Failed a driving assessment this morning for a car transporter company and I’m quite annoyed with myself about it.
Clipped a curb on an awful 1st exit on a mini roundabout but the worst bit was when I got back into the yard and I was asked to reverse into a bay. I forgot that I wasn’t driving a standard unit and trailer and I put too much lock on the steering wheel looking to get myself in position for an easy reverse into the bay which nearly resulted in the trailer and the unit colliding. On a normal unit you can easily just screw it round into position in a tight space but on a car transporter it’s a little different.
Quite gutted. Has anybody else failed a driving assessment and felt like a bot of a tool afterwards?
Also the Scania I drove was so uncomfortable. Felt like I was pressed right against the steering wheel despite the seat being as far back as I could get it and the steering wheel being as close to the dash as could get it.
M&S at Warrington.To be fair the assessor was an absolute helmet.Worse than any driving test I’ve done and after keeping me waiting for 2 hrs,failed me on a blindside reverse!
Halfway through the drive I contemplated stopping and telling him to get out.Biggest beaut Ive come across
Asda about 11 years ago. Went after a long shift in work and totally messed up the whole assement. Didn’t help that I had never driven a 3 over 3 Scania before.
RACHACE:
Also the Scania I drove was so uncomfortable. Felt like I was pressed right against the steering wheel despite the seat being as far back as I could get it and the steering wheel being as close to the dash as could get it.
If…
That’s the short cabbed (p9 I think), you’ve dodged a bullet by not getting the job.
I drove one once from Leeds to Southampton and back again. I have NEVER and REFUSE to drive one since.
Clearly re-designed for the UK right hand drive market as a hurried afterthought. The engine hump pushes your left leg over, there’s no room for your feet to go and the steering wheel appears to be set for a contortionist. Within 20 minutes my left leg was giving me painful reminders of it’s predicament. After two hours I felt like jumping out at 55mph.
RACHACE:
Also the Scania I drove was so uncomfortable. Felt like I was pressed right against the steering wheel despite the seat being as far back as I could get it and the steering wheel being as close to the dash as could get it.
If…
That’s the short cabbed (p9 I think), you’ve dodged a bullet by not getting the job.
I drove one once from Leeds to Southampton and back again. I have NEVER and REFUSE to drive one since.
Clearly re-designed for the UK right hand drive market as a hurried afterthought. The engine hump pushes your left leg over, there’s no room for your feet to go and the steering wheel appears to be set for a contortionist. Within 20 minutes my left leg was giving me painful reminders of it’s predicament. After two hours I felt like jumping out at 55mph.
Yeah that was what it was. I was only in it for 20-30 minutes and hated the thing. Nowhere for your left leg to go and my back was so straight in the seat that wouldn’t go back any further. On a long trip driving that would have been awful.
What are people’s thoughts on these assessments? I felt like I was doing my test all over again but without the preparation to do so. Especially considering that I’ve never driven a car transporter before, the difference between driving one of those compared to a usual unit and trailer does take a little adjustment.
RACHACE:
Failed a driving assessment this morning for a car transporter company and I’m quite annoyed with myself about it.
Clipped a curb on an awful 1st exit on a mini roundabout but the worst bit was when I got back into the yard and I was asked to reverse into a bay. I forgot that I wasn’t driving a standard unit and trailer and I put too much lock on the steering wheel looking to get myself in position for an easy reverse into the bay which nearly resulted in the trailer and the unit colliding. On a normal unit you can easily just screw it round into position in a tight space but on a car transporter it’s a little different.
Quite gutted. Has anybody else failed a driving assessment and felt like a bot of a tool afterwards?
Also the Scania I drove was so uncomfortable. Felt like I was pressed right against the steering wheel despite the seat being as far back as I could get it and the steering wheel being as close to the dash as could get it.
Never failed one myself but as an employer have failed plenty.From what you say you sound like you have not had much experience.Nothing to be ashamed of.I get some real plonkers that think their driving is fine when in actual fact it is appalling and these are guys with years of experience.
I once failed an assessment by turning up wearing black shorts when I’d been asked to turn up presumably wearing black longs.
Didn’t even get to do the assessment of course. A bugger really, because those day cabs had plenty of room on the catwalk, and the tractors had windows in the back of them making for doddle blind-side reversing exercises, which are normally my weak suit.
RACHACE:
Failed a driving assessment this morning for a car transporter company and I’m quite annoyed with myself about it.
Clipped a curb on an awful 1st exit on a mini roundabout but the worst bit was when I got back into the yard and I was asked to reverse into a bay. I forgot that I wasn’t driving a standard unit and trailer and I put too much lock on the steering wheel looking to get myself in position for an easy reverse into the bay which nearly resulted in the trailer and the unit colliding. On a normal unit you can easily just screw it round into position in a tight space but on a car transporter it’s a little different.
Quite gutted. Has anybody else failed a driving assessment and felt like a bot of a tool afterwards?
