Hello people
I am thinking of becoming a class 1 driver, after being a rigid driver for just over year now.
There is one thing that really puts me off the whole idea. Reversing into and getting out of tight parking bays at RDC,s and services etc.
There’s been many a time I have been parked at Services and only just managed to get in or get of a parking bay if its been very tight, as I drive off I think how the hell does an Artic driver manage this.
As a rigid driver I always am worried about tail swing so if coming out of a bay I have to drive far enough out so as my back end doesn’t swing into anything.
I have noticed with artics there doesn’t seem to be much tail swing when they turn. They sort of snake out like in a sort of curve.
So I wonder to myself is this the trick that enables something 15 to 20 foot longer then me get out of tight parking bays etc, I mean is it to do with the articulation of an artic?
I would really like to know from Class 1 drivers how they manage to get into and out of tight parking areas and particulary drivers who have gone from rigids to artics what was this like? Are they harder to park in your opinion once you get used to it?
I would really like to know from Class 1 drivers how they manage to get into and out of tight parking areas
Training/practice/training/practice/training/practice… repeat until mastered.
For CE training, it’s most important that your trainer has a proper size, correctly marked reversing area. In our case, the reversing area forms parts of our private driving test centre so our candidates benefit from practising on the concrete they’ll be tested on.
Dont skimp on training time. Our normal course is 20 hours 1:1 plus test and this gives plenty of time to master the reversing exercise and the coupling/uncoupling.
I was a rigid driver for 1 year before taking the plunge and embarking upon my class 1. I drove an Iveco Eurocargo 18T which had a longer than normal overhang. I’ve always been quite confident with reversing but accounting for the large swing of the truck back then took some getting used to.
Like most things, you get used to and adapt for the vehicle you drive. It doesn’t happen over night but practice makes perfect. My first time at an RDC was a 06:00 booking at Costco Crick. Safe to say I was absolutely bricking myself, and they kindly gave me the bay in between two fellow artics (one of them being a pucker Coltons Volvo FH) which didn’t help my nerves. My angle was off, I was over steering, I needed a few shunts, but it wasn’t a bad attempt in my then humble opinion. I felt rushed by other drivers which didn’t help, but the manoeuvre took as long as it took. Service stations still worry me from time to time. Some are better than others. If I can help it, I won’t stop at a select few because I don’t like the parking layout etc.
I would say some manoeuvres are easier in an artic because you have that ability to snake unlike in a rigid. You aren’t trying to park a lorry in a space made for a car so if truth be told, it’s easier than you probably think. It’s all about knowing the size of your vehicle, how long the unit is (how quickly you need to steer to catch the trailer up), etc.
In regards to pulling off from a bay. if you turn too soon you’re going to cause a lot of damage to the near side of the vehicle on your right hand side, just as you would in a rigid. An artic is longer so you need to run it out a bit further before making the turn. You’re right, not as much tail swing but it is there and it will become a problem if you don’t give it the space it needs. The harsher the turn, the more the trailer swings I find.
I’ve been driving class 1 since October and still find reversing/manoeuvres tricky sometimes. Some days I just can’t reverse for some reason. It’s a challenge but that’s why I love this job because when you crack it it’s a great feeling of accomplishment.
Everything is fine and dandy until you have to go to Farmfoods at Birchwood Warrington when its busy. That Rdc has a ridiculous layout and when its rammed its a total nightmare. Seriously you will pick it up, i was class 2 for 2 and half years been class 1 for 6 months and on the odd day when i get put back in a class 2 i struggle. reversing is all to pot. Give me an artic anyday and Im still learning to reverse it really, it will probably be back to square one though after a few weeks on furlough, its gonna be strange again.
.
I am still class 2, have been for 3 years now, although i have recently booked up with Pete for my class 1.
I’ve done a fair bit of RDC work already up to now on class 2 and between bays and loading docks can be on the tight side when pulling out in a 40 foot 26 tonner with 8 or 9 feet of overhang, but from what i can see it does seem to be worse on class 1 in tight situations like theses.
There is only one thing in the whole world that scares me about doing class 1 work and that is tail swing, and the fact that from what i can see, unlike a rigid, once you start turning you are going to be completely blind as tractor unit is pointing in a different direction to where you need your mirrors to be.
Also i think that tail swing seems to be more pronounced on class 1, it does worry me a bit when i sit down and think about doing class 1 work.
