mark4:
ROG:
mark4:
I’ve decided to go to a good local training provider.Which one
One of the recommended ones in your LGV training tips thread.
After my smart ■■■ answer, I’m thinking of going with Tockwith near York. Seem to have a good rep, do 1-1 training and not too far way from me. 
Peter Smythe:
Interesting that we have a steady flow of candidates from North of the border. Richies is, without doubt, a good set up. The ONLY thing I’ve heard from a couple of folks is that our customer service is perceived to be better. But I cant quantify that obviously.Pete
I could be wrong but I think I saw a couple of comments on here a while ago with people saying that they didn’t return phone calls. A small but important act.
I personally have no knowledge of richies but the above rings a bell
Hi Mark4,
Glad you are thinking of coming to us, if you need a chat feel free to get in touch. I don’t often come on here as it’s not the un-biased board it used to be, but i’ll try and check my messages over the next few days.
I also found a picture of one of our dodge trucks from the 1980’s on this site this evening which was wonderful as I have no photos of us pre-1990’s - dad never took any!
Hi Mark4 you won’t go wrong choosing tockwith training they are a good training school.
I like the fact that you want to use local trainers!!
A few years ago this site had a selection of trainers from around the country to offer advice. Unfortunately now it has one main sponsor which is not a problem but members don’t get get advice on local trainers,
Peter pays his money and is entitled to trawl this site hoping to catch many bookings and TBH this is why he sponsors it.
I can’t fault his training school which I believe is very good, but I feel people don’t get recommendations of trainers local to them now. Unfortunately trainers very rarely comment on this site now.
All the best to everyone
Paul
I didn’t use a local trainer & normally would support local business I just felt it was better to take my custom & money outside the area ( used John at Flair training ) which I must say can’t fault him or his set up happy I did
Most of this was due to fact the experience I had with my class 2 training if know now what I knew then would have done my class 2 outside of area the other local trainer his instructor went to jail for child ■■■■ this was in the local paper & believe the lorry press
Try to visit the premises speak to the right people before you decide to part with any money don’t just book on line because it looks good or they say they have a national company
elmet training:
Hi Mark4 you won’t go wrong choosing tockwith training they are a good training school.I like the fact that you want to use local trainers!!
A few years ago this site had a selection of trainers from around the country to offer advice. Unfortunately now it has one main sponsor which is not a problem but members don’t get get advice on local trainers,
Peter pays his money and is entitled to trawl this site hoping to catch many bookings and TBH this is why he sponsors it.
I can’t fault his training school which I believe is very good, but I feel people don’t get recommendations of trainers local to them now. Unfortunately trainers very rarely comment on this site now.
All the best to everyone
Paul
I think using a local trainer is great if said trainer is decent. For my part I looked at a couple of local trainers, both from the recommended list on this site one just didn’t feel right when I visited. The other never responded to my call or email. Compared to PSTT it was chalk and cheese and became a no brainer.
You say members here don’t get advise on local schools and I think it’d be helpful if they did. Why though did the trainers you say used to post here leave? Seems to me the problem is easily fixed by a few training firms making an effort to post.
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IronEddie:
You say members here don’t get advise on local schools and I think it’d be helpful if they did. Why though did the trainers you say used to post here leave? Seems to me the problem is easily fixed by a few training firms making an effort to post.
Don’t think they are allowed to recommend their own schools now. Which was probably one of the big reasons to contribute; would be for me anyway.
adam277:
IronEddie:
Don’t think they are allowed to recommend their own schools now. Which was probably one of the big reasons to contribute; would be for me anyway.
Exactly Adam also the forum sponsor starts to complain if we try and promote our business. He wants the full monopoly of this site to himself.
So I tend to market using other sources.
This forum was a better source for newbies a few years ago but things do change especially when money is involved.
Paul
elmet training:
adam277:
IronEddie:
Don’t think they are allowed to recommend their own schools now. Which was probably one of the big reasons to contribute; would be for me anyway.
Exactly Adam also the forum sponsor starts to complain if we try and promote our business. He wants the full monopoly of this site to himself.
So I tend to market using other sources.
This forum was a better source for newbies a few years ago but things do change especially when money is involved.
Paul
Well to be fair if I was paying to sponsor I wouldn’t want my competitors getting in for free either. But from a non commercial view I do see how it weakens the forum for the new user looking for advice. Though not by much. Other users are pretty open and honest with their own experiences.
I can’t comment on how it used to be. But as someone who came here looking for advice I still found the forum very useful. ROG collation of tips and things like the list of known good schools was useful. All in all the newbie section has been a fantastic resource.
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I certainly think it was better a few years ago. To be fair to the sponsor, he is extracting as much for his fee as possible out of the site which is fair enough.
Most newbies come, pass and then disappear, it’s the forum itself that will gradually differ as the regular faces vanish.
