I passed my test in an artic 3 years ago, but the only HGV job I was able to get straight after that was wagon and drag.
I started an artic job at the end of last week, the company seem ok to let me loose on them, but have been sending me out with other drivers for a few days until they feel happy I can do it I guess. I definately have no complaints, it’s nice someone is willing to give me a shot. So there are companies out there who will do it, just be honest with them about your experience.
So far i’ve found the wagon and drag easier to reverse (probably because i’ve had more time with one of those), the drag comes round much quicker than a 3 axle artic trailer, so i’m having problems at the moment trying to work out how far away I need to be to get the artic trailer round in time. Mostly at the moment, i’m getting it to turn far too late and missing the target.
Visibility of the trailer was better on the drawbar as well.
Drags are less hassle going forwards as well, because they follow the truck much tighter, once the truck itself is clear of a corner you don’t really need to worry about the trailer so much, they don’t need much more space than you have already allowed.
The biggest problem with drags is turning them round in a yard that has only been designed with artics in mind. There is often not enough room to get them round, so you end up reversing out. This gave me the most headaches at the time.
You experience puts you ahead of other people with no artic experience, so you should be ok. Just be humble when it comes to taking advice from people, and be honest with the company about your ability.