These are a selection of quotes from newbies when they either passed or failed their LGV tests.
If you post a reply with a link to any more then I will add those quotes to this one 
thedeckking:
Hi everyone, Iāve told some of this story in another thread and I know ROG has posted a short version for all to see, but Iād thought Iād share the full experience for the benefit of any other newbies out there. So here I goā¦Iām a nationwide garden decking fitter (self employed) and spend alot of time driving up and down the country with my car and trailer. As another vehicle thatās limited to 60 and banned from the fast lane on motorways I started to feel a connection with all the truckers and so when I wanted to learn something new to fill up those empty weeks in my diary driving was my first port of call. Iāve very little experience driving anything bigger than a transit so knew this would be a challange. I heard that Stockport LGV had a good reputation locally so thought Iād try them.
Stockport LGV do a special deal for new starters that includes:
-medical
-provisional licence
-theory test
-DSA theory test book
-hazard perception test (what a waste of time and money that is)
-2 hour assessment
all for Ā£130 which I thought was quite good value. They even fill in the forms for you and you just sign where they tell you to. The theory and hazard is booked for you and once youāve got your provisional back from the DVLA youāre off on the 2 hour assessment.So my first time in a truckā¦
I had my assessment (letās call the instructor āMr Rā) and was shocked at how unprofessional he was. He seemed to be a good driver but made some very inappropriate comments and his coaching skills involved insulting me and generally swearing alot. There were also several phone calls made and received. This didnāt give me a very good impression of the company but I figured I just got him on a bad day. The drive went well, I sort of got the hang of the vehicle (Volvo) and finished with the news Iād need 18 hours tuition including test.The week after I went to do my Theory and Hazard perception. My advice for the theory test is get the DSA book of questions and read it cover to cover at least twice. Mark any questions you donāt get right and do these again. With a bit of revision the theory shouldnāt be a problem for anyone (even my wife knew most the answers
I passed my theory 99/100 and the hazard 87/100 so got straight on the phone and booked the training. Even after the bad experince on the assessment Iād decided to stick with Stockport LGV. But I was thinking if Iām feeling the same a few hours into the training Iāll just go straight back to the office and demand a new instructor or a refund. My advice is if you are out with ANY company and the instructor does anything inapproriate that affects the quality of your training get them to take you straight back to the office, complain and get a new instructor or a refund. Stopping your training because of an incident will also give you a much better case if you end up going to trading standards. If you carry on and then fail your test, it could be seen as sour grapes.
Fortunately I arrived on the first day to find Mr R was on holiday and I was with an instructor called Karl. I started on Wednesday with 4 hours in the afternoon. This first session gave me chance to get used to the vehicle(Scania). The hardest bit for me was the gears and Iād spend so much time thinking about them Iād be going to fast into corners, forgetting my mirrors and general being crap. At the end of day 1 I still had a mountain the climb before Iād be ready for my test on Friday. Day 2, Thursday with a full 8 hours driving. Iād got a better feel for the gearbox but was still trying to do everything at the same time. On many occasions Iād find myself halfway round a corner, going far too fast, in the wrong gear and bouncing over the curb. This is where Karl really began to āget into my headā. Heās got some great little analagies that helped me loads. Hereās my 2 favorites:
- You arive home and walk up to your front door. First you need to take your key out your pocket, then put it in the hole, then turn it the right way, then push the handle down and open the door. My driving was more like walking upto the door and beating the crap out of it until it opened
- Youāve got 3 footbals to catch. Given the choice would you want them thrown to you all at the same time, or one after the other? Obvious isnāt it!!
Thinking like this really helped me to get into the driving and more and more if found myself at the junctions doing the right speed and in the right gear. Although I did still hit the curb, ALOT
Going home on Thursday night my head was mashed. I dreamt about gears, mirrors and blindspot all night.
Friday morning and 4 hours of driving left before the test. Overnight everything and I mean everything had gone in. Karl thought Iād sent along my twin brother it was so different. No hitting curbs, no crunching gears and everything was calm and smooth. Technically Iād known how to drive the truck by the end of the first few hours, the problems had all been in my head-me not doing what I knew I should. Karl really gets this and knew what to say and do to get me thinking right.All the training was 1 on 1, with the same instructor thoughout. I thought that 1 to 1 was great. When I did feel that my brain was going into meltdown, Karl would spot this and drive for 10 minutes while I calmed down. Seeing someone with his skill driving really helps you to relax and inspires you to do better. Heās like a duck; calm on the surface with all the work going on underneath. Iām not sure in a 2 to 1 situation how watching someone else hit curbs and not check their mirrors would help me improve, I did all this by myself anyway
By time I arrived for my test I felt confident in the skills I had learnt and knew that if I failed it would be down to me making a silly mistake on the day.
THE TESTā¦
First I did the show me/tell me questions . This was no problem as Karl had done really good walk rounds with me showing me all I needed to know. Heād also given me some question sheets to take home. Next came the controlled stop followed by the reverse. With the help of the genius little marker on the mudflap that you line up with the yellow box I completed the reverse perfectly, with the back end right in the middle of the box.
