Second job horrible!

Hello all
I did my first class 2 job and it did not go smoothly. It was delivering steel in a flat bed Merc manuel.

It had a six speed gear box and was awful to use, getting it into reverse was very hard.

I had to commute fifty miles to thirsk, pick up the truck, drive down to Halifax do three drops then one in Barnsley. Then drive back to thirsk. Then drive fifty miles home.

First bit driving to Halifax wasn’t to bad , apart from I was heavy and the truck was very slow on acceleration.

Its we
When I got Halifax the problems began, satnav had me running around on a wild goose chase most of the time. I had a crash course on how to get a class 2 around narrow streets. On a few occasions I had some harrowing moments. But king of them all was this.

After my second drop I followed the sat nav which took me to a very busy mini ish roundabout. So I was about to go straight over, but then to my horror the satnav warned of a weight restriction ahead.

I sort of panicked and tried to go round the roundabout , big big mistake.

The turning circle of the truck was to wide and I got stuck. This was a very busy road and suddenly there were cars stopping and waiting for me.

I put my hazards on as I now regarded this a emergency situation.

Tried to back to reposition my self but took ages getting stupid thing into reverse gear. Now cars getting by in front of me and behind me without waiting.

Suddenly I get into reverse truck lunges backwards.

I think its sheer luck I didn’t hit a car, I repositioned and got round the roundabout.

Apart from feeling a complete bellend, it also shook me up, this could have been nasty if I had reversed into a car.

At the end of the day I got the Halifax drops done but never made it Barnsley as ran out of time.

The tm seemed easy going through and didnt seem bothered.

Has any body else on here done stuff like this when they were new?

Are class 2 night shift jobs any easier?
as there is less traffic I am guessing?
I keep seeing them advertised.

This has really shaken me to how dangerous this job is to over road users. I am basically being thrown the keys to very heavy truck and not knowing my ■■■ from my elbow.

Plan your route on a map first. Dont rely solely on a satnav.

The ONLY A-Z I owned in my 16 years of driving is one that covers Halifax & Huddersfield,it’s a awful place to get around and very easy to find yourself going down an unsuitable for hgv lane if you don’t plan ahead…

Don’t be too harsh on yourself we all have ■■■■ days,you’ll look back on it in years to come and laugh about it,worst one I had was my first day out in a class one tried to spin it around on a mini roundabout got 9/10 of the way round to realise the road sign I hadn’t noticed on approach was going to stop me getting round,I too caused absolute chaos trying to reverse a class one wagon back around this mini roundabout when my starting position was my unit level with the back of my trailer almost with bollards on the kerbsides around the roundabout to also contend with…

It’s all about learning from your mistakes,or if you don’t learn just keep pretending it’s the first time you’ve ever done it and promise yourself you’ll learn from it next time

Absolutely yes, we’ve all done that. Some may not admit to it, but we have ALL been there.

Grow a thick skin, be prepared to stop and weigh stuff up. If that involves getting out of the truck and seeing for yourself what is going on, how much room you have, do it, and do it early.
And do not be bothered by the other road users beeping their horns or being impatient. Generally though, they’ll be ok and wait for you.
Think ahead, maybe you could have gone over the mini roundabout and then took a turn off to enable you to turn around easier?
If necessary, rope in a suitable member of the public, a working joe, you can tell who’ll be ok. Get them to watch your back as you reverse.

Satnavs are NOT perfect, as we’ve all found out. Make sure you’ve got your parameters set right. When it throws you up against a width, height, or weight restriction…deal with it professionally, tell your idiot satnav that the road is blocked and you want an alternative route. Cool calm and collected.

It’s been 30 years since I drove class 2 but that situation is completely normal. See, the test is passed and now you’ve started learning the realities

If need be enter the weight restriction and find a more suitable place to turn round.

A side road or similar.

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xichrisxi:
The ONLY A-Z I owned in my 16 years of driving is one that covers Halifax & Huddersfield,it’s a awful place to get around and very easy to find yourself going down an unsuitable for hgv lane if you don’t plan ahead…

Don’t be too harsh on yourself we all have [zb] days,you’ll look back on it in years to come and laugh about it,worst one I had was my first day out in a class one tried to spin it around on a mini roundabout got 9/10 of the way round to realise the road sign I hadn’t noticed on approach was going to stop me getting round,I too caused absolute chaos trying to reverse a class one wagon back around this mini roundabout when my starting position was my unit level with the back of my trailer almost with bollards on the kerbsides around the roundabout to also contend with…

It’s all about learning from your mistakes,or if you don’t learn just keep pretending it’s the first time you’ve ever done it and promise yourself you’ll learn from it next time

I didn’t like driving around Halifax and the places I were delivering to where very hard to find.

xichrisxi:
The ONLY A-Z I owned in my 16 years of driving is one that covers Halifax & Huddersfield,it’s a awful place to get around and very easy to find yourself going down an unsuitable for hgv lane if you don’t plan ahead…

Don’t be too harsh on yourself we all have [zb] days,you’ll look back on it in years to come and laugh about it,worst one I had was my first day out in a class one tried to spin it around on a mini roundabout got 9/10 of the way round to realise the road sign I hadn’t noticed on approach was going to stop me getting round,I too caused absolute chaos trying to reverse a class one wagon back around this mini roundabout when my starting position was my unit level with the back of my trailer almost with bollards on the kerbsides around the roundabout to also contend with…

It’s all about learning from your mistakes,or if you don’t learn just keep pretending it’s the first time you’ve ever done it and promise yourself you’ll learn from it next time

Thanks I appreciate it, I am glad I am not the only one.

