Hi guys, when i do my class 1 in a couple of weeks, this is gonna sound a bit stupid but i am gonna ask anyways. what are the main differences i am going to notice between driving the rigid i learnt in and driving in the artic? i have been told only things i am going to learn new are the reversing technique, the length and gettin round corners and roundaboutsā¦can anyone tell me anymore? 
sorry to ask probably what is an obvious question but i want to know as much as possible before i get goin, as i am so excited bout it would like to try to understand as much bout the differences as possible before i start 
The only thing I was told although it is mainly with a loaded vehicle was: A rigid leans more in corners and an artic doesnt. Not strictly true but you will notice that.
Again more so after you pass the test and start to drive āproper trucksā Close coupled artic trailers with deep pins have a lot of swing at the front too that you must compensate for.
You have to use the eyes in your bum to keep a watch out for suicide jockeys at junctions and roundabouts who are convinced you have made a gap for them to nip through.
Go through the coupling and uncoupling procedure with the instructor. if not sure, practice and talk him through it.
It would be a shame to have a good drive on test and fail because you dropped the trailer on its knees
Like rigids, the bendy ones are as varied as the loads. The difference between the truck I took my class one in & the Volvo sewage tanker I drove the next day was more in the load & gearbox than anything else.
I agree with wheelnut on the trailer swap, I always mutter my way through a mental check before getting back in the cab.
I would agree with Wheelnut regarding the uncoupling/coupling, listen to your instructor I was told many have failed on this part of the test for such as failing to stow away the winding handle or rechecking the trailer brake. Itās normally the last part of the test, donāt want a smooth drive with a couple of minors to be ruined in the last five minutes.
And you canāt use that nearside mirror too much, as already said, when waiting to move forward or at junctions especially when turning left where you may have robbed a little of the next lane.
Just take that bit more time, am sure youāll be successful if youāre focused.
Rob
I think that both vehicles handle totally differently to each other. Try to think of them as two different entities. All I can say is listen to your instructor. He will highlight the important things you need to remember when driving an artic.
Good luck 
twopack:
I think that both vehicles handle totally differently to each other. Try to think of them as two different entities. All I can say is listen to your instructor. He will highlight the important things you need to remember when driving an artic.
Couldnāt agree more. Artics seem to have a better turning circle than rigids. Whilst you can spin an artic in a given space, youāll end up doing a three-point turn in a rigid in the same space. Gearboxes seem to be standard across all rigids whereas artic gearboxes are different depending on which make. For example, a Merc Actros 2543 can either have the semi-automatic ātelligentā gearbox or the full automatic, whilst the Merc Axor 2543 has an 8 speed.
Uncoupling. Everyone has their own set way of doing it. I remove the trailer plate first, then apply the trailer brake, drop the legs, remove airlines and suzies, undo dogclip, pull kingpin and pull away. Coupling is the reverse of uncoupling.
Thanks twopack and brummie any advice is always good advice on here guys!!
Iāve always found the biggest difference between articās and rigids is approach to junctions. The steer axle for the trailer is the units drive axle (if that makes sense) so you tend to run further into the junction before steering.
I had been driving artics a few years before I ever went near a rigid. The number of times I had to back up and have another go at a corner because the rigid wouldnāt go round . Youāll find that artics are much more manoeuvrable.
Congrats on the test result BTW
THe biggest problem is turning corners such as turning into a side road. You aim to turn into the side road and have the right side of the unit running near the centre white line as early as possible and continue like this until the trailer has got round the corner. Its more of a pronounced right angle manouvre than a smooth curve.
Best thing to do is borrow your kids toy artic, draw a quick road with side road on a bit of cardboard and play with it.
One of the things I had trouble with at the start is that fact that, once you start to turn a corner, you lose sight of the back of the trailerā¦ on one side you see nothing, and on the other side you see nothing but the side ot itā¦ quite unnerving at firstā¦ but you soon get used to itā¦
Thanks andy, did put up a message of well done on your passing test post, but once again mate well done mate
Thanx margateā¦ I did reply to all the posts, but for some reason it didnt come upā¦ Mmm, oh well, go and try againā¦ LOLā¦
But thanx mateā¦
thanks marlow for the advice and congrats, thanks conor also will give that a go with the toy. like andy said in his post i am sure it will be a bit unnerving to start with 
but i will get used to it just canāt wait to get in it and get startedā¦ think i am more nervous of the thing having 16 gears than the length of it as the rigid i learnt in class 2 only had 6 gears gotta fess up i am a bit daunted by 16 gears 
Andy i checked out your website the other night mate, pretty 
mate!!
Thanx mateā¦ its just a little one I knocked upā¦ LOL.
As for the gears mateā¦ dont worry too much about themā¦
The gears will be made up of 4 low range, 4 high rangeā¦ but then each gear has a splitā¦
In simple termsā¦ the Iveco I drove had 16 gears, but you pulled away from stand still in 4th. only using 1st, 2nd and third on the gear change exercise. and top which was 8th was only used in 40mph - 50mph limitsā¦ in 30ās it stayed in 7th.
I didnt use the splitter at allā¦ so in effect, you only have to play with 5 gears, which is what you prob do in your carā¦
But its all a matter of getting used to it mate. I was a nervous wreck when I was doing my Class 2 coz that had the same gear box, what they call a Slap-Over Boxā¦ your instructor will sort you out mate, so dont fret. Youāll do greatā¦
the biggest difference i found was that one bends tother one doesnt 
AndyM:
One of the things I had trouble with at the start is that fact that, once you start to turn a corner, you lose sight of the back of the trailerā¦ on one side you see nothing, and on the other side you see nothing but the side ot itā¦ quite unnerving at firstā¦ but you soon get used to itā¦
Wide angle mirror does the job if itās adjusted correctly as does the bob mirror for bobās.
Rob K:
AndyM:
One of the things I had trouble with at the start is that fact that, once you start to turn a corner, you lose sight of the back of the trailerā¦ on one side you see nothing, and on the other side you see nothing but the side ot itā¦ quite unnerving at firstā¦ but you soon get used to itā¦Wide angle mirror does the job if itās adjusted correctly as does the bob mirror for bobās.
Very trueā¦ But with the distortion in the wide angled mirrors, I couldnt get a grip of the distance the trailer was behind meā¦
AndyM:
One of the things I had trouble with at the start is that fact that, once you start to turn a corner, you lose sight of the back of the trailerā¦ on one side you see nothing, and on the other side you see nothing but the side ot itā¦ quite unnerving at firstā¦ but you soon get used to itā¦
You know the little mirror, either above or below the big one on your nearside, it can be adjusted so that you can see the back of your trailer !!!
i passed me class 2 couldnāt get any work for love nor money so done me class 1 straight off, after having me wee one and got the first stages of motherhood out the way i managed to get work driving class 1 and to be honest with you, i find it alot easier than rigids. I was sent out in a rigid a couple of months back and i hated every minute of it, my trailer wasnāt there for starters and reversing was totally alien, it kept going in the other direction!!! hehe
Artic over rigids any day of the week.
Donāt worry bout doing your test either, just as long as you listen to what your being taught and put everything into practise on the day of your test youāll pass with flying colours mate.
Itās the attitude i took (man i hate tests) and i passed first time with only three minors, you know what you can do at the end of the day.
Oh and another pointer, donāt beat yourself up if you donāt get the reversing straight away, itāll seem so alien to you at first, youāll get it though.
Good luck mate
Tiggz