Also the Scania I drove was so uncomfortable. Felt like I was pressed right against the steering wheel despite the seat being as far back as I could get it and the steering wheel being as close to the dash as could get it.
Never failed one myself but as an employer have failed plenty.From what you say you sound like you have not had much experience.Nothing to be ashamed of.I get some real plonkers that think their driving is fine when in actual fact it is appalling and these are guys with years of experience.
Albie me ole mucker, you make an assumption that the guy’s “not had much experiance”. How TF do you come to that conclusion from him clipping a kerb and ballsing up a reverse with a crap ball ache car transporter trailer?
Sorry fella, but your talking bollox.
I clipped a kerb last week after having passed my class 1 in 1992. Am I inexperienced aswel?
RACHACE:
Also the Scania I drove was so uncomfortable. Felt like I was pressed right against the steering wheel despite the seat being as far back as I could get it and the steering wheel being as close to the dash as could get it.
If…
That’s the short cabbed (p9 I think), you’ve dodged a bullet by not getting the job.
I drove one once from Leeds to Southampton and back again. I have NEVER and REFUSE to drive one since.
Clearly re-designed for the UK right hand drive market as a hurried afterthought. The engine hump pushes your left leg over, there’s no room for your feet to go and the steering wheel appears to be set for a contortionist. Within 20 minutes my left leg was giving me painful reminders of it’s predicament. After two hours I felt like jumping out at 55mph.
The crowd I drive for have an all-Merc fleet and someone made a comment on here a while back about cabs being designed for lefthand drive.
So ever since I have looked at the footwells and if you look at the passenger ones they are twice the size - all makes sense now - always cursed at not having anywhere to get your left leg out the way.
Anyway, good news. We’re getting new stuff coming through - Antos. No such problem now by the simple expedient of raising the cab floor height, you sit a lot higher up from the tarmac. Cabs are pretty good really but the auto trans is dire - bung them in manual and use the shift paddle. Sorry for the thread hijack
I had an assessment when they sent me out with a rear steer trailer. The road test was fine, but the yard was really packed and the reverse onto a bay was tight. Positioning for a rear steer is completely different to a normal trailer which, of course, I had no idea about since I’ve never done rear steer before. It therefore took me a bit of trial and error figuring out how to position for the tight reverse. I got it eventually, but I did need to go around the block once to re-position.
The killer was the blindside reverse, though. As I tried to re-position with a shunt I had too much lock on, and if I had continued I would have side-swiped the truck next to me with the back end swinging out much more vigorously with the rear steer axle.
I failed…but I didn’t feel like a failure. I just don’t think it was fair to expect me to know how to manage a rear steer trailer with no training and no experience. We’re not all born with the instincts, you know…
Earlier this year I went for an interview, decent hours and wages only 20 minutes walk from my house. Told the agency that I was not feeling too well (found out that I was suffering from anxiety… all OK now )
Any way at interview was told got to give you an assessment today … already had one a few weeks ago as was on agency work!
Anyway failed it as i was not at 100% in my head.
After telling agency why, I will have another chance later this year… so I hope will no longer be limping with my
ALDI* carrier bag…
Just thought that I’d add that I’ve got nearly 5 years experience on general haulage carrying mainly steel and concrete beams/drainage to building sites. I’ve also used trombone trailers from time to time.
I shouldn’t have clipped the kerb and I should have took more care and attention to the roundabout I was approaching and the lapse in concentration when looking to spin round to get into position for a simple reverse into a bay was again all my own doing.
However these driving assessments are all a bit too serious and regimented in my opinion. I feel it was designed to trip you up and I was also given no prior warning that the assessment would be under strict test conditions, it was as if I was doing my test all over again. I also had a written part to do all on the highway code, again without any prior warning so no time to brush up on my knowledge.
I maybe naively went into the interview thinking it was going to be a chat about the job itself, maybe watch a trailer being loaded with cars etc to see how it’s done, see whether I could load and secure 11 cars and would want to do it as a career. I expected a driving assessment but more of a drive around to ensure that I was calm, confident and safe behind the wheel which I was. Clipping a kerb on an awful mini roundabout doesn’t constitute to anybody being a danger behind the wheel in my opinion and I feel it was a bit harsh as these types of thing do happen from time to time.
Also, had I been the assessor I’d have maybe just given the driver an extra little reminder about the difference in swing between the car transporter trailer and a regular trailer when looking to get into position. But that all might just be me looking for excuses to avoid responsibility for what at the end of the day was 2 mistakes on a driving assessment.
RACHACE:
Just thought that I’d add that I’ve got nearly 5 years experience on general haulage carrying mainly steel and concrete beams/drainage to building sites. I’ve also used trombone trailers from time to time.
I shouldn’t have clipped the kerb and I should have took more care and attention to the roundabout I was approaching and the lapse in concentration when looking to spin round to get into position for a simple reverse into a bay was again all my own doing.
However these driving assessments are all a bit too serious and regimented in my opinion. I feel it was designed to trip you up and I was also given no prior warning that the assessment would be under strict test conditions, it was as if I was doing my test all over again. I also had a written part to do all on the highway code, again without any prior warning so no time to brush up on my knowledge.
