Being Bendy with Peter Smythe - Training Diary

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
21

Thanks Rog,

Been looking forward to one of them for a long time! Now I have one for me and my efforts :grimacing:

Thanks Mario :smiley:

Thanks again Dar and now you know the truth, but thatā€™ll stay between you, me, Pete and my dead grandmother :sunglasses:

Thanks Macci, really appreciated!

Thanks Jennie, was you the lady who made cakes, as he talked about that a few times :laughing: :wink: I said I would have done down Essex as I enjoy baking when I last had a spare minute about 3 years ago! :open_mouth: Looking forward to starting it again in a couple of weeks, now I have a more relaxed pace of job in driving.

He was a very good trainer and certainly knew how to instill confidence in a long in the tooth Class 2 driver.

Got my new first time job last week, start in 3 weeks time. Got my ideal dream job working in plant hire driving a 26t beaver tail. Not that interested in having a trailer to be honest, but my Dad insisted I got it before I went to work full time in case I ever needed it, blah, blah.

Hence I had to get it this week there wasnā€™t much time left was there! :laughing:

Thanks for all the kind words and congratulations all!

C

22

Hey DJC,

DJC:
Although you havenā€™t posted what happened (understandably) I really want to though! :stuck_out_tongue: I always saw my downfall being on the bridge or the 2 mini roundabouts. Great to see you and sixth sorted out your differences too :stuck_out_tongue:.

A common problem of mine was road positioning. Going from a wide cab to a lower & narrower cab I could never judge my distance from the edge properly and something that I was consistently struggling with, did you ever find that a problem?

Also, how well did you get to grips with the coupling / uncoupling procedure?

Me and sixth never resolved our differences bar the final day with Chris, but the ā– ā– ā– ā–  (6th gear) turned on me on the exam. So I said in my head, ā– ā– ā– ā–  it, so I ignored it for the entire test and just used 5th and 7th only bud and they were my friends in gearbox world as we did a lot of fast roads on the test too! :smiling_imp:

Donā€™t need 6th its a waste of space on that gearbox in my over inflated wet behind the ears newbie opinion. :laughing: :sunglasses: ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  useless cog, if I could afford to buy that lorry from Pete, I wouldā€™ve done. Iā€™d have taken the gearbox out and smashed that ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  cog to dust and then put it all back together again. :open_mouth: :stuck_out_tongue: :imp: :laughing:

Never had such a ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  awkward gear in all my life and Iā€™ve used some interesting condition vehicles in my time, like most of us have on here! And Pete really looks after his vehicles, just donā€™t get it!!! :confused:

Found no weaknesses on the test routes, they were all sensible and I didnā€™t feel threatened by them. Only when you come to think about it, 7.5t weight limits, two of them, but I knew them. The other one was keeping clear of driveways, keep clear paint and yellow boxes!

Fair play to Chris as the routes and places he took me for learning how to handle the lorry got me up to a good level of confidence in myself and the vehicleā€™s characteristics. Thatā€™s more than 3/4 of a test being comfortable in your own abilities.

Road positioning was easier for me, as I sometimes drove 12t on a weekend on agency, so I used my kerb mirror and then took width into consideration like I normally would as its a normal size rigid. Again it all felt natural.

Length was a little worry for me (oooerrrr missus :laughing: :unamused: :wink: ), tail swing was my greatest fear, which this had hardly any though to be worried about.

But in my full time job that is already making me sweat and worry a lot to be honest!!

Uncoupling/Coupling a piece of ā– ā– ā– ā– , but I had a natural advantage of watching my father a lot and helping him do it when younger. Lots of people donā€™t have that, so I understand it would be unnatural and hard.

However for test purposes binned that out of my head, told Chris Iā€™d never done it before and listened to everything he said. Absorbed it followed it word for word and then repeated it to the DSA standard. Job done.

Done it all slowly and throughly and talked it through loudly so the examiner could hear what I was thinking and doing, that helps a lot, as long as you say the correct things though :wink:

Tests are hard, so they should be!

Iā€™ll never forget that and as Dar said as long as you are safe it doesnā€™t matter how long it takes you to pass, a pass is a pass no-one cares about the ticks on the sheet after you have the licence in your hand!

C

23

Unless Iā€™ve missed it, you still havenā€™t said how many minors you got. Are you going to let on?

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

24

Hey Pete,

Was a clean sheet until final stunt. For that I earnt 3 minors in one hit! Did you not speak to examiner as he was still there writing up when I left and I saw you on the way out of Mansfield and flashed my lights at you. I was in the Blue Honda Estate.

Will do a post of the final day when I get 5 minutes tomorrow.

C

25

Constantine:
Hey Pete,

Was a clean sheet until final stunt. For that I earnt 3 minors in one hit! Did you not speak to examiner as he was still there writing up when I left and I saw you on the way out of Mansfield and flashed my lights at you. I was in the Blue Honda Estate.

Will do a post of the final day when I get 5 minutes tomorrow.

