I just need to vent really. I feel like ■■■■ being back in this place of failure! I’m just not getting the reverse. No pennies are dropping. I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing or why. I hate the way they teach you “put a right lock on until you see this, then put a left lock in until you see that” - it seems so unnatural without learning how the trailer behaves first through trial and error. I feel like I can’t remap my brain or get any muscle memory because I’m not doing anything right and I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
I’ve now got to lose a days driving to more reversing practice, and I feel like I won’t pass again because I can’t, and right now I feel like why did I waste my money on C+E when I should just stick to C. I so didn’t want to feel like this about C+E. If you had asked me yesterday I would have felt like I had a chance of passing the on road on Friday.
I hate the way this process screws with my mind. It’s horrible when the excitement turns sour, I had a good day driving yesterday.
I’m trying to ask my instructor for help but I sense she views my failure as a failure on her part and would much rather just blame me for being stupid. I don’t feel we are clicking very well, mainly because she is a sarky cow! End of (first) rant.
Ps I passed the uncouple/couple even though it took me an absolute age to get the airlines on
driveress:
I hate the way they teach you “put a right lock on until you see this, then put a left lock in until you see that” - it seems so unnatural without learning how the trailer behaves first through trial and error. I
Absolutely agree.
That isn`t teaching you how to reverse. It may be teaching how to (mindlessly) follow a set of instructions to pass a test.
driveress:
I hate the way they teach you “put a right lock on until you see this, then put a left lock in until you see that” - it seems so unnatural without learning how the trailer behaves first through trial and error. I
Absolutely agree.
That isn`t teaching you how to reverse. It may be teaching how to (mindlessly) follow a set of instructions to pass a test.
Suppose thats the aim of the game for them though to get you passed that specific reverse that you are probably never going to encounter in the real world.
The only advice I can give would be based on my experience of doing the reverse having only reversed rigids before I turned up too.
The most important aspect I learnt was that you use the fact the combination has a pivot point. An important principle (part of the jigsaw) is if you go back with straight unit wheels, whatever slight bend the combination has will increase (albeit slowly at first). If you steer away from the bend, this will increase the rate which the bend increases in angle.
Then, you have to think about straightening up by steering into the visible side of trailer. However, if your aim is to go back straight, you need to have taken this steering off at the point the unit and trailer align, otherwise you get into correcting and counter-correcting.
It is entirely possible to do the reverse without full locking. Your main aim is to get the trailer on a good angle left and then straighten up so the cone (B) on your offside (driver side) is visible. Then you go back straight until you need to put a left steer on (trailer right) to get into the bay area.
The trick is to make sure you know how much steering you need to get cone B to the side of the trailer and not directly behind it. I think this is why instructors teach like they do. It is a way of getting people through the test rather than being the best or most intuitive way to learn real-world reversing.
If you can get cone B to your side and get going back straight there isn’t really much of an excuse for failing because you have 2 shunts. I decided before I started that I was going to use a shunt just to take any small chance of messing it up out of the equation.
Once you see cone B you are really cooking with gas, so the instructors aren’t as daft as they look really!
driveress:
I just need to vent really. I feel like [zb] being back in this place of failure! I’m just not getting the reverse. No pennies are dropping. I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing or why. I hate the way they teach you “put a right lock on until you see this, then put a left lock in until you see that” - it seems so unnatural without learning how the trailer behaves first through trial and error. I feel like I can’t remap my brain or get any muscle memory because I’m not doing anything right and I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.
:
All I would say is to accept the learning by rote that your trainer is trying to instill. It’s not ideal, it won’t help you in real life, but it does get you through the test.
That said, turning the bottom of the steering wheel towards the side that you want the trailer to go to. ( And use your shunts to straighten up the outfit).
I passed first time and I can’t reverse at all, you’re taught how to pass the exercise not how to reverse and once you’re out in the real world you’re on your own and left feeling hopeless. I failed my first assessment for a job with Next and I’m still looking for work 5 months after passing.
I’ve done a days Class 1 for an agency and was hopeless, I’ve done 2 days training with another agency and was told by the instructor that he couldn’t teach me how to reverse I would just have to practice, that’s easy to say but I don’t exactly have access to an articulated lorry to get the practice.
Sorry to hear you didn’t pass the reverse exercise! Just remember it’s not failure, just a delayed success
I know it’s unnatural, but I’d follow the instructions they provide to the letter to get through the test. Be sure to check your overhanging right mirror to check the wheel against the line on the right-hand edge of the box and you’ll be fine next time. I’d try to get 3 or 4 reverses that you are happy with in a row before the test if possible.
