After 30 years out the business I have now completed my Driver CPS and received my new DQC yesterday…
When I decided I was going to bring everything up to date due to redundancy in the motor trade on the cards, and at 55 I want to do something else I also decided a refresher may be needed… Well, next Saturday I get behind the wheel of a Volvo with a local driver training company for 4 hours to do some driving, reversing and coupling/uncoupling… AND I am really looking forward to it…
Hopefully even after all this time it will be like riding a bike and it will all come back to me…I hope lol
I was made redundant 30 years ago and the first job was in the motor trade…but I stayed in it… trouble is it is not what it was and I have had enough… not long left at work really, I intend to retire fully at 60, already semi retired doing 4 days now, and just want to do something different…
I know that trucks now are a little different from 30 years ago, automatic for a start so I just want to brush up my skills, if I need more I will look at doing a couple of drives to get my confidence back, but we will see what next week brings
After 30 years out the business I have now completed my Driver CPS and received my new DQC yesterday…
When I decided I was going to bring everything up to date due to redundancy in the motor trade on the cards, and at 55 I want to do something else I also decided a refresher may be needed… Well, next Saturday I get behind the wheel of a Volvo with a local driver training company for 4 hours to do some driving, reversing and coupling/uncoupling… AND I am really looking forward to it…
Hopefully even after all this time it will be like riding a bike and it will all come back to me…I hope lol
i did the 4 hour driver refresher yesterday in Volvo FM 460 Automatic… After 30 years of not getting behind the wheel of a truck on the whole it went really well, to my surprise… the instructor said he was happy with the way I drove, felt very comfortable and relaxed and would be my second man without a problem…
Couple of little things he suggested… nothing major, and more to do with roundabouts… 1. I seemed to drift into the 2nd lane a little for no reason when going around the roundabout if I was in the inside lane, and 2. he suggested this could be fixed if I slowed down a little more although I was not going too fast… once mastered that seemed to work well…
Coupling and uncoupling was good, reversing, well not great but better than I expected after all this time, maybe a few more in the real world and it would all click… not a complete mess, but my head was not thinking the right directions… lol … this was done on there test pad, start one side, reverse around a post and into a bay the opposite side… did it a few times and it was getting a bit better, but as he said, not the real world…
Reversing in a straight line and keeping the trailer straight was perfect…
So, on the whole he said I would not have any issues and was very happy…
I really enjoyed it and as I say after 30 years and being a bit worried I was impressed… well worth doing if you have not driven for a long time, 4 hours will not make you perfect, but it nice to know you can confidently handle and drive well and be safe on the road… after all you may have a 44 ton weapon which will cause a lot of damage or injury… At least I know I would be safe…
Not trying to put you off mate, more like warn you …
After 30 yrs off you’re going to find one hell of a difference in the job to what it was like in much better days…trust me.
More traffic for starters, and all hell bent on a every man for himself scenario, compared to the 80s.
Gone are the days when 99% of other truckers empathised with you as a matter of routine by …letting you out/giving you room/flashing you in/generally helping you out in any way.
The industry today is awash with inept d/heads behind the wheels of artics (.ie car drivers who have blagged a Class1) but thankfully there are still many proper drivers left to counteract these Jeremy Hunts. …and not all drivers of our generation either, there are many good younger lads amongst the other pricks.
The job on the whole generally speaking is ran by knobs with no transport background anymore, who will try and push you to the limit, and max your hours out as a matter of routine
Take note, if you allow them to, your life will be one big endurance exercise, so set your own rate and standards from Day1 without being bolshy or arsey, and do the job at a sensible rate, legally and there is ■■■■ all they can do.
If you don’t believe me observe others in the workforce who look older than what they are, have not time to stop for a ■■■■, and are tear arsing their days away towards their first heart attack…and beware of the grasses and yes men types, of which there are many.
Not a lot of sociable types in the job any longer, but a lot more cab happy hermits wasting their lives parked in laybbys all night vegitating…ask any of them if they fancy a pint and a scran (as we all used to do once) and they look at you either as if you have ■■■■■■ on their shoes, or as if you are wanting to shag them.
As I said it ain’t like it used to be…but.
Good luck with it all mate. .
I went back to driving in the 90s after a long absence and my advice is:
Many (most) places expect you to wear safety boots and to have a high viz vest at the very least. I would want a couple of pairs of gloves in my bag in case they don’t provide them, as well as the usual essentials like wet-wipes listed elsewhere. Have some coins for the coffee machine as you may be kept hanging around for hours.
