Peter Smythe:
I personally don’t like the idea of learning in a small “puddle hopper” it’s giving a person a License. We’re training to become professional drivers if we can’t cut the mustard we should not be doing it…
The first job you get A proper truck then hit every thing before you get to the yard gate and take them out too.There is method in the madness! Bear in mind that a huge majority of candidates have driven nothing bigger than a Fiesta. So a 12 tonne 8.2m vehicle is massive in comparison. Having learned on a vehicle of that size, grown in confidence and skill, a vehicle a couple of metres longer is no issue. I have no anecdotal evidence of anyone running into problems with a larger vehicle.
Some trainers use larger vehicles - mainly because they are plentiful on the used vehicle market. As we buy our vehicles brand new, we don’t have that issue.
My reasoning also follows through to artics. Here, we run full size tri-axle artics with hefty units - far bigger than generally used for training. But people training on CE have, as a minimum, passed a test on CAT C. So their skill-set is different and there is a good opportunity to use industry compatible equipment.
I have used this formula for many years with no issues. Just my thoughts.
Pete
Hi Pete I don’t mean to pick on any particular company. In the most part you are probably correct for 90% of candidates but there the odd few that just can’t do it and should not become professional drivers but pay there money and on test day just scrape through.
I’m sure you know I’m a newbie to this trucking thing and and recently have been on a few assessment drives and in conversation with them been told that a high percentage of new pass have problems doing the basic basics.