Class 2 Training (PASSED)

Day 3,4 & 5.

Pretty much same as Day 2, Had a problem with Range Changer on Day 4. Was rushing the change between 3rd and 5th and the Range Changer would be in Neutral still.

Test Day.

Test at 10.30. Start on the road at 8am . Head to the airfield to do some reversing and stopping before the test. Then into Stone town centre to practice the bad corner there. when were done in Stone its time to head back up to the Test Centre.

On the way back up there we met a few MOD Artics , and started making a few silly mistakes, most likely down to nerves. 10:10 and were parked up waiting, Got the shakes real bad now, had to go and sit down and have a cuppa. That seemed to help a lot. We both head back to the wagon, and my instructor explains how the Stopping and Reversing is set-up at the Test centre. At this point ive calmed down a lot, and i think its because i knew how to do the bits in the test centre now and it wasnt an unknown thing now.

The Test

10:30 on the dot. My examiner , Dave Povey , comes out of the little porta-kabin and asks me to jump straight into the truck, and then to produce my theory test certificate and my Drivers Licence. Both are ok , so we proceed to the manouvering area. First up is the Stopping Procedure. I line up for my run, into 3rd, Rev the balls of it and into 4th. now revving the nuts off the truck at 20mph . reach the cones , and stop with the cones just past halfway down the truck.
Now the reversing, its a tight corner into the reversing area, you have to drive through your ‘garage’ at a right angle to get onto the pad. So i get waved up to the start line. and told to proceed. I pop it into reverse and as soon as i start moving back VERY slowly, I pop Full lock onto the Steering, keeping an eye on the yellow line as i swing round. I see the cone appear in my mirror on my side and start to take full lock off and start turning into where the ‘garage’ is. Got to the same place as i got it on all my reversing at the airfield. line the mark up on the Rear mudguard at the same place as the airfield too. At this point I know im in the box. BUT i got out and looked anyway as i didnt want to blow the test before i had even left the centre. When i looked i was 1 inch away from the barrier :sunglasses:

Now the Road test.
Out of Swynnerton test centre, down into Stone at walton roundabout. then down the A34 into Stafford. Round the Town Centre. then out up the Uttoxeter road past the Hospital. turning Left before the University. We proceed along Beaconside, until we reach The next Turn towards Stafford. We take the Left turn. and now i know why he took me this way. We had practiced this bit quite a few times in the previous week :slight_smile: . there is quite a tight right turn at some lights. with only a few inches each side of the truck as we go round. Phew id done it and got through. (First attempt on my first day i clipped the kerb here). From here on it was pretty much plain sailing all the way back to the test centre. And thankfully we had nothing unexpected happen on the way back.
We park up back in the centre and i switch the engine off, After which point i knew i was no longer ‘On Test’ :slight_smile:
The Examiner turned to me and said ’ That was a nice piece of driving, I am pleased to say that you have Passed.’
I wish i had a camera at that point to take a pic of my face cos i could feel i had a huge smile on my face. Got my Score sheet at the end aswell as my Certificate and i got 6 Minors. 2 for Gears (one was when the range changer got stuck and wouldnt change) and 1 in some other sections.

So overall not a bad week driving, and to top it off im now a ‘Proper’ Trucker :laughing:

My instructor isnt quite sure what he is going to do this week now, as he has had 8 in a row pass first time, he usually has a few days of re-tests in the week, but we have all passed first go this week lol