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 ■■■■■■ up the reverse into bay in the yard, the assessor was a right arsey ■■■■ 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 ■■■■■■ 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 ■■■■ 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.
================== Mod’s edit:
If you need asterisks to get a word past the auto censor, that’s a clue that you’re trying to use a banned word.
The auto censor is automatic, there’s a clue in the name. dd.
Assessor was a ■■■■■ No one can reverse after they pass their test. I went out with an experienced driver for a week to learn the ropes and this helps a lot, do this even if it’s on your own dime.
No substitute for practical experience but initial positioning is key and the most important part of setting up a reverse. Giving yourself as little work with the steering wheel as possible is what it’s all about. Go as far forward as you can as most reverses fail as the driver doesn’t give himself enough room to begin with.
You want the arse end as close to being square on the bay as possible on a diagonal slant.
Bear in mind that the trailer will pivot on the back wheel. It’s better to be too far over on the drivers side and taking a shunt to straighten it up then being too far over on the near side in case you hit the trailer you can’t see.
Always try and reverse on your driver side even if this means turning around. Blind side reverse is to be avoided at all cost.
Go slowly, looking in your near side mirror/window so you don’t clout the unit/front of trailer as well as sticking your head out the window for the rear of trailer.
Don’t be lazy and get out and look at your near side if needs be.
Also just reset and start again if you think you have got it wrong, the amount you see that keep going when it’s obvious they’ve made a haymes of it is unbelievable.
If you don’t think you can do it without damaging anything then just say so. No medals for being the big I am.
Assessor sounds like a bell end and no your not barking up the wrong tree, plenty of companies who want drivers will help you out and cut you some slack knowing your a new driver. Stobarts should be one of them seeing as they do training themselves. A different day or different depot with a different assessor probably a totally different story. Not much of a loss though not getting a job with them. Look how they treat a driver on here called dozy.
Don’t give up and just keep looking.
How about culina? Depot on the estate at junction 14 where screwfix is. Surely they take newbies and it’s easy clean work being fridges probably 99% RDC deliveries as well.
My employer helped me out, told me between runs to take my time and reverse 2 or 3 times into different bays to get used to it. After my first 5 days I was much more comfortable.
1st shop I was sent to however was a blind side reverse and I must’ve took half hour to get round the corner [emoji106]
Practice makes perfect, some people forget their first day on their own and also forget they were the same as you back then.
Don’t think many real drivers forget their first few days out on their own , that assessor has his head stuck up his own fundament, a veritable expert whilst a mere embryo
Sadly you found an arse wipe, their loss they should employ people in such positions with a bit more about them, probably part of the reason they’re in trouble.
My agency have offered me two jobs in the last month “subject to passing the assessment” and I’ve turned them both down on the basis that I’ve already been assessed by the Government and passed.
“Driver assessments” are in reality simply as extended interview carried out by the company’s most brown-nosing yes-man designed to ascertain how far you are willing to bend over and take it up the back passage without lube, so you should be proud of failing yours and move on to find someone decent to work for.
You just need the chance to practice , you could say that the assessor wasn’t there to hold your hand. He could have been more understanding or even helpful , but he may have been on a power kick. (bullied at school or by his wife/mother) just move on and try again.
Don’t let it put you off at all, just keep looking and you’ll find someone willing to give you a chance and you’ll probably be glad you didn’t get in with stobart’s when you do get a proper job with a proper firm.
Examiner sounds a bit arsey as you said and from what i’ve heard the attitude in stobart towards drivers is just as bad.
Don’t let it put you off at all, just keep looking and you’ll find someone willing to give you a chance and you’ll probably be glad you didn’t get in with stobart’s when you do get a proper job with a proper firm.
Examiner sounds a bit arsey as you said and from what i’ve heard the attitude in stobart towards drivers is just as bad.
Silver_Surfer:
Also just reset and start again if you think you have got it wrong, the amount you see that keep going when it’s obvious they’ve made a haymes of it is unbelievable.
I had one of those days last week, could not reverse for toffee at the 3 yards I went to. Stubborn as anything though fairly convinced I wouldn’t make it, I continued anyway. Had I just shunted forward a bit or shifted over I would have probably made it in one rather than looking like an idiot. Oh well, one of those days!
I was quite fortunate on my first assessment, it was only my second time driving an artic. I was fine going forwards, but when it came to revere I just told the assessor I’m not that confident with the reverse so he gave me instructions and helped me out. All he did was mark me down for my “reversing theory”. As a new driver, and they’re aware of the fact, there’s no reason for them to be a bell end. They were in the same boat too. He clearly shouldn’t be doing the job of a driver trainer if he can’t offer advice to a new driver. As has been said, look elsewhere that’s a bit more accepting. The c+e reverse on the test is pointless, doesn’t teach you how to put it on a bay or blindside round a corner so every assessor should be well aware of the standard of reverse of us new drivers!
