I have had C1 grandads for 22 years would hiring one of these over a few days help with practicing towards my C test. I suppose any rigid under 7.5 tonnes MAM would qualify and not sure if such a truck could be hired with a 4/4 splitter. I want practice at driving âsizeâ not weight as the test is unladen anyway.
Lessons come in at ÂŁ150.00 + beans for a 4 hour day, Iâve seen 7.5 tonne hire at half that, even a day + fuel âplayingâ around should give me a good feel for the vehicle and taking class C.
mrpj:
I did this myself as the driving school I used had one although on reflection it probably wasnât worth doing as the lessons were adequate
Hi mrpj, just curious do the training schools not use the same truck for C1 and C as the unladen weight (truck only) would be under 7.5 tonnes anyway. Did the 7.5 have a splitter box, sorry for all the questions glad your lessons were âadequateâ, Iâm a grade 5 driving instructor I hope when I get a trainer they will be good.
Redrorry:
Hi mrpj, just curious do the training schools not use the same truck for C1 and C as the unladen weight (truck only) would be under 7.5 tonnes anyway.
No, aside from the fact that the unladen weight of their C vehicle was probably over 7.5t as it was an 18 tonner GVW is the figure used, although strangly the C1 vehicle I used was originally 10t but had been downplated to 7.5t for the reason you describe
All 7.5 tonners have 5/6 speed boxes mate, donât know if youâve ever driven a 7.5 tonner but theyâre nothing like an 18 tonner. Itâs nothing to do with the weight or even the length really. A 7.5 tonner just seems to have a much tighter turning circle and you can throw them about a lot more. Weâve got a load of 12,15 and 16 tonners at work and theyâre the same! In-fact I got a bit too used to driving them and when I got back in to the 18 tonner again it was a bit of a shock how different they are. Canât see how it would benefit you to hire one for practicing, better off saving your money, theyâre not cheap to hire either.
Iâve never seen a 7.5 tonne with a splitter - I could be wrong but as far as I know they donât have them, there is going to be obviously a difference between an 18t & a 7.5t, apart from the weight & size in the first instance, they will handle differently & the gears will be different. You need 8 (minimum) forward gears for your C test, so i cant see that you would gain anything by hiring a 7.5t, you would probably be better off putting your âhiring moneyâ twords your training
chris_89:
All 7.5 tonners have 5/6 speed boxes mate, donât know if youâve ever driven a 7.5 tonner but theyâre nothing like an 18 tonner. Itâs nothing to do with the weight or even the length really. A 7.5 tonner just seems to have a much tighter turning circle and you can throw them about a lot more. Weâve got a load of 12,15 and 16 tonners at work and theyâre the same! In-fact I got a bit too used to driving them and when I got back in to the 18 tonner again it was a bit of a shock how different they are. Canât see how it would benefit you to hire one for practicing, better off saving your money, theyâre not cheap to hire either.
Cheers chris itâs all beginning to make some sense, the 15 tonner I paid ÂŁ20.00 for a 30 min âassessmentâ was being thrown about nicely only one kerb, gear change a â â â â â (duh 5ths over to the left not right dumb â â â )I didnât think the truck looked much bigger size dimension wise than a 7.5 tonne and being a canny driving instructor type thought to teach myself to get used something bigger than a transit.
bonnie lass:
Iâve never seen a 7.5 tonne with a splitter - I could be wrong but as far as I know they donât have them, there is going to be obviously a difference between an 18t & a 7.5t, apart from the weight & size in the first instance, they will handle differently & the gears will be different. You need 8 (minimum) forward gears for your C test, so i cant see that you would gain anything by hiring a 7.5t, you would probably be better off putting your âhiring moneyâ twords your training
That makes sense I can see that a 7.5 tonne would not need a 4/4 spitter as they would only be carrying a low cargo weight. I did an âassessmentâ drive with a local company the vehicles they use are 15 tonne guy said 4 days + test. It was good fun mucking about with the seat adjustment while he just watched me going up and down in the seat like like a muppet. When he finally decided to show me how the controls worked he was all over my person like a rash reaching for them and not explaining (instructing) how to use them glad I wasnât a female.
Anyway thanks everyone for answering my question even though I thought it was daft idea - see disclaimer.
Now to find a fellow professional instructor.
bonnie lass:
Iâve never seen a 7.5 tonne with a splitter - I could be wrong but as far as I know they donât have them, there is going to be obviously a difference between an 18t & a 7.5t, apart from the weight & size in the first instance, they will handle differently & the gears will be different. You need 8 (minimum) forward gears for your C test, so i cant see that you would gain anything by hiring a 7.5t, you would probably be better off putting your âhiring moneyâ twords your training
That makes sense I can see that a 7.5 tonne would not need a 4/4 spitter as they would only be carrying a low cargo weight. I did an âassessmentâ drive with a local company the vehicles they use are 15 tonne guy said 4 days + test. It was good fun mucking about with the seat adjustment while he just watched me going up and down in the seat like like a muppet. When he finally decided to show me how the controls worked he was all over my person like a rash reaching for them and not explaining (instructing) how to use them glad I wasnât a female.
