As far as im concerned , artics are so easy to reverse , if your a man your reverse a drawbar (a frame) , I did this for 7 years with Habitat about 15 years ago and at first I hated it but I drew to love it , I had artic drivers coming up to me in services shaking my hand and patting me on the back after I had reversed the trailer under the demount box whilst having a demount body on the rigid .
Some of us would not nose the drag trailers into a space , and i had a MAN320 which after three years never once had i used the front hitch . Nowa days im happy to drive a rigid rather than a forty footer . Less to load and unload . 
JAKEY:
Nowa days im happy to drive a rigid rather than a forty footer . Less to load and unload .
Sounds like you scared of hard work
COOKiEEES!!:
I was quite happy with my class 2 'til earlier this year when work completely dried up, so I went and got my class 1 (passed first time) thinking it would help… Nope.Biggest waste of money ever. Everyone wants “at least 18-24 months experience”. Chances are, I’ll probably have forgotten everything by the time anyone would even consider taking me on. I’ve already forgotten the order of the lines when connecting up as I’ve not used my class 1 at all since the test.
I’m pretty certain I’d be all over the place if I ever get assigned to an artic now, and the eagerness I once had has turned pretty much to dread and fear now ugh
If there were two jobs paying the same, and equal amount of graft & hours etc… I’d probably take the class 2 job. Driving them is a lot less stressful (easier to get out of tight situations, find places to make about-turns if you’re going the wrong way, lower bridge height restrictions and weight restrictions, etc…)
Order of lines isn’t mega important on an artic, always turn ignition off though as the surge on the ABS line can corrupt the ABS computer in the trailer. Red airline line 1st as a rule of thumb, but just put them in the easiest way for yourself to reduce getting grease all over your pants leaning over 
Don’t count on the height limits for rigids, CM Express in Roundthorn (Manchester) have a Q7 rigid, must be 15’3 high easily… Also Ro-Ro’s are usually bloody high too.
I wouldn’t say I struggle or worry about driving any of them, but still remember my 1st ever reverse in an artic fridge unit, seemed massive, looked like it’d cause a lot of damage if I wasn’t straight on the ‘guide bars’ and took about 6 or 7 million shunts trying to get it right 
Wanted my C+E for years, now not really bothered, I’m on more in my 8x4 than what people will pay a C+E driver round here. The jobs easy/stress free and home every night.
I loved it on the Rigid!! It was more work but that meant your day went really quick!
I was earning more per hour on it aswell! I want to give tippers a go now! Just something different to general crap! 
I drove a rigid last week for the first time in nearly two years and It is was a pain in the arse!! Kept turning the steering wheel the wrong way when I was reversing!!! 
and I kept going far to wide to turn corners and was wondering why the cab wasn’t coming around in time!!! 
I’ll think I’ll stick with my unit with a double bunk, fridge freezer, microwave and coffee maker thanks. The problem with the places that I’ve worked at is the rigids are just driven by anyone and everyone and often end up in a ■■■■ state been ragged around doing multi drop.
Rigids are the devils work 
8wheels:
Who’s happy as a rigid driver then, with no plans to go on and do their class 1. Every new bod seems to view driving rigids as a necessary evil on the way to driving artics.
I done it the other way around, artics first back in 1992 when we had a propper gear box in em. I now drive a lickle 26T rigid.
Im also very happpy thankyou, i get paid considerably more than most artic drivers as i tootle around in my lickle rigid lorry wiv its lickle crane on the back
Makes me laugh when some of em play the big-i-am card card with the bendy lorrys, little do they know
you can poke the artics up ya arse!
I actually prefer driving my 8 wheeler on its own,as with the drag on its 2 " under the max UK length limit.
an 8 wheeler with a drag is a pain in the ■■■■ especially round tight lanes as most times I’ve, used the drag its been for a multi set callout
its a pain as some nights I could be taking a set out built on a artic trailer then out again in the rigid ,then back out with the drag on ,soyou need to be on the ball when it comes to positioning.
I drive both class 2 and class 1. I enjoy driving both but at the end of the day it’s got to be class 2 for me as mine has a blue light on the top and goes nee nor!!
SB
Only got class 2, was on 360 digger when they offered me job on tippers with licence paid for. 2 years on them then they wanted me on plant wagon. I do want my class 1 just incase but im in no rush, home every night and 6 mile round trip from home. They’re putting me in for b+e so i can tow with van but would’nt mind them biting the bullet and just pay for class 1.
I would like to have a crack at C+E, but can’t quite afford it at the moment. From what I’ve read on these forums it’s hardly worth it anyway (“Not like the old days drive”). One thing I have noticed is that some (not all) C+E drivers do look down on us lowly rigid grunts.
Got overtaken by an artic and flashed him in. He just pulled in and didn’t give a thanks waggle of the indicators. Then he overtook the artic ahead and got flashed in and did the thanks indicator waggle thing. Then I overtook the artic that had just flashed the first artic in and he didn’t flash me in. OK I don’t need a flash in, but it was still predujiced!
Squiddy:
I would like to have a crack at C+E, but can’t quite afford it at the moment. From what I’ve read on these forums it’s hardly worth it anyway (“Not like the old days drive”). One thing I have noticed is that some (not all) C+E drivers do look down on us lowly rigid grunts.Got overtaken by an artic and flashed him in. He just pulled in and didn’t give a thanks waggle of the indicators. Then he overtook the artic ahead and got flashed in and did the thanks indicator waggle thing. Then I overtook the artic that had just flashed the first artic in and he didn’t flash me in. OK I don’t need a flash in, but it was still predujiced!
That happens to me sometimes but then i just smile sweetly and remember my 35K a year sallary, my 30 days paid leave etc etc. Oh, and im home every night to my dinner on the table.
Their fricken welcome to em
Gembo you must be the best paid class 2 driver in the country, let alone Cornwall! Who do you work for?
Milk Man:
Gembo you must be the best paid class 2 driver in the country, let alone Cornwall! Who do you work for?
All il say is is that im in the rail industry, have been for 17 years now. I got demoted by grade due to national job cuts and a re-org across the company and i took all my pay and conditions down with me. This job came up a couple of years ago, i often covered for the usual drivers leave and wot not so when he retired, i took it.
Before all that, i was a fitter on HGV’s from about 1988, good experiance in driving anything and everything.
I’ve had the last 8yrs on Artic’s & never did like them got made redundant did 3days on agency on artics doing the same job I did before NOW I’ve got a full time job driving a puddle jumper. Cant wait start 16th July.
thewheel:
They’re putting me in for b+e so i can tow with van but would’nt mind them biting the bullet and just pay for class 1.
If you pass a CE test, BE will also be added to your licence. Can you not do some sort of deal to take a CE course and test instead?
Talking to a few blokes in my local who work in general class 1 they are on about the same take home as me with max hours and a couple of nights out and that the firm they work for ain’t bad payers.
I’m quite happy as a class 2 driver. If i went over to those funny bendy things I would lose all my Hi-ab work, and thats what i really enjoy. Although if my Gaffa wants to put me through my class 1 so i can drive a wagon and drag with a crane I might be interested. Although i wouldn’t gain financially as at my place class 1 and Hi-ab class 2 drivers earn the same.
Owen
Took my class 2 about 14 years ago and have been driving them for most of that time and was allways happy doing so always said I would go for my class 1 but have never got round to it and as time goes on can’t see me ever doing it due to the cost of it and how the industry is going.I’ve got a classic unit which Im going to use for shows and I can drive it on my class 2