You will have plenty of time to practice your reversing in the real world when you are out on the road on your own
driveress:
I went over the line near the beginning
That’s unfortunate. You passed all the hard parts! If you follow the advice (close as possible to the left before starting, number of turns of lock before you start moving etc.) You shouldn’t cross the line, but the window fully open and the seat raised high enough to see the floor…
Just make sure you do the same again with everything else that you already proved you passed at.
driveress:
I hate the way they teach you “put a right lock on until you see this, then put a left lock in until you see that” - it seems so unnatural without learning how the trailer behaves first through trial and error. I
Absolutely agree.
That isn`t teaching you how to reverse. It may be teaching how to (mindlessly) follow a set of instructions to pass a test.
So no different to any other kind of test or exam really… At least in my personal experience of a very wide variety of situations.
Perhaps the reason you’re not getting it is a matter of perspective:
I’ve now got to lose a days driving to more reversing practice
The reversing is still part of the driving, maybe give it it’s rightful significance and you’ll be fine (anyone can go forwards, almost all candidates worry most about the reversing)
Think yourself lucky in that these days you can get the reversing and coupling/uncoupling (3a) done separately to the moving forwards part of the test (3b), most of us here had to do it all together, then some found that while their driving had been fine, they’d failed early on with the manoeuvering.
EDIT: with any training provider there isn’t the spare time for letting candidates play around using trial and error, unless you wanted to pay for an extra day. Very few TPs would turn down an extra session, especially if they had their own private off-road area.
I think what happened yesterday was that I wasn’t ready and wasn’t concentrating because I was panicking and feeling bad that I was the crap one who needs more time again. I didn’t go anywhere near the line today. I also took my time, and took a shunt.
It’s ridiculous isn’t it, so much fuss over the simplest manoeuvre possible. And because it bears no resemblance to real world reverses, “helpless” is just the right word to describe how new passes feel in regard to reversing. Kind of takes the shine off passing!
I learned by rote how to pass the test. I also learned a bit more about how the trailer responds. The difficulty I found is that you have to remember the procedure but what happens when you mess it up? Not so easy to learn each possible rescue. Then you suddenly remember you have 2 shunts. And they say don’t think…but you have to bloody think because you’re remembering what to do.
I now don’t feel like I lost a day on the road because today was really helpful. I spent the morning observing the other two candidates and listening to their instructor. It’s a revelation how different people instruct. He was quite technical, explaining the wizardry that is reversing artics with analogies that I could connect with: imagine how you would push a sofa…think of the trailer as a dart and the unit as your hand, line the dart up where you want it to go…and so on. So I learned how to go backwards in a straight line. Happy days. And yes, I think all us recent trainees feel bloody lucky that we don’t have to do it all at the test centre.
Fantastic mate, well pleased for you. And your take on it I couldn’t agree more. I’m 2 days into real world artic driving and this morning felt like I was only meant to drive a rigid. Things started to fall into place a little this afternoon though. I’m yet to find a yard with a ‘B cone’ strategically placed though.
However having recently passed my C+E I think your initial post is highly relevent.
The training / instruction I got for the reversing exercise was DIABOLICAL.
I watched the instructor do it once.
I did it twice under his ‘instruction’ - he had no clue how to teach anyone a ■■■■ thing.
I did it once on my own and managed it - it was a complete fudge. I was then told ‘well done you’ve passed’. WTF.
This continued into my on road training, the guy was as much use at teaching as a chocolate fireguard. Great driver - ■■■■■ teacher.
He just had a load of rhetorical crap that he kept spouting, very very quick to rant at mistakes, not until I stopped the truck and blocked some traffic on an island and asked the question “ok then so what should I be doing” as opposed to you ‘pointing’ out mistakes afterwards (that’s putting it politely)
Soo bottom line is I passed my c+e despite my instructor and training school. I use that term very loosely.
I was trying to park in a services and he said “you sure you wanna be a truck driver”.
And this is from one of the much lauded training schools on this site.
I learnt much more from youtube and vloggers like truck driver Hayley than ever I did for my £2000 fee that I paid the training school.
However having recently passed my C+E I think your initial post is highly relevent.
The training / instruction I got for the reversing exercise was DIABOLICAL.
I watched the instructor do it once.
I did it twice under his ‘instruction’ - he had no clue how to teach anyone a ■■■■ thing.
I did it once on my own and managed it - it was a complete fudge. I was then told ‘well done you’ve passed’. WTF.
This continued into my on road training, the guy was as much use at teaching as a chocolate fireguard. Great driver - [zb] teacher.
He just had a load of rhetorical crap that he kept spouting, very very quick to rant at mistakes, not until I stopped the truck and blocked some traffic on an island and asked the question “ok then so what should I be doing” as opposed to you ‘pointing’ out mistakes afterwards (that’s putting it politely)
Soo bottom line is I passed my c+e despite my instructor and training school. I use that term very loosely.
