trailer is good, wind the legs up, and release the parking brake. i then asked my instructor to check my lights. all was good so we headed back to the yard.
All in all a good day, quite pleased with what ive done and tbh i thought the trailer would be a lot harder than it is.