My first ever day on Class 1 was my first ever day on HGVs in general as I never did Class 2 work, I skipped straight from Sprinters to artics. I was lucky and had another driver with me to start with, doing fridge work. He started off the day’s driving, Scania 4 series, we got about 8 miles away and the tractor unit broke a valve rocker, threw it’s guts up over the road and we spent the rest of the shift watching the mechanic fix it at the roadside before finally driving it back to the yard and going home, easy, if a little boring!
I want to know about Dozy’s first day on class 1
1st day blind side right angle reverse in a twin steer Iveco, an hour later with another driver assisting me sweating like a mad man I got it on the bay.
when I got back my dad and the planner both laughed and said tomorrow will be easier (which I was).
a few days later and a bit of confidence I went to safeways Bellshill tried a blind side reverse and mad a balls of it until the old shunter said go and spin it round make the job as easy as you can.
James the cat:
I want to know about Dozy’s first day on class 1
He’s still having it.
IIRC i was on bulkers moving coal from collieries to Heysham port Then after a few shifts onto trolley dolly work for somerfields
James the cat:
I want to know about Dozy’s first day on class 1
+1:lol::lol:
My first “legal” day was in fact the afternoon after I passed my test, 24 tonne of plasterboard to be handballed off a flat trailer into the Barbican in central London- using an ERF E10 325 (yes with twin split) - now that was a learning curve !! 
However previously I had been known to take the 2100 DAF and flat trailer the back road to Convoys via the back road to load paper reels…
peterm:
James the cat:
I want to know about Dozy’s first day on class 1He’s still having it.
I’ve checked WH smiths. I can’t see any books on the subject. I looked under “British history” “drama”, “biography”, “British transport disasters”, even “fiction”. I’ve searched Reuturs and BBC news. Nothing. I’m sure there would’ve been a weighty tome, or at least a news special about the event.
A Erf EC12 / twin splitter ,got a puncture in EMR on the docks at Liverpool so drove out to get it mended before it went flat ,and went back to weigh out afterwards to save paying call fee .
First day was on shunting duties around a port Oop North,got some good reversing practice in.
Then first job on the road was a load from Ellesmere Port tip in Wembley on the North Circular,then reload in Catford round the South Circular and back Oop North,in a bone shaking old Atky.Great fun.
Go right back to the 60s, before HGV licences were invented. I had driven 3 tonners (7½ tonners) and a 10 tonner a few times and fancied a go in an artic. So when I went for a job at Brown and Poulson, doing local London deliveries and saw their mini-artic in the yard, I ticked the artic experience box on the application form.
Every morning there was a big four axle artic in the yard with a load that had been trunked down from Paisley. One morning the boss chucked me a set of keys and told me to take the whole load to Boots The Chemist at their yard by Tower Bridge. Now I had never driven anything with more than six gears, and never driven a bendy, so I shouldn’t have done it. But I was 21 and believed that I could do anything.
I had been to the delivery before and their was less traffic then, so I just set off and winged it. The yard was tiny - just big enough to reverse in blindside and onto a bay. After a few tries one of the other drivers, probably scared I would damage his truck, offered to do it for me. The trailer had a joloader floor and the pallets had to be rolled down to the back. once done, it was off back to our yard. With that under my belt I could happily call myself an experienced artic driver.
First day on class 1… Today.
Started at 6am, meeting up with a fellow driver who would be shadowing me today. The plan was to do a couple of trailer swaps, seeing how I get on. Set off, got the first one done in Loughborough (including a near perfect reverse), and headed bobtail back to the yard.
Hooked up to another empty trailer, which should have been going to the same place. Boss came out and said, “change of plan, can you do these deliveries and collections”. Not a problem. Got loaded up, and we was on our way to Market Harborough. Deliveries done, it was time for our collections. One in Birstall, and one in Syston. Loaded up, and headed back to the yard to get unloaded.
Once unloaded, we popped into the office to see whats next. We was told to park the trailer up, and bobtail to Bardon to pick up a trailer. Off we set. Hooked up to the double deck, and headed back.
On arriving back, it was getting on for 6pm, and the yard was getting busy so we parked on the road. Popped into the office to see if there was anything else to do. Nothing, so homeward bound.
Tomorrow I am back on rigids but I can’t wait to get back in an artic now.
NewBlood (Andy)
NewBlood:
On arriving back, it was getting on for 6pm, and the yard was getting busy so we parked on the road. Popped into the office to see if there was anything else to do. Nothing, so homeward bound.NewBlood (Andy)
You’re keen. Going back into the office after doing 12hrs already to see if anything else needed done.[emoji3]
There is a few local (within 5 mile) customers, so it would not take long, and it’s extra ££££ for me.
IIRC one of the first class one jobs I did was a couple of weeks driving my sons own Magnum doing Euro work while he went off on his jolly hollys, fantastic the ‘boss’ didn’t phone me once
First time in a Class 1?
Scroll back to the Army in 1979 and I’ve never driven anything bigger than a Land Rover. Staff Sergeant hands me a signed form that says I’ve passed my HGV1 and tells me to ‘ger in that thing an’ tak her t’ docks’. That ‘thing’ was a Thorneycroft Antar complete with draw-bar trailer and Chieftain Tank - the ‘docks’ were Portsmouth about 100 miles away.
Somehow (but, to this day I still don’t know how!) managed to get it there without either breaking it or hitting anything. Parked up where the MPs told me (thank god I didn’t have to reverse the thing), climbed out and went straight to the pub to get [zb]ed.
Safely say that it’s without doubt the steepest learning curve I’ve ever had. 
NewBlood:
First day on class 1… Today.Started at 6am, meeting up with a fellow driver who would be shadowing me today. The plan was to do a couple of trailer swaps, seeing how I get on. Set off, got the first one done in Loughborough (including a near perfect reverse), and headed bobtail back to the yard.
1
Hooked up to another empty trailer, which should have been going to the same place. Boss came out and said, “change of plan, can you do these deliveries and collections”. Not a problem. Got loaded up, and we was on our way to Market Harborough. Deliveries done, it was time for our collections. One in Birstall, and one in Syston. Loaded up, and headed back to the yard to get unloaded.
Once unloaded, we popped into the office to see whats next. We was told to park the trailer up, and bobtail to Bardon to pick up a trailer. Off we set. Hooked up to the double deck, and headed back.
0
On arriving back, it was getting on for 6pm, and the yard was getting busy so we parked on the road. Popped into the office to see if there was anything else to do. Nothing, so homeward bound.
Tomorrow I am back on rigids but I can’t wait to get back in an artic now.
NewBlood (Andy)
Nice one m8 glad it went well , and a nice motor too , I wasn’t so lucky mines was a manky merc but not complaint kind of took pressure off if I scuffed anything which I didn’t do .