My C + E Diary (Wagon & Drag) (Passed)

[BigJon]

Day 1 - Wednesday

Met up at the truck, jumped in and got the seat etc all set up how i like it.
Trailer was already coupled (Wag & Drag), and we set off towards Stone via Rugeley. Gears & Mirrors and everything else Class 2 related ive got down to a T now. Just having to get used to the extra 30ft sticking out behind me lol.

Everyone i spoke to said a W+D combo is easy to drive, the trailer follows the cab without cutting in.... they lied .... it does cut in ever so slightly , a few kerbs have some scuff marks on them now lol. after an hour or so of driving i finally get the hang of the trailer cutting in .

We headed upto the airfield to practice the maneuvering. started with an emergency stop. then straight into the reverse. This is where i surprised both myself and my instructor. after he had talked me through one reverse with him walking along side the cab giving instructions from outside the cab to me as to what i need to do, we got the trailer in the 'box' and i noted the position of the mark on the mud guard for future reference .

So off i go and line myself up for a solo attempt, as soon as i start inching backwards i put full lock on right hand down, just to get the trailer to kick round to the left, a few seconds later i take the lock off and im now pointing at 45 degrees heading towards the 'garage'. manage to keep it going all the way back till i can see the trailer wheels are the right side of an 'invisible' line i had drawn in my head indicating what would be the side wall of a 'garage' but obvioulsy im still 10 foot forward of the first cone. so now im where i need to be i start to straighten the truck and trailer up, and then reverse it back in the bay as if id done this countless times before. i managed to do this on all 6 attempts bar 1, where i had to take a shunt as i didnt take the lock off quick enough at the start and ended up jack-knifing the trailer.

Reverse is now nailed i would say, and just needs practicing each day to make sure i dont lose it. Now the couple / uncouple procedure.

get out the cab with engine off, get shown round what i need to do. then he tells me to uncouple the trailer myself.

started off by first putting the parking brake on, then wind down the legs, take off the number plate , disconnect the suies (which he has changed for continental susies btw, much easier lol. apparently he used to do a lot of continental work before he retired from that , was an owner driver. he kept the truck and started a truck school). then its disconnect the pin.

parked the truck up next to the trailer, then he said couple the trailer up, but treat the trailer as if youve never used it before. So i pull the truck up infront of the drag. stopping about 3 foot forward of actually coupling up. jump out of cab and check the alignment is good. and as its a pressure operated pin, we have to wind the trailer up 2 turns on the legs in high gear. then i get back in the truck, reverse back till i feel the coupling connect, and hear the pin drop. then its into 1st or 2nd and give 2 quick tugs to check im hooked up.

round to the back again after getting out, connect the susies up, give the trailer a good check over, twistlocks are done up (its a dropbox wag & drag) , plating certificate is in place and good, nothing is missing, and as im walking round place the number plate back on the trailer. then when im happy the trailer is good, wind the legs up, and release the parking brake. i then asked my instructor to check my lights. all was good so we headed back to the yard.

All in all a good day, quite pleased with what ive done and tbh i thought the trailer would be a lot harder than it is.

[bigcheese]

glad your doing well pal, i just recently passed my artic and i know how you feel, i was a nervous wreckin training, but on the last day it just all seemed to come together and i passed first time. keep you cool and keep trying after only 1 day and you nailed the reverse you`ve nothing to worry about in my opinion thats the hardest part by far.

good luck

regards ian

[dieseldave]

All in all a good day, quite pleased with what ive done and tbh i thought the trailer would be a lot harder than it is.

Hi BigJon That sums it up nicely mate, it looks like you're goin' like a good 'un.

[ROG]

Good post and I'm glad you are enjoying it

Keep the posts coming because as far as I know, there has not been a W&D training blog on here.

[8wheels]

You wait until you've passed and have to couple up on your own. You know you've done it right but you still think 'have I done it right/' or 'will it fall off?'

I guess it goes once you've done it a few times but it's such a rare thing for me to do I still get that feeling.

Best of luck with the test.

[bigcheese]

stupid question but i have to ask!

is coupling up a wag and drag same as coupling up a artic? whats diffrent if so?

[BigJon]

ill try take some pics tommorow, as its easier to describe whats going on via the pics than just plain off the page.

