As I’m sure we’re all aware during test there is on occasion a little doubt in our minds as to whether we are being over confident or hesitant. The last thing we wanna do is scare the examiner as they at that point really arnt overly sure of your competence so personally I feel like I’m a little hesitant despite not personally feeling hesitant in terms of the drive etc but how my actions would come across to a different person. Any ways to counter this?
Relatively easy to sort this. Stop overthinking it, is the first thing. A basic rule for progress/hesitancy is “drive as fast as you can, all the time, safely and legally”. Consider that and it solves everything.
Hesitancy refers to emerging onto a roundabout or pulling out of a junction as a rule. This, too, is simple. Take the first proper opportunity to move. In this sense “proper” means completing the manoeuvre without slowing anyone else down. There’s always the case of “the car came flying round the roundabout and had to brake”. Provided you genuinely had no chance of seeing the car (maybe by looking all the way round the roundabout instead of just to the right), there is no problem. But if you could have seen him, you’ve just gained a serious mark (fail). A useful learning aid: when turning right from a side road to a major road, pay attention to how long it takes for your vehicle to clear the centre line. The bigger the vehicle, the more you need to know this.
I said “take the first proper opportunity to move”. This is the ideal. But don’t panic if you miss it. Take the second opportunity. No-one will fail for this. But pulling out when you shouldn’t will likely cost you a test.
Don’t think about how the examiner is viewing it; you’ve been correctly trained so just do what you normally do. Special efforts for test often cause problems.
Hope this helps, Pete S 
I know I’ve mentioned on another post about driving 7.5t to give you more experience at driving a larger vehicle and the slower take off speed. I know this isn’t an option for you.
Something else I started to do after my first fail was start using a tip I got from someone else on here.
Ditch the rear view mirror in your car. Start to use mirror mirror blind spot before every manoeuvre (I know everyone should be doing it in a car anyway but I certainly didn’t).
Once you start doing that you will notice how quickly other cars are travelling and rather that racing out of junctions in your car your decision making will get better. You will feel calmer behind the wheel and ultimately become a better driver.
As you know I’m not by any means an expert on these matters but this is what I did to help me when I was facing a similar situation to the one you face.
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The way I’m thinking about it (BUT YET TO DO IT SO MY THINKING COULD BE TOTALLY FUBAR) is if (FOR EXAMPLE) I need 5 seconds to pull out of a junction in my car, then you’ll need double or triple that in a truck.
I’ve started being quite slow at pulling out of junctions in my car as if I’m a truck, to get used to needing more room without causing a problem for other traffic.
It’s easier to do it.
Another tip if you have the time - drive where there are lorries and follow them. Watch what they do. Lots around where I am, so I’m spending a bit of time just following them rather than passing them.
Thanks for the responses lads.
Where I struggle I feel isn’t necessarily junctions/roundabouts etc but more parked cars…when the obstruction is on my side obviously I’m giving way to oncoming traffic but when there is a large travelling distance until I’m able to be free and clear back over my own side I’m hanging back until I feel there is better opportunity for me to not slow others down… ultimately in these situations I’m either hanging around far to long or until I’m flashed through.
I’d never really wait in these circumstances in my car as I know for sure we can all fit… to I certain degree I’m 99% confident we can fit without the others slowing down most of the time if they are competent while I’m in the truck but if the car driver is hesitant they can’t I’m afraid that comes back on me.
Are you expected to push your way through or ?
WAIT
I have know instances where the examiner has instructed the candidate to deliberately pull out even if it makes another road user slow down a bit
That is often done where it could be rush hour in relatively slow moving traffic and no gaps are likely to appear for maybe 5+ minutes
Where I struggle I feel isn’t necessarily junctions/roundabouts etc but more parked cars…when the obstruction is on my side
Again, a simple rule. If you’re going to make someone slow down, stop or change course - - you’re wrong. When doing the calculation, make sure you have allowed proper clearance space to your left AND for oncoming traffic.
Pete S
Like when you have a line of 20/30 parked cars, we can all get through but it becomes tight I’d be there forever. My instructor told me I have to make a move or no one would ever let me through… I actually agree with him but am of course worried my examiner would see if differently… which leaves a conundrum…the odd car here and there gaps come quite quickly but with long strings of obstructions is where I’m stuck
OK. So all you do is to ensure that you keep your speed down. Yet another free lesson coming up!! Most parked vehicles are found in a 30 mph speed limit area. And the correct clearance between you and the parked cars at 30 mph is 3 feet. So if you can only give 2 feet, max speed is 20 mph. If it’s as bad as I think it might be and you can only give 1 foot, then 10 mph. If it’s less than 1 foot, what the hell are you playing at!!
Please dont think that at 10 mph you’re not making progress. My earlier post said that you should drive as fast as you can, safely and legally. And, with 1 foot clearance, 10 mph is quite fast enough thankyou.
Remember clearance for oncoming traffic as well and dont force them up the kerb - doesn’t go down well.