Thanks for the advice and encouragement everyone its much appreciated.

Don’t rely on a satnav, look out of the window occasionally for road signs or clues like trees with low branches, railway lines, oncoming traffic, delivery notes, address etc

My first day was like that but in the centre of leeds lost in ridiculously narrow streets in an artic. I think being new you are too keen to get going .Could have jacked in in there and then but persevered. What I and you have had is the first lesson in route planning. Never trust your sat nav, buy a truck atlas and cross check. Finally check every drop with google earth. You will find access points, problems etc. DO all this after your daily checks and you will find it time well sent. DOnt worry, in a few weeks you will wonder what the problem was

Which truck atlas is going to help him…

I’m not trying to be controversial. I have two (phillips and aa) and use them in certain circumstances - mainly when I fancy the scenic route back or want to stretch the job out a bit. I look for bad traffic and then plan my route towards it.

However - none of them show minor roads. As best you will have guidance on a roads. If he is going into little towns they they won’t get him to his destination.

I do sympathise about spinning a rigid around. I still remember my first class 2 shift… Not only did i crash but I also tried doing a u turn during rush hour at some traffic lights. Took about 5 shunts and 4 changes of traffic lights for me to get it around. Personally I think you did well mate.

sammym:
Personally I think you did well mate.

Thanks

I would recommend investing in a decent sat nav and use the actual address not the postcode as the postcode will only take you to the right general area. Just to make sure I would also use Google earth to preview the drops before setting off.

Spending a few minutes planning before driving off can save a whole heap of pain.

First few weeks are nerve wracking and it’s a learning process so mistakes are to be expected - trying to rush things and panicking will only make matters worse so if it doesn’t all go to plan take a few deep calming breaths before making your next move.

At the end of the day deliveries were done and truck wasn’t damaged. That’s the main thing. Will get easier the more you do it.

As others say Google maps is good for the precise location rather than just the street, assuming the address is right!

sammym:
Which truck atlas is going to help him…

I’m not trying to be controversial. I have two (phillips and aa) and use them in certain circumstances - mainly when I fancy the scenic route back or want to stretch the job out a bit. I look for bad traffic and then plan my route towards it.

However - none of them show minor roads. As best you will have guidance on a roads. If he is going into little towns they they won’t get him to his destination.

This. He only had 3 drops but if you’re on (proper) multi-drop expect anywhere from 6 to 15 drops in a shift; good luck mapping a route for each delivery, last time I checked atlases didn’t show road closures, roadworks or temporary width restrictions either.

My similar story: Unlike OP it wasn’t even my first shift, I was in my 2nd week I believe. Same situation, trying to U-turn a rigid at a small (not mini) roundabout; it might’ve worked but I decided to be prim and proper and take the inside lane, overestimating the roundabout size…got stuck at 45 degrees with my front overhanging the sidewalk and just enough space behind me for a car to squeeze through, which is exactly what everyone behind me decided to do. Apparently car drivers are not bothered by a truck with hazards and reversing light + beeper on, they’ll just keep going even if you start inching backwards they’ll still try to squeeze by at the last possible second with a layer of paint of space…It was about 8:30a.m., a school nearby so all the moms were in a hurry to start their daily shopping routine after dropping the kids off, I s’pose. I ended up going right instead and doing a 5 mile detour over 40 minutes. Needless to say, not everyone got their pallet that day.

Sadly Halifax is a difficult one. Alot of the factories and old Mills just simply weren’t made for trucks all them decades ago… Similar to hudds (my hometown) in a lot of places just aren’t made for trucks. No matter what sat nav or map you use nothing will beat looking out the windows, Reading signs and just using general gut feelings about roads. Just relax and remain calm. Rushing and stressing will always end badly.

It was a Merc rigid with a knackered gearbox - well theres a surprise, esp reverse not working. Seems to be a common problem esp with the older ones.

I would say you had a successful day. Got out the yard, back to the yard and didn’t crash, thats success. Don’t worry about the delivery as its unlikely most places you’re going will be that paniced about next day (unless its a building site).

Re turning, assume everything needs two lanes until you figure how it turns, as every truck does it differently. Oh and for the record, I’ve been driving artics for 2 years now and have gone from fairly mastering rigids to looking like a total new driver when i have to take them out.

With regards weight limits (as long as its 7.5T not lower), they usually have a “except for access” and if you’re driving building products, people will just assume you’re delivering locally so you can likely get away with he odd one. Easier sometimes than trying to get of a problem.

It takes a while to get it right and yeah you’ll have good and bad days, but slowly it starts to click. Lost my first job due to the number of glitches but it got better.

As a side note - I’ve been to loads of places which are meant to be ‘horrific’. All over central London, building sites in the middle of Manchester, all over Birmingham including Broad Street late on a Saturday night (loads of fun with drunk people and taxis all over…). What I’ve realised is if you chill out and really just let people do their thing and don’t worry about waiting as long as it takes it’s really not that bad.

The very worst case is you will get stuck. Which is very rare. And wherever you can get into you can get out of… You might need some help but it’s really not a big deal. Embrace the art of not worrying and it all becomes pretty enjoyable.

Thanks you have all been really helpful in your replies, I am greatfull its just the sort of stuff I needed to here.

At times in Halifax I felt like just leaving the truck where it was and walking off ,lol.

I feel for you, been driving class 2 since July and even got class 1 license now, driving in Birmingham using a 4 over 4 gear box, tried to do a u turn at cross roads but wagon stalled on reverse as I left it in high. Wagon wouldn’t start as I blocked the whole cross road. Took ages to start again. We all have our moments haha