Main difference is the length of the tractor unit (30ft) and the trailer is another 30ft
10 ft longer than an artic roughly.
no 5th wheel so when you couple / uncouple you have to be dead straight, also have to remember when youve dropped the trailer, theres about 8ft of drawbar sticking out infront of the box.

pics to follow of the coupling mechanism etc tommorow

[dinosteveus1]

parked the truck up next to the trailer, then he said couple the trailer up, but treat the trailer as if youve never used it before. So i pull the truck up infront of the drag. stopping about 3 foot forward of actually coupling up. jump out of cab and check the alignment is good. and as its a pressure operated pin, we have to wind the trailer up 2 turns on the legs in high gear. then i get back in the truck, reverse back till i feel the coupling connect, and hear the pin drop. then its into 1st or 2nd and give 2 quick tugs to check im hooked up.

round to the back again after getting out, connect the susies up, give the trailer a good check over, twistlocks are done up (its a dropbox wag & drag) , plating certificate is in place and good, nothing is missing, and as im walking round place the number plate back on the trailer. then when im happy the trailer is good, wind the legs up, and release the parking brake. i then asked my instructor to check my lights. all was good so we headed back to the yard.

All in all a good day, quite pleased with what ive done and tbh i thought the trailer would be a lot harder than it is.

Great blog, very interesting and I can't wait for the pics.

I'm just wondering, with the Artic don't you have to first check the Parking break is on when you go to a 'new' trailer, is this not the case with your trailer?

[BigJon]

Day 2:

Started off much better than day 1. i now have the feel of how much extra room i need to take on the road to not go up the kerbs. We missed out the airfield today and concentrated on town driving, hill starts and awkward junctions.

Day 3:

Starting to feel a lot more relaxed and comfortable with the extra 30ft behind us. kerbs are now a thing of the past. Instructor did a secret 'test' that i didnt know he was doing. we went around one of the test routes, and it was only when we stopped for a cuppa, that he told me that on the last 45 - 50 mins driving, if i had been on test i would have passed. so that gets me on a bit of a high hearing that. off to the airfield now to practice there. Couple / Uncouple 2 or 3 times. reverse 5 or 6 times . 1 emergency stop. then off back to the yard.

Day 4:

Best day so far. Instructor says he feels im ready for my test, not really much more that can be done now, just keep practicing until test day and fingers crossed ill be class 1 driver tuesday afternoon. more reversing and trailer uncouple / coupling. more awkward junctions etc.


some pics of the coupling equipment on the W+D



Pin Indicator, This shows when the pin has dropped and is engaged. If you havnt coupled quite right the indicator will be angled slightly higher than shown on the pic above. above shows the properly engaged position. Also shown are the 'Jaws' on the truck and the Eye of the Drawbar. as you can see there isnt much room for error at all. you have to reverse the unit dead straight onto the eye.



Shown here is the Pin release controls. The handle is in the locked position as shown in the picture (handle pointing down) to release the pin you have to pull up the plunger ontop of the control box and turn the handle to the up position. The setup we are using is an automatic system. Before coupling up you put the lever back in the down position, and as the eye engages into the jaws, there is a pressure plate that automatically drops the pin down and locks it in place, sometimes its often better to wind the trailer up 2 turns on the legs to make sure the pin drops when you back onto it.



Picture showing the susies we use, note they are different from standard susies, these are continental ones, much easier imo. as a side note the connections on the trailer are still standard susies so students can get experience with both types



pic of the setup ive been driving

[ROG]

Good pics and a nice blog

[dreva]

not a bad looking old scania either

[kenno78]

Hi BigJon,

Very Good Pictures and Description mate! Very helpful!!
I start a 5 Day W+D course tommorow With Wallace Training in Battersea, south london with Test on the 5th Day. I did the Assessment A month ago, also Had a little session on the couple/uncouple and reverse and Enjoyed it. Have been used to reversing trailers For a few years now, obviously not as long as W+D, but its pretty much the same idea. Look forward to seeing how you get on Mate!

[bigcheese]

am i right thinking big jon has done the test by now, anyone know how he got on?

[ROG]

am i right thinking big jon has done the test by now, anyone know how he got on?

Day 4: (FRIDAY)

Best day so far. Instructor says he feels im ready for my test, not really much more that can be done now, just keep practicing until test day and fingers crossed ill be class 1 driver tuesday afternoon.

From what I can tell his test is on day 6 of the course

[bigcheese]

well pointed out rog

best of luck for tuesday big jon

[BigJon]

thnx guys. got 4 ish more hours of instruction tommorow then its D-day

[bigcheese]

i was a nervous wreck and felt like i was going to fail and i passed first time 4 minors, by your posts so far you`l fly threw it, whatever the outcome tho just enjoy the ride and best of luck !