Another little tip when approaching the line of parked vehicles is to take up your position as early as you can. If you end up not parallel to the first car you’re passing, you’ve made hard work of it. Move over in good time so that you pass the parked vehicles in a straight line. That way you can take a smaller space as you’re not all over the road to pass the first vehicle.
Hope this helps, Pete S
Fantastic Pete, thanks for the advice. This is on the roads around PSTT so I presume your well versed 
would you say that 90% of the parked vehicles around the test routes require more of a early positioning manoeuvre than a stop and wait situation? I understand it’s hard to say but who else to ask that knows quite like you do.
approaching some parked vehicles and needing to go into an oncoming traffic lane/space -
As Pete says plan A is to set up early but keep in mind plan B which is to pull in before getting to those parked vehicles - this is where your approach speed is very important
There is often some numpty who is coming the other way and determined to beat you to that space you need
Confidence, overthinking, worry about hesitation and worrying about what the instructor is thinking, wow does that sound familiar, you can go back through some of my rambling old posts over my 3 fails and eventually cracking it on the 4th go!
I don’t think I can sum it any better than Pete has, 100% spot on, certainly with overthinking things/special effort it is really hard not to but treat it like you are in with your instructor, make good progress as you are going along and breathe in through the nose out out through the mouth, will help keep you relaxed as well, and if its not chucking it down personally I say keep the window down, lots of fresh air coming in.
You will do it, if anybody at PSTT though you would have a hardtime to pass they would tell you, I had training/practice with Chris, Helen, Mark & Paul (with lockdowns and need for resits training started 2nd Nov 2020 and I passed Aug 9th 2021) all where very honest with me, its nerves that bothered me, working myself up, thinking to much about what the pass will do for me and stressing myself out to much
Did this on my cat D test at PSTT , Took my line of fire so to speak, drove slow past parked cars on left so cars could get past coming towards us…not sure if I got marked a minor or not for being to close but I will take that.
No wing mirrors were harmed doing this [emoji38]
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How close is too close? If you didn’t hit anything…?
My biggest concern is being flooded by idiot car drivers blocking where I want to go regarding positioning. Would I get nailed for “getting in the way” so I have adequate space to move (e.g. turning a corner, junction, or roundabout)? Obviously I wouldn’t deliberately run them off the road, but I’d position so I was definitely and unquestionably in the way…
Example: I followed a truck last week that set up in the middle of two lanes at a roundabout. No room for a car either side and the line was down the middle of the trailer.
Is this acceptable on a test? It was reasonable for the situation (IMHO).
Once he got moving around the roundabout, tractor and trailer were both in a single lane. The junction onto the roundabout is reasonably wide there, too, but to turn off onto the continuation of dual carriageway, he again had to cross over to the next lane to get the trailer around (while the roundabout is large and has wide lanes, the turn-off portion is rather tight, even for a car).
Straddling lanes if often necessary
Example
Artic with 44 ft trailer approaching smallish roundabout
2 lanes on approach and 2 lanes on roundabout
The artic driver can see that the trailer wheels will go into lane 2 even if the artic keeps tight into lane 1
So artic driver prevents a possible incident by straddling both approach lanes but does not bully others out of the way to do that
There is also the fact that getting onto the roundabout without putting trailers wheels over the left kerb means the unit must go into lane 2 to start with before tucking into the left
I think I explained it but someone might explain better …
Another thing to bear in mind as you start to pass the parked cars is to carry out your follow throughs, so the slower you are the more time you will have to carry out checks on oncoming vehicles and using your mirrors to ensure you haven’t collected a mirror or two.
At junctions and roundabouts when you can see it isn’t safe to emerge take that time to check your blind spot/mirrors and if you have applied the parking brake keep a hand on it, those extra seconds can be the difference in getting away safely.
Waiting until the gap is in front of you and then starting your checks normally means the gap will be gone before you have moved.
Waiting until the gap is in front of you and then starting your checks normally means the gap will be gone before you have moved.
How very true!
Pete S
LIke Hussar has said above in regards to checking mirrors/blind spots etc…
I was under the impression you had to do these iMMEDIATELY before moving off rather than when sat waiting for a gap to appear for example… but like he also said if you hang around to do those when a gap appears it has often gone before you have chance to move into the space…how long before actually moving the vehicle is it acceptable to have checked your blind spots etc?
Wouldn’t the examinar mark you down as not doing them if for example there was a 20 seconds gap between checking mirrors and moving off? This also applies at the head of a junction for example when you’re pulling out into traffic it’s often impossible to do a mirror left/ ahead/ mirror right/ blindspot and still have time to move off!
Am I missing something here?
Like most things, there’s an easy answer. When stationary, make continuous mirror checks. As soon as the space is upon you, shoulder check and go. The shoulder check needs to be immediately before moving and you need to be moving as soon as you safely can. So it’s just a timing issue. Not hard, but needs to be practiced.
There is no question of a 20 second gap as the mirrors are being checked continuously - so longest gap maybe 3 or 4 seconds.
Hope this helps, Pete S
Thanks Pete, I hope this hour I’ve booked in prior to my test brings me up to speed, feels like an age since I’ve been in a truck and it’s only been two weeks!