Not long passed my Class 1 test (September) and been trying since then to get a lucky break with artics. 9.00pm last Tuesday night got a call from an agency that I’ve been signed up with for a year or so, normally 7.5t or class 2. Wanting me to do a 10pm start class 1 shift for a well known supermarket chain. I obviously jumped at the chance and agreed grabbed my bag and was away.
The roads getting there were evenly covered with a mixture of ice and snow, I should have been put off by the long list of firsts that I was about to face eg: first time out alone in a class 1, first run at night, first time on icy roads, first time on the motorway in a class 1, first time with a fully loaded trailer, the list goes on and on.
Picked up the keys for the unit at the transport office and went to pick it up from the yard, 08 DAF CF which cheered me up a bit as agency drivers from my experience usually get the million miler with not much that works inside.
The trailer was on one of the loading bays so I had to go hitch that up, another first, picking up a full trailer and in the dark it took me 10 minutes to get hitched and another 15 to find the trailer brake and lift the landing legs (trailer was dropped low). After checking, then double checking that I’d properly hitched and done a defect check I was ready to go.
The run there went well apart from the fog on the way and reverse park onto loading bay to tip at the other end, another driver was there when I started to back up and laughed and said “I’m not going to help you son, if I do you’ll never learn for yourself” he did however give a me a tip on where to aim the trailer for when I was backing up, two shunts later I was on the bay.
Plenty of fog on the way back and similar road conditions as they were before I left, so I again just had a steady drive and if I was not sure used caution. I saw a unit and trailer that by the looks of things come into a layby too hot and ran off into a field in a bad way that was being pulled out as I passed.
After seeing that my focus went into overdrive as that driver was obviously much more experienced than me and I could clearly see what happens with a lapse or for not paying attention.
Got back ok with no other issues dropped the trailer refuelled and park the unit back up, I was offered another shift at the same place the following day. I’ve still got a lot to learn but at lest the first time jitters have calmed a bit now.
can see me getting that run for my first 