I must point out that i have watched tail swing accidents on youtube and a lot of them seem to be horrendous causing enough damage to completely right a car off while dragging it half a mile down the road but i did already have a fear of tail swing before watching them kind of videos as that’s why i went looking for them in the first place.
There is also videos of tail swing bringing down corners of buildings, shops, houses.
.
I was a rigid driver for 1 year before taking the plunge and embarking upon my class 1. I drove an Iveco Eurocargo 18T which had a longer than normal overhang. I’ve always been quite confident with reversing but accounting for the large swing of the truck back then took some getting used to.
Like most things, you get used to and adapt for the vehicle you drive. It doesn’t happen over night but practice makes perfect. My first time at an RDC was a 06:00 booking at Costco Crick. Safe to say I was absolutely bricking myself, and they kindly gave me the bay in between two fellow artics (one of them being a pucker Coltons Volvo FH) which didn’t help my nerves. My angle was off, I was over steering, I needed a few shunts, but it wasn’t a bad attempt in my then humble opinion. I felt rushed by other drivers which didn’t help, but the manoeuvre took as long as it took. Service stations still worry me from time to time. Some are better than others. If I can help it, I won’t stop at a select few because I don’t like the parking layout etc.
I would say some manoeuvres are easier in an artic because you have that ability to snake unlike in a rigid. You aren’t trying to park a lorry in a space made for a car so if truth be told, it’s easier than you probably think. It’s all about knowing the size of your vehicle, how long the unit is (how quickly you need to steer to catch the trailer up), etc.
In regards to pulling off from a bay. if you turn too soon you’re going to cause a lot of damage to the near side of the vehicle on your right hand side, just as you would in a rigid. An artic is longer so you need to run it out a bit further before making the turn. You’re right, not as much tail swing but it is there and it will become a problem if you don’t give it the space it needs. The harsher the turn, the more the trailer swings I find.
I’ve been driving class 1 since October and still find reversing/manoeuvres tricky sometimes. Some days I just can’t reverse for some reason. It’s a challenge but that’s why I love this job because when you crack it it’s a great feeling of accomplishment.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do.
Regards,
Adam
Thanks Adam all this advice and encouragement on this forum makes me want to do class 1 training again. I was all about to give up having been doing reversing on Eurotruck simulator 2 and just finding it virtually impossible to master.
I would really like to know from Class 1 drivers how they manage to get into and out of tight parking areas
Training/practice/training/practice/training/practice… repeat until mastered.
For CE training, it’s most important that your trainer has a proper size, correctly marked reversing area. In our case, the reversing area forms parts of our private driving test centre so our candidates benefit from practising on the concrete they’ll be tested on.
Dont skimp on training time. Our normal course is 20 hours 1:1 plus test and this gives plenty of time to master the reversing exercise and the coupling/uncoupling.
Good luck, and stay safe, Pete
Hi Pete
A quick question, someone on trucknet a while ago said the DVLA is still allowing tests to be carried out for key workers. If so are you still allowing training for people working as key workers. Me thinks it would be a good time to do a driving test with hardly any traffic on the roads at the moment lol.
shullbit:
Everything is fine and dandy until you have to go to Farmfoods at Birchwood Warrington when its busy. That Rdc has a ridiculous layout and when its rammed its a total nightmare. Seriously you will pick it up, i was class 2 for 2 and half years been class 1 for 6 months and on the odd day when i get put back in a class 2 i struggle. reversing is all to pot. Give me an artic anyday and Im still learning to reverse it really, it will probably be back to square one though after a few weeks on furlough, its gonna be strange again.
Thanks for the encouragement
Heres a few places I would dread going to in a artic, Northampton services, south mimm services, Lidle Runcorn (I think I have got right place)
Thurrock services, infact pretty much most msa’s which makes me think maybe I would stay in truck stops whenever I could.
Well-Jell:
.
I am still class 2, have been for 3 years now, although i have recently booked up with Pete for my class 1.
I’ve done a fair bit of RDC work already up to now on class 2 and between bays and loading docks can be on the tight side when pulling out in a 40 foot 26 tonner with 8 or 9 feet of overhang, but from what i can see it does seem to be worse on class 1 in tight situations like theses.
There is only one thing in the whole world that scares me about doing class 1 work and that is tail swing, and the fact that from what i can see, unlike a rigid, once you start turning you are going to be completely blind as tractor unit is pointing in a different direction to where you need your mirrors to be.