Whilst it’s stated that recommendations of other trainers is allowed. I suspect if an instructor actively requested their pupils wrote a post on this website praising their school it rouldn’t last long or would be regarded as spam.
Having an instructor claim that having their own test centre onsite is the be all and end all with none to counter the point is, in my view disappointing.
There are a lot of driving schools, that can not afford their own land for example due to the location but are just as good and indeed much cheaper.
It would be nice to balance that out a little. I think I paid around £1800 for both categories and did my reversing practice on an abandoned airfield - passed first time and saved a good few hundred.
But, the sponsor is obviously going to play to their main selling points and it’s the forum who have decided to take the money and set the rules. I am a member of a few HGV groups on Facebook that are far more active than this website so I hope they haven’t gone for a short term buck over longevity as it would be a shame to lose the resource.
Having an instructor claim that having their own test centre onsite is the be all and end all with none to counter the point is, in my view disappointing.
johnnyboat. With respect, you clearly have very limited experience of the training industry. From my experience - well in excess of 40 years - I can tell you that the differences between trainers is huge, not just a little detail or two. I have worked and invested consistently for much of the last 40 years to create what was described by the former Chief Executive of DVSA as “the finest training centre in the UK, and better than our own”. That’s some accolade. Having your own test centre is a significant advantage, and one of the reasons I continually mention it is that we had the very first, nearly 10 years ago. There can be no question that it is in the candidate’s favour to be tested on the same concrete on which they were trained. (and for the area to be correctly marked).
There are many differences between what we do and what others do. I am incredibly proud of our offering but I don’t recall saying that someone else was no good because they didn’t have their own test centre. I am well aware that there are plenty of good trainers who don’t have their own test centre. In and of itself, it’s not the end of the world.
I am the first to accept that industrial land varies in cost around the UK. And I am fortunate to be based in one of the lower cost areas. Sorry, not my fault! But I would mention that the company would not be where it is now without it swallowing nearly all my pension fund only about 8 years ago. Maybe other trainers wouldn’t be so committed. It’s not for me to say.
My overriding comment for anyone wishing to find a trainer is that they should always visit and satisfy themselves with what they are buying. The only exception should be booking on rock solid recommendation which is what we rely on. And, as forum sponsor, we cant afford to get it wrong or it would be all over the forum in a flash.
Other trainers cannot advertise on the forum as this is what we pay for. But this is backed up by responding to pm’s on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and 7 days a week for the rest of the year. The motivation of those trainers who moan about the situation is interesting. They cant advertise so they don’t contribute. We contributed for years before we sponsored the forum. And for no financial gain. Having been offered sponsorship, it seemed fair to take it, pay for it, and make use of it.
Maybe find me one person who has had a bad deal as a result.
Good luck with that.
Pete
See below - submitted too soon
I learnt in vehicles which were a long way past their sell by date . ( both buses and C &E ) . In my case it was not particularly important whether I passed or failed first time as I had no intention of driving for a living and worked full time in a profession . My trainer was a one man band with highly competitive prices and a thoroughly decent amicable person . Training in bits and pieces suited me but was probably not the best way to achieve a first time past .
It would be fair to say that the trainer which I used probably never had his teaching skills assessed . On one occasion he said to me " if you will not learn , I cannot help you " and on another " your reversing will be an embarrassment to me at the test centre " . A properly trainer instructor would not make comments such as this , not would they simply go for a walk when you were practising reversing . Whilst it may be good to practice un- supervised , I would have thought that a properly trained instructor would watch their candidate at all times , identify any faults made and give advice as to how to prevent them occurring again .
As reversing is probably the most dificult aspect of the C & E test , I would consider it to be a distinct advantage to use a trainer with their own reversing area and test centre . ( in addition to having up to date vehicles ) . I believe that one of the reasons I failed C & E on a few occasions was the difficulty of selecting reverse gear at the start of the reversing exercise . ( the instructutor even told me he had seen some candidates use two hands as the selection was so difficult ) . It is rather pointless handicapping yourself on the test by using a vehicle that is knackered . Prior to my tests I usually got the trailer into the garage ( and usually did not even need any shunts ) so doing a test in an area with which you are familar must be a considerable advantage .
For my Cat D I only had one lesson in reversing which was in an area full of pot holes and mud ( on this occasion it did not really matter as I had already passed C & E ) and reversing a bus is straight forward ( though the clutch was very heavy , the training vehicle being twenty years old ) .
I estimate that I spent about £4200 to pass C , C & E , and Cat D . Whilst I passed all the tests eventually ( and got plenty of driving experience ) with the benefit of hindsight I would have preferred to have used a trainer who was regularly assessed for his teaching skills ( and in addition have trained in a modern vehicle using a clearly marked out reversing area ).
While the initial cost ( or unit cost ) may have been more expensive , it would have been more satisfying to have obtained passes first time in all tests . ( in addition better quality initial ( but more expensive ) training would have been cheaper in the long term ) .