I was trying to park in a services and he said “you sure you wanna be a truck driver”.
And this is from one of the much lauded training schools on this site.
I learnt much more from youtube and vloggers like truck driver Hayley than ever I did for my £2000 fee that I paid the training school.
“you sure you wanna be a truck driver” is quite revealing in my eyes.
Unfortunately from time to time candidates may experience prejudice and instructors who are there but not giving their all (it may be subconsious).
For the candidate, it is difficult enough, but if you are set on the career you can sure make it work if you are enough of an irrepressible force. Think along the lines of a metronome where you never skip a beat and you will get there.
As you say, embarrassing the instructor into action with questions such as “what should I have done?” may help.
However having recently passed my C+E I think your initial post is highly relevent.
The training / instruction I got for the reversing exercise was DIABOLICAL.
I watched the instructor do it once.
I did it twice under his ‘instruction’ - he had no clue how to teach anyone a ■■■■ thing.
I did it once on my own and managed it - it was a complete fudge. I was then told ‘well done you’ve passed’. WTF.
This continued into my on road training, the guy was as much use at teaching as a chocolate fireguard. Great driver - [zb] teacher.
He just had a load of rhetorical crap that he kept spouting, very very quick to rant at mistakes, not until I stopped the truck and blocked some traffic on an island and asked the question “ok then so what should I be doing” as opposed to you ‘pointing’ out mistakes afterwards (that’s putting it politely)
Soo bottom line is I passed my c+e despite my instructor and training school. I use that term very loosely.
I was trying to park in a services and he said “you sure you wanna be a truck driver”.
And this is from one of the much lauded training schools on this site.
I learnt much more from youtube and vloggers like truck driver Hayley than ever I did for my £2000 fee that I paid the training school.
“you sure you wanna be a truck driver” is quite revealing in my eyes.
Unfortunately from time to time candidates may experience prejudice and instructors who are there but not giving their all (it may be subconsious).
For the candidate, it is difficult enough, but if you are set on the career you can sure make it work if you are enough of an irrepressible force. Think along the lines of a metronome where you never skip a beat and you will get there.
As you say, embarrassing the instructor into action with questions such as “what should I have done?” may help.
Having re-read my post it sounds quite ‘sour grapey’ lol, it wasn’t really the intention.
I have plenty of life experience including being a business owner (30 years +) in another field. My instructor would certainly never work for me!
Also I’ve done a lot of advanced motorcycle training over the years, both on road and track based, the difference a great instructor can make is phenomenal.
I guess i’m a little disappointed at my own lack of judgement with regards to the training provider I chose.
Anyway that’s all behind me now i’m a proud C+E licence holder, got a few irons in the fire for weekend shifts to gain experience … onwards and upwards as they say
EaGledrives:
Having re-read my post it sounds quite ‘sour grapey’ lol, it wasn’t really the intention.
I have plenty of life experience including being a business owner (30 years +) in another field. My instructor would certainly never work for me!
Also I’ve done a lot of advanced motorcycle training over the years, both on road and track based, the difference a great instructor can make is phenomenal.
I guess i’m a little disappointed at my own lack of judgement with regards to the training provider I chose.
Anyway that’s all behind me now i’m a proud C+E licence holder, got a few irons in the fire for weekend shifts to gain experience … onwards and upwards as they say
We don’t get to see what the instructor was like when he started, but chances are he struggled (because everyone does). It may have been so long ago that he has forgotten. It sounds like you really used your experience to prevail when the parameters could have been better.
EaGledrives:
Having re-read my post it sounds quite ‘sour grapey’ lol, it wasn’t really the intention.
I have plenty of life experience including being a business owner (30 years +) in another field. My instructor would certainly never work for me!
Also I’ve done a lot of advanced motorcycle training over the years, both on road and track based, the difference a great instructor can make is phenomenal.
I guess i’m a little disappointed at my own lack of judgement with regards to the training provider I chose.
Anyway that’s all behind me now i’m a proud C+E licence holder, got a few irons in the fire for weekend shifts to gain experience … onwards and upwards as they say
We don’t get to see what the instructor was like when he started, but chances are he struggled (because everyone does). It may have been so long ago that he has forgotten. It sounds like you really used your experience to prevail when the parameters could have been better.
Also for people using the forum in the future, go for an assessment drive with the school, ensure the instructor is the instructor that you will be placed with. If you ‘click’ and have a rappor, t great, if not go elsewhere untill you find the right ‘fit’, its a very important element of learning.
It’s horrible when the excitement turns sour, I had a good day driving yesterday.