Next out onto the streetsā¦ The drive went perfectly to begin with until 10 minutes into the test I went though a green light at some roadworks to be met be an OAP coming through the other way after missing the red light
. Did I panicāno, I went into duck mode, got under control and waited for him to back out and let us all through (thankyou Karl, 24 hours early Iād have gone into meltdown, missed my gear, probably stalled and then hit the kerb for good measure
Five minutes later and Iām approaching Crown point in Denton (coming from the Bredbury side if you know the area, a very busy signal controlled crossroads if you donāt). The lights turned green and off I went following a bus. Again Karlās advice kicked in and I thought, this bus is my problem, Iām going to let him clear the junction before I get in the yellow box. What do you know, straight after the junction the bus stops with no signal and would have left me stranded blocking the whole junction. As it was Iād passed the lights but wasnāt into the yellow box and was far enough forward not to block the pedestrian crossing when the lights went red.
After this everything else went fine and on return to the test centre I was feeling as positive as I could be.
Did I passā ā ?
YEEEEESSSSSSS
and with only 3 minors too.If it hadnāt been for Karl and the other staff at Stockport LGV this wouldnāt have happened. Every learner I talked to thought the place was great and everyone else who took their test that day passed. All the instructors (except Mr R) were professional and highly skilled. This is a small family business with a close team.
I would recommend Stockport LGV to anyone. They take pride in getting people to pass their tests first time and donāt (like some other companies) claim that you will pass after just a few hours training (I was quoted just 10 hours
) to make them look cheaper and then make the money later when you fail 3 times.
Well thatās my story so far. Iām now waiting for my licence and digitacho then Iāll be off round local agencies and firms looking for some work to fill my recession hit diary. Thanks to everyone whoās thanked me elsewhere and goodluck to anyone whoās about to take the plunge and start driving.
Swampey:
Hi GuysThis is my story for today, no one liners
Well again I put myself forward for my C&E test, Fifth time for me after a long run of bad luck.
I was apprehensive about taking test again, when I arrived at Zenith @ Lee On Solent, my mind wasnāt on the ball.Stuart had to keep reminding me the uncouple procedure, doh doh doh, Ive read it on here cover to coverā¦
Wandering up and down the side of the trailer, trying to find the bloody park brakeā ā ?
Off we when for an hour drive before the test to refresh me and get me in the mind frame of driving a tractor and trailer.
For that hour, the standard of my driving was really much to shout home about, I didnāt hold much hope for the test.Maybe I wasnāt in the mood, couldnāt really gave a toss if I passed or failed
The examiner was running late, due to some booking ā ā ā ā up at Botley, time for a few more smokes before itās my turn.
With the reversing and braking exercise out of the way, off we went thundering down the roads of Botley and the surrounding areas for 50 minutes.
Ran over the kerb as we pulled out the test centre, thought I blob it thenI really didnāt think much of the drive and the examiner really didnāt make me feel relaxed, didnt want to make conversation, maybe it was his way but thatās ok my me, I just got on with it.
We pulled into the test centre and parked up for the uncoupling exercise, I couldnāt resist asking, ā Have I done anything to balls this test up, either with a serious or a dangerous infraction?
Didnāt want to waste anymore time should I have failed the road test. To which reply was your doing ok, lets do the next exercise.BALLS THIS UP AND I HAVE FAILED
10 minutes later I heard those magic little words, IM PLEASED TO TELL YOU PAUL THAT YOU HAVE PASSED.
Lets talk about the minors, one for gears, blob that one right at the end of the test, thought I was in the wrong gear for a left hand turn, but it turned out to be the right one, panicked and messed up the train of thought.
Second and third was for timed signal and normal driving position, examiner advised me at the round about under the railway bridge after the second set of traffic lights, we are going to turn right.
I waited until I was passed the first set then moved in to the right hand lane for the roundabout.
Examiner wanted me to move out earlier and thought I was gonna get boxed in, well we didnāt.Those magic words havenāt really sunk in yet, my wife was overjoyed, she has seen me though thick and thin, the ups and the downs of the failures.
The best feeling in the world, know I can start with changing my career that Ive long to do for months.
Anyone looking for a good training company, I recommend the guys at Zenith, Lee on Solent.
Colin, Roy, Stuart and Richard are some of the best instructors Iāve seen and got me through this test.There was another training company that I used during the first three tests, wasnt the instructor Kevin that was the problem, just the ppl in the office and the equipment want first class.
dinosteveus1:
Hi everybody.just under 2 years ago I passed my Cat C on the second attempt, after training with Atkins in West Yorkās. OK Company but naff yard, 3 different instructors and two different wagons during the 5 days training.
Anyway, how the hell do I get a job in Felixstowe with just a Cat C and no experience? Answer, you donāt. Nobody was interested. Next job was to find the money to pay for a Cat C&E.
In between lifeās little ups and downs the money was āfoundā. Next was to find a HGV Training company. There is only one near me and they aināt that good. Bad rep. I have Family in Wakefield so up there was an option again. Atkins would not be getting my money this time. L&T Transport had a very good rep online, so I went up for a chat. Ummmmm, very impressed with everything about them. I paid for HIAB and Cat C&E training with 3 tests in one package.
Test one I failed by reversing too far and knocking over the barrier. Nerves.
Test two I failed because I flattened the middle cone. Nerves again.
Test three, failed for shunting three times. Nerves??
Test Four I failed because I was not lined up correctly when leaving the Test Centre and to avoid the fence on the left I went too far to the oncoming traffic. bad driving
Test five, ummmmm strange one. Reverse was great but I had to do the uncoupling straight after reversing. It was pi$$ing it down and I got drenched. Anyway, at the end he said you have passed. i was dead chuffed and only 5 minors.
lokey:
well i survived my first day, just about. we met our instructor and got straight into the cab to start our day, the instructor spent a few minuets explaining the controls in the cab and a few more on the gear shift which was a four over four, iām not gonna explain that one you will have to speak to rob about gears, the instructor took us out on to some lovley quiet back roads explaining what he was doing and when he would do it. The basics were just the same as in your car but with the truck you have to be really careful as the steering is really light and surprisingley the truck will gain speed very quickley.
