Oh and be prepared, regardless of UK plates or not, to be generally abused and unhelped by the knuckle dragging elements of the business. I’ve lost count of how many gobby heroes suddenly skulk off when the bloke in the left ■■■■■■ gives em a gob full in English
That is the fun part taken care of. Much better with foreign plates too 
Hmmm advice on how to replace a lost digi card, then advice on driving left hookers we aren’t planning on being a naughty boy are we Simon 
.
switchlogic:
Given the choice I’d have a LHD truck over a RHD one any day.
I was the opposite, I took a LHD out once (141) apart from nearly losing the drivers door in Dover when I slung it open as someone in the next lane to me started off 
I much preferred being in a RHD over there. Something to do with random thoughts of being hit by an oncoming vehicle, being sat on the right hand side was strangely comforting 
Karl86:
Hmmm advice on how to replace a lost digi card, then advice on driving left hookers we aren’t planning on being a naughty boy are we Simon
No were desperately trying to get away from that scene!!!
Driving LHD in the UK you will need your wits about you, all those stupid things you see out your driver’s window at the moment will need to be seen out of your passenger side mirrors in a left ■■■■■■.
The mirrors are the best way of positioning yourself going down the road, you’ll think you’re ok, then a glance in the mirrors will tell you that you need to move a couple of feet to the left.
You’ll realise you’ve cracked that when you get in your car and run the passenger wheels along the kerb or lose the passenger door mirror on a parked car!
Reversing is back to front, but you will get good a blind side reverses, as you kind of know where you are from when you used to do it in RHD.
Going around bends is strange too at first, when the lorry leans and you go up in RHD, you go down in LHD and vice versa.
The lorry also feels ten foot wider for some reason, but that soon goes away.
After a week it will all seem natural and you’ll be ok, or you will hate every minute of it.
If you get the hang of it, you’ll find that it’s harder going back to RHD than it was going to LHD.
Although I would rather drive a RHD abroad, LHD isn’t too hard to get used too, the most tricky things will be changing gear with your right arm and width perception.
Reversing won’t be a problem just take it a bit slower and keep looking in the nearside (in this case right) mirror to a get a feel for the width and give way to the left and all should be fine.
You will find your left hand hit the door when going for a gear change but after a while and a few bruised knuckles it will fall into place.
If you wear a watch put it on your other wrist when abroad this won’t make sense now but trust me it will make perfect sense when you do it.
If your in Spain forget about about road rage every bugger cuts each other up and is considered the norm
Me and a mate of mine were talking about this just a few days ago in the car. I just said “i’ll do the clutch and you change gear”. So he’s sat in the passenger side doing the gears for a while when i ask “Well, Is it wierd?”
“No, not as bad as you’d think” he replied.
Lots of good advice on here, dont worry about the reversing, you still have to turn the wheel the same way!
And make sure you set your mirrors up well, including the kerb mirror.
When you park up for the night in the job your in now, when youre on the side of the road nr the kerb, jump in the passenger seat, it will give you a bit of an idea what its like.
Frensel lenses are handy in this country with a left ■■■■■■, although they look a bit naff, its surprising how much extra you can see with them.
When your sitting in a left ■■■■■■ in the UK park at the side of the road in the same position you would drive in, then put a marker on the windscreen (a bit of tape or something similar) so it covers the white line up, then when your on D/Cway M/way when your driving, line the bit of tape up with the white line, then you will know your in the right road position and not ‘wandering’ (wandering is easily done in the first few days, even on Mways). (you would put a marker somewhere where the red square ive edited into this pic)
My first experience was driving to Northampton from the south of Belgium, it was a bit nerve racking at first (especially getting on the train and going thru Dartford tunnel) but after 4 days it was comfortable to drive, after 2 weeks i never gave it a 2nd thought, it really is easy, and you will wonder what the fuss was about after 2 weeks. ive done around 12 yrs on left hookers (including 2 yrs doing uk only on tilts from Fxto) and not had any accidents, and would have one over a rhd any day.
I take it there wasnt anything going at the other place we talked about?
Saaamon:
In the UK to start with. Daidap, yes its reversing that I’m most nervous about, I’m happy reserving right hand drive now but thinking going to left hand is going to be like starting from scratch again ie turning the wheel the wrong way etc.
