car to truck licence-is 11.5hours training enough for someone who has never even sat in a truck before?
nervoustimes:
car to truck licence-is 11.5hours training enough for someone who has never even sat in a truck before?
Category C1 or category C ?
If you do 2:1 that is often as much direct training as you would receive.
cat c
1 to 1
Was the 11.5 hours what your driver trainer assessed you would need. Or is it down to affordability?
nervoustimes:
car to truck licence-is 11.5hours training enough for someone who has never even sat in a truck before?
Off course not, the training & the test that followed,
is just comfirmation that the driver is able to safely handle the vehicle.
as was the “car” test that preceded it.
Thats why the intital modules & periodic (cpc) training was interduced 
de 2xQ
i’m on a crappy afternon work shift today, i have my test wedesday & have no training/driving time prior to the the test! i dont feel ready whatsoever! i’m still not as smooth as i’d like to be, i’m not clipping kerbs but i am still a bit sketchy at times on gears, i’m using a rangechange box that you hit to the left (low range) right (high range) also my braking is not as smooth as i’d like at all, the air brakes on a lorry to me have very little “feel” also ironing out car driving habits is SO hard to do, i’ve been a car/van driver for 15 years
i feel i have put 120% effort in/listening to my trainers (2) i have been reading inetween lessons