I have passed my theory, hazard and initial CPC test and now have my dates through for doing my class two licence which is an intensive course four days training and on the fifth day I will have my test. I start on the 30.06.2014 and was just wondering if any of you guys could please answer the following questions for me just so I’m a little prepared.
01 - Is it true that people usually fail their first test?
02 - Can you please give me any advice on passing first time?
03 - How much do re-tests usually cost?
04 - What are the main thing’s NOT to do, to make sure I pass?
I would be grateful for any serious replies, as after this I want to go for my Artic licence.
01 - Is it true that people usually fail their first test?
02 - Can you please give me any advice on passing first time?
03 - How much do re-tests usually cost?
04 - What are the main thing’s NOT to do, to make sure I pass?
01 Absolute nonsense
02 Select a competent trainer with good equipment and take on board the instruction given. Get plenty of sleep.
03 It varies; we charge £270 all in
04 Forget mirrors/shoulder checks, screw up the reverse, get your speeds wrong and dozens of other opportunities if you want to be really negative!!!
All the best with your training - where are you doing it?
01 - Is it true that people usually fail their first test?
02 - Can you please give me any advice on passing first time?
03 - How much do re-tests usually cost?
04 - What are the main thing’s NOT to do, to make sure I pass?
01 Absolute nonsense
02 Select a competent trainer with good equipment and take on board the instruction given. Get plenty of sleep.
03 It varies; we charge £270 all in
04 Forget mirrors/shoulder checks, screw up the reverse, get your speeds wrong and dozens of other opportunities if you want to be really negative!!!
All the best with your training - where are you doing it?
Pete
Hi Pete,
Thank you for your reply. I am doing it with a company called EP Training based in Leatherhead, Surrey. They have a good rep and seem really nice.
Keep it off the kerbs. Bury that nose in deep, it’s the thick end of 40ft long, not a Vauxhall Astra, and if your neck doesn’t hurt, and you couldn’t tell yourself the make and colour of the car behind you, you’re not using your mirrors enough. All observation.
Don’t know if you’re doing it in a manual or an auto, but get your head around the gearbox in the first couple of days. Fine tune the smaller details after that.
Enjoy it. The weeks I did my C and C+E, we all (8 in all) passed first time. Only one person turned up on one of the Fridays, for a retest, and they passed too.
Don’t rush. Your instructor will probably tell you this as you go along, but they know that you can drive, you haven’t spent all that money because you’re a bit of a chancer. You might fluff a gearchange, or cross your hands whilst steering. It’s not the end of the world. Be calm, patient and observant (especially observant)
And when it comes to reversing, if you’re making a balls of it, just take the shunt. You don’t get a gold star for scraping through when you’re really not sure how.
Don’t lose your head. I was a bag of nerves. Went back on the ■■■■ and sweated from places I didn’t know had sweat glands. I look back at it now, and wonder what I was so bothered about.
NOVE:
Keep it off the kerbs. Bury that nose in deep, it’s the thick end of 40ft long, not a Vauxhall Astra, and if your neck doesn’t hurt, and you couldn’t tell yourself the make and colour of the car behind you, you’re not using your mirrors enough. All observation.
Don’t know if you’re doing it in a manual or an auto, but get your head around the gearbox in the first couple of days. Fine tune the smaller details after that.
Enjoy it. The weeks I did my C and C+E, we all (8 in all) passed first time. Only one person turned up on one of the Fridays, for a retest, and they passed too.
Don’t rush. Your instructor will probably tell you this as you go along, but they know that you can drive, you haven’t spent all that money because you’re a bit of a chancer. You might fluff a gearchange, or cross your hands whilst steering. It’s not the end of the world. Be calm, patient and observant (especially observant)
And when it comes to reversing, if you’re making a balls of it, just take the shunt. You don’t get a gold star for scraping through when you’re really not sure how.
Don’t lose your head. I was a bag of nerves. Went back on the ■■■■ and sweated from places I didn’t know had sweat glands. I look back at it now, and wonder what I was so bothered about.
Nove,
Thank you for your reply mate. I’m only doing my C licence at the moment but then going for my Artic and ADR licence as I want to get everything to make me a good wage, European tanker driver sounds good to me and the misses will just have to deal with it lol, as the life I want to have needs money
Peter Smythe:
EP is a very good choice - so well done there!
So all you have to do now is to take on board the instruction and you’ll be fine. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask your trainer first.
Good luck with it, Pete
Thank you Pete
Once I have done my class two I’m then doing my Artic and ADR as I want to get as many licences as possible to make me as much money as possible hahaha, I’m a money hunter
No mate as I want to do European tanker driving, which means long days/weeks away from home and sleeping in my cab but it will all pay off in the end, my missus will just have to deal with it hahaha.
I was told that mirrors and shoulder checks are 50% of the test. With all the negative press around truck drivers hitting cyclists the examiners are apparently clamping down hard.
Left mirror, right mirror, right shoulder, right mirror and left mirror again every time you move off from traffic lights or roundabouts - oh, and a glance forward from time to time won’t hurt either…
Exaggerate head turns and shoulder checks to be sure the examiner notices.
Add a few more mirror checks when you go for gear changes, and throw in a few more every time you see a potential hazard ahead as a message to the examiner that you’ve spotted it.
Pass rates vary, but broadly speaking on average you have a slightly better than 50% chance of passing. However, that supposes you are average - if you’re good then you’ll pass. Simples.
ORC:
I was told that mirrors and shoulder checks are 50% of the test. With all the negative press around truck drivers hitting cyclists the examiners are apparently clamping down hard.
Left mirror, right mirror, right shoulder, right mirror and left mirror again every time you move off from traffic lights or roundabouts - oh, and a glance forward from time to time won’t hurt either…
Exaggerate head turns and shoulder checks to be sure the examiner notices.
Add a few more mirror checks when you go for gear changes, and throw in a few more every time you see a potential hazard ahead as a message to the examiner that you’ve spotted it.
Pass rates vary, but broadly speaking on average you have a slightly better than 50% chance of passing. However, that supposes you are average - if you’re good then you’ll pass. Simples.
Thank you so much for your advice and I promise you that I will remember this as I will also copy and paste this message onto my PC
NOVE:
I wish you all the best. Keep your feet on the ground though bud. Having all the bits of paper in the world won’t land you that dream job.
It’ll take a lot of door knocking, a fair bit of luck, the wind blowing the right way, etc, before you get there.
Don’t be afraid to start at the bottom. You’re not going to be walking straight into jobs like that.
Hi Nove,
Thank you mate for wishing me all the best, I have already got a job that runs vans as well as 7.5 Tonne it’s only night work but the 3.5 Tonne get £470 p/w and the 7.5 Tonne get £580 p/w… Obviously I won’t be staying with the company as they only run 7.5 Tonne but it’s a step in the right direction as the biggest I have drove is 3.5 Tonne… Once I get everything I need I will be happy but I still have a lot of hard work ahead of me