C

The examiner cannot tell an instructor anything unless the candidate give express permission

26

Yes, I knew. Not from the examiner though. Just thought it would be nice for others to know how low the score was - - it sounded as if youā€™d got another 10 by the write up! And I clocked you in the Honda and was sorry to have missed you by such a tiny margin. Hey ho. Canā€™t be everywhere.

Rog is technically correct - - but in reality ā€¦

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

27

I saw your Drawbar on the M1 yesterday afternoon Pete. Have you crashed it into a paint shop recently :grimacing:

I only glimpsed it at the last second but it looked rather colourful. If youā€™re going for maximum attention grabbing it certainly works.

28

Well done on the pass it does feel good

29

I only glimpsed it at the last second but it looked rather colourful. If youā€™re going for maximum attention grabbing it certainly works.

That is the general idea - so Iā€™m glad itā€™s working! You probably spotted one of them between 28 and 29 - hope it was behaving itself.

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

30

Peter Smythe:
Yes, I knew. Not from the examiner though. Just thought it would be nice for others to know how low the score was - - it sounded as if youā€™d got another 10 by the write up! And I clocked you in the Honda and was sorry to have missed you by such a tiny margin. Hey ho. Canā€™t be everywhere.

Rog is technically correct - - but in reality ā€¦

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

Hey Pete,

I wouldnā€™t have got 10ā€¦ :laughing: The cheek. :unamused: :wink: :laughing:

I deserved one more minor (it shouldā€™ve only been 1 minor in total though. I had behaved throughout) at the beginning but other than that I was very well behaved, it was my best drive of the entire course duration.

Yes I did loiter a little waiting for you, whilst speaking to Pete about what actually happened. But time was cracking on and it was getting close to 4 and I had the three hour drive back and rush hour to contend with and of course Iā€™d been up early to start training.

So yes it was a shame to miss you by minutes to give you a debrief.

Hmmmm if the world carried on working to technicalities. Then we may as well become autonomous robots, as everyone seems hell bent on being through their our own implied consent anyway. Usually using, accepting the excuses and then blaming what the insurance companies and govenement wants!

Glad to see you are making the world more personable again Pete.

C

31

Hey All,

Not of much interest now, but went away with work as in final weekā€™s of notice, so getting zb about a bit! :unamused:

24/10/2013

The finale.

Started early had to be at yard for 0730 to make up lost time from yesterday.

Packed up hotel early night before, went straight down to breakfast, had me cereal, full english, toast, yoghurt and some fruit.

I knew today was going to be a ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  day and there wouldnā€™t be time to stop and eat before the test, so got amongst it! :sunglasses:

Got to Peteā€™s with seconds to spare before 0730. Got my ā– ā– ā– ā–  together, check the documents were on my personage, donned the statutory Hi-viz forceshield for the yard.

Its driving all day, before the test, as there are four tests today! Iā€™m the last

So we get amongst it, get driving, Iā€™m congratulated that Iā€™ve been listening and chilling the ā– ā– ā– ā–  out with the gears. First mock of the day pass, the second pass, stop to get Chris a tea and sausage roll. I get on the third, slightly ropey, but hey still a pass, boooom.

Back on to the centre and wait for test area to be free from an actual test. Practice on the reversing, everyone happy on the two attempts, do the uncoupling twice, all happy.

Third test of the day comes backā€¦itā€™s a unfortunate result, missed a 7.5t weight limit. :neutral_face: Feel for the guy genuinely.

Back out for fourth mockā€¦passed that, have we reached a pinnacle too soon.

Anyway get back, park the lorry up for either an uncoupling (preferably) or a reversing manoeuvre.

Go up to the office, sign my DCPC certificates, meet the examiner, show my paperwork, do the declaration signatures.

Walk to the vehicle together, explain why I have come up to Mansfield for training, idle chit chat about the work I am currently doing and the change to lorry driving with the new company etc, etc :laughing:

Do the show and tell thing, piece of zb, 3 of them answered.

Here goes, weā€™re doing theā€¦reversing exerciseā€¦ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  vehicle moved out of prime position. ā– ā– ā– ā–  it get involved, do the reversing exercise, nothing said by examiner when in final positionā€¦all three of my check points in the mirror, say my trailer is there, ok one is a marker the rest are just reference points in relation to an object using the actual trailer that I discovered myself whilst on the training :open_mouth: :laughing:

Get out, yep, best one of the ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  series. Thatā€™s done under the watchful eye of another instructor, his pupil, two coach fitters and a coach driver, all waiting for me to move out of their ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  way. :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Oh well only one more manoeuvre and you boys can have the place to yourself again

Move the lorry and position it in the centre of the test of the ruled paint markingā€¦ :open_mouth: :blush: :open_mouth: ā– ā– ā– ā–  never practised this way. Ok no ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  panicking I can do this.

Examiner show paper diagram. Cool. Get told to use the whole length of the marking until I think I am perfectly straight. Ok some good clues there. Park lorry either side of the trailer my choice. Ok.

