BIG LEBOWSKI:
Good luck mate!
I’ve decided to go with CTT when I do mine.
How long did you wait to start course after you paid your money?
Good luck for tomorrow!
Thanx BIG LEBOWSKI 
For class C, it was about 3 weeks, feels like years ago now mind. Just check the start of the this post to get the exact timescale.
CTT have 3 top class C instructors, And the C+E instructor on 1st impressions is extrmely very good, but he likes shouting @ me 
Cheers mate.
I will call back tomorrow to see how you have got on.
wills:
[
Hi xlthunter, yes instructor has us pulling away in 2nd, - 4th, just couldnt understand the 4th ( switch lever ) to 5th ( 1st) for some reason i kept thinking 1st gear was 4thOr should it be 3rd - switch - then into 5th■■?
I can see it now but I just wasnt prepared for it this morning.
Cheers mate, as I’ve said b4 all input ( Help ) is really very much appreciated
Wills
No problems - it sounds all too much extra work to be honest, really I wouldn’t want to be pratting about from 2 - 4 - 5 on test day and you will need to pick up the pace swifty, and having a extra gear change in there is another distraction for a minor on the test! But depends if his truck can pull away in 3rd or not - nice and easy 3rd, flick switch and then 5 
See how it goes tomorrow.
wills:
alright alright I still have a day job too you know1st Lesson
Well where do I start ( said that before I’m sure )… Got to drive 1st again which I had no problem with,
1st problem was the gearbox all looked very simple 4 low gears & switch for the 4 high gears
2nd positioning, well I expected I’d have a problem 1st day and i did not dissapoint myself, hit 3 kerbs and 2 roundabouts. ( the whole drive )
Now the other trainee had his drive ( 56 retired wants this licence to work 2 days a week ) very nice man, seems he had experience of the box and had drove coaches.
Wish I had let him drive 1st… watching him with the gearbox and positioning helped… ( he had a few moments and 2 kerb )
Then we went to the truck stop…( sharp intake of breath )…
All set up explained how it should be done ( i went 2nd ) other trainee only put it in 1st time without 1 shunt.
Me…started off great, following trailer towards the garage then completly lost the plot hadnt got a clue what I was doing or where I was going
Swapped over, whilst I regained my composure and went over the steering again with instructor
This time the other trainee was all over the place…
My 2nd attempt…much much better ( apart from start when lining back up with the trailer front wheels over yellow line ) kept everything under control and got it in without a shunt… instructor said I made him look a prat cuz he said I’d have to shunt it… havent quite got the mark right for back of trailer but just want to get there @ the moment.
Other trainee’s 3rd attempt… again all over the place…
My 3rd got there with 3 shunts…then I drove us back much better with gearbox but still not using the gears right. When we finished the other trainee gave me a few tips
Overall I loved it
but this is not a rigid its a completly different animal
So I have gone over and over again how 2 use the gearbox ( @ work this afternoon
) and will start tomorrow Positive again…just seems there’s still so much to learn in not a lot of time, You guys really do have my greatest of respect.
Ps I managed the Silly Ilse from Woves direction OK though
Till 2moros Instalment
Drive safe
Wills
Have you been nicking … of supersmiley 
Reminded me of my first day learning as well, loved it but was terrified of the whole thing - the Volvo’s are great to learn in though, driven plenty of them and not a bad one yet. The range change will get a bit of getting used to, just make sure that you don’t rush the changes ESPECIALLY when you are going between ranges - since you can end up with no gears at all if you do…
… unloaded I would normally start 3rd-5th unless on a noticeable hill in which case I would go 2nd-4th-5th (on a hill you may find 4th-6th a bit too much of a jump). But see what you feel is right in the truck and (more importantly) what your instructor tells you !!!
BTW if you got “in the box” on the reverse on your second attempt then it sounds like you have not got too much to worry about.
Enjoy it - looking forward to reading todays diary…
G
Lesson 2
After a nearly sleepless night & when I did I was dreaming about gearboxes and Reversing 
i’m sitting here and reflecting with a nice cool beer…
sorry… … Today was a better day than yesterday . ( was told to start off always in 2nd gear as to save wear on the clutch ) Started 1st again was a lot happier with the gear changing Today although the instructor has told me not to rush the change and think of neutrul bieng a gear too.
Hit a few kerbs 
but was no where near as bad as yesterday, and when I navigated the roundabouts with no probs I was forgetting silly things ie indication or a mirror check
Other trainee Today he kept hitting kerbs at the front■■? instructor explained that " this was because he was a Coach Driver / Mechanic he was forgetting he was above the steering axle not in front of it"
So off to the truck stop…sharp intake of breath… the other bloke was all over the place today & The instructor Still likes SHOUTING
Me well if I could get the other blokes start and add it to my finish it would be spot on… I set it off no probs looking to get the rear axle within 3f eet of the line and It all goes wrong when i straighten up I keep going over the line?
Once i’m lined up I c n control her with out to many probs, I can get into the Box with a shunt admitably but i can get it there. It was really getting to me just could not understand what he wants me to do @ the start?
Drove out for a gear change!!! Hill start and downhill start behind parked car all ok there
Back to base… where I got the chance to speak to my class 2instructor, explained my prob with reversing… He said to me " once you got the trailer going the right way forget about it and Parallel park the cab down the line " sounds easy enough, does that sound ok to you?
Overall… I am a lot happier today but I still feel Light years away from passing this 1st time
Have taken some videos today ( undercover ) will post alink to them when I’ve set them up.
Drive safe
Wills
Ps Got my Test Monday morning @ 8.45
He said to me " once you got the trailer going the right way forget about it and Parallel park the cab down the line " sounds easy enough, does that sound ok to you?
