My week's training

[vigfanbke]

I have had training with D Jones from Magor over the last week, I started on Monday and finished on Friday with a 8.45am test in Pontypool. In total I had 7 hours , yes, 7 hours of tuition , well if thats what you call it.

On Monday I arrived at his yard at 7.45am, Dave talked for approximately one hour detailing what the test would involve. We then left the yard in the lorry with Dave driving for about two miles and then I drove for about 20 minutes through country lanes and back to his yard; that was my days training over.

I started the same time on Tuesday, we had to go straight to Pontypool for another clients test and I sat in the back, this test was terminated because the gearbox was not working properly. Dave drove the lorry as far as Cwmbran to assess the gearbox, which seemed to be working properly. I then got into the driving seat to be informed by Dave that the Test Examiners frowned upon “learner drivers” practising on the test routes (not sure if this rings true) and therefore I drove back to Magor, whereupon my days training finished at 12.40pm, I did ask Dave if we would practise some reversing (which was my only concern) and was told No as the army where going to use the yard.

Wednesday commenced at 11.00am, I drove to the reversing yard in Caerwent where I had 7 attempts at reversing and 2 attempts at controlled braking, I then drove to Chepstow and back to Caldicot, ending my day at 2.30pm.

Thursday also commenced at 11.00am, I was shown how to couple and uncouple and then drove to Magor services to fuel up for Friday and then drove back to the yard. Where Dave received a call from his other tutor to say he had had an emergency and could not take his client to the test centre to sit his Class II. Dave then asked me, if I would take their client for his test ( felt sorry for this other client and a bit under pressure) so I agreed, Dave said if I needed a re-test he could “knock some money off”. The client failed his test, and it took 3 hours of my time.

I sat my test on Friday and failed on my reversing (which I had informed Dave was the one thing I was concerned about and may need to concentrate my training on, which he promptly ignored).

I used this driving school solely because it was recommended by a friend (some friend). The whole of the way through my few hours training Dave had constant phone calls from his estranged wife (usually heated) and also his new partner.

So far I have paid Dave £619 plus my test fee and he has informed my I will have to now pay £295 for my retest which includes one hours training, which is what it will take to get to the test centre.
not a happy chappy…

[cm]

Sorry to hear you have had a bad experience with the training school. The tuition and test are hard enough without the instruction being deficient. Good luck with the re-test.

[wheel_nut]

That is a poor way to start in this job, Training schools need to be professional instead of just trying to fleece customers.

There is nothing new here though, as my first lessons were with a total rip off merchant from Hull.

He only worked Saturdays for training as the truck was used on a night trunk by him, he would stay up longer if he had a test to do.

The first thing he would do was try to make you buy a copy of “the police drivers manual” and then sit back and tell us to drive to Carnaby (lisset) Bridlington.

No town work, just a leisurely drive to the cafe, when we returned he would tell you what we did wrong

what good is that for training, I asked about reversing excercises and he said I could do them before my test, “it’s easy”

I did one lesson with him, paying him £25, 26 yearsago

Im quite glad he is not around anymore.

[mrpj]

Sorry to hear you’ve ended up with a rogue driving school, hope the re-test goes well for you. Can’t believe anyone would recommend a school like this

[chopsticks]

Wheel Nut:
I did one lesson with him, paying him £25, 26 yearsago

Jesus, thats a bit of a price hike, round figures mine worked out at £140 for a days training.

Sorry to hear about your training Vig, hope you pass your re-test mate then you can tell Dave what a complete waste of time he was.

vigfanbke:
I will have to now pay £295 for my retest which includes one hours training, which is what it will take to get to the test centre.not a happy chappy…

That £295 seems high considering the test fee is only £80. £215 p/hr doesn’t seem like he’s worth that sort of price.
Best of luck mate.

[kitkat]

sorry to hear about the dodgy driving instructor( used losely).if i was you i’d report him to the authorities that control driving instructors( tc could possibly help you there).when i did my course i was taken through all the test routes during class2 and had upto 6 week’s to do the course.when i went back to leaconsfield to do my class1 i had 6hours,this included training and test.don’t be to dis-heartened they ain’t all bad.but like your so called friend don’t recommend him.good luck next time round.

