Hi everybody,
Well i went along for my first class 1 interview this morning , passed that fine, then i was asked to show them my driving out on the road, no problem there.
Then came the reversing bit, well no excesses, i was really useless, I just couldn’t do the difficult reverses that they were asking for, between trailors etc. This only helped to bring home to me that i should have trained in a artic and trailor, instead off a wagon and drag.
This was my first time in an artic and trailor attempting to reverse one, i remembered rog’s comments on the turning points on the rear trailor wheels, which i was slowly getting to grips with towards the end of the session.
In fairness to the guy he was well pleased with everything else that i had done, so he has made me a offer that if i go back next Saturday he will give me another few hours on just my reversing, as he is prepared to give new drivers a start, i am back there next saturday @ 8.30.
If there are any tips, clues, anything that might help me, i would be grateful for all the help that’s going, many thanks,
Then came the reversing bit, well no excesses, i was really useless, I just couldn’t do the difficult reverses that they were asking for, between trailors etc. This only helped to bring home to me that i should have trained in a artic and trailor, instead off a wagon and drag.
that just proved what is said by most on this site - train in the type of vehicle that you will be, or likely to be, using, especially on your first job
This was my first time in an artic and trailor attempting to reverse one, i remembered rog’s comments on the turning points on the rear trailor wheels, which i was slowly getting to grips with towards the end of the session.
Glad to help - a bit
May I suggest that, if you have the finances, to take a few hours training in an artic - no reversing area - you want real life stuff along with some tight forward turns etc
Why dont you get round a few driving scools and see if they will give you an hour on there reversing area thing? Not doing the dsa reverse but just general stuff? might cost you £50 for the hour tops but it could net you a job
At the end of the day Pan Man the only way you will really learn anything including your reversing is to go out and do the actual job!
Your potential employer is giving you a real chance here, so definitely go this Saturday and practice your reversing.
However the hard reality is, that once you’re out there working the job you will be hit with all sorts of reversing situations.
Sure - you’ll go to places where everyone is very helpful as you endeavour to get your artic in to those unfamiliar tight spots!
But there will be many places you’ll go where nobody (warehousemen, forklift drivers - and even other Class One drivers!) will be prepared to help - in fact there will be times when they’ll congregate as an audience, with their arms folded and have a ■■■■ good laugh as you take your sixth attempt to get that artic in!
Regardless of the “situations” you find yourself in it’s very important that you do your best to keep your head. It’s easier said than done - but you must try not to panic, relax as much as you can and take it real slow!
Don’t let anyone rush you when you’re making this highly responsible manoeuvre and remember - if in DOUBT get OUT and LOOK !
yep, bollox to everyone. you go at the speed your comfortable with. As soon as you start rushing then it will go ■■■■ up very quickly.
go slow with slow steering movements
Well i’ve read all the advice that has been kindly given on my reversing problem, and i have gone and booked a 1 day reversing course on Thursday, i explained my difficulty in trying to reverse into diffecult places with an artic and trailor, as i learned and passed my test on a wagon and drag just over a fornight ago.
The course is 8.30 until 4.30, cost is £240.00 +Vat = £282.00, this is on a one to one, they have a FH 12 + a tri axle trailor, just over 3 years old.
It might seem a lot of money to spend to some people, but after i spoke to the transport manager today, all he said was that he wanted to see just a 20% improvement in my reversing and there is a job for me, which considering newbies like me seem to be struggling to find anybody to give us a start, espically on C + E, which i can understand to some extent, what with insurance etc.
So roll on thursday, followed by Saturday morning, and then hopefully a job by dinnertime, Thanks once again for all the good advice, thanks ROG for the e-mail.
twin stears are not like 4 wheeled tractor units the lock dont come off as quick so as long as your on the motor to train as your going to be driving you will be ok.good luck and i will keep me fingers crossed you get the job all the best
Works out reasonable enough. It’s that expensive because it costs around half that amount for a whole days training 2-1. As it’s one to one, it’ll be double the 2-1 price.
When I was training last year, a day of 2-1 was about £125+VAT, so approx £150.
Well i’ve read all the advice that has been kindly given on my reversing problem, and i have gone and booked a 1 day reversing course on Thursday, i explained my difficulty in trying to reverse into diffecult places with an artic and trailor, as i learned and passed my test on a wagon and drag just over a fornight ago.
The course is 8.30 until 4.30, cost is £240.00 +Vat = £282.00, this is on a one to one, they have a FH 12 + a tri axle trailor, just over 3 years old.
It might seem a lot of money to spend to some people, but after i spoke to the transport manager today, all he said was that he wanted to see just a 20% improvement in my reversing and there is a job for me, which considering newbies like me seem to be struggling to find anybody to give us a start, espically on C + E, which i can understand to some extent, what with insurance etc.
So roll on thursday, followed by Saturday morning, and then hopefully a job by dinnertime, Thanks once again for all the good advice, thanks ROG for the e-mail.
Pan Man.
Depending on the provider,you could have used an ILA to pay £200 towards the cost of the training.
Well today as ROG as reminded you all, it was my training day, to try and improve my reversing skills.
Well i turned up, did loads of practises of right hand reverses into a marked area, and then did left hand blind side reverses into the same marked area.
It seemed like sometimes i reversed in to the bay no problem, and then others were just not so good, needing shunts galore to get them in.
I know that 1 day it will just click, hopefully, I feel that i have a better chance than last saturday’s below par performance, time alone will tell, i will keep you posted on the progress,
we dont all do perfect reverses everyday panman we do have off days wrong line to much lock not enough lock we all do it sometimes so dont worry about and again good luck for saturday
The extra practice is only good, and as said, you’ve forked out the money for the additional training, so if you make a point of that it should be looked on favourably i’d imagine. The learning curve is pretty steep, as give it a few weeks in a job and you’ll be 10x more confident than you are now, it all comes together suprisingly quickly. Once you’ve got a job it doesn’t really matter how long it takes you to get on the bay, aslong as you don’t run out of hours in the process
edit hmm, it censored an implement used for eating in conjunction with a knife
Well i turned up, did loads of practises of right hand reverses into a marked area, and then did left hand blind side reverses into the same marked area.
Did you not get taken to an industrial estate to do some real life stuff