We spent most of the day driving around covering gear changes, roundabouts, hill starts and blind junctions, as well as getting lost once. By 2pm my neck and shoulders were killing me but we took a break befor starting on the reverse around the cones, which i was surprised to find i could do, at first i had to do a shunt but then i managed it all in one and always stopped in the marked areaso i am really proud of meself for that,
I am training with a lad that has driven 7.5 tonners since he was 18 which is quite good as he makes very few mistakes and i can learn alot from his mistakes as well as mine, I mounted the kerb twice and missed a weight limit sign as well as getting constantly reminded about my mirrors, Thus the neck ache, i also need to get my speed up but as a cautious driver this may be a problem for me.
All in all we had a great if tirering day i recomend taking sun glasses and a bottle of water, i am looking forward to monday and will let you no if i have improved.Day 2
We did alot of driving practice on our second day where as before we were in the countryside on wide and open roads we were now being put through our paces on the more windy roads and medium sized roundabouts with some tight turns thrown in for good measure. To my surprise i didnāt kerb it this time, i am getting used to using my mirrors more and moreā¦and more! and have gotten to grips with the gear box! well nearly, i think, oh dear!
at the end of what was a long day with extra shoulder ache we were given the show and tell questions to read (better late than never) most of them are pretty simple, well as long as you studied them before hand lol, all in all it was a great drive and i was really happy with the way i drove.Day 3
I was abit tired this morning as the kids were up all night watching the thunder storms, so scuse the tipping lol
we started the day wishing another trainee good luck as his test was in the morning, this didnāt help him much as he left his drivers licence in his car he thought they would be returning there before the test, sadly he was wrong so learn from him, bring your licence with you on test day and keep it on you, no licence no test ( including theory test pass certificate).
we were driving some other test routes to day and did alot of tight cornering and sneaky junctions, blind bends, hill starts and other fun stuff you have to use the gear box properly for, oh yeah and we played find the hidden weight limit sign, i found it as i was passing it by with my instructor looking smug! in the afternoon we went through the show and tell questions and then went to do a bit of reversing, which as a girl i of course did very well and i beleave the cone will recover once it has had a new coat of plastic, ooops! but i think i got it down in the end shunt free!now i get to sit back and relax as my test is tmoz at 1.00, a bit more practice in the morning and then go for broke, all i need to do is give the examiner a nice safe drive for an hour then i can really start to learn!! i need another ā ā ā ā¦alright whoās got a lighter??..no iām not stressedā¦iām goona beat you to death wid a fish!
Day 4 Test Day
I wasnāt too nervous in the morning but as we practiced and i made a tonn of mistakes i started to become more nervous, we finaly did our breaking exercise which i got after a few attempts and then went for a drive towards the test centre, our instructor gave us some last minuet tips and reminded us about the basics, then we went for a cuppa before my test at 1.00,
the test centre was pretty basic, building in the middle and a road around it we parked just before the reversing exercise and the instructor showed us where we would do the 2 exercises before leaving the yard.
the test
wellā¦ reversing exerciseā¦ Serious Faultā¦ i looked at the back end after reversing and i thought it was correct, wrong! i was about 2 inches to far off the mark i think iām gonna cry.
Stopping Exerciseā¦Goodā¦
Show and Tellā¦ Goodā¦
Drive Aroundā¦Goodā¦ I got a couple of minors for mirrors and came too close to clipping a kerb at one point and at least twice i struggled to read the road that i had driven up only a few hours before, i think i let my nerves get to me a bit and made silly mistakes, then back to the yard, the examiner was great he said really sorry itās a fail, he then spent about ten minuets with me going over the drive and where i could improve, and he broke the news that even if i thought i had reversed correctly i had not gone far enough back into the marked area and that was why i had failed!i canāt beleive i made such a stupid mistake, i checked the back and it looked right to me, must have had sweat in me eyes but then again in my defence i have been told that six inches is this bigā¦! lol. oh well time to rebook, learn from my mistakes and move on, i will get there in the end!
Still smiling anyway
if you need any advice please check out rogs tips as they helped me! good luck to all claire x x
spy:
Best feeling in the world! Passed CE first time with 3 minors at kirkham this morning!
spy:
Thanks all! As for shunts on the reversing - did I!I rarely needed a shunt during lessons, occasionaly used one but mainly did it without! On the day my head was up my ā ā ā and it went to rats [zb]! Got the trailer heading at too sharp an agle, if it didnt matter i possibly could have corrected it but though I may as well use a shunt. Pulled forward, set off back to the box. Was all well but a bit close to cone on drivers side, decided not worth the risk and took second shunt!
Like I said, never needed em in training but what the hell, might as well use em on the day! Its better than hitting anything. Wouldnt mind but 20 minutes before test I stopped for a burst on motorway services and had to back into the only space. That went straight in. Its amazing what test nerves does to youā¦!
Mothertrucker:
Well Done that Man!! Brilliant score - only 3 minors.