Also i think that tail swing seems to be more pronounced on class 1, it does worry me a bit when i sit down and think about doing class 1 work.
I must point out that i have watched tail swing accidents on youtube and a lot of them seem to be horrendous causing enough damage to completely right a car off while dragging it half a mile down the road but i did already have a fear of tail swing before watching them kind of videos as that’s why i went looking for them in the first place.
There is also videos of tail swing bringing down corners of buildings, shops, houses.
.
Hi welljell
Not being able to see tail swing on a artic worries me as well, with a rigid I can see almost everything all the time particularly as I have a rear view camera.
From playing Euro truck simulator (which is said to be realistic) I find with I have to plan ahead and predict where the trailer is going much more then with a rigid. Having said that I don’t know if playing a computer game is anything to go on compared to the real world.
shullbit:
Everything is fine and dandy until you have to go to Farmfoods at Birchwood Warrington when its busy. That Rdc has a ridiculous layout and when its rammed its a total nightmare. Seriously you will pick it up, i was class 2 for 2 and half years been class 1 for 6 months and on the odd day when i get put back in a class 2 i struggle. reversing is all to pot. Give me an artic anyday and Im still learning to reverse it really, it will probably be back to square one though after a few weeks on furlough, its gonna be strange again.
Thanks for the encouragement
Heres a few places I would dread going to in a artic, Northampton services, south mimm services, Lidle Runcorn (I think I have got right place)
Thurrock services, infact pretty much most msa’s which makes me think maybe I would stay in truck stops whenever I could.
If you are on about Lidl Runcorn RDC, its an easy one loads of room, just bear in mind, you dont need to do a blindside, when they give you your bay drive down to the roundabout at the bottom of the yard and spin it round so you are facing the right way to do a goodside reverse on to your bay…this applies for any rdc really if you can turn it round to do a goodside then do so, even if it means ignoring their one way rules, do what you have to do to get the best position for your reverse.
As for blindsides, i always try and throw one or two a week in when i go somewhere with loads of room where i am not going to hit anything if i get it wrong.
I’ll try to answer a couple of points from earlier posts. I wont entertain training for anyone until social distancing measures are loosened. I dont wish to catch anything and neither to I want to unwittingly pass anything nasty on to anyone else. And as that’s my personal view, I’m not about to ask anybody else to do it.
But once we’re told we can work again, the system is in place to get everything up and running as quickly as possible.
On the matter of tailswing with artic; yes, of course it matters - but if you stick you what you’re taught during training you wont have a problem. Lack of visibility is an obvious issue, but knowledge of where the trailer will go will overcome this.
I’ve only been doing class 1 since October, but one thing I always find with reversing is that normally the easier the reverse, the more likely I am to screw it up
Another thing I find is that I prefer to sort of reverse it in on a slight curve rather than the straight, you’ll find a few other problems such as being about 6 inches too far to the left, and every time you move it over no matter what you do you’ll land it on the same spot 3 or 4 times
As others have said, it’s all about practice, and don’t do what I done on my first reverse onto a bay and get it all lined up with about 6 feet to go and think a ■■■■, never opened the doors
I was a rigid driver for 1 year before taking the plunge and embarking upon my class 1. I drove an Iveco Eurocargo 18T which had a longer than normal overhang. I’ve always been quite confident with reversing but accounting for the large swing of the truck back then took some getting used to.
Like most things, you get used to and adapt for the vehicle you drive. It doesn’t happen over night but practice makes perfect. My first time at an RDC was a 06:00 booking at Costco Crick. Safe to say I was absolutely bricking myself, and they kindly gave me the bay in between two fellow artics (one of them being a pucker Coltons Volvo FH) which didn’t help my nerves. My angle was off, I was over steering, I needed a few shunts, but it wasn’t a bad attempt in my then humble opinion. I felt rushed by other drivers which didn’t help, but the manoeuvre took as long as it took. Service stations still worry me from time to time. Some are better than others. If I can help it, I won’t stop at a select few because I don’t like the parking layout etc.
I would say some manoeuvres are easier in an artic because you have that ability to snake unlike in a rigid. You aren’t trying to park a lorry in a space made for a car so if truth be told, it’s easier than you probably think. It’s all about knowing the size of your vehicle, how long the unit is (how quickly you need to steer to catch the trailer up), etc.
