Would you believe I actually met a woman coming the wrong way round a rather large roundabout! I didnt hit her but it effected my frame of mind a little (my driving went a bit ■■■■ up after that lol)! She wasnt ancient, it didnt appear to be a foreign car and there was a middle aged passenger with her. How do you manage to do that? Unbelievable.
I hit my first kerb as well 
■■■■ mini roundabout and I decided to carry on instead of waiting for traffic to shift, just clipped a kerb with my nearside rear wheel. Bad move…
Anyway I must have redeemed myself a little, he reckons we are doing the reversing manouver next week and if I pick that up ok I am booking my test! Scary stuff, only had 7 hours tuition but he reckons my kerb was the only fail in yesterdays 2 hours so I might be in with a chance.
There doesnt seem to be much class 2 weekend agency work around here at the moment so I think I will go straight onto my class 1 lessons. Anyone any thoughts about trying to gain experience 1st or doing it before I pick up bad habits?
Cheers,
Mike
Edited to say: I realise class 1 & 2 no longer exist blah blah 
spy:
There doesnt seem to be much class 2 weekend agency work around here at the moment so I think I will go straight onto my class 1 lessons. Anyone any thoughts about trying to gain experience 1st or doing it before I pick up bad habits?
Mike
Everyone to their own preference on this but I would recommend doing about 6 months on C to gain experience without losing your knowledge of DSA procedures.
It might be each to their own but you seem more qualified to comment than most! Would you still say the same if I told you I was only intending on driving on a few sundays per month?
spy:
It might be each to their own but you seem more qualified to comment than most! Would you still say the same if I told you I was only intending on driving on a few sundays per month?
YES. I said it was a matter of choice. If you want to do CE then go for it. If you feel that you need more road experience of C before going for CE then wait a while and see how you get on with C, even if it is only a couple of days each month. It will help if you peassed C in a lorry with a range change gearbox as the CE will have one (or similar) - if not, try to get a C with one for the experience.
spy:
Would you believe I actually met a woman coming the wrong way round a rather large roundabout! I didnt hit her but it effected my frame of mind a little (my driving went a bit ■■■■ up after that lol)! She wasnt ancient, it didnt appear to be a foreign car and there was a middle aged passenger with her. How do you manage to do that? Unbelievable.
It might have been a rental car and foreign driver.
Anyway, you seem to have handled it ok.
Good luck with the rest of the training
Would you believe I actually met a woman coming the wrong way round a rather large roundabout!
Yes, I saw this happen last week. A car approached a roundabout and turned to the left slightly before turning right and going the wrong way (despite the chevron paving on the edge of the roundabout) Just as I was muttering where’s a police car when you want one, there was one just about to come face to face with the car.
Didn’t see what happened after though.
ROG:
YES. I said it was a matter of choice. If you want to do CE then go for it. If you feel that you need more road experience of C before going for CE then wait a while and see how you get on with C, even if it is only a couple of days each month. It will help if you peassed C in a lorry with a range change gearbox as the CE will have one (or similar) - if not, try to get a C with one for the experience.
I think I will let the agencies decide for me! If I can find sunday work in a rigid then I will do a few months to pay for the C&E. If there isnt much about then I might plough straight on and continue being broke a little longer! My C training is in a scania P94 with range change so I am pretty used to that now. Although I have to admit to attempting to set off in 7th once the other day! 
My situation was similar to yours, I had never driven anything bigger than a mini bus when I did 4 days training cat C with Peter Smyth in Mansfield at the beginning of May07 and past 1st time in Sheffield (what road markings?) since that time I have not been in a truck of any type as have a fulltime job running a supermarket, I was well chuffed that the gamble to take and pay for (risk money on) training and test had paid off and it was over, Than I found myself wondering about Arttics and before I knew it I was on the phone and risked another £900 on one and a half days training. Between these 2 points I had not driven a truck again and belive this kept my driving at test standard, My test was last week in sheffield on Wed, I was Bricking it on Tue when I started my training as Sheff was under water and all tests where cancelled, I felt bad also for the people who could not take there tests I thought my training money was going to go to waste, On wed the 8am test where cancelled and I thought that was it, However we went to the test center at 10am and those test where taking place so my 2 pm test seemed likely I did’nt really do any driving around Sheff that morning as did’nt want to risk getting stuck miles away from the center in trafffic so just parked up and revised questions and ate bacon baps untill my test, they where running limited routes which seemed to mean every hill and tram line in sheff, Except for a older lady in a silver polo stopping to beckon me across a dual carraige way and selecting reverse on the gear change exercise, which I thought had killed my chances of a pass it was ok. I passed it 1st time with a total of about 36 hours driving in a truck total. I hope I’m as lucky when it comes to finding a job but its my belief that bad habbits form the more driving out of training you do, hope my story helps.
Thanks to every one whose posts I read on here that helped me.
Sorry if I sound Like I’m showing off a little I’m not Just chuffed, I don’t get to much good luck and I was nearly in tears waching news 24 mon night as the water rose in Sheffield and it dawned on me I might not get my test.
Karl
I had some practise today in a way. Nobody in work was willing to drive the beavertail recovery truck we borrowed to collect a car from middlesborough so I went.
Ok its only 3.5 tonne but it is bigger than average and i was determined to drive the whole way like I was on my test. I may have ventured over the 40mph in national speed limits but apart from that I did everything religiously. It cant do any harm! Apart from getting stuck on m6 north in this mornings nitemare it wasnt a bad trip out. 5 hours there and 3 back.
Next lesson on friday, just want to get the test done now. I cat even really afford to take the test, let alone fail the ■■■■ thing…