Only 2 minors on the road drive - very impressive
spy:
I passed my car test 9 weeks after my 17th birthday with one minor fault. I passed my bike test 3 months later with 3 minors.I took my first class C with flu, stupid idea. Mounted a kerb, drove like crap and should never have taken the test. Got a few minors but not enought to fail if it hadnt been for the kerb. I wasnt as bad as I thought I was. I had written the test off and decided I had failed a long time before I had.
Sat the second test, failed on undue hesitance crossing a dual carriageway and apparently turning right from the left hand lane off of a one way street. My instructor warned me about that on the way to the test. I was quite paranoid about it and I maintain that it didnt happen. Couldnt dispute it though because of the other fail. With those 2 serious I got 4 minors.
Passed 3rd time again with 4 minors. Same examiner who actually commented that my driving was excellent on both tests and he was glad he could pass me on this one. Something about passing both at instructor level if I hadnt had the fails on the last one. Nice to hear but wound me up in a way. Them retests are ā ā ā ā expensive!
Failing the tests doesnt mean your a bad driver. You can be unlucky and if your really unlucky another driver can fail it for you! Get your head down and get in there again! Great feeling when you actually pass ! Its worth it in the end.
C+E booked for next friday! Arse twitching already but I am going to do this first time, im determinedā¦
Well, I hope soā¦
Mike
Tetley:
Did my C+E yesterday ā¦ā¦ Fail ā¦.9 minors, 1 serious.āBout halfway through the test route, left turn approaching. I had a narrow left hand approach lane (Traffic island on the o/s) onto a wider undivided two-way road.
I sat as wide as I could in the approach, no problems so far, and put the o/s wheels of the tractor unit out, and running down the centre line of the two-way on the exit. The trailer was following on a ātightā but reasonable line on the n/s kerb. Approaching from the opposite direction was a 7.5t builderās lorry. He was far enough away to see the driving line I was taking, and I thought it would be a nice gesture if he moved to his left slightly to allow me to get round the corner on my line. (His side of the road was at least half the width of his lorry again, so a manoeuvre on his part would have been no bother), but Noā¦. he stuck to his driving lineā¦ o/s wheels JUST on his side of the white line.
As he wasnāt for moving I had no option but to steer slightly to the left to avoid possible contact. As I did, I checked the mirror, in time to see the trailer wheels ājustā rise up onto the kerb. The examiner was looking as well. āAw ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā thought I ā¦. Game overā¦. Bummer!.. All I needed was another 20 feet on the line I was taking, and Iād have cleared the corner no problem.
Anyway, finished the test route, with no more major problems, but my heart wasnāt really in the drive from here on, so I think this is when I picked up most of the minors.
At the end of the test, the examiner (nice bloke) said that if the 7.5 had moved over even 2 feet, everything would have been fine, but unfortunately I had incurred the serious. He said that he noticed my head drop when I clipped the kerb and knew that I knew the ultimate test result, but he picked me up slightly when he said that overall, the drive was āreasonableā and to do a re-test a.s.a.p.
The de-brief ā¦
When I got to the test centre, my Instructor was talking to another Instructor from a different company, whose trainee was on test at the same time as me.
I showed my guy my result sheet, and explained what had happened. He ate the Jacobs Crackers off me, saying that I should have stuck to my line and made the 7.5 move. I said, in real lifeā¦ maybeā¦ but in this situation, I left it as long as I dared, and decided I had to steer away from him rather than getting a ādangerousā for forcing him off line.
The other Instructor showed my guy his trainees result sheet. My guy told me, the other trainee had
25 minors, and 10 serious recorded (and no, the numbers are not typed wrongly). His Instructor smiled when he asked if he could get a re-test for the following Friday.Anywayā¦ made me feel slightly better about my misdemeanour.
Have checked, but donāt think I can get a re-test ātill sometime-ish in June, so looks like another 2 days artic hire. A run-out on day 1 and test day 2. (Must raid the Piggy Bank to see how much is in
there !! This is starting to get expensive!!)Aw well. At least I have taken a ātestā under test conditions, and have an idea what to expect the next time.
Hereās hoping ātake 2ā goes a bit better than ātake 1ā
On a final point, does anyone know if test centres keep a copy of results (i.e. minors, serious, and dangerous logged) and if so, do the examiners refer to them before a re-test is carried out? If they do, then itās maybe just as well I opted for the āseriousā rather than playing chicken with the 7.5tāer.
tis-hame:
Thanks guys ! Had an examiner called Colin Marsden so easy to remember first names. Also a keen biker so some common groundI reckon about 2/3 of the roundabouts I managed to āroll onā in either 5th or 6th so that was a bonus ! Of the ones that were left I did worry that I had perhaps held up traffic on a couple bit obv not. My usual trick was to āraceā the change from 3 to 5; such that range change doesnt get time to happen; but managed to avoid that !
3 minors:
Moving off - control - Dont know what happened; went to pul away, clutch, parking brake, throttle, nothing happened. Parkingbrake back on checked gear, range etc, all ok, tried again, all ok ā¦ rolling ā¦ who knows ? Maybe just had a brain ā ā ā ā and didnt come up far enough on the clutch
Indication - Indicated right to move out past some roadworks and examiner felt that the car in the minor road on my right āmayā have thought I was turning into their road. Fair one I guess.
Following distance - Got a little close to the car in front at the crawl going round a roundabout. Could still see his rear tyres, but I was more concerned about the keep clear area behind me !!!
