Mrjen:
Hi all,Only posting this on the professional page as I was after some no nonsense advice.
I passed Class 1 a few months ago and had an assessment at Stobarts shortly after, long story short I completely [zb] up the reverse into bay in the yard, the assessor was a right arsey [zb] and wouldn’t help me in anyway, bearing in mind I told him I was a new pass at the start with zero reversing experience I was a bit [zb] off and it destroyed my confidence.
Am I barking up the wrong tree thinking an employer will support you in the early days of the class 1 world?
I’m 39 so it’s not like I’m fresh into the world…just looking for a bit more support rather than some [zb] telling me to “stick it in there quick as you can”
I’m based around Stafford, happy to hear any suggestions and advice would be much appreciated.
The first time I ever reversed an artic with a proper 40 ft trailer was on arrival in a pitch black dark yard at the end of my first ever outward class 1 trunk run.I had to open the nearside quarter light window to get the slightest vision of the trailer in the nearside mirror as opposed to just the reflection of the dash lights in the window glass.To say it took a while to get in on the bay was an understatement.The difference being a strong union environment where new drivers weren’t expected to hit the ground running and ‘assessments’ weren’t even heard of let alone expected.The warehouse staff had a laugh at my expense I joined them and said the last time I drove an artic it was day light and a bit shorter trailer and loads of room on my test.
Fast forward to my last days in the job I had no problems at all in a much more difficult yard in similar type of darkness needing a 90 degree reverse straight off a tight road onto a bay with an A frame drawbar outfit.IE it’s all about familiarity and knowing what a truck is going to do and where it will end up before you start and you’ll only learn that with time learning day by day on the job which these big headed know all muppets are denying you.On that note ironically I would probably have been fired before I’d been given a start under all this modern day bs.