I maybe naively went into the interview thinking it was going to be a chat about the job itself, maybe watch a trailer being loaded with cars etc to see how it’s done, see whether I could load and secure 11 cars and would want to do it as a career. I expected a driving assessment but more of a drive around to ensure that I was calm, confident and safe behind the wheel which I was. Clipping a kerb on an awful mini roundabout doesn’t constitute to anybody being a danger behind the wheel in my opinion and I feel it was a bit harsh as these types of thing do happen from time to time.
Also, had I been the assessor I’d have maybe just given the driver an extra little reminder about the difference in swing between the car transporter trailer and a regular trailer when looking to get into position. But that all might just be me looking for excuses to avoid responsibility for what at the end of the day was 2 mistakes on a driving assessment.
Are they a bit too strict though in your opinion?
I travelled 60 miles for that interview too
IMO I can understand why the assessment is so strict for certain jobs. Ok, you clipped a kerb, not a big deal in most circumstances but you’ve got to remember that driving a car transporter is basically like driving a double decker. Roundabouts + double deck loaded with expensive new cars + clipped kerb = a whole world of pain!
I’ve recently started a fuel tanker job on the BP contract. The assessment was similarly tough, breathe anyway near a kerb and you’ve failed. Luckily I passed.
Dust yourself down and learn from the experience and you’ll be more accomplished next time you give it a go!
RACHACE:
Just thought that I’d add that I’ve got nearly 5 years experience on general haulage carrying mainly steel and concrete beams/drainage to building sites. I’ve also used trombone trailers from time to time.
I shouldn’t have clipped the kerb and I should have took more care and attention to the roundabout I was approaching and the lapse in concentration when looking to spin round to get into position for a simple reverse into a bay was again all my own doing.
However these driving assessments are all a bit too serious and regimented in my opinion. I feel it was designed to trip you up and I was also given no prior warning that the assessment would be under strict test conditions, it was as if I was doing my test all over again. I also had a written part to do all on the highway code, again without any prior warning so no time to brush up on my knowledge.
I maybe naively went into the interview thinking it was going to be a chat about the job itself, maybe watch a trailer being loaded with cars etc to see how it’s done, see whether I could load and secure 11 cars and would want to do it as a career. I expected a driving assessment but more of a drive around to ensure that I was calm, confident and safe behind the wheel which I was. Clipping a kerb on an awful mini roundabout doesn’t constitute to anybody being a danger behind the wheel in my opinion and I feel it was a bit harsh as these types of thing do happen from time to time.
Also, had I been the assessor I’d have maybe just given the driver an extra little reminder about the difference in swing between the car transporter trailer and a regular trailer when looking to get into position. But that all might just be me looking for excuses to avoid responsibility for what at the end of the day was 2 mistakes on a driving assessment.
Are they a bit too strict though in your opinion?
I travelled 60 miles for that interview too
It sounds like it was strict but given transporter jobs pay top money they expect top drivers.
You have made a couple of “little” errors but when your on assessment and trying your best and making these errors it is likely to worry them what you will do on a normal day. Regards the different trailer they probably expect you to know. Again top money is a top driver he knows this.
I remember years ago, a milk tanker job, where the assessment drive took you first to a roundabout some 600 yards from the depot. Any applicant approaching that roundabout at any speed over 15MPH would go straight round the roundabout and back to the depot…
the nodding donkey:
I remember years ago, a milk tanker job, where the assessment drive took you first to a roundabout some 600 yards from the depot. Any applicant approaching that roundabout at any speed over 15MPH would go straight round the roundabout and back to the depot…
Sounds like they only wanted the cream, Mule…(anyone got a picture of tumbleweed? )
the nodding donkey:
I remember years ago, a milk tanker job, where the assessment drive took you first to a roundabout some 600 yards from the depot. Any applicant approaching that roundabout at any speed over 15MPH would go straight round the roundabout and back to the depot…
Sounds like they only wanted the cream, Mule…(anyone got a picture of tumbleweed? )
the nodding donkey:
I remember years ago, a milk tanker job, where the assessment drive took you first to a roundabout some 600 yards from the depot. Any applicant approaching that roundabout at any speed over 15MPH would go straight round the roundabout and back to the depot…
Sounds like they only wanted the cream, Mule…(anyone got a picture of tumbleweed? )
That’s a bit cheesy, even by your standards…
See what you did there mate Nothing gets pasteurise.
the nodding donkey:
I remember years ago, a milk tanker job, where the assessment drive took you first to a roundabout some 600 yards from the depot. Any applicant approaching that roundabout at any speed over 15MPH would go straight round the roundabout and back to the depot…
Sounds like they only wanted the cream, Mule…(anyone got a picture of tumbleweed? )
That’s a bit cheesy, even by your standards…
See what you did there mate Nothing gets pasteurise.
)
Nothing gets pasteurise.