Do as instructed get it straight, roll up to the nearest marked number and remember. Uncouple and explain out loud what I am doingā€¦hey whatā€™s this some more spectators, a random driverā€¦must be an MOT dude and another fitter. :laughing:

Good times, examiner then says park it on either side, I put it parallel alongside the trailer and a coach use it as a line up.

Do the walk around roleplay as taught, no worries.

Do the couplingā€¦woah whatā€™s this, the pin goes in ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  first time for the first time in my course, thatā€™s all good again. Do all my connections and weā€™re ready to roll out for ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  real now!

Letā€™s get this ā– ā– ā– ā–  on. Out the gate and off we go. Left out the gate and right again and then on route. Traffic is quite clear, but still feel ā– ā– ā– ā–  I pulled out on a car that was speeding under the bridge. But thought ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  he werenā€™t there when I was halfway across the road, but he must have been speeding as I had been observant.

Route goes well for first 10 minutes, I feel happy, nothing doing, clipboard next to me unopened. Examiner talking to me about stuff in the news but goes quiet in areas I need to concentrate on and I do too.

All good until I get to a busy junction area and nearly pull into a keep clear area. Next to a building site, front overhangs as I realise at last moment. But stop quite controlled, what the ā– ā– ā– ā–  am I on.

Anyway rest of test goes well, clipboard never comes out. But I have to do 7, yes 7 ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  pull up on the left and then pull away again, one on a hill, they rest on busy routes, where it takes me upto 3 minutes to get a safe gap to pull out of :unamused: :confused: :neutral_face:

After this all fast routes along the hills on the wide single carriageway and then dual carriageways. Into industrial estates, sometimes a little hesitant on my speed as canā€™t remember if 40 or 30, so try to spot on signs going other way. However lucky most areas even in 40s canā€™t do the speed safely so adjust sensibly.

Then onto the self directed route thing, interesting as soon as we start, he has to tell me to pull up as he realises that the route maybe closed for emergency roadworks. Itā€™s not, but I just keep confirming the place names and he makes a mistake with a place name and realises and then tells me take this name instead. Feeling unsettled by this now, but ā– ā– ā– ā–  it go safe, if lost it donā€™t matter as long as signs complied with and I am being safe. :wink: :laughing:

Hold up at a set of traffic lights, to let an ambulance through, giving it a lot of space and blocking silly bollock car drivers from hindering it too. All feeling happy, lots of talking throughout the route. Go up to a large hill, where a keep clear is so roll upto that as traffic lights are on red by the time I get to that box, the traffic lights are green so go for it and get through nicely.

Goes well up until the final point where I nearly throw it away at the final traffic controlled crossroads, where I refuse to comment on that now.

But up until then I had a clean sheet!

After that I got give 3 minors.

When I returned to the yard, we parked up and I was told congratulations I passed! :laughing: :sunglasses: :laughing: God knows how, but I just did it.

So there you go the trials and tribulations of getting your C+E (Class 1) piece of paper.

Thanks for all the well wishes.

C

PS The licence arrived today, both parts completely correct with my new categories. :grimacing: :grimacing: :grimacing: :sunglasses:

32

Peter Smythe:
Just checked the website for the B+B and it states free wi-fi.

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

It just depends on which room youā€™re in. If its the one at the end of the corridor its quite weakā€¦

I trained with Chris too, and passed with flying colours. They certainly improved my confidence Tlingit the road tooā€¦ :smiley:

33

I too trained with Chris , passed c&e first time last feb :slight_smile: .
Donā€™t beat yourself up about getting a few minors , :unamused: I had 3 myself on that test .
13 I think it was on my cat c :grimacing: ( with a different training company I might add )
Still no one needs to know :wink: and a pass is a pass :sunglasses:
Good luck with your new job tbw

Chees mike

34

Hey Mikey D

Not beating myself up, I heavily edited the end to preserve myself.

A few on here know the truth of what happened and all agreed I was ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā– ā–  lucky I got the minors that I did, it shouldā€™ve been worse. :open_mouth:

Trust me I was estatic to get the minors as I know what I shouldā€™ve got. Best drive of the course the test, bar that last 90 seconds.

Like you say who cares. I got the pass, Iā€™ll highly unlikley use it for quite a few years, so Iā€™ll just have it until I need it and then Iā€™ll have to learn how to drive properly with a trailer all over againā€¦on my own :laughing: :open_mouth: :sunglasses:

Also goes to prove Peteā€™s point, donā€™t let your guard down for a second on the test until youā€™ve signed the pass certificate.

C

35

Been away the last week so just catching up on this thread , been following it from the start well done on your pass m8 , doing my class 1 test on Friday so been training all week with Jim Mair driver training kilmarnock , great company to train with makes a difference when you feel comfortable with the training , all the best m8 very pleased for you .

36

Hey thomasb9295,

Did you pass bud?

C