after passing my class 1 and class 2 I have driven an 18t rigid, a bin wagon and an 8 wheel tipper, anyway after registering with a few agencies I have just had a call 6.30 start tomorrow , a couple of local pick ups then a run from Peterborough to Chelmsford in an ARTIC !!! I passed in a wagon and drag and apart from a quick reverse practice in an artic at Peter Smyths open day here in Peterborough I have never driven one before!!!
that’s no sleep tonight then
any pointers that may help are gratefully received…
Don’t panic
Don’t rush
Don’t be afraid to ask
Going forward, make the sharp end (the unit) go the long way round any junction or bend. You’ll tidy it up quickly.
Going backwards, give yourself as much room as you can. Secret is in little steering and give it time to work. Straighten the steering up as you can see the trailer getting to where you want it. Don’t wait till it’s there or it’ll all be too late. Shunt as many times as needs be. Ask for some help if you need it. Always get out and look. Don’t make any assumptions.
I recognise the feeling. My first artic run was Carlisle to Carinryan, ferry, then entire length of Ireland and I was SO scared. By lunchtime I was enjoying it, then I accidentally went though a very small town…but that’s another story…
Anyway, YOU WILL BE OK!! The examiner wouldn’t have let you on the roads with the ticket if he/she had any doubts.
Like Pete says use all the road on turns at the beginning until you get used to how the trailer tracks. In general due to trailer length and fifth wheel coupling you need to allow a bit more room than in a W&D. If you are close coupled it’s quite important you watch the bulk head (front) of the trailer too particularly on tighter turns as it sticks out more than you may expect. Until you get confident the safe thing to do is take it slow, no matter who or what is behind you. Remember that everyone had a first day once.
I’ll be the 3rd to tell you that getting out and looking is the correct thing to do if you are unsure about what is going on when reversing. Loads of drivers do it daily. Never guess!
start time was 6.30 so got there with plenty of time, I was told I had to do an assessment first so one of the old sweats was going to sit with me on my first local run, and I was handed a set of keys to a 2 year old merc two seater, the selecter took a bit of explaining but once that was sussed it was easy, I just kept reminding myself to use all the lane so as not to clip kerbs,
anyway after a short run of about 30 mins we tipped the 26 pallets of throat losinges then back to the yard empty, we then had to swap trailers, which to be honest I was worried about having never had to do this (passed on wagon and drag) but the you tube video I had watched the night before about 6 times was a great help and my assessor was well impressed with this as well as the fact I was English lol. Anyway he had nothing to do that afternoon so he came with me down to Chelmsford Aldi depo. we stopped half way down as I was due break finally arriving at aldi at 2pm, we were booked to arrive at 3 but he told me to try and get in. only to be told the depo was running 2 hrs behind and we should park up somewhere until 5pm. we did this and watched a film on the ipad not a bad couple of hours work lol. then into the depo and the parking arghhhhhh I was told to park up and find out what bay I was on when I went to park I took a couple of shunts but the assessor jumped out and made me get out so he could put it in, this made me feel like a right prat. we found the bay and I was to put it in the bay, this I was doing with him stood behind as he insisted on doing so. He then started shouting this way, that way etc and to be honest he got me flustered so I ended up jumping out and walking to the back of the wagon where he was where I had a few choice words with him, I then climbed back in and put it on the bay myself, I was more annoyed at letting myself get flustered. I di the reverse in my test no problem I have been towing a caravan for the last 10 years so I can do it and to be honest if he hadn’t been there doing what he was doing I would bet my bottom dollar I would get it on there in one go if not two, Anyway in I go and then another steep learning curve when I realised I had to tip myself 26 pallets of chunky chopped tomatoes and sweetcorn and I had never driven on of the electric pallet trolleys, I did break a pallet by mistake but buried it in amoungst the rest so got away with that
Then back home and time is ticking on now but the roads weren’t that busy and back in the yard at 9pm after a long tiring day but now a lot more confident having only hit the kerb once and that was due to another artic driver coming up on the middle lane of a slip road, I was in the left lane going left and he was in the middle going left as well, this meant I couldn’t swing out and use all my lane as his trailer would cut in and take me out but the assessor acknowledged this.
Anyway had two more agencys that all provide staff for this company ring me today trying to get me to work for them, anyway after only one days work I have managed to negotiate myself a £2 per hr pay rise
it was a long day and I didn’t get home until 9.35pm but a good little earner both financially and experience wise, the assessor said I would be one of the drivers they would be asking for by name and that all I need is more time in the drivers seat which I knew anyway.
day off today then a day tipper driving tomorrow so a chilled out day for me
second day done, started at 10am which was nice driving a Scania which meant a whole new wagon again to try and get to grips with ( it was pants compared to the merc I had last week) anyway I have never driven an auto with a clutch… whats that all about but once I had sussed it it was fine.
hooked up my trailer which had three axles and was 15.11 tall… so it was a big one. definatly different to a normal trailer it didn’t seem to follow as well and seemed to fight the wagon if we weren’t going straight.
I then had to load it up so an old sweat gave me some some advice off dropping the air suspension on the wagon and raising it on the trailer which does help as you handball 52 pallets on board. Yesterday I was carrying… Easter Eggs can you believe it!!!
Of to Bradford I went with a relatively smooth run mainly due to the fact it was a calm day so no wind so the trailer did pretty much what I expected. One thing I did notice is the camber of the road is a lot more apparent with the tall double decker.
Got to M&S depot and given my bay now its time for the dreaded reverse, well honestly it took me about 5 shunts to get onto what was quite a tight bay, At this point I will say passing you class 1 in a wagon and drag is the easiest way to get your ticket but reversing an artic is a completely different ball game to a W&D, mainly because it doesn’t bend in the middle. 2 hours at M&S getting tipped so I just surfed the net on my ipad, then off to my next pic up
next load all on (another 52 pallets) and then back down the A1 to Peterborough I got back at 11.30pm which cocked up my plans for a pint last night. I was told by another old sweat that the M&S depot has some of the tightest bay around so I gave myself a pat on the back for only taking 5 shunts. oh and they are bloody tight.
So it was another school day with new things to learn like playing with the air suspension on both the trailer and the wagon but on the whole another one under the belt.
I passed in a wagon and drag and apart from a quick reverse practice in an artic at Peter Smyths open day here in Peterborough I have never driven one before!!!
not a bad couple of hours work lol. then into the depo and the parking arghhhhhh I was told to park up and find out what bay I was on when I went to park I took a couple of shunts but the assessor jumped out and made me get out so he could put it in, this made me feel like a right prat. we found the bay and I was to put it in the bay, this I was doing with him stood behind as he insisted on doing so. He then started shouting this way, that way etc and to be honest he got me flustered so I ended up jumping out and walking to the back of the wagon where he was where I had a few choice words with him, I then climbed back in and put it on the bay myself, I was more annoyed at letting myself get flustered. I di the reverse in my test no problem I have been towing a caravan for the last 10 years so I can do it and to be honest if he hadn’t been there doing what he was doing I would bet my bottom dollar I would get it on there in one go if not two, Anyway in I go and then another steep learning curve when I realised I had to tip myself 26 pallets of chunky chopped tomatoes and sweetcorn and I had never driven on of the electric pallet trolleys, I did break a pallet by mistake but buried it in amoungst the rest so got away with that