I need tips!

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

OK, so I’ve posted questions about blood pressure, theory tests and the CPC training, now I have the theories out of the way with, I need some pointers on actual driving tips!

I’ve not yet booked my training, but I’m planning on a 20 hour course with a local firm that has good feedback, but before I get into the cab, absolutely clueless, I could do with some tips and advise, mainly on the essentials. Like, how much difference is there between the gears on a car and a lorry? How much of a difference does it make not having a rear view mirror? What do I have to watch out for during my test I.E - what do the test examiners class as major faults? And so forth.

I know this might be flogging a dead horse for some people, but I am an absolute amateur when it comes to truck driving. I’ve never attempted to drive one before, all I know of truck driving, is what I have covered in the theory and CPC handbook. Any pointers/tips/advice would be much welcomed.

Thanks in advance!

2

I’m in same position as you mate (although not done theroy yet) so will be very interested in any replies.

A mate of mine advised me to take the interior mirror off my car, or position it down if you can remove it. I know it’s nowhere near the same but at least gets you in the habit of not using it.

3

Did my test a long time ago so I can only guess on that, (Rog & Peter Smythe are the experts on tests)
If its manual, it will me the same set up as the car ‘H’ pattern, to get 8 gears out of it, it will have a lever on the stick to change it from low to high range, so its 1,2,3,4 with the lever down & 5,6,7,8 with the lever up (exactly the same position as the 1st four gears)

I think a lot of tests are taken in automatics these days, because a lot of wagons are semi auto when you get out in the real world,(mine is & I love it :smiley: ) but opt for the gears if you can (nothing worse than turning up for a days work & not having a clue, because you only learnt in an auto :laughing:)

I very rarely use my internal mirror in my car, once you start driving wagons you only use the externals. (for obvious reasons)

The training school will know how to get the best out of you, be patient & take your time, ask them every silly question that comes into your head (they’ve heard them all before :wink: )

Make sure other drivers know what you are intending to do, use indicators, be especially careful in towns, be ready to stop, because some of these ■■■■■ will just keep coming, even when you are Jack knifing round a tight corner. You will be in a big vehicle, so you need more room than a car needs & a lot of them don’t realise (they only read the highway code once, just to pass their test :unamused: )

We all started at the bottom, learnt & gained experience over the years. You won’t be Britains Best Driver as soon as you drive away from the test centre, but you could be on your way to it, if you realise that there’s a learning opportunity every day (I’m still learning at 50+ :wink:)

Good luck & keep us posted on how you get on.

4

HI Endgame, the name of the game is to ask if you aren’t sure!

In regards to the rear view mirror, so long as you have one on each side of the car, turn it up or down, it’s not needed! My wife keeps using it in my car and when I get in, i feel a little claustrophobic(it is a citroen saxo where every bit of spare space is greatly appreciated)

As far as not knowing a jot about wagon driving, that’s what the instructors are there for. An assessment before booking a course is possibly the best way to go, that way you and the instructors have an understanding of how you drive and how much time you will need to get to test standard. Once your training goes, the instructor will run you through EVERYTHING, write it down if it helps, ask more questions, get them to repeat things.

There are oooooddddles of useful posts on this site, if your unsure on something, use the search bar at the top. There are sections on which firms to use, what things mean, what gearboxes are out there and tacho stuff, just take a minute to look about.

As for the test…DON’T hit the cone. It’s an instant fail and causes you to swear! :blush: :blush: :blush:

Just take it easy, try not to get stressed as you don’t remember things so well when your knuckles are white and your head is banging. Driving is fun, keep it that way!!

Good luck and keep us all updated!

5

As others have said, the main thing is to chill out. The driving school’s job is to work out what level you are at (and complete newbie is perfectly valid!) and take you to test standard. Many start off teaching you the basics off road. You are paying them to teach you what you need to know, and they won’t expect you to have any experience. They also won’t put you in a situation that you aren’t ready for.

My main advice would be not to be under the illusion that your aim is to learn to drive a lorry how you drive a car. It’s all a lot slower as you need more time to do it safely. Approaching junctions is particularly when you need to slow down on approach to what will (at first) seem like a crawl, so you have time to think and check mirrors and get the right gear etc. It took me far too long to understand this!

Finally when you get to your test, try and relax, and take your time. Very best of luck! Tim

6

A simple bit of advice that few folks seem to consider. Have an assessment - not to determine how many hours you may or may not need - but to make sure you’re happy and comfortable with the trainer, the set up, the vehicles, the back up.

I spend too long taking folks out once they’ve failed 2 or 3 tests with other trainers. The two most common comments are that they never realised that trucks varied so much and wasn’t it nice not to be shouted and sworn at.

Personally, I would rather pay a bit more to get a professional, properly trained, registered and qualified instructor in a nearly new vehicle that drives as it should.

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

7

I did both my tests in 2012. In 2001 vehicles with over 750,000kms on the clock. Trainers were first rate.

8

I did class 2 in Jan 2013, in the only DSA Accredited school between Carlisle and Leicester :wink: (in other words the next most Northerly one from Pete!)
Over time (particularly reading some of the horror stories on here) I have appreciated more how good they were, and I just booked my class 1 training with them as I don’t deal well with nerves and knowing what to expect is a big part of it for me.

I think that the age/mileage of the vehicle is not as important as it being easy to drive and well maintained - I passed in an 03 plate high mileage Merc with a silky smooth straight 6 + splitter gearbox. Not driven anything as nice since!