And the icing on the cake ā¦ It was a roaster in Keighley on Sat (29 degs) so we had the air con running in the cab, lovely. That was until about 40 mins into the drive when it was starting to get a little warm in the cab and the examiner thought he could smell burning ! OMG !!!
Now little did I know at the time but what had actually happened was that I had tipped the āNight heaterā button when I operated the parking brake !!! So I switched off the air con and the fan, smell still there, then he reaches behind his legs/feet cos heās getting a ālittleā hot and discovers where the heat is coming from. Now he cant reach the controls and I dont have enough time to look behind me to sort it out, so we plod on with the windows open !!!
Gets back to the centre and I pull to a stop, beep the horn and the examiner attracts the instructors attention. Now at this point, Gary (Inst) thinks I must have failed because I havent pulled fwd for the uncouple/re-couple and is VERY relieved when the examiner simply asks him to kill the night heater.
So that was that, 3 minors, burnt the examiners boots and still passed. A great day
dogthehunter:
Took my class 2 test last sat at enfield and failed.All was going well with the test until loughton high road i was overtaking a parked car and trying to avoid a traffic island happened to miss the car coming towards me and because the examiner had to say to me about it automatic fail
.other than that i got 9 minors so would of passed.
Examiner said i had a gd standard of driving so im not giving up just waiting for my training company to give me a retest date.
How long is the wait for a retest or does it depend on training company?
Determined to pass am dying to get out there and start work!
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gliderman:
Hi Wayne, thanks for that m8, age has been a bit of a worry I must admit .
Took my test today the examiner was 69 still riding motorbikes (riding back to Wales after the test) and taking his off shore skipper exam soon, a real inspirationā¦
If any one is interested
1 minor. controlled stop, 2 minorsā¦ gears, 3 minors 1 seriousā¦ move off safely (blind spot)
2 minorsā¦ use of mirrorsā¦.change of direction, 3 minors. use of speed, 1 minorā¦junctionsā¦approach speed, 1 seriousā¦ following distance.
1 seriousā¦ judgementā¦ meeting (van half on half off the pavement, thought the gap was big enough but changed my mind when closerā¦.stopped ok but glad I wasnāt carrying 30 ton of plaster board)ā¦ā¦all car mentality I would say, not quite in truck mode yet.
The examiner was a bloody nice bloke though.
An extra dayās lesson would have helped I think.
Ah well next time
Paul
smokinbarrels:
Hi Folks,
Well today was the day of my 2nd C+E test at Walton Test Centre Wetherby. The Morning started at 08:30, Tockwith Driver Training York. I was met by my instructor who was to take me for a quick refresher before my test at 10:15. As iād not driven a C+E since my last test on the 8th Feb and was feeling a bit rusty. After a drive round a test route it was time to head for the test centre.
10:15 arrived and the nerves startedthe examiner checked my licence and outside to the waggon we went, after a few questions we climbed in and he threw me straight away, we will do the brake test first as a bus was doing the reverse. Round we went and all went well apart from almost clipping a bus mirror outside the test station.
. Anyway after a bit of twisting and turning + shunt i got it inā¦few! Out onto the road and after about a mile the top of my gear knob came off, so spent half the test without it.
Most of the rest of the test went without incident and what made things a bit better was it being the test route that i failed before and the test route that iād just had a practice on!
Back to the test centre, quick un/couple and back into the cab and after doing the sums he said āIāM PLEASED TO SAY YOU HAVE PASSEDā
Iām chuffed to bits with myself and canāt get the smile of my face!
To everybody whoās trying for a licence, good luck and stick at it, its worth it in the end!
Regards Smokinbarrels.
moving_on:
Hi guys, I know people have been checking to see how I got on with my test yesterday (Monday) at 12.30 pm. I failed !!!. In the test centre to make matters worse.
I went really dark then the rain come down in torrents at 11.30 ish. On our way to the test centre we joked about how unlucky I was as the weather has been great. I was in high spirits and was looking forward to the day. Anyways got to test centre, still raining. When test started sky started to clear and the sun came out.
The reverse set up is south facing, so when I began straightening up for the yellow box I was receiving a good reflection of the sun in my mirrors as a result of the rain water in that area, mind you this only became apparent when straightening up. As a result I touched the grass verge using my left front tyre. After I finished the examiner came in and told me that I had touched the verge which makes it a serious fault and an instant fail. He asked if I wanted to continue, I bet he fancied going back into his little office for a cuppa as it was cold . I said I wanted to carry on and off we went for a drive, a nice way to come to terms with what had just happened. He gave me 10 faults including that serious one, Not that I was driving to pass. Anyways Iām yet to get get back to school, I hope to get a day and retest ASAP. Will keep you posted.
MattyGB:
After doing a red light on my 1st test ( 7 minors besides this big one)I took and passed my test with 13 minors( YIKES) - it felt like a really crap drive but there you go!!!
I need to rack up some experience but cannot afford to leave my current job until I can get a permanent or at least regular job.
What are the chances of a newbie getting some weekend work - what about skip opportunities in south essex?
Does anyone know where to point me?
mutha-trucker:
Took my test on 4th Jan for class 2 rigid. I FAILED AGAIN!
All the way round i got minors but then the serious took place OUTSIDE THE BLOODY TEST CENTRE. He said it was planning and awareness.
I thought i could change lanes before the traffic lights turned red but i didnāt and i ended up blocking two lanes!!! I feel stupid as if i hadnāt done that i would have passed as i only had 12 minors. that was 1 less than last time god i am gutted.
i will have to save up to get another try.