^Really, you thought this■■?
One of the big problems will be when you arrive at a yard in the uk as they are mainly built/designed for rhd trucks so you either master the blind side reverse very quickly or it maybe better to reverse in, it will all become 2nd nature after a while, remember= slowly slowly catchy monkey
Haven’t driven a LHD lorry since I was in the Army, but I’ve owned a 1960’s Yank pick-up for 8 years which I use a lot on back roads round west Wales; shedful of good advice above which I can only agree with, one thing you will notice at first is a tendency to sit out in the middle of the road, so take it easy going through traffic calming bollards for the first couple of miles as your brain will be hard-wired into being further to the right! Also goes without saying that looking right from angled junctions can be awkward but realistically it’s no worse than looking left on a right-■■■■■■.
On a lighter note; if you have a large cab-happy dog (mine was a Rottie ■■■■■) and you’re allowed to take it with you, it’s worth it for the looks you get from car drivers when they do double-takes of the “driver”.
Sent you a pm kindle… Cheers for the bit about the sticker, i will most certainly remember that… It sounds like everyone has had the same experience, ie nerve racking at first but you adjust reasonably quick, i know im making a massive deal out of this and should calm down abit, of course no one will expect miracles but need to give a half decent drive, so just feel the pressure is on…
Do really appreciate the advice everyone has been giving, atleast i’ll have some idea what to expect to a degree.
Cant be arsed to trol through the thread but the best bit of advice i was given was … if driving one in the Uk,drive it as close to the kerb ,or ditch as possible.
Suedehead:
Cant be arsed to trol through the thread but the best bit of advice i was given was … if driving one in the Uk,drive it as close to the kerb ,or ditch as possible.
Sound advice from maybe a cyclist, but always give yourself some escape space in my honest opinion.
Suedehead:
Cant be arsed to trol through the thread but the best bit of advice i was given was … if driving one in the Uk,drive it as close to the kerb ,or ditch as possible.
Remind me never to go fishing with you in your deep sea troller.
The first time i drove a left ■■■■■■ i was a bit unsure about it, pretty soon it all felt quite normal, until i got overconfident and came rushing up to a roundabout and stopped right on the line! sitting at a busy roundabout in a left ■■■■■■ right on the line there is no way you can see traffic coming round towards you, i had to creep out very gently until i was on the roundabout, in future i learnt to stay well back from the line to get a good view before entering roundabouts!!
robinhood_1984:
I find reversing a LHD truck easier than RHD, no idea why, its essentially just a mirror image of the same thing. Perhaps its because our trailers over here are longer, with less rear over hang so they just feel easier.
I don’t envy you driving a LHD truck in the UK though, with all the angled approaches to junctions and roundabouts, so that if you dont have the cab in the correct position, you’re not able to see traffic coming round the roundabout etc. I think driving a RHD truck in Europe is far easier, purely due to the difference in road layouts, meaning you can actually see, regardless of the side of the cab you’re sitting on.
Exactly this ^^
RHD over the water is much easier than LHD in the UK.
Don’t be put off though just take your time & it’ll come together.
As above just plan your approach to junctions more carefully,especially roundabouts. If you can,t get your cab square to the give way line on approach to a roundabout then try to pinch a bit into the righthand lane then screw it left so you can use your mirrors (a bit like a slip road)
you will end up “blind” at times,even after years of experience, because UK roundabouts on the whole are too big & the traffic travels round them too fast. At the IAM we have suggested for years that there be a strictly imposed speed limit of 20mph on these roundabouts to give lorries a chance but in the meantime,especially in LHD’s, there will always be occasions where you just have to “go for it” & wait for the horns
As said just take your time & really plan ahead, over the water it’s easy peasy after the first few peages (they seem narrower first time in a left ■■■■■■). Once you get used to it it’ll all seem much more natural than RHD and as nearly all the motors you’ll drive these days were designed to be LHD you’ll find that they drive/handle better too…the majority of RHD wagons are factory built compromises for want of a better term.