Pretty much the way I was taught to get out of the box - after that the trick is knowing when to straighten it up again !!!
G
All the best for tomorrow mate. I hope it all comes together for you.
I’d like to see the vids.
BIG LEBOWSKI:
All the best for tomorrow mate. I hope it all comes together for you.
I’d like to see the vids.
Cheers mate, me too!!!
uploading Videos now ( obviously They not of me driving )
Video Gear change Exercise
media.putfile.com/Gear-Change-Exercise ( Best viewed @ 320 )
Gear Exercise Continued
media.putfile.com/Pulling-Away-97
DownHill Pulling Away
media.putfile.com/Down-Hill–Start
Reverse from A cones
media.putfile.com/Reverse-from-A–A1-cone
Reverse + Shunt
media.putfile.com/reverse–Shunt
Into the Garage @ Last
media.putfile.com/Into-the-Garage
Drive sample
good luck mate i hope you do it 
[/i][/b]
Nice one on the vids. A bit of an insight for me on what to expect.
Cheers.
Interesting video - funny though people do it different - with the reserving are you doing it from the left to the right?
xlthunter:
Interesting video - funny though people do it different - with the reserving are you doing it from the left to the right?
We start on the right with the “Garage” behind & to the left… will try & get a complete 1 tomorrow , as they are good for revision. Long as I dont get caught
Wishing you all the best Wills,your reports are brilliant reading.
jackdaw:
Wishing you all the best Wills,your reports are brilliant reading.
cheers jackdaw
any news on your test date?
Lesson 3
Started 2nd this morning, other trainee had a problem getting us out straight away, its a very tight yard to get of and parked buses in front don’t help!!!
Bus driver eventually pulled forward, but he took to wide an arc up to the fence - instructor Shouting already “watch me [zb] mirrors where the [zb] is the headboard going?? theres razor wire in that it gouged the mirrors & the front of the Headboard” I thought the marks in the headboard were already there & just thought he’d scraged the bushes!!!
On to Wolve’s ring road, right turn @ roundabout instructor shouting again " where the [zb] is the trailer going keep out to the widest arc of the inside lane, if you hit that KERB you’ll tip the trailer"
The rest of the drive was Very Good & fair play to him too, don’t think I’d have composed myself after that onslaught. Gear change exercise was better but still having probs with his indication & holding on to his gearstick.
My turn Gear exercise - went ok still said that I must stop tring to rush the box, and drive along a bit more in each gear.
Onto the drive - 1st flamin roundabout exactly as I started to say him my head " what the [zb] am i doing" instructor finished for me"
I’d just spent an hour observing and getting ready & I was driving me car.
Result - 1st & last Kerb of the day.
Again the rest of the drive to the truck stop was OK…still have to sort out which roundabouts and right turns I can pinch some of the other lanes!!!..then off to the Truck stop for the reverse…
Its coming, only time for 3 attempts each today still started again with my offside wheel going out of bounds - asked instructor if he could just sit in with me for the 1st bit to show me where I was going wrong… he said he Couldnt■■? he needs to watch where I 'm going 
told me to line it back up tried again set the trailer off in the right direction looking for the 3 foot from the yellow line ( crack along tarmac ) oposite lock and tried to run along side the line A bit better…still not right…lined it up again between them Instructor and Trainee ( Brian ) reckoned that I was steering as normal ( feeding the steering wheel) and that I was not getting the opposite lock on quik enough … right I can sort that started it off Again-
Quick question should I be looking for the nearside mirror to be filled by the whole trailer?
Now Brian - he really does have the start Sussed 8 time out 10… he also got 1 pass reverse in. But on 1 which look absolutly perfect all the way he just didnt trust his offside mirror and took a shunt… coming back…took another shunt then hit the 1st nearside cone in the garage…
We both know we got it in us and just hope 2moro we can put it to bed.
Contolled stop - with ABS no probs there. I asked about the Uncoupling and he said we’ll do that 2morro, long as you do it in the right order its easy it better be.
Brian drove us out - Good drive, cant remeber that much was concentrating on driving the route in my head… Now I’d love to say my last hour was Good too - and it was I even had a well done on 1 tight left hander, BUT just as I had done in one lesson on my C class, I was concentrating on the driving the road 7 forgot to look @ a sign no instruction - roundabout coming up ahead, easy carry straight on - instructor " where the [zb] are you going [zb] STOP" in front of me and i’m still on the roundabout 7.5 tonne restriction got out of the mess & I didnt fall to pieces, but I had ruined a good drive. Lesson hopefully learned.
Still not feeling to positive , would really love more time before my test… but i really do love driving the The Truck and hopefully that will keep me going.
Till tomorrow Drive safe ( note to self must look @ every sign )
Wills
wills:
Lesson 3round she went, still right up to the line but now I’m @ the angle I know I can work with… 1 shunt and in she went
Wills
Alright mate, great write up.
Could you just explain what a shunt is?
Cheers.
BIG LEBOWSKI:
Alright mate, great write up.
Could you just explain what a shunt is?Cheers.
I never knew myself till this week simple really when reversing and you decide you need to alter your position as you cant make it, you stop and go forward and straighten her up or put her in a position your happy with = Shunt
You can only do this Twice on your test. And if you do take a shunt you cant drive it past the A cones - I’ll post a diagram for you later mate
Cheers for the explaination.
Yes please for the diagram.
All the best for tomorrow.
Still not feeling to positive , would really love more time before my test… but i really do love driving the The Truck and hopefully that will keep me going.
I bet there isn’t a driver out there that didn’t want more time before their test. Don’t worry, it sounds like you are doing fine - enjoy tomorrow… …
G