I am gonna try for driving 7.5 until then. i cried my little heart out last night as it would have been my dream job to drive the 17.5 tonners at work.
I wish everyone else who has their test soon good luck and think way ahead before u move.
Swampey:
Hello allMy first test -I failed due to skimming a kerb & I didnt see a car coming up from behind while doing the gear excersie, adding the fact my indicator had self cancelled it selfā¦ But I knew that Id Failedā¦ so I wasnt botherd.
Result - 2 Dangerous Faults & 5 Minors
My second test - Nothing much to report, off we went very happily and I made the classic mistake I got caught SPEEDING 43mph on a single carriageway
Then to top it all of someone pulled out on me on a roundabout, approach was good, truck in correct gear, clear for me to proceed.
Some [zb] in an Audi pulled straight out of a garage on the the roundabout with out a by your leave - didnt even indicateResult - 2 Serious Faults & 4 Minors
When I questioned the examiner after the test, Ok so speeding was my fault but when I spoke about the roundabout situation, boy did he get defensive - saying I should have anticipated his actions - what do I have to hvae a crystal ball.
Think the best thing to do is stop at every roundabout ?
Third test being booked but I dont know who much more I can take, why should I fail due to cos other muppets cant drive
17th Jan 2008
Passed my 3RD test and im so happy - Result not what I expected but never the less its still a pass
Result - 11 Minors
Rizz:
Well I failed again on the same things as last time, lol, only having 4 hours extra traning, I already said to the guys look Im going to book another week and my instructor said I didnt need it, lol seems I did as last time I got 1 serious and 11 minors this time I got 3 serious with a total of 15 faults, serious being undue hesiation, gears and change speed which strangely is marked as 2 with a s tick, thought it was meant to be 3 faults anyway, Im really not that bothered I knew yesterday after the 4 hour drive I was stuffed
Manxman:
Well I passed my Rigid this afternoon, with quite a good drive, three minors. If Iād have kept my mouth shut it would have been two. We arrived back at the TC and the Examiner said Iād passed with two minors. In conversation he asked did I know what they were. I said that I should have anticipated that a lad strolling along the pavement, approaching a Zebra crossing might have been going to cross. (He turned, and did so just as I got the wheels on the crossing)
āThatās the other point that Iāve been trying to remember coming backā said the Examiner as he marked me down āI didnāt want to open the book at the time and put you off for the next junctionā which was good of him as itās a right bad one. Anyway that was the third one.The first was passing to close to a badly parked car in a row of other parked cars; the second was I was a bit sharp on the brakes coming back into the TC.
Well thatās one down; Iāve got my first two hours in the Artic on Saturday morning, and will see if they can fit me in for at least another hour per week as well. Iām really looking forward to driving the āreal thingā something I have wanted to do for a long time, so what advice have you got for an Artic virgin!!!
Ninefifty:
Well it was my first time and I paid for it privately despite being renting a property.
This is going to be a long one so I am going to break it down stage by stage.My school was a good 35 miles away and I knew from two nights before that I wasnāt up to test standard but I had paid for a one week shared intensive training course with Ace in Sawbridgeworth, Hertsfrodshire - more in another topic I think.
Anyway,
At the test centre (Enfield) I knew my reversing skills were fine. I never had a problem with it. My instructor, Brian, had told me that as long as I looked at the other mirror three times I should get away with reversing, provided I parked correctly obviously.
Well, I got done for not making proper observations didnāt I? Paying more attention to my drivers side than the passenger side.More explanations made clear to my examinerā¦
My nearside front wheel touched a kerb.
What kerb I protested? I had driven smoothly enough and had avoided all kerbs.Causing other drivers to take evasive actions at roundabouts.
Well I had told my instructor Brian that I needed more help with roundabouts before the big day but he dismissed it as not being my only faults that needed brushing up on.
Whilst avoiding a kerb on entering a roundabout, another driver getting past me on the two lane entry avoided me. Examiner put me down for that.
An artic kept back at the approach to another roundabout - my examiner blamed me for that - again two laned approach and exit.My Failuresā¦
Reversing - done!
Gears - 3 minors
Steering - 1 serious - my guess being cross armed steering, something I refused to let go of not doing against instructor advice.
Moving off safely - 1 minor
Change direction - 1 serious
Change speed - 2 minors
Road markings - 1 minor
Traffic lights - 1 minor - from what I could see lights went to orange and I barely had enough space to stop in time.
Progress appropriate speed - 3 minors
Progress undue hesitation - 3 minors
Turning right - 1 minor
Positioning normal driving - both serious and dangerous faults marked
Position at normal stops - 1 minor
Awareness Planning - 1 minor
Gear change exercise - 1 minor - last thing I had prepared for was for this to be done on a busy dual 40mph dual carriageway.Total points 21 consisting of 4 serious faults and 1 dangerous.
I donāt blame myself for failing badly as I wasnāt nervous on the day having known my fate was already sealed.
Had I known Ā£900.00 was going to be just spent on driving lessons alone I wouldnāt have invested my money or time.My examiner, Chris, was friendly enough. Young guy, but this is beside the point. You go to a test centre with only one aim in mind.
Me and my instructor even had a row after my test for which I got a screaming [zb] Off from him after a i rebuked him calling him āSoldier Boyā because of what he had told me about his past and currently going army days.
