Day 1 Thursday August 19th.
Started at 8.30am with an hour or so in the office going through the paperwork, copying our licences, taking our money that kind of stuff and Paul our instructor giving us a briefing on what the training covered etc etc.
Then were off to the find our wagon and decide whether either of us want to take the wheel or let Paul show us the ropes first. My fellow trainee John looked at me, I looked at him and we both agreed that it would be a good idea for Paul to get us out onto the road, this is a working haulage yard after all with plenty of drivers milling about doing their daily tasks. We dont want to give them a laugh now do we!
So its out onto the roads with me in the monkey seat, I call it that because I feel like a right monkey sat there, its a seat plonked on the engine hump in the middle of the driver & passenger seats right at the back of the cab where the bunk usually lives, only its so high up that I can?t see out of the front window without doubling over.
After about 15 mins Paul pulls into a layby and hands the reigns to John who gets comfortable in the seat and prepares to set off, now this Daf 85 CF that we are learning in has what I believe is called a range change box (it has a splitter too but were not going into that just yet) basically its 4 gears in low range 1 to 4 & 4 gears in high range 5 to 8. Normal starting off gear is low range 4th gear so get going in that then flick the little switch on the gear lever into the UP position for high range and push the lever into 5th gear which is in the same place as 1st in low range, it sounds complicated but it isnt, in fact I find it easier than using the straight six speed box that I did class 2 in.
Anyway John cant get the knack of the box from the off, he has a hell of a struggle going into 6th gear up or down the box and also coming from 4th up the range to 5th. Much tugging of the stick this way & that but the gears just will not slot in. I was beginning to feel for him after 30 mins or so because each time he fluffed the gears which was just about at every junction or roundabout he panicked more and made the situation worse. I think he was fairly pleased when Paul asked him to pull over the left so we could do a driver change.
After a short debrief from Paul on Johns performance I was unleashed from the monkey seat and allowed to stretch my legs while John lit up a smoke, Ive been stopped smoking for about 5 years now but could have done with one myself at this point lol.
Right then my turn, now seeing how John faired with the gearbox and bearing in mind that he passed class 2 about 3 months previously in a range change box and has been driving a rigid for his brother since then, I though here we go then my turn for the same struggles. But Im pleased to say I had no problems at all really with the gearbox, I admit 6th seemed a little stiff to get into on occasion but it just needed a good firm tug. Getting used to the size of the lorry and the way it handles seemed to be coming along nicely and I was slowing down at the right places, getting the right gears and generally being very pleased with my progress. I was so calm and collected that I hardly noticed that on one particular roundabout in Rotherham I hadnt left myself enough room and proceeded to mount the kerb with the trailer wheels ---- that brought me right back down to earth lol.
We stopped for lunch at around 12.30 at Pauls favorite Café (he fancies one of the ladies who work there) and I filled up with Pie chips & Gravy. Its Johns turn again after lunch, and we head of Back into central Rotherham for him to practice some nasty left-handers that might crop up on test. The gear box gremlins really have John held firmly in their grip still, and at times hes nearly losing it, everything else is coming along nicely but he is getting so frustrated at not being able to sort the gears out. He perseveres through the rest of his stint with no real improvement until its my turn again. After a shaky start missing a gear I continue to show progress and am really getting into it and the rest of the afternoon go’s really quickly and soon its time to head off back to Barnsley & call it a day.
Thats it, Day 1 over and I’m fairly pleased with everything and looking forward to tomorrow when we will get a go at going backwards.