Anyway thanks everyone for answering my question even though I thought it was daft idea - see disclaimer.
Now to find a fellow professional instructor.
Yeah, itâs always wise to do a few assessments with different companies. Find one you like, donât choose the first one you come across. Look out for good instructors, good vehicles and suitable facilities. We have lots of letters and cards in out waiting room to hopefully impress new customers.
Driving a 7.5t vehicle is good practice, length and width are very similar. But itâs hard to teach yourself the finer points.
Like tockwith says, try out a few different trainers. And take everything into consideration for suitability to your requirements, & weigh up the costs inc VAT. Shop about, although if you have far to travel etc, this can also eat into your funds good luck
Hi Squiddy, I have a good idea of the local training providers the problem is some are advertising DSA registered instructors which would mean they would hold an ADI qualification like myself.
What I am finding is that itâs the owner who has or maybe has the DSA qualification but rest of the âdriverâ trainers do not, this allows the company to advertise they are DSA registered.
My problem is it is easy for me to spot DSA qualified instructors, it would be much easier and put my mind at rest if they all had DSA as I would know what I was getting.
Redrorry:
My problem is it is easy for me to spot DSA qualified instructors, it would be much easier and put my mind at rest if they all had DSA as I would know what I was getting.
Hi Redrorry,
DSA qualified LGV instructors will have a blue badge much the same as your green ADI badge. If itâs not displayed you could ask to see it.
Redrorry:
My problem is it is easy for me to spot DSA qualified instructors, it would be much easier and put my mind at rest if they all had DSA as I would know what I was getting.
Hi Redrorry,
DSA qualified LGV instructors will have a blue badge much the same as your green ADI badge. If itâs not displayed you could ask to see it.
Cheers Geoff didnât know that, I take it that I walk (after trial drive) if the badge and name donât match. Iâve got a feeling I will be as welcome as a f@rt in space suit if I start asking âawkwardâ questions.
A couple of places here to try, donât know if youâve got these already - Ritchies Springburn Glasgow & Jim Mair driver training Kilmarnock, these are only suggested so you will still need to do your homework on these. I have heard ritchies is rekoned to be good although I dont know myself. Hope this helps
Redrorry:
Cheers Geoff didnât know that, I take it that I walk (after trial drive) if the badge and name donât match. Iâve got a feeling I will be as welcome as a f@rt in space suit if I start asking âawkwardâ questions.
I think an instructor would be a tad daft to try to pass someone elseâs badge off as their own. They have a photo of the instructor on them! I always keep mine in the window.
Iâm sure there are some good instructors out there who arenât on the register, although if they are good instructors I donât know why they donât take the tests.
bonnie lass:
A couple of places here to try, donât know if youâve got these already - Ritchies Springburn Glasgow & Jim Mair driver training Kilmarnock, these are only suggested so you will still need to do your homework on these. I have heard ritchies is rekoned to be good although I dont know myself. Hope this helps
Cheers bonnie lass will give them a look, are you in the glasgow area who did you train with.
bonnie lass:
A couple of places here to try, donât know if youâve got these already - Ritchies Springburn Glasgow & Jim Mair driver training Kilmarnock, these are only suggested so you will still need to do your homework on these. I have heard ritchies is rekoned to be good although I dont know myself. Hope this helps
Cheers bonnie lass will give them a look, are you in the glasgow area who did you train with.
As I said itâs up to you to check them out, as it happens I was on yell.com -since, & there are a few around Glasgow area. Also have you checked out the ilascotland website ( I donât know, but it may be of interest to you) . Iâm working all over the west side of uk - had to go where there is work available, & I must be a good 8-10 hours drive away from Glasgow hope this helps
Hi. Yes, itâs true that some advertise as DSA APPROVED. Be aware that there is no such thing. In the LGV world there are 2 things worth looking for. First is DSA Registered Instructor. But with this one you still have to be carefull as someone can be DSA registered prior to being qualified. In the ADI world this person would have a red badge. In LGV, there is no equivalent badge. So a trainee instructor could correctly advertise as DSA registered but be totally unqualified. But they wonât have a badge.
Secondly, if you check this link dsa.gov.uk/category.asp?cat=324 that will take you to the few DSA Accredited LGV Schools. By definition, their instructors have to be registered and, with very few and strange exceptions, must be qualified. The instructor names appear on the DSA website so it should be quite easy to check that the information you are given is correct.
You will notice that Richies is on the DSA list. Never heard anything bad about them.
good luck 
hope this helps