New Driver - books, etc., recommendations?

Hi,

After 20 years in the IT industry I’ve decided to change career and become a truck driver. It’s something I’ve thought about for the last decade, and finally decided to do it!

I’m currently ordering the DVSA series of books for the theory test, CPC, and hazard perception (I think the last one is a PC DVD).

On Amazon there are also a couple of PC DVD for the theory test and CPC and wondered if anyone had recommendations either for these or others?

Theory and Hazard Perception Test: amazon.co.uk/Complete-Theor … 843266199/

Some of the reviews for the following say it is rubbish/nothing like the actual test■■?

amazon.co.uk/Complete-Drive … 84326627X/

I’m not sure which of these to order.

Despite my “young” age and background, I’m not much into mobile apps. PC stuff is fine though!

Thank you!

Looking around for CPC literature, I found this. Any good?

lgvtheory.co.uk/Cpc-modules/mod … -material/

No-one has any recommendations for books/reading materials?

I got a subscription for the theory/hazard perception part here: safedrivingforlife.info/ They’re the same people who do the DVDs and other books on behalf of DVSA.

I’m looking for CPC related items now, but it seems nearly impossible to find anything. Best I found so far is this, but not sure what I’m looking for to judge if it has all the required information? lgvtheory.co.uk/Cpc-modules/mod … -material/

I know some of these things will be offered by the training school, but I like to read ahead. I also have rather too much spare time on my hands, so want to use it to maximize the chance to nail everything.

I signed up for it on the basis of it being the cheapest around - £10 or £12 I think. For the multiple choice stuff, the study material is rubbish and very limited in scope, but if you don’t mind just doing the questions and googling the ones you get wrong, it’s fine. The big gap is the hazard perception - there are only 10 videos to try out, which (for the only thing I think I could fail on) is not enough. I’ll probably subscribe to the DVSA one for £25 when I get within a week or two of the tests, just for the HP vids.

I did all of my theory from drivingtheory4all.co.uk/

Litteraly all of it.

Theory.
Hazard perception.
CPC case studies.

passed all of my tests easily.

Didn’t need any other literature.

Your local library will have, or be able to order in for you, the official books on the theory plus the ones which give you the entire question-bank. That’s what I did.

Hello,

Like you, after a number of years doing something completely different, I decided to have a look at truck driving as a possible alternative. This summer I have recently passed module 1 (theory and hazard perception) and module 2 (CPC case studies).

In order to prepare I bought 4 books, all of them the official guides:

1. The Official DVSA Guide to Driving Goods Vehicles (12th edition - 2020).
   This was my LGV ‘bible’. Learn and understand the first four sections of this, just short of 300 pages, and you will be well
   prepared for any theory questions.

2. The Official DVSA Theory Test for Drivers of Large Vehicles (15th edition - second impression - 2020).
   A great resource for the 100 multi choice question theory test. The book consists of 500 pages of multi choice questions.
   Digest the information in these sample questions and you will be fine for the theory test.

3. Driver CPC - The Official DVSA Guide fpr Professional Goods Vehicle Drivers (2nd edition 2019 - second impression 2020).
   The only book I could find on the CPC case studies test. A bit thin (about 80 pages) for your 10 quid but forty pages are
   dedicated to the case studies test and there is a sample case study to work through with answers at the back. On balance, I
   thought it was was worthwhile getting this because it supplemented the info contained in the other publications and when I
   looked at the sample case study, I knew I was on the right track.

4. The Official Highway Code (16th edition 2015 - 9th impression 2020)
   Because every self respecting professional driver should know this and it has all the road traffic signs and road markings which
   DO crop up occasionally in the theory and CPC tests.

In addition to the above, I went on the DVSA Safe Driving For Life’s website and bought the 3 month Theory Test and Hazard Perception Kit for £30.00. I found this very useful as it gave lots of practice questions and mock tests for the module 1 multi choice questions and it provided absolutely essential practice for getting you literally up-to-speed for the hazard perception test.

Finally, to my surprise, I could find no DVSA online resources for module 2, the CPC case studies. So for 12 quid I bought the lgvtheory.co.uk, module 2 resources which provided very useful study materials for the case studies as well as hundreds of practice case study scenarios and questions.

Master the materials above an you will pass modules 1 and 2. I have an amazing capacity for being thick but I passed everything first time.

Finally, if you haven’t fallen asleep by now, a couple of general points. Firstly, you will need all of your module 1 theory knowledge for your module 2 case studies test. You can’t ditch all your multi choice theory knowledge once you have passed module 1. Instead, you need to apply the theory knowledge of module 1 into the practical scenarios of module 2 - the case studies. Secondly, the availability of module 2 case study tests in my area was rarer than rocking horse s**t! I couldn’t find one for 2-3 months and had to keep checking the booking website daily. Eventually drove 40 miles to do a 9.am test on a Wednesday morning in Southport. Seems to me that the availability of the CPC case study tests in the north west of England is dire.

And finally finally, after all that, I am now told there are no practical driving tests until next Easter. Hay ho and good luck.

D.S.

■■■■ Small:
And finally finally, after all that, I am now told there are no practical driving tests until next Easter. Hay ho and good luck.

I’m not disuputing what you’ve said, but I booked my Class 2 training last week and I’ve got a test date in October so there are definitely tests available before Easter. Whether the test will actually go ahead is a different matter though.

Hi,

Thanks for that!!

I’ll order the other books. Do you have the ISBN numbers for them so I can check I have the right ones? I already have the DVSA guide to driving large goods vehicles.

Should I get the theory test and hazard perception booked ASAP? Medical is already booked, but still not for several weeks yet.

I don’t believe you can book your theory etc until you have been given your provisional. I did my medical and sent off for it. Been waiting 3 weeks nearly and they haven’t looked at it yet. I know some have been waiting even longer since July. I keep checking online daily. Make sure you put your number on the d2 as they text you.

