I’m a new trucker in the West Midlands and wanted to introduce and tell my story.
I bought a package for a Class 2 and Class 1 license back in September 2021. All in all around 3600~ total.
On hindsight, this was a total waste of money going through a Business to Client broker, and I really should have found a local driving school.
These brokers leech money off you and they appear on top of search engine listings because they pay a fortune in SEO and other advertisements to Google.
It took me until late March 2022 to begin actually doing Class 2 lessons and I passed it that month.
Afterwards I did multi-drop heavy handball urban deliveries (25kg bags, 300-400+ per day) for 12 weeks before resigning.
The company I worked for paid by the day (130 per day), had terrible safety, and an incredibly high rate of driver attrition/burnout - one of the drivers mates claimed he’d seen around 100 drivers come and go over a year.
Repeated Class 1 lesson delays occurred, and I managed to start my Class 1 lessons in August.
I didn’t have a good experience with my class 1 teacher. Just water and oil I guess.
Struggled to learn the reverse, but got it. All in all spent maybe 12 hours driving Class 1 before my test. Maybe I was a bad student. I didn’t get along with my teacher.
This week I failed my Class 1 test with 2 serious;
Right hand lane on unfamiliar roundabout, missed exit and was on right hand lane.
Stop on left, move on when ready, black VW swerved/overtook when I thought he was going to slow down and wait.
All in all, rather depressing week and the failure left me rather distraught. I’ve booked for a re-test at ~£450. Just waiting for the test date.
Gutted. I know a guy who went via an agency type school who then got you work as well & he said he wish he hadn’t. Anyhow £450 for a retest■■? The test is £40 part A & £155 for part B. Does that include 3hr lesson prior to the test?
PaddyTheLorryDriver:
Gutted. I know a guy who went via an agency type school who then got you work as well & he said he wish he hadn’t. Anyhow £450 for a retest■■? The test is £40 part A & £155 for part B. Does that include 3hr lesson prior to the test?
Three hours?
Good god, I’ve been ripped off. I’ve done my reversing/3A though. Just need the a hour driving 3B.
I think I have one hour before the test.
Fun fact; I personally cannot book a lesson at that driving school for 6 months. I must go through that agency. This is an agreement that school and agency signed to prevent people from being “poached” (read: saving their money).
I called around 3 schools near me and they all charge around 400-450.
And the agency said they’d find you work via MANPOWER.
Yeah what a joke. That hiring agency was a total waste of time. No work or help what so ever. Completely abandoned/ignored by the guy meant to find me work.
My mistake I paid £155 in total for both parts but I done part A twice so an extra £40. The tests cost £40 for part A & £115 for part B. That’s the actual costs via DVLA.
PaddyTheLorryDriver:
My mistake I paid £155 in total for both parts but I done part A twice so an extra £40. The tests cost £40 for part A & £115 for part B. That’s the actual costs via DVLA.
Ah. Well I wish I could pay a cost as low as that. I reckon some of the extra cost goes to hiring the vehicle out and insurance, and service et al.
450 isn’t huge, but it isn’t money to be tossed over one mistake.
That’s a bit of a sorry tale. You just have to focus on the positives. You passed class 2 first time. Also it doesn’t sound like you are far away from passing class one, you know what you did wrong and won’t do it again. The thing about the roundabout is you will never fail for getting lost (except for the independent drive) or not following their directions, as long as you don’t do anything wrong as in dangerous or illegal.
Have you found other class 2 work in the meantime?
stu675:
That’s a bit of a sorry tale. You just have to focus on the positives. You passed class 2 first time. Also it doesn’t sound like you are far away from passing class one, you know what you did wrong and won’t do it again. The thing about the roundabout is you will never fail for getting lost (except for the independent drive) or not following their directions, as long as you don’t do anything wrong as in dangerous or illegal.
Have you found other class 2 work in the meantime?
I think? it was an independent drive and I messed up following their directions. It was second exit straight ahead and I made the mistake of taking third exit onto motorway after being in a bad position to take the second exit.
Maybe I should have just followed the roundabout around, and taken a second attempt to take the proper exit. I don’t recall what is the right protocol when a mistake like that happens.
Something about right lane. I’ve been frustrated by it, and I’ve been trying to find the road on google maps trying to investigate what I did wrong.
The second mistake was just stupid on my part. I should have let him pass. I should have waited for oncoming traffic to ensure I had a guaranteed safe way to move off from stopped position.
The waiting, the feeling of failure, and the uncertainty is a mind-killer and I need to keep myself occupied until the test day comes. (To be honest, I have not eaten properly or slept properly for the last few days after failing the test).
Need to make sure I keep up the test driving standards, constant checking mirrors, checking before entering roundabout. And not being so afraid of waiting an extended duration when traffic conditions prevent me from making a safe maneuver.
Haven’t found class 2 work in the mean time. I have a Masters degree coming up next month (planned to do Class 1 driving on weekends), and have good work taking care of family business.
The only thing about the right lane at a roundabout that I know of is that you shouldn’t enter the right hand lane unless your exit is past the 12 o’clock position. (Either as indicated on road signs or in real life)
Unless you actually need the space, or there are lane markings directing you too.
You need to relax before your next test!!
Just think, people have paid over £3k or more to get through their class 2. You have that! Plus a 3a at class 1 for 6 months!
I know it’s not what you want to do , but you can fall back on class 2 weekend work, just take the pressure off yourself, that is not going to help.
stu675:
The only thing about the right lane at a roundabout that I know of is that you shouldn’t enter the right hand lane unless your exit is past the 12 o’clock position. (Either as indicated on road signs or in real life)
Unless you actually need the space, or there are lane markings directing you too.
You need to relax before your next test!!
Just think, people have paid over £3k or more to get through their class 2. You have that! Plus a 3a at class 1 for 6 months!
I know it’s not what you want to do , but you can fall back on class 2 weekend work, just take the pressure off yourself, that is not going to help.
I recall the roundabout had a white sign with black arrows that displayed the left lane was for left first exit, and the right lane was for straight second exit and right third exit ect.
The markings on the ground were faded. I swear it was the correct lane to be in. I wish I could find that roundabout on google maps but I cannot.
There is a Class 1 warehouse depot about 5 minutes walk from where I live.
After doing that tedious heavy handball job for 12 weeks, I’m not keen to return to Class 2 multi-drop heavily handball. Not for 130 a day, working 10+ hours in a truck without air conditioning
Fear is the mind-killer. I cannot let the pressure and anxiety consume me.
I’ll recover from it in the next few days. I just hope the test will be booked soon and it to be over.