Thankfully the school had a bus that had just taken its test and was going back to base whilst our lorry waited for our other pupil to take his test having had it postponed from the morning because our lorry had developed an electrical fault which got fixed just in time for me to take my test.
No commiserations please.
I have gotten over it and have laid plans for my next stage.
Rizz:
Argh, I failed my class C on saturday, although I expected to0 fail, it was on completely different things, 2 bad gear changes from third to fifth, the I had to stop for emergency lights (no one even working there) came out of seventh into third, forgot to flick the switch and pulled of in seventh, ended up with 9 minors and 1 serious, booked up again in three weeks 4 hours training then 2 hours plus test, the following day, if I pass Ihave the daunting job of trying to find work as a new driver
Christian:
Hi all
What a week just gone! I had previously failed my theory test - Hazard part - I had alread blocked a week off last week for my practical starting the 22nd which by chance happened to be the next available date for my theory! So after speaking to the driving school I took a gamble, booked my driving course to start on the 22nd and my theory test also! To cut a long story short an eventful first day driving was fnished with a successful pass in theoryā¦all was going well!
But alas this Friday I failed my practical, I was a bag of nerves in the test centre and mucked up my reverse and controlled stop, something that had never been a problem during my training. The examiner told me not too worry about the stop and told me to carry on, unfortunately I have never really got to grip with all and made numerous faults but nothing serious.Why am I not too disappointed? wellā¦ I never pass anything the first time! my car driving all those years ago was on the second attempt and likewise my theory so I will book a retest and I am feeling quietly confident. I know for sure i will not fail my reverse ( i didnāt the back in the āboxā) and my controlled stop was a stupid error. My examiner explained all the other faults which I donāt see as an issue. The main thing is I got my hill start and gear change exercise right. So I am already over this week and looking forward to the retest!
hankthejeweller:
hipassed today only 6 minors but it felt like a really sloppy drive, and my confidence wasnt helped by nearly taking out a bmw on a right hand turn into the test center or by the lad in front of me making a pigs ear out of the reverse (he hit the b cone twice). 3 weeks ago i had never driven anything bigger than a transit and now im a proper trucker.
sck:
Yep, failed my first class 2 test this morning. Stupid mistakes too which makes it worse. First I made a complete mess of the gear change exercise. Then chose the wrong lane for a turn, and finally I missed the exit on a large roundabout and made a mess of it going round again. Obviously I got a serious for the gear change, then a serious each for road markings and awareness/planning. I only got 7 minors though and the examiner did say it was a good drive apart from the stupidness. I put the silly mistakes down to nerves as I was a wreck before the test, but I now know thereās nothing to be that nervous about. Bit late now though eh. Thereās a re-test form in front of me. Got to decide whether or not to go for it nowā¦
bakerchris:
rog pm me asking why i failed but im happy to share any experienceswell, first time out test was terrible, got a D when i knocked down one of those plastic bollards next to a mini roundabout. i know this sounds like making excuses and blaming someone else butā¦ instructor (who by the way had never worked as a lorry driver) during my 4 days training was constantly talking me through in minute detail eg. āforward, abit more, now swing it hard left, ok now staighten upā , like that he never stopped and i feel like i had no idea of the concept of driving an artic and what line you should take etc. when he wasnt there on the test i came to the mini roundabout and just looked at it in panic,i had no idea waht to do, it was so tight like a swan neck turn. also got 2 Serious for hitting kerbs
deserved fail and nearly gave up2nd test was more nervous and during retraining and was approaching roundabouts too slowly, instructor said speed up, on the test i went for a gap in trafic but a car came around and i forced him to slow so a serious there but much improved. however i was moving away from london shortly after so next time i took 2 days training with a local school this time in wagon drag and then jackknifed on the reverse and just couldnt get it to come back round, failed due to being out of control but on the driving section i just had a few minors
if i could have put the first reverse togehter with the 3rd test i would have my license now so gutted really
AndyC:
Qualitas/Sterling My experienceI found this site after I had already booked and paid for my course however I went into it with a open mind. I fell for the āfree artic cpc conā but I feel that I paid a fair price for the course when looking around (with 3 retest attempts).
I done my course at Staines there was me and another young guy who was 24 we where doing a 4 day course Thursday, Friday, Monday, Test on Tuesday. I was worried about the weekend break but this worked out as a nice break when they say intensive it is intensive! After the first day I went home and my head was pounding and was in bed by 9pm.
The course itself was very good our instructor Ron was very honest firm and fair heaps of experience and I cannot fault the training, The truck was a 05 reg Iveco 12 ton with 8 speed gearbox the smallest allowed to take your LGV test well maintained and very easy to handle around the streets of Guildford.
On test day I failed I got 3 serious and 4 minors the serious was because lights at a crossing where not working and a teenage school girl just walked out into the road then walked back when she saw me, I slowed down to about 10 mph continued on passed the girl who was now waiting to cross the examiner said I should have stopped and if he had duel controls he would have stopped me! This sounds worse than it was at the time. The other was lane discipline I was on a route I did not know, the examiner said right at the next roundabout when we where on a bend we come around the corner and was on the roundabout had no time to get into the correct lane safely. The last one was at a row of parked cars in a 20 zone come to a complete stop waiting for ages as cars come off a roundabout coming the other way then lovely large gap start to pull away this BMW must have been doing 50 comes off the roundabout and I have to stop because he was speeding! I caused him to slow down = serious!!ā ā I was also very nervous for the first time ever!