Good luck and happy trucking, once you’ve got used to LHD you won’t want anything else. I only do UK now but I’d still have a left ■■■■■■ if Castle Cement would buy me one
newmercman:
the passenger door mirror on a parked car!you’ll find that it’s harder going back to RHD than it was going to LHD.
That’s exactly what I did to my other half’s brand new car at the time. I still get remined about this 9 years later.
I did a lot of part time work for HSF after being full time, going to LHD first time took a bit of effort, then it took a bit of concentration to go back to RHD, then more concentration to go back to LHD but then once I’d been through this left right left cycle I could get into anything and drive it without thinking.
newmercman:
Driving LHD in the UK you will need your wits about you, all those stupid things you see out your driver’s window at the moment will need to be seen out of your passenger side mirrors in a left ■■■■■■.The mirrors are the best way of positioning yourself going down the road, you’ll think you’re ok, then a glance in the mirrors will tell you that you need to move a couple of feet to the left.
You’ll realise you’ve cracked that when you get in your car and run the passenger wheels along the kerb or lose the passenger door mirror on a parked car!
Reversing is back to front, but you will get good a blind side reverses, as you kind of know where you are from when you used to do it in RHD.
Going around bends is strange too at first, when the lorry leans and you go up in RHD, you go down in LHD and vice versa.
The lorry also feels ten foot wider for some reason, but that soon goes away.
After a week it will all seem natural and you’ll be ok, or you will hate every minute of it.
If you get the hang of it, you’ll find that it’s harder going back to RHD than it was going to LHD.
Using the mirrors to keep the correct position is usually something that should be second nature anyway on both sides and regardless of steering position left,right,or centre and the junction approach issue is something that should have been learn’t driving vans anyway.Which is why it’s surprising why some people seem to find either of those much of an issue.The main difference which I found was the different gearshift side.I’m left handed and find the RHD left hand gearshift easier and faster than having to use my right hand on the right hand gear shift of a LHD or center drive wagon.I’d think that would be similar for anyone who’s right handed in the case of it being easier to use the right hand gearshift of a LHD wagon.But in general having started out mostly driving special types up to 10 foot wide centre drive trucks LHD or RHD didn’t make much difference to me after that other than that gearshift side issue.While as the Italians knew sometimes using a RHD truck on the continent can actually be an advantage at least in mountainous areas.
Carryfast:
newmercman:
.While as the Italians knew sometimes using a RHD truck on the continent can actually be an advantage at least in mountainous areas.
I believe some years ago,all Italian trucks were built RHD as standard.
Carryfast:
newmercman:
Driving LHD in the UK you will need your wits about you, all those stupid things you see out your driver’s window at the moment will need to be seen out of your passenger side mirrors in a left ■■■■■■.The mirrors are the best way of positioning yourself going down the road, you’ll think you’re ok, then a glance in the mirrors will tell you that you need to move a couple of feet to the left.
You’ll realise you’ve cracked that when you get in your car and run the passenger wheels along the kerb or lose the passenger door mirror on a parked car!
Reversing is back to front, but you will get good a blind side reverses, as you kind of know where you are from when you used to do it in RHD.
Going around bends is strange too at first, when the lorry leans and you go up in RHD, you go down in LHD and vice versa.
The lorry also feels ten foot wider for some reason, but that soon goes away.
After a week it will all seem natural and you’ll be ok, or you will hate every minute of it.
If you get the hang of it, you’ll find that it’s harder going back to RHD than it was going to LHD.
Using the mirrors to keep the correct position is usually something that should be second nature anyway on both sides and regardless of steering position left,right,or centre and the junction approach issue is something that should have been learn’t driving vans anyway.Which is why it’s surprising why some people seem to find either of those much of an issue.The main difference which I found was the different gearshift side.I’m left handed and find the RHD left hand gearshift easier and faster than having to use my right hand on the right hand gear shift of a LHD or center drive wagon.I’d think that would be similar for anyone who’s right handed in the case of it being easier to use the right hand gearshift of a LHD wagon.But in general having started out mostly driving special types up to 10 foot wide centre drive trucks LHD or RHD didn’t make much difference to me after that other than that gearshift side issue.While as the Italians knew sometimes using a RHD truck on the continent can actually be an advantage at least in mountainous areas.
Oh no 
