In preparation for Cat C I only used my car’s wing mirrors and dropped my bad habits. Obviously it’s only a fraction of what you need to learn, but it helped.
My agency is going to arrange for me to spend some time with one of their drivers in a yard so I can observe coupling and uncoupling before I start my training.
Unfortunately I don’t have access to a trailer to use with my car.
Is there anything else I can do to help prepare for C+E?
Observe other artics on the road when safe to do so
Got a mate with a vehicle + trailer to use on private land 
The general theme I got when I went through C+E was ‘Slow and Steady’.
I’m generally quite impatient and sometimes rush things, which has not worked when doing C+E. My instructor told me that women tended to have the higher pass rates (in fact very rarely failed C+E when going through this school) because they were always Slow and Steady compared to the men who mostly thought they were amazing drivers - who knows you might whizz though this!
Being Slow and Steady allows you to be safer and more accurate on the road, can help you to remember stuff when doing couple/decouple and CPC checks, and especially during the reverse.
Don’t be too Slow and Steady everywhere though as you do need to keep up to the speed limits, i.e doing 35mph in a 50 zone is not ideal and examiners may mark you down for this.
After you pass C+E (first time 
), you might want to sneak in an extra session of reversing practice which helped me. Also have a few goes doing blindside reversing as you may be asked to do one for a job assessment. I failed one assessment for taking too long to do a blindside reverse, even though it was the first time I’d ever done one but still managed it in the end.
If you carry on driving a rigid as if you were on test, that would be the best practice I reckon.
Don’t worry about coupling or reversing you can learn them for the test quite easily. Reversing in the real world is massively harder, but obviously gets easier eventually.
stu675:
If you carry on driving a rigid as if you were on test, that would be the best practice I reckon.
Don’t worry about coupling or reversing you can learn them for the test quite easily. Reversing in the real world is massively harder, but obviously gets easier eventually.
+1
Get used to taking as much of the road as you can in and out of roundabouts and mirrors mirrors mirrors. Cutting corners with the cab will mean your trailer cuts in behind you and that’s when the curbs and road furniture are at risk 
When is your C+E test booked? I bet you can’t wait!
ROG:
Observe other artics on the road when safe to do soGot a mate with a vehicle + trailer to use on private land
Rog i’d be seriously interested in this, be great to get some practice in for ‘real world’ reversing with someone to help and advise before going for driving assessments. This seems to be the difficulty that trips most new drivers up.
If you could help set something up PM me please 
If your car has a towbar I would definitely hire a trailer for a weekend to get used to it. Even if the car hasn’t got a towbar if this is something you’re worried about it might be worth getting one fitted
Hi driveress,
Are you doing wagon and drag (W+D) or artic learning for the C+E?
I can only speak from my experience which was taking a ‘C’ course then C+E next and I didn’t find it that much of a step up. I had highs and lows with getting the ‘C’ as I trained, it was not smooth sailing. My learning progress was slow so I stopped at ‘C’ for my test rather than going straight from B to C+E and making life more complex.
At the start of the C+E training on a W+D you drive the same lorry, as you did with the rigid and the follow-through from the trailer is pretty good. I didn’t have the same highs and lows going from C to C+E as I did going from B to C. It was far more enjoyable - I knew I could meet the test standard on the C at least. There was the appreciation of the turning circle and cut-in and definitely complexity with the reverse, but learn from the instructor as you did with C and you will get the reverse in the box.
The disadvantage is that I still have artics to learn, including getting them on a bay. I have the license but would not dream of driving one until I have familiarisation lessons.
And if you are doing artic you have the advantage of being more familiar with them.
Don’t overthink it. You have already done the hard groundwork with C. The trainers and your recent learning will get you through. I am sure you will let us know how you get on.
All the very best to you.
EaGledrives:
ROG:
Observe other artics on the road when safe to do soGot a mate with a vehicle + trailer to use on private land
Rog i’d be seriously interested in this, be great to get some practice in for ‘real world’ reversing with someone to help and advise before going for driving assessments. This seems to be the difficulty that trips most new drivers up.
If you could help set something up PM me please
I suspect ROG meant, “Have you got a mate…”
stu675:
EaGledrives:
ROG:
Observe other artics on the road when safe to do soGot a mate with a vehicle + trailer to use on private land
Rog i’d be seriously interested in this, be great to get some practice in for ‘real world’ reversing with someone to help and advise before going for driving assessments. This seems to be the difficulty that trips most new drivers up.
If you could help set something up PM me please
I suspect ROG meant, “Have you got a mate…”
Exactly that
I do not have a towbar or trailer
Thanks for your replies everyone.
I’m doing artic C+E training at the beginning of September, and no, I can’t wait!
stu675:
If you carry on driving a rigid as if you were on test, that would be the best practice I reckon.
Don’t worry about coupling or reversing you can learn them for the test quite easily. Reversing in the real world is massively harder, but obviously gets easier eventually.
That’s all I did and it worked well. Wouldn’t worry at all about mod 3a part of the test, it’s turned into something similar to a Mod 4 if you know what I mean…
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In theory your instructor should tell you everything you need to know and also identify weaknesses for you to work on to get you up to test standard.
If you are well rested you will be able to take a lot more in and increase your chances of a first attempt pass.
If you have no trailer reversing experience at all then I would recommend finding some way to get some practice. Even if you have to ask a random farmer or something. Failing that… euro truck simulator?
The actual reverse manoeuvre for the test is pretty easy, just follow the instructions and you can’t go wrong. Hitching/unhitching was trivial to be honest.
Hitching/unhitching was trivial to be honest
You say that but I’m glad I had a quick (supervised) play around in the yard today. I think I need to do some weights as it took me a while to get a couple of the airlines on 
It was good just to find out things “feel”, and get to grips with the handling of things. It was also handy that the truck we uncoupled and coupled was a Renault and I’ll be learning in a Renault so it won’t be a surprise that the handbrake and gear stick aren’t where I’m expecting them to be! It was also a good opportunity to have a chat with an experienced driver/industry bod.
If you have no trailer reversing experience at all then I would recommend finding some way to get some practice. Even if you have to ask a random farmer or something
This has come up a fair bit in the advice. I have managed to call in a favor from a “farmer” I know, so I’m looking forward to having a practice some time soon.
driveress:
[This has come up a fair bit in the advice. I have managed to call in a favor from a “farmer” I know, so I’m looking forward to having a practice some time soon.
That sounds like fun! And it’s all good experience, but I wouldn’t worry about reversing. It’s a very specific routine on the test, and the road test never involves any reversing at all.
I would take the opportunity to see how the trailer follows you going forward as well if it’s a big trailer that the farmer has.
With the airline, trick is to keep the area free so don’t do the electrics before you’ve done the airlines and do the faraway one first, get square behind it with your back against the cab.