But getting an assessment is indeed a very good idea - before handing over a LOT of money and being stuck with a poor quality vehicle and an incompatible instructor.

9

Echo that, I’d definitely recommend the assessment.

I remember Brian saying to me “So if I chucked you the keys, could you get home in it?”

So you can drive it, he replied, just a matter of getting you through a test.

10

I will most certainly be getting an assessment done, I had originally decided on one training company, but then I found another one, which was even closer, that has really good feedback, they’re called AJM training - they have a good and active FB page I liked, it was good to read over the daily success stories of people passing, along with their photo. I really wish I could look further afield, but being able to be home every night whilst I do my weeks training is essential, so I was limited down to trainers in the North West - no further than West Yorkshire (only because I grew up there)

But you guys are right, I don’t want to hand over near enough £1100 to a training school, if I’m not going to get along with the trainer, or discover that I’m not “cut out” to be a lorry driver.

I enquired with Eddie Stobarts regarding their academy I had read about, and for £2000, they claim they will take me on, train me and give me a job, but it’s over a 26 week period, which I thought was way too long! Anybody have anything positive/negative to report back on regarding Stobarts?

11

Endgame:
I will most certainly be getting an assessment done, I had originally decided on one training company, but then I found another one, which was even closer, that has really good feedback, they’re called AJM training - they have a good and active FB page I liked, it was good to read over the daily success stories of people passing, along with their photo. I really wish I could look further afield, but being able to be home every night whilst I do my weeks training is essential, so I was limited down to trainers in the North West - no further than West Yorkshire (only because I grew up there)

But you guys are right, I don’t want to hand over near enough £1100 to a training school, if I’m not going to get along with the trainer, or discover that I’m not “cut out” to be a lorry driver.

I enquired with Eddie Stobarts regarding their academy I had read about, and for £2000, they claim they will take me on, train me and give me a job, but it’s over a 26 week period, which I thought was way too long! Anybody have anything positive/negative to report back on regarding Stobarts?

Whereabouts are you bud?

12

I’m in Liverpool.

13

The place I’d have suggested is a bit far off then, I’m afraid

14

Have a quick search in the forums for training centres in the northwest. I’m sure there’s a list someplace…

I would highly recommend Lancaster Training, the instructors will guide you from basic to … whatever comes after that. One of their chaps came into work an hour or more early one friday morning just so that I could get a bit of driving in before the test. I like that, they think about you as a driver and want to help!

There are plenty of firms who will teach you to drive, just research them thoroughly and take the time to see them before you part with them hard earned pennies!

15

The obvious choice for you is John at Chevron. Based at Flint, he’ll take some beating for quality.

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

16

Peter Smythe:
The obvious choice for you is John at Chevron. Based at Flint, he’ll take some beating for quality.

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

I just checked Chevron’s site out - no prices listed on there. Any idea how much the courses are there?

Also, what does it mean by it’s DSA approved and you can take the test on their premises? Is the test centre at the same place as they train?

Cheers.

17

Endgame:
Also, what does it mean by it’s DSA approved

Being DSA (driving standards agency) approved is a voluntary scheme which instructors can join - and it is no walk in the park. For example the instructors must take an LGV driving test with tougher pass criteria, think it’s 6 minor faults or less for them. They also have to have held a license for 3 years. They also have to take a test where the examiner pretends to be a student and simulates mistakes.

Every 4 years they have to go all the tests again. Hope this gives you some idea - anyone who goes through this hassle takes the job very seriously and has proved to the DSA that they are a good driver and can teach, which in turn gives you the punter some confidence when booking their services.

Being DSA approved does not mean that they are registered as a test center, that is a separate thing.

18

There are 3 issues that get confused. Above is a perfect description of the instructor registration. Some trainers have their own test centre. We were the 1st in the UK. Chevron also has his own test centre and this is a massive advantage.

The third is DSA LGV Centre Accreditation. There’s only a handful of these in the UK - proud to say we’re one of them. These centres MUST employ registered instructors but need not have their own test centre.

A trainer can have a test centre with no qualifications for instruction whatsoever.

Scary - or what??

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

19

Endgame:

Peter Smythe:
The obvious choice for you is John at Chevron. Based at Flint, he’ll take some beating for quality.

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

I just checked Chevron’s site out - no prices listed on there. Any idea how much the courses are there?

Also, what does it mean by it’s DSA approved and you can take the test on their premises? Is the test centre at the same place as they train?

Cheers.

Hi Endgame
Why don’t you give me a call and I will talk prices with you - and yes you can take your test at our own training centre.

John

Chevron

20

I start my new job Monday I’d been made redundant in January and decided to do my class 1, I got my class 2 in 03 but have never driven anything any bigger than a sprinter. I was with my previous employer for 18 yrs and 14 of those were as the delivery/collection driver. I know my way around Britain really well but obviously I’ve only ever drove a van. Can any of you guys offer any advice on what to do and what kind of things I’m going to need for nights out. My new role will include driving both class 1 & class 2 trucks but until a truck becomes availble for me to claim as my own I have to go out in what evers in the yard. I’m really grateful of this opportunity to gain some experience but I’m equally as nervous because I have never driven trucks before. My driving license and driver card came today but I haven’t got a clue how to use the driver card. Any advice you guys have will be gratefully received. My new boss has told me to expect a least 1 night out each week and it could be 2. Thanks for trading this longish message.