I couldn’t reverse for toffee when i had passed my class 1. Took about 3 weeks for the penny to drop. It will come to you one day and you’ll wonder how you never managed it in the first place
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.
1st time post be nice haha just passed class 1 couple of months ago started nightshift scotland work for company where you load unload yourself got fulltime job nightshift reversing with no experiance appart for test in dark takes a bit of getting used to in my personal opinion try hardest reverse more you do it better you get keep chin up things can only get better plus wouldnt be no fun if it was easy
Look at my old posting. No one could have a worst start to this job than me. No one could be less technically able. I was shocking. And I’m still average on my best day.
But now I can put an artic on any bay. Including the dark side. It just comes with practise. Loads of frustration - and eventually it gets easier. I now find it easier to reverse an artic than my car if I’m honest.
Here is my class 1 story. Passed via fluke. The night after passing the place I was agencying on class 2 needed an artic driver. So I put my hand up. The normal driver had hurt his back. First reverse took out a street sign. Denied all knowledge. Confidence gone. Then I got offered work picking up and dropping off trailers full of booze for supermarkets. Was so shocking the shunter told me he couldn’t see me struggle and that if I just dropped it he would sort it. I felt for a while like I’d never get it. Just not smashing stuff up felt like luck to me.
What really got me half reasonable was two things. Eurocarparts - no assessment as they were busy. And off I was going into London and all over the country and reversing with no one watching. At first I was so scared I was pulling cages miles to make it easier. But my confidence and skills improved. Then I went onto sainsburys where I had no choice but to work at it. If I can reverse and artic anyone can.
I regularly now have ‘tight’ reverses including blindside. Difference between now and then… I don’t care if I take ages. I don’t care if people are watching. If I’m unsure I get out. If someone is giving me grief they get a tablet. And I realise I’m paid by the hour.
Tips - on good side reverse in the rear wheels. Don’t keep your head out the window all the time, once you have the lock coming off get the trailer bang between the mirrors. Set your mirrors up right. And then take it slow. Bad side… if it’s very tight then jackknife it in and use your units back wheels as a guide if you can. Try and have visual clues as to when to get the lock off. If you need/want use an old glove as a marker. There is no right and wrong way. But you will be fine.
Your not saying how many attempts you had trying to get on the bay,and he perhaps just decided enough was enough.
After all hes there to assess not to teach, maybe he could have given you a little bit of advice as to what you was doing wrong,but thats entirely up to him
You hold the Licence so you must have done something right to get it,but a Licence does not give you experience which only comes with time.
Given time and more experience,you will see someone who is having the same problem you had, you will be like a lot of us be thinking poor sod I was that bad at one time but won`t admit it
Harry Monk:
My agency have offered me two jobs in the last month “subject to passing the assessment” and I’ve turned them both down on the basis that I’ve already been assessed by the Government and passed.
“Driver assessments” are in reality simply as extended interview carried out by the company’s most brown-nosing yes-man designed to ascertain how far you are willing to bend over and take it up the back passage without lube, so you should be proud of failing yours and move on to find someone decent to work for.
Harry Monk:
My agency have offered me two jobs in the last month “subject to passing the assessment” and I’ve turned them both down on the basis that I’ve already been assessed by the Government and passed.
“Driver assessments” are in reality simply as extended interview carried out by the company’s most brown-nosing yes-man designed to ascertain how far you are willing to bend over and take it up the back passage without lube, so you should be proud of failing yours and move on to find someone decent to work for.
I wouldn’t say that’s entirely true. I know from my own experience at my current company we’ve got a few very good trainers who aren’t like that at all and are all qualified for the role and are all good blokes who would have cut you slack and helped you for being new. Another company I went to before this one it was one bloke who was also very good. They aren’t all brown nosing yes men.
OP it’s very easy to get swamped with well intentioned advice from the experienced folks on here re reversing which however well intentioned leads to a kind of information overload. My advice FWIW would be to read and reread Sammym 's excellent post above, as a relative newbie himself he speaks your language from your perspective too, it’s some of the best advice I’ve ever read on here tbh.
As an aside; as time passes you may well come to view failing a Stobbies assessment as the ultimate in “dodging a bullet”. Good luck.
Took a driving assessment many, many years ago for a major supermarket, at the time I had already been a driver for thirty years so was not new to the job, was taken out by the assistant Transport manager, every thing went well till we got back and had to reverse park back between fifty or more brand new units and fridge trailers, being a very large yard I spun the motor around and backed it on the drivers side being the easiest way, no sweat, but his transport bod said I could have backed on the blind side and would show me how it was done, need I carry on? Well he pulled out of line and spun the motor round and proceeded to back the trailer blind side in hitting the trailer on the nearside badly scraping it, then pulled out to have another go, backed in and hit the trailer on the off side gouging a big lump out of the trailer, luckily I didn’t laugh as I got the job, but I made sure he didn’t live it down for a long time after…
, that assessor has his head stuck up his own fundament, a veritable expert whilst a mere embryo 