Don’t be afraid to ask… On your first day in a job, your best resource is the other drivers and there is a lot to know; paperwork is more important now than it ever was; when you have a destination, ask about it as the delivery/collection point may be on a different road to the address and there might be a preferred direction to approach from.
Make sure you know how high your truck/trailer is - you don’t want to end up on the bridge-strike thread here.
Be sure to do all the routine checks, even if someone is trying to hurry you up; if necessary, move out of the way and then do them. If you find a fault, even if it’s minor like a sidelight bulb, be sure to report it and follow whatever procedure they have about getting it fixed. (some employers will call in a fitter for the most minor of faults).
*When you get your notes, plan your route; satnav or maps, you need a good idea of where you are going before you leave the yard.
When you have your notes and have checked your truck; planned a route and found out how to work the radio, stop for a few moments, take a deep breath and get your head into driving mode.
When I returned to driving 5 years ago after 15 years away from the game I took a 4 hour refresher. I felt like I’d never been away other than my left hand constantly trying to find the non existent gear stick.
Mystery Action:
When I returned to driving 5 years ago after 15 years away from the game I took a 4 hour refresher. I felt like I’d never been away other than my left hand constantly trying to find the non existent gear stick.
I found it really useful, I have not driven for 30 years and I must say compared to then the Volvo FM 460HP Automatic was a doddle to drive, really impressed how good it was really, drove really well even with 460000 KM on the clock…
After about 5-10 mins I felt really comfortable and felt just like I had not been away… reversing needs some “real life” practice but my head was stuck in reversing a car mode rather than backwards lol, but I will get the hang of it … …
Thanks to everyone for the advice and comments, much appreciated…
Mystery Action:
When I returned to driving 5 years ago after 15 years away from the game I took a 4 hour refresher. I felt like I’d never been away other than my left hand constantly trying to find the non existent gear stick.
I found it really useful, I have not driven for 30 years and I must say compared to then the Volvo FM 460HP Automatic was a doddle to drive, really impressed how good it was really, drove really well even with 460000 KM on the clock…
After about 5-10 mins I felt really comfortable and felt just like I had not been away… reversing needs some “real life” practice but my head was stuck in reversing a car mode rather than backwards lol, but I will get the hang of it … …
Thanks to everyone for the advice and comments, much appreciated…
Twice I have had 2 x 15 years away from it. Went back in late 2016.
A few practical pointers.
Driving - When going around roundabouts particularly (but any curve really), if you pick up the off side kerb line or lane line and follow it with your eye your trailer will follow the kerb beautifully. Obviously if its a real tight bugger then make allowances but I’m average height (5ft 11in) and it works for me.
When overtaking anther wagon wait till he gives you a flash, I find when it is half way down the n/s large mirror it is probably ok to come in and definitely when it is 1/3 down from the top.
Backing up can be an r’s. For right angle reverses I find the threepenny/50p bit rule quite useful (bend-straight-bend-straight). At RDC’s etc you need to look out for the bump blocks and see where they are in relation to the lanes. Sometimes they are bang in the middle of the lines, sometimes you need to be on the lines, sometimes just touching the inside edge. A good rule is the loo rule - Look before you leap (i.e no crap before checking on loo roll availability). If you are unlucky enough to drive a Daf for some reason they are always much harder to reverse than a Scany, MAN, Merc or Volvo. Maybe it’s the twin steer thing.
Car drivers - The biggest change is of course the new Highway Code rule that car drivers always have right of way when entering motorways or dual carriageways and trucks can just eff off. This has the effect that if you work in car mode pull out to let them in they just roar away before you have overtaken and leave you hanging out like a pillock. So watch out when it is busy or you’ll get r’s car driver no 5 who was behind you when you pulled out of the near side lane to be courteous sees an opportunity to do a Verstappen and come up the inside giving you the impression that since you were last driving trucks we now drive on the right! Then of course there are the roundabout ■■■■■■ who think indicators are not for them. You could use the maxim ‘well if you don’t indicate I don’t mind read’ but it could land you with a bump.
So apart from the scrum down driving mentality, the autoboxes, all the vehicle tracking telematics (Why did you stop for 16 minutes at X services…), the microlise, the overspeeds (make sure you brush up on your pedal to the metal technique - trucks vary so much regarding overspeeds) and the ridiculous prices at truckstps/MSA’s for grub …you’ll find a lot of changes. But given an open road and a pleasant day it’s still good to be chugging around the countryside away from the office wallahs…
…
…and not all drivers of our generation either, there are many good younger lads amongst the other pricks.