In regards to pulling off from a bay. if you turn too soon you’re going to cause a lot of damage to the near side of the vehicle on your right hand side, just as you would in a rigid. An artic is longer so you need to run it out a bit further before making the turn. You’re right, not as much tail swing but it is there and it will become a problem if you don’t give it the space it needs. The harsher the turn, the more the trailer swings I find.
I’ve been driving class 1 since October and still find reversing/manoeuvres tricky sometimes. Some days I just can’t reverse for some reason. It’s a challenge but that’s why I love this job because when you crack it it’s a great feeling of accomplishment.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do.
Regards,
Adam
Thanks Adam all this advice and encouragement on this forum makes me want to do class 1 training again. I was all about to give up having been doing reversing on Eurotruck simulator 2 and just finding it virtually impossible to master.
No worries, more than happy to offer some advice. The main thing for me is knowing how the trailer will behave. Let’s say you’re pulling a standard tri axle trailer, the middle axle is your pivot point. So when reversing, instead of looking at the back of the trailer, I watch where that middle axle is going. I wouldn’t normally recommended videos but I suggest you watch ‘Trucking tips 101 - Backwards’ by Trucking Chris on YouTube. Helped me understand and improve my reversing. Euro sim will be a good place to practice anything you take from the video.
I was a rigid driver for 1 year before taking the plunge and embarking upon my class 1. I drove an Iveco Eurocargo 18T which had a longer than normal overhang. I’ve always been quite confident with reversing but accounting for the large swing of the truck back then took some getting used to.
Like most things, you get used to and adapt for the vehicle you drive. It doesn’t happen over night but practice makes perfect. My first time at an RDC was a 06:00 booking at Costco Crick. Safe to say I was absolutely bricking myself, and they kindly gave me the bay in between two fellow artics (one of them being a pucker Coltons Volvo FH) which didn’t help my nerves. My angle was off, I was over steering, I needed a few shunts, but it wasn’t a bad attempt in my then humble opinion. I felt rushed by other drivers which didn’t help, but the manoeuvre took as long as it took. Service stations still worry me from time to time. Some are better than others. If I can help it, I won’t stop at a select few because I don’t like the parking layout etc.
I would say some manoeuvres are easier in an artic because you have that ability to snake unlike in a rigid. You aren’t trying to park a lorry in a space made for a car so if truth be told, it’s easier than you probably think. It’s all about knowing the size of your vehicle, how long the unit is (how quickly you need to steer to catch the trailer up), etc.
In regards to pulling off from a bay. if you turn too soon you’re going to cause a lot of damage to the near side of the vehicle on your right hand side, just as you would in a rigid. An artic is longer so you need to run it out a bit further before making the turn. You’re right, not as much tail swing but it is there and it will become a problem if you don’t give it the space it needs. The harsher the turn, the more the trailer swings I find.
I’ve been driving class 1 since October and still find reversing/manoeuvres tricky sometimes. Some days I just can’t reverse for some reason. It’s a challenge but that’s why I love this job because when you crack it it’s a great feeling of accomplishment.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do.
Regards,
Adam
Thanks Adam all this advice and encouragement on this forum makes me want to do class 1 training again. I was all about to give up having been doing reversing on Eurotruck simulator 2 and just finding it virtually impossible to master.
No worries, more than happy to offer some advice. The main thing for me is knowing how the trailer will behave. Let’s say you’re pulling a standard tri axle trailer, the middle axle is your pivot point. So when reversing, instead of looking at the back of the trailer, I watch where that middle axle is going. I wouldn’t normally recommended videos but I suggest you watch ‘Trucking tips 101 - Backwards’ by Trucking Chris on YouTube. Helped me understand and improve my reversing. Euro sim will be a good place to practice anything you take from the video.
I watched that youtube video it is very good and I want to watch some more. I actually once backed right onto a loading bay and forgot to open the doors I only found out when they came out and told me lol.
Thanks again for advice everyone keeping motivated in doing my class 1 is important as I just feel giving up half the time and sticking with my rigid job.
So any encouragement really helps.
I actually once backed right onto a loading bay and forgot to open the doors
Been there, done that! Makes it worse that I was on agency and had a particularly tricky bay to deal with watched by an audience of regular drivers. I made a great job of getting on to this horrible bay but forgot I’d got barn doors.