[Big Jon's dad]

thnx guys. got 4 ish more hours of instruction tommorow then its D-day

Good luck Big Jon.

Enjoy it whatever the outcome.

BJD

[Big Jon's dad]

Hi BigJon,

Very Good Pictures and Description mate! Very helpful!!
I start a 5 Day W+D course tommorow With Wallace Training in Battersea, south london with Test on the 5th Day. I did the Assessment A month ago, also Had a little session on the couple/uncouple and reverse and Enjoyed it. Have been used to reversing trailers For a few years now, obviously not as long as W+D, but its pretty much the same idea. Look forward to seeing how you get on Mate!

I did my class 1 with Wallaces of Nottingham in 1977 on a tiny Bedford with a short flat trailer. My 2nd test (failed the first one) was the last time I drove an HGV if you could call it an HGV. I still keep my medicals up to date just in case I want or need to drive again. I even have a digi card although I've not so far used it.

Good luck with the training. I enjoyed my time training with Wallaces.

BJD

[kenno78]

Thanks Very much BigJonsdad,

They seem like a nice bunch of people at wallace' cant wait to get in that seat now!!

Good luck with the test BigJon.

[Big Jon's dad]

I just had a phone call from Big Jon.

The news is good. He passed. I will leave him to tell you just how well he has passed.

I'm over the moon, well pleased.



Congratulations Big Jon

Big Jon's proud Dad

[ROG]

I just had a phone call from Big Jon.

The news is good. He passed.

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[bigcheese]

nice one great news.

[BigJon]

Just got back in the door, after stopping by at the agency thats more or less on my way back

Arrived at the test centre after doing some practicing and anger management at the airfield (flattened a cone , felt so nice and more relaxed afterwards) 2 reverse's and 1 uncoupe / couple-up. then off to the test station.

Stood waiting for 10 mins for the examiner to come out the door, when he came out he greeted me and asked me to jump into the cab. we started up and proceeded around to the emergency stop circuit. got that out the way, then it was round the very tight corner and into the reversing pad. Lined myself up, round the cone, then back into the box. jumped out to check i was far enough back. turned out i was about 3 inches too short so jumped in and a little shunt backwards and the examiner raised his hand to say 'your done'. we then pulled forward and pulled over for 2 questions.

#1 Can you tell me how you would check the suspension is ok
A. If there was a problem with the suspension the cab / trailer body wouldnt sit properly.

#2 Can you show me how to change a tacho.
A. turn the tacho key and hinge the module forward, remove the old tacho by pulling upwards, and placing the new tacho onto the pear with the trace side facing up.

Now onto the drive.

Out the centre turning left down towards eccleshall, past the prison on the way.
through eccleshall, and upto the M6 j14, into stafford itself down the eccleshall road, down to the prison roundabout and then turned left up towards sandon. now the turn off the prison roundabout is very tight, and i had to stop for enough room to get through. the next roundabout is a small painted on one. which , in order to get round properly you just completely ignore in a truck . out up along to sandon. past the dog and doublet pub, and up the a51 / a34 back to stone. when we get onto to the a34 we turned off at walton roundabout back upto the test centre. pulled in and straight back round to the reverse pad (now empty) to do the trailer couple/uncouple. that went perfect. got the eye on the trailer about 6 inches from the jaws on the wagon on the initial reverse. checked it was lined up after dropping the pin lever. then rammed it home to make sure it coupled properly. examiner was happy, but at this point i wasnt sure i'd passed as i felt the drive wasnt the best in the world.

Simon turned to me and said 'im pleased to tell you you've passed' , and i breathed a sigh of releif. got my scorecard and i actually passed with only 4 minors !!!! i thought it was at least 10 or 12.

so now im a proper bendy truck driver. all i can say to all the others who follow, is to keep your head up, and dont give up, as proved by myself, i thought id blown it on the drive and it turns out it went far better than i thought it did.

Thanks for the advice and tips ROG and all the others who have helped out.
Feel free to link this in your list of blogs btw ROG

[kenno78]

"CONGRATULATIONS"

Well Done Matey!!! Well Pleased for ya!!!!!

[ROG]

Feel free to link this in your list of blogs btw ROG

Will do

[ROG]

Thanks for the CE W&D blog - the first one I've put in the list

It finished nicely with a test pass at the end of it as well