Hi all,
start driving on monday, am class 1 but asked my agency to give me class 2 to gain experience, have i done the right thing? 
Also, this is both for analoge and digital tacho, do i have to flick them to driving or can i leave it on āother thanā it might seem like a numb question but iāve heard conflicting advice. Thanks guys and girls.
I dont see how you will gain class 1 exper from driving a class 2 ā¦ just jump in you will be fine.
I work agency on class one at weekends from time 2 time.
I work full time on rigids all week, and it does my head in!
I know which I prefer, itās CLASS ONE all the way.
Iād go for Class one mate, really.
matchbox:
I work full time on rigids all week, and it does my head in!.
As a matter of interest why is that?
Had class 2 11months and class 1 9 months.
Was taken on by current employer as class 2 driver.
only get class 1 work either when our class 1 lad is off or, via sat or sun for agy.
Im assuming your question was why i was on rigids when i have the class 1?
if not, well, i just enjoy driving the artic more than the rigids!
I passed class 2 in November 06 and signed up with agency for weekend work. I got sweet F.A.
I passed my class 1 in Feb 07 and signed on with agencies and finally found a decent one doing class 1 weekend work.
Iād go for the class 1 work if I was you.
No time like the present to start learning class1 ins and outs and believe me there are quite a few.
If you have a problem etc and you are not sure then, do what I do, ask another driver for advice or help. Iāve never been turned down so far. Iāve learnt a lot that way.
If you are worried about going out on your own for the first time then Iād ask for a night shift because the roads etc a bit quieter.
I hope that helps.
Good luck.
Let us know what you have decided and how you are getting on.
matchbox:
if not, well, i just enjoy driving the artic more than the rigids!
No I meant, why is it you enjoy driving artics more?
Iām curiousā¦Iāve only got class 2ā¦do you find it easier?
Andyroo:
Iām curiousā¦Iāve only got class 2ā¦do you find it easier?
Personally, yes. I finally got my head around reversing an artic and I feel happier with one.
itās worth mentioning that the only rigid hgv i have ever driven was the training vehicle I learned on, and an X reg Merc Atego which I am on now.
We have a DAF CF artic, and I love it !
I dont know if we had newer comfier rigids id feel different, but i have a class 1, i paid for it myself, seems a shame to waste it!
sandman:
Hi all,
start driving on monday, am class 1 but asked my agency to give me class 2 to gain experience, have i done the right thing?You have passed the test and got the licence for both so choose which you think you will be most comfortable with.
sandman:
start driving on monday, am class 1 but asked my agency to give me class 2 to gain experience, have i done the right thing?
IMHO sandman, Iād say youāve done exactly the right thing. Rigid first, then artic. Itās been that way since I started in the 70ās.
Itās one thing to get the licences, but itās a completely different matter when you drive either Cat āCā or Cat āC+Eā when fully loaded. Then thereās the question of how much time there is between the test passes. If you did the two tests recently and fairly close to each other, then itās fairly obvious to any employer that you lack LGV experience. Do you honestly think a decent firm is then going to let you loose in a nice shiny artic? WADR guys, itās the old saying about running before you can walk. Iāll own up, I did my āapprenticeshipā on rigids.
Iād say that matchbox has taken the right approach, and as you can see if you read his posts, itās paying off.
I drove 26t rigid for a couple of years and when I started c+e, I felt at home because driving the artic didnāt feel that different - reversing not included 
Had I have jumped directly into a artic, Iād have found it harder without experienceā¦ Hassle is in the early days, when you find itās not the same as your lessonsā¦ youāre fully loaded, looking for a name on a building and donāt have the security of an instructor warning you about the traffic light or fence youāll take down unless you swing out a bit further 
Class 2 work gave me lots of confidence to drive class 1. Because Iād been ābroken inā, I could relax and concentrate on the differences without worrying about driving a monster sized truck from the word go and all the panic that goes with the territory.
Enjoy the new job.
ā ā ā ā class 2.
Go straight for class 1.
I left my safe world of Class 1 training and lept into a artic loaded out with 24t of sand on the bag (builders bags).
Add flinging it round brum, northampton and leicester and that will put some hairs on your chest and take a few years off your life.
Other than letting you learn the roads and know the āquickestā way to places class 2 will teach you very little to help you with class 1.
Sockpuppet:
[zb] class 2.Go straight for class 1.
Rubbishing my advice like that is based on how many YEARS of your own LGV experienceā ā ?
Sockpuppet:
Add flinging it round brum, northampton and leicester and that will put some hairs on your chest and take a few years off your life.
My point exactly. Is that how a good driver does the job?? Who in their right mind would want to do that?? Not to mention possibly attracting the attention of the police, who enjoy giving hairy-chested people a reality check.
Sockpuppet:
Other than letting you learn the roads and know the āquickestā way to places class 2 will teach you very little to help you with class 1.
Really?? Based on you driving loaded LGVs for how long?? Mackerel doesnāt seem to think so, others donāt seem to think so, and nor do I. Are we all wrong?? When did you pass C+E?? Sockpuppet, this post is a wind-up surely, isnāt it??
sandman:
Also, this is both for analoge and digital tacho, do i have to flick them to driving or can i leave it on āother thanā it might seem like a numb question but iāve heard conflicting advice. Thanks guys and girls.
When driving, you should always have it on āOther Workā (crossed hammers). Digital tachos will switch to O.W. automatically, but analogue ones (even the CD-style ones) have to be switched manually.
Be careful with the CD ones, as you canāt switch them whilst youāre moving, like you can with the dial-style ones - you have to switch them before you move off.
Thanks all for your excellent advice. It really is a bit daunting for me because iāve only ever driven in the army and the civilian way of doing things is a bit alien to me.
I think iāll stick to the rigids for the first few months, at least until i leave the forces and go full time. 
Once again everyone thanks, you are a fountain of knowledge.
Go for class one, donāt be afraid to ask for help, most artic drivers will help drivers that are note sure,
sandman:
Thanks all for your excellent advice. It really is a bit daunting for me because iāve only ever driven in the army and the civilian way of doing things is a bit alien to me.
I think iāll stick to the rigids for the first few months, at least until i leave the forces and go full time.
thats the route i took. agency work while i was serving. get used to class 2 for a while before you move into class 1. it isnt a matter of size and bendy bits. commercial driving is totally different from military driving and finding your feet now will stand you in good stead when you do leave. military experience doesnt count in the eyes of a civvy boss. can you read maps? deal with customers, work a tail lift, find an address in the middle of a city centre etc etc etc. you dont want to learn all that stuff with a 40 footer to move around adding to your woes
I did the normal apprenticeship although I was brought up in haulage and could reverse an artic when I was 11 years old.
I drove a rigid 4 wheeler on multidrop which lets you learn map reading skills and load security. I was then given an A frame drawbar to go behind my rigid and that made me appreciate the extra weight and length. It was 3 years later before I drove an Artic and disagree that a rigid truck can be taken on a test with a drawbar trailer and pass class one with it.
Wheel Nut:
It was 3 years later before I drove an Artic and disagree that a rigid truck can be taken on a test with a drawbar trailer and pass class one with it.
I passed with a drawbar a couple of weeks back and would agree I need some 5th wheel training just for my own piece of mind, however wouuld feel the same if approching a drawbar for the first time also, Iāll be starting on class2 to begin with.
Karl