The other guy passed with 8 minors
This school would be good if it was not for the money grabbing office/sales staff! They talk to you like crap I paid extra on my course for the retest attempts as a just in case good thing as well I phoned up to book up they want a extra Ā£35+vat Admin fees plus the test fee!! I asked what the admin was as I knew I would have to pay the test fee they said āwell we have to book the testā I said I can do that online go snotty replies they said they would check when they could fit me in and call me back that was two days ago looks like I will have to pay the Ā£35+vat or they wonāt ever be able to fit me in! In fairness they sent the invoices and took the cash from my card very quickly and on time!
In conclusion the training is very good (THANKS TO RON AT STAINES) the admin staff are rude and unhelpful and just after your Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£Ā£
BACK TO TRY AGAIN IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS!!
Thanks
Andy
jad24369:
Well just posting to say i passed c+e today at swynnerton with 6 minors going with british hgv from hednesford. Im well chuffed. I currently work for brakes doing multidrop class2. If anyone knows of companys who are definately taking newly qualified class1 near tamworth,lichfield and coleshill areas. Im all areas and would appreciate any leads you guys can give me. Im on cloud 9 still sinking in ive finally done it. To all you lads who arenāt quite there yet. Keep going and donāt let the odd set back get you down too much.
thrillbilly:
i have just passed both lgv classes in the last couple of months with a great training company and would like to tell as many people as possible so i may give something back.
They are PRIESTLY LGV in lincolnshire.From the very first phone call it has taken a little over 3 months with waiting for a slot and all,but i consider that to be a good turn around time.The training was on a one to one basis with 100% time behind the wheel and the price was very good.No hidden extras.I passed the cat C first time and the cat C+E second time.
In hindsight priestly,s new i was in a real hurry and i think they went out of their way to help me, hence this lengthy post.MANY THANKS TO PRIESTLY LGV
B1 GGK:
Finally, 3rd time of asking I passed my Class 1 yesterday, awesome awesome feeling, Now comes the big lesson of learning to drive the thing without having an instructor help in sticky situations.Now abit of a notice for the noobs,
Take notice of what people say on here, ROG who is a board member and instructor puts up some posts of what his pupils have done to make their lessons/tests easier for them, take note as you may incorporate some of that in your driving.
So Cheers ROG for giving us more of an insight as to how people in the same boat go about it.And remember kids, dont rush and be confident.
M1BRZ:
Well Iāve passed āCā
Like to thank Mikemy instructor, he had the patience of a saint
Also like to thank this forum for all the useful info, it helped a lot. Dave
kiw:
Hi,Passed cat c last week, 5 driving faults. Thanks to all for the tips i have got from reading posts on the site.
Just need to see if somebody will let me loose on their truck, on the road on my own now!
ROG:
One of my trainees passed 1st time today on the CE (artic) with 4 road minors and 1 minor for a forward shunt on the reverse which he could have done without BUT he decided that it was not perfect and a pass is better than getting a personal bonus for getting it in one go
He had done rigid driving since passing his C (rigid) test 16 months ago and that experience was invaluable to him on this course as he could predict just about everything that the numpties were going to do. How did I know that he knew? - easy - he talked to himself
It also let the examiner into his thoughts and planning as well
He was on a 1 to 1 with me on Fri, Mon & Tue (today) with his test at 1pm Gloucester DTC. The only time we went to the test area was today for about 2 hours prior to the test where I showed him the ānasty/trickyā bits. All the other training was kept local and included samples of what he would meet, not just on test day, but for the majority of his CE driving.
On day 1 we went to the airfield to do the reverse and got there about 10am and by noon, using the methods I posted in ARTIC TEST REVERSE he had cracked it and was reversing like a pro. In fact he was doing so well, I got him doing a blind side reverse into a turning area and a PARALLEL PARK (space for the artic plus a quarter) in an industrial estate on Monday.He proved during his training that THINKING & PLANNING everything well in advance before doing anything is by far the easiest and best way forward.
Miss Candyblack:
I am pleased to say that I passed my Class 2 todayI think I did quite wellā¦ passed with 3 minors! I was raring to go and once I got out there I was loving it. I chatted to the examiner all the way round and I was really pleased with the way I dealt with everything. Even the tricky double mini roundabout (which I managed to mess up all week
Now just got to try and find a job while I sort out the Class 1 training
Thanks to you all for your encouragement and support
fisha:
well, i managed it.got 11 minors. ā¦ 4 of which were for mirrors
Have to say thanks to anyone on here, who provided help and info. I do honestly feel that having read up on here in the run up to things did have a beneficial effect on the whole thing. No doubt iāll continue to ask more questions !
So, now to find a jobā¦
macplaxton:
Hi all,On Friday I passed my cat C at first attempt, but only just. I had 12 minors with 4 doubles. The examiner (Dickson) said Iād only just passed. I didnāt think the drive went too bad, except for a couple of junctions and a mis-positioning on lanes (two right turn lanes, but realised after Iād moved right that I really wanted to be in the lane 1 - doh - moved back safely though).
Anyway I am most grateful to my instructor for the week John McKendry of Ritchies for putting up with my āmoments of madnessā when driving. My decisive driving style had been tempered down a bit, nearly to the point of failing to make enough progress. Enjoyed driving the Volvo FM7 250.
Interesting the number of tight country roads in close proximity to the Bishopbriggs test centre. How Iām meant to get an artic down them next time is anyones guess!
Iām more relieved than overjoyed. Looking forward to C+E & D.
Rik