Been offered a class 1 role with Primark, via an agency, for immediate start pending passing a driving assessment next week. Happy days might finally get my foot in the door.
The agency told me it’ll take 4-6 hours I figured it would be a half hour drive around town to make sure I don’t kill anyone, then see if I can back it up to a bay/dock.
What on earth is going to take 4-6 hours, and what should I be expecting? And what are they going to expect of me? I’ve not touched an artic since passing my test 2 months ago, the agency know this so I hope the assessors also know this and arent expecting a perfect experienced drive, because I reckon I’m going to be pretty rusty. Any helpful tips for impressing the assessor and making a good impression?
I did my first and only assessment drive so far this time last year for a supermarket job via agency. Primark may be slightly different, but as you say, their assessment was a combination of theory and practical - so questions on drivers hours etc and a 30-60 minute drive around the area to make sure you are safe, then do a good side reverse onto a bay at the end.
If you complete that to an acceptable standard (it was my first time in an artic since the test a month prior, so my reversing wasn’t up to much), they then do the classroom induction where they go through all that’s expected - big emphasis on avoiding bridges is what I remember most.
All in all, I think I was there for about 7-8 hours but it was all paid so not a bad day really. The agency work on the odd Sunday now and then for the last 12 months has paid for my Class 2 and Class 1 licences combined, and given me some extra pocket money, whilst I’ve learnt a bit more about the job, so all has been positive!
I’m a driver assessor. I’m looking to see that you’re someone I trust with the keys to an expensive lorry who won’t put the company in jeopardy.
Walk around checks, ability to do a manual entry on the tachograph, generally driving sensibly and safely. There’s the basic skills but there’s also the attitude. If I get the feeling that you don’t care about compliance with working time regs or safely securing loads you won’t be driving a lorry for us.
I don’t expect you to be perfect, just not to scare me and to persuade me that you won’t put the O Licence at risk.
Scored 100% on the theory/WTD/tacho test, assessor said he was very pleased with the high standards shown on the walkaround, vehicle & trailer inspection, came in a bit hard on the coupling as I was used to the trailers used on my C+E course which you had to slam in or it wouldn’t lock in, road drive was absolutely fine. Back to the yard and please put the trailer in a loading bay, and I just couldn’t do it. Back and forth shunting around, absolutely no idea how to get the initial lining up/angle done, didn’t know what I was looking for or where to start the turn etc.
Had about 5 or 6 goes before the assessor decided Id had enough tries and it simply wasn’t happening. Cant fault the assessor, he was really patient and gave me as much time as he could, then talked me through how to do it and said to just keep trying, keep applying and doing assessment days for the practice if nothing else, could see I was clearly a safe and competent driver on the roads but just haven’t been taught how to reverse beyond the very basic easy driving test manoeuvre.
Pretty much how I expected it to go, Id been trying a few reversing practice app/game kind of things as I was well aware I have no idea how to do it, but figured I’d turn up and give it a go, its all free practice at the end of the day!
Now my concern is my current workplace, who explicitly ban you from working for anyone else or doing any tacho activities on your days off, will notice an entry of me driving another companies vehicle and the manual entry for other work they wanted me to do.
tierbirdy:
Failed it miserably because I cant reverse (…)
We ALL been there, it takes practice
My first artic, a top liner Scania 460 automatic, those with a clutch to start it off, the model with the top bed just above the driver’s head. Despite all the fancy, I just couldn’t reverse it anywhere. Drivers on sites and motorway services came out to point for me left/right/straight the wheel, they were reversing it for me by signs as a matter of fact.
Be gentle with those fifth wheels. I knackered one quite a while ago with an automatic couldn’t make it engage gear kindly cause of dysfunctional clutch (those Mercs at Carlsberg laden with beer cans’ pallets and kegs heavy as Black Sabbath); meaning, try not to slam fifth wheels, and check going underneath with a torch is properly locked. It takes a good driver assessor to really appreciate how good professional practice that is.
stu675: @tierbirdy where do you work now? Is it class 2? Do they run any class 1?
Sadly not, currently working at Whirlpool who only run 7.5t with no progression opportunities, the class 1 work is outsourced to another company, Downtons, who don’t take new passes.
_JD:
We ALL been there, it takes practice
My first artic, a top liner Scania 460 automatic, those with a clutch to start it off, the model with the top bed just above the driver’s head. Despite all the fancy, I just couldn’t reverse it anywhere. Drivers on sites and motorway services came out to point for me left/right/straight the wheel, they were reversing it for me by signs as a matter of fact.
Be gentle with those fifth wheels. I knackered one quite a while ago with an automatic couldn’t make it engage gear kindly cause of dysfunctional clutch (those Mercs at Carlsberg laden with beer cans’ pallets and kegs heavy as Black Sabbath); meaning, try not to slam fifth wheels, and check going underneath with a torch is properly locked. It takes a good driver assessor to really appreciate how good professional practice that is.
Yeah, I was pretty sure there would be some aspect of reversing exercise involved, and fairly sure I wouldn’t be able to do it and went in with the attitude of if nothing else its free practice and time in the driver seat. Got nothing to lose and maybe by chance I could have done it, no point getting stressed out over it.
Not that I’ve really got anything to compare it to, but I do think the yard they asked me to do it in was particularly challenging for a newbie as it was quite small and you had less than the length of the truck to turn in resulting in having to almost jacknife it in, rather than a nice line up and gently reverse in a straight line like the driving test.
I’ll certainly be more gentle with the fifth wheel next time, maybe on a truck that isnt a knackered training school truck you can just slip it in!
I figured it would be a half hour drive around town to make sure I don’t kill anyone, then see if I can back it up to a bay/dock.
