Hey folks,
Just passed my Class 2 on Tuesday with PSTT on my second attempt. Just thought I’d type a few words and document a bit about my experience throughout the whole process for other people who might be about to do the same thing. I know I found it really helpful reading about others experiences on here so thought I’d try and return the favour a bit.
So, I booked the 4-day training (with PSTT) with the test on the last day. Got the 10% Trucknet discount and also because I live more than 70 miles away from the centre I was eligible for the free accommodation, which was spot on. Journey down took about 5 and a bit hours.
1st Day Training
Arrived at training just before 8am. Done some quick licence checks, grabbed a cup of coffee and met up with Helen my trainer for the 3 days. Really nice woman and knew all sorts of things about LGV driving, which was a good start! Hopped into a pretty new looking Renault and went over controls/checks etc. She took it out around a local industrial estate first to show me the ropes. After about 15 minutes we swap seats and I gave it a bash. Went really well and ended up taking it off the industrial estate and onto the main road myself. God speed, everyone else.
Manoeuvring, stopping smoothly, navigating roundabouts/tighter turns etc, all went fine. One of the main problems I had was mirror checking. I’m coming straight from 15 years of car driving so neurotically checking mirrors after almost anything you do was a bit of a learning curve. Trainer kept reminding me to have a quick glance on both sides. Also, to be checking your mirrors before you make many manoeuvres was another thing I wrestled with. Rule of thumb - just live inside your f*****g mirrors.
Another issue I had was because I was concentrating so hard on manoeuvring the vehicle itself safely I sometimes failed to see important road signs like weight and vehicle restrictions etc. Again, my trainer kept reminding me about this.
Later that night at about 4pm we were given some Mod 4 training and walked through each potential question step-by-step. Very thorough and very helpful. You’re also given the opportunity to try various different ways of strapping down loads. Rachets and straps, chains and tensioners etc.
Went back to the hotel room that night quite pleased on how it all went. Got a Dominos, watched Babestation for a bit then went to bed.
2nd Day Training
Had training the same time as the previous day. Arrived just before 8am, grabbed coffee, met trainer and got into the truck. We followed variations of the routes we did the previous day. Starting getting the hang of looking at all road signs as I was driving whilst retaining proper control of the vehicle. The strategy I took with the mirrors is that after almost everything I passed (street furniture, pedestrians close to roadside, other large vehicles etc) I had a quick glance in the mirrors. After a certain time, it became second nature. To the point that I now do it in my car…
Something I got grilled for is going a bit fast into a couple of junctions. As my confidence grew, so did my speed.
Once we pulled back into the yard after being out for a few hours driving, it was time to get to grips with the reverse manoeuvre. I got walked through the ‘technical’ version. As in, drive back until you see this thing / make one 360 degree clockwise turn of the wheel / go back another X amount of feet etc etc. To be honest, I couldn’t get my head around it so I just winged it. Just tried to judge it by eye and it went fine. Only problem I had with the reverse is when it came to the ‘driving forward and stop at the cones’ part I kept driving past the cones. What a noob.
One other thing I’ll mention about the reverse is to turn pretty sharply as soon as you start to move, or you’ll quickly run out of space to twist it round into the box. But don’t cross the outside yellow line with any of your tyres.
Went back to hotel again for the rest of the night for more trousers off time.
3rd Day Training
Kick off at the same time as previous days. Pretty much the same fare. Found it to be the smoothest drive of all after all the practice. Was still making a couple of stupid mistakes with regards to noticing one or two restriction signs but was confident that I would be so wired during the test that I would be able to spot a wasp at 100m.
Later that day I was called in for my Mod 4 test. Was quite nervous about it but there was really no need to be. Kenny, who is the in-house examiner for PSTT, couldn’t have been a more freindly bloke. Super helpful and puts you at complete ease during the test. Probably spent more time chatting about Glasgow rather than the questions themselves - top egg. Question are pretty straightforward and as long as you’ve looked them over the night before then you’ve got nothing to worry about.
4th Day Training/TEST
Quite nervous today as the big test is early afternoon. Get to the yard and head out onto the road for the last couple of hours training. All went really well but I was STILL making the same stupid mistake as the previous day. Namely, vehicle restriction signage. Helen was about ready to batter me (not really, Peter). One particular time I had actually noticed the sign itself but thought it would have been weird to then just peel off onto another road and carry on. This is, of course, exactly what I should have done. Too much hesitation. Other than that, she thought I was test ready…
So, I got in the car and went for a drive to try and calm my nerves for a couple of hours. Came back and met up with the examiner just before 2pm and done some paperwork. Can’t remember her name (blonde woman) but she was spot on - really pleasant and quite chatty. Instantly put me at ease. Before the reverse, we stand outside the cab and she asked me about 3-4 show me/tell me questions. Honestly, if you’ve looked through your Mod 4 training questions you’ll blast through this. We then jump in the cab and I’m asked to perform the revering exercise. Went really well. If you train with PSTT then there are little tie-wrap indicators that they put on all the trucks to help align you when you get into the ‘box’ section of the exercise. Once the tie-wrap lined up I then checked the front mirror above the windscreen that looked down upon the front of the cab and worked out that you should be 10 ‘dots’ in. You’ll know what I mean if you do it. If you get into this position, stop because you’ve nailed it.
After that, she jumped in the cab and told me to set off for the hours practical drive. Was happy with how it went not realising I had chalked up 1 major. Managed to get it at a junction that I was instructed to turn right on and I turned into it in a ‘straight on’ lane. Didn’t even slightly notice the b*stard white arrows at the time and thought both lanes went right.
I’ve attached an image of the error.
So, failed. Examiner was good at explaining where I went wrong though and good enough to point out on Google Maps where it went t*ts up. She also explained my 4 minors.
Response to signs/signals road markings = 1 Major (Image above)
Response to signs/signals traffic lights = 1 Minor
Use of mirrors - M/C rear obs change direction = 1 Minor
Awareness/planning = 2 Minors
I went back into the office and rebooked straight away as I had taken out the pass protection (which I was pretty happy about). Would only take 4-5 days to have another run at it. Was a pretty sucky 5 hour journey back up north though, really beat myself up about it. If you do the same as me then I would suggest trying really hard not to do this. Dust yourself off and just try again. Like, don’t even think too much about it, just get it booked. As a wise man once said, “failure is the fertiliser of success”.
2ND TEST
So, the week later I make the drive down to do it again. Pretty f*****g nervous this time and I’m not sure why. I think it was the fear of just perpetually failing and never getting a licence. Again, try not do this. I had planned on popping a couple of KALMS (those herbal calming pills) before going out but I ended up forgetting them so just had to get on with it. I’ve heard people on here say they work really well for nerves so might be worth a shout.
So, same drill. Meet with (same) examiner, sign a document, head out to truck, answer 3-4 show me/tell me questions then do the reverse. Nailed them all again but was sh*tting myself for the practical, more so than last time.
We then headed out onto the road. All-in-all, everything went incredibly smoothly. No ambiguous traffic light situations, no w*nkers cut me up on roundabouts, no one ran out into the road and traffic seemed to be at a minimum. Aside from the skill of the testee, there’s a lot of luck involved in these tests and I guess I was quite lucky. So, only got 2 minors.
Signals timed = 1 Minor
Progress appropriate speed = 1 Minor
Pretty chuffed. Now it’s time for the real learning to begin - time to get a job.
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So, I’d like to say thanks to PSTT. You’ve got a great team down there and a cracking set up. Should be coming back down to do my artic when I get the chance to rob another bank.
Cheers.