I’m going to book my theory ASAP when I get my provisional. I think the wait is like 10 days for that. Then practical hopefully but again it’s looking very difficult to book a test. The problem is tests keep getting cancelled. Seems like it’s taking 6-9 months plus to get through the whole process. Good luck and congratulations with taking the plunge. :

TIgamble is right, you can’t book the theories before the provisional has been applied to your licence, the system simply doesn’t offer you the option.

DVLA were shockingly quick with my licence - D2+D4 sent off on 16th Aug, Cat C provisional showed up online on 25th and my licence just dropped back through the post this morning, 31st. No texts or emails from them at any time, though, despite putting mobile and email on the form.

Inglebert:
TIgamble is right, you can’t book the theories before the provisional has been applied to your licence, the system simply doesn’t offer you the option.

DVLA were shockingly quick with my licence - D2+D4 sent off on 16th Aug, Cat C provisional showed up online on 25th and my licence just dropped back through the post this morning, 31st. No texts or emails from them at any time, though, despite putting mobile and email on the form.

That’s really promising to hear

That’s odd my provisional just came back! Great stuff. The struggle to get a theory slot now. Next one is 4 weeks away

Thanks!!

Pleased to hear you’ve both got your licenses back!

I’m prepared for a long delay. I’m hoping it doesn’t stretch to 9 months, but we’ll see.

On the up-side I have plenty of time to dig into all the material, so it’s helping with the waiting. Still 2 weeks to my medical, so I guess November time I can realistically expect to be able to start doing something.

Hello again,

The ISBN numbers for the books I recommended are:

Highway code: 978 011 553342 6
Official Theory Test for Drivers of LGV’s: 978 0 11 553727 1
Driver CPC: 978 0 11 553745 5

Having done all the online tests, I would say that you need to know your stuff to pass. That might be stating the bleeding obvious, but I don’t think there are any short cuts.

You need to know the specifics: EU drivers’ hours, breaks and rest periods; the colours of the break lines; the colours of the CMR notes; height, width and length limits; all of which are quite precise and you either know it or you don’t.
Then there is more general stuff about road safety and driver skills where you can apply a bit of common sense if if you don’t immediately know the answer.
That’s where reading the Official DVSA Guide to Driving Goods Vehicles helps because it gives you a good general grounding on the principles of excellent professional driving and good practice, such as the overriding principle of safety first, showing patience and courtesy to other drivers and pedestrians and nowadays having a keen eye on environmental issues and driving economically.

The practice tests for the hazard perception essentially get you to the required speed level. Spotting the developing hazards is fairly easy but spotting them quickly enough is the test and the online practice tests inform you whether you are being quick enough to pass.

Just a couple of final tips from one newbie to another: firstly, have a periodic read through the glossary section (p.365 - p373) of the guide to driving goods vehicles.
The very first question on my multi choice theory test asked about the properties of toughened safety glass. I didn’t know the answer, couldn’t remember reading anything about safety glass in the books and after staring at the screen for five minutes hoped all the other questions weren’t as obscure. But when I checked afterwards, there it is in the glossary section, a definition of toughened safety glass.

So it seems to me that if the info is in the official DVSA books, then it’s fair game for the tests. Secondly, on the case studies test, I had one question asking about the type of haulage business that I was theoretically driving for - was it cabotage, freight-forwarding of groupage? Again, didn’t know the answer.

So, from this, I can only advise that having a general knowledge of the haulage industry from the operators’ side helps as well.

Overall, you can’t know everything and working through the books and study materials we have discussed already will see you through.

Good luck.

DS

I can really recommend the official Theory app. I prefer that to books really as I seem to take in the knowledge. It remembers what questions you keep getting wrong and keeps testing you on them.
It also contains 50 or more hazard videos and case studies.

Hi,

@■■■■ Small - thanks for that! Great tips! I’m not expecting (nor looking for) any “shortcuts” to anything so fully expecting to spend some time learning raw numbers, legalities, etc.

I’m blasting through the official theory book, but definitely think I’ll need a second reading before I’m happy I have the major pieces. I’m making flash-cards of anything that must be “learned by rote”. I hit the mock theory test online (100 official practice questions via the gov.uk site) and hit 96% on the first try, so relatively confident of that one. Just the hazard perception to nail (not looking forward to that - I’m doing better but definitely failed the first couple of times), and the CPC Module 2 to really get through.

In terms of the practical driving, I’m already driving my car as if it is a truck, and took some tips about “getting rid” of the rear-view mirror to force more use of the side mirrors (I can still use it but must make a point to move my head to see). I’ve even taken to running through how to couple/uncouple a trailer when I get in/out of the car.

I’ve got my medical later this week, so then I’ll be in the hold for DVLA to update and return my provisional. This week is study week!

@Tlgamble - I registered for a couple of websites ( lgvtheory.co.uk and safedrivingforlife.info ) which seems to cover all parts of theory, hazard perception, and CPC Mod 2. I’ve got the official “driving” textbook, and ordered the official CPC guide just to have it (reviews seem to be mixed). The ISBN matches @■■■■ Small’s list, so I’m reasonably happy I’ve got those bases covered now. I already have the HC and “Know Your Traffic Signs” from when I refreshed myself as a car driver a couple of years ago (I found there were a few things I still didn’t fully know so hit the books again).

One thing I have been finding the last week or so is I’m noticing the HGV-related signage around here in a way I hadn’t previously (weight limits, height limits, “unsuitable for HGV” road signs, etc). I’ve also been working hard to notice EVERY sign I pass (it can become too easy to ignore things on roads you drive frequently).

This turned into a bit of an essay! I hope someone enjoys reading my journey from B to C+E!