[convoy]

sorry to hear about your bad experience with the
training school vigfanbke. Good luck with the re-test

[gardun]

Don’t know where you live vigfanbke, but Crosshands Training at the end of the M4 are good, and so apparently are Driver Training Wales. Just don’t mention my name or you’ll never pass You’ll get there in the end - stick with it m8 and sorry you seem to have had a duff deal so far.

[mrflibble]

My condolences on getting a duff “instructor”; it sounds like the service you received was well below standard - perhaps it’s places like them that explain why the national pass rate seems so low. Personally, I’d recommend the school I used, but Exeter is probably too far for you to travel.

The “no training on test routes” sounds like balderdash to me - a way of getting out of having to take you round the actual test routes, so they can cut your days short. When I was on my training, we did test routes almost exclusively (except for a minor detour up to the local cafe for lunch, which was also used as reversing practice as we had to park the truck in the parking lot), and we were always seeing other schools’ trucks on the test routes - in fact, they had a special letter allowing them to go through some 7.5t limits which were on the test routes.

kitkat:
if i was you i’d report him to the authorities that control driving instructors( tc could possibly help you there).

I don’t think that there’s any official body “controlling” driving instructors - the DSA have their voluntary instructors’ register, but unlike car driving instructors, you don’t have to have any specific training/qualifications/registration to be an LGV instructor.

You could find out if your instructor is on the register, and complain to them if they are:

Address:
Stanley House
56 Talbot Street
Nottingham
Postcode: NG1 5GU
Email: lgv@safedriving.org.uk
Phone: 0115 901 2625
Fax: 0115 901 2590

Or you might like to lodge a complaint with Trading Standards.

[simon]

Strictly speaking, they can’t take you round test routes. But they can take you round roads which are the ones used on test routes. Just not follow an actual test route, if you see what I mean.

[liberace]

Sorry to hear it didn’t go too well. I had this unhappy experience and spent an awful lot of money before I realised I wasn’t gelling with the training school I was using (whetever that’s supposed to mean ). I changed and passed on my very next test .

[krankee]

Simon:
Strictly speaking, they can’t take you round test routes. But they can take you round roads which are the ones used on test routes. Just not follow an actual test route, if you see what I mean.

Simon, I’ve not heard that one before.

One of the questions in both the ADI and LGV Register theory tests centres around when test routes should be avoided, and whilst I can’t immediately find the answer, it is along the lines of, until the latter stages of training prior to test.

This particular question raised some interesting issues about three or four years ago when an ADI took the stand that, if test routes should be avoided, then they need to be published.

The matter went all the way to the Civil Service or Governmental appeals board, (can’t remember the correct name), and his complaint was upheld.

Of course with the Freedom of Information Act, this information is now even more accessible.

I can cite of example of where, during the examiners lunch break, the two favourite locations for the Gear changing Exercise are literally inundated with ‘every man and his dog’ using the same sections of road for practice. Trainers are perfectly entitled to use the same sections of road, the same junctions, the same everything, (apart from the test centre areas) as the Examiners. The only consideration being that the Trainer evaluates the times that certain routes will be part of the current Test route. And with Test times being fixed, it is not difficult to work out when tests are being started or have ended.

The tale related here is definately not a credit to the training Industry.

Whilst I am not familiar with the local geography, (After all, it is Wales, one of the LAST places I ever want to go ) it sounds like the training provider is based some way from the Test Centre. Whilst this is helpful to the trainee, in that they do not have to travel far, it is a business expense for the Trainer, who, in an effort to cut costs, will provide ‘generic’ training on similar roads, rather than the routes actually used for test. Even if the majority of the training is carried out in the area of the Test Centre, then you are effectively spending two hours in a ‘Self Drive Taxi’, and whilst that is not totally without value, the considerations cannot be overlooked.

Perhaps I’m being a little unfair with the last paragraph because even with a Trainer based locally to a Test Centre, after some ‘hard graft’ and ‘grief’, there is also value in a ‘meander around the countryside’ to build confidence and relax.

It’s a two-edged sword. You get what you pay for. Just remember that one man bands generally need to run 2 vehicles, C & C+E (or C + drag), whereas Training companies have a variety of vehicles, and indeed, Trainers, should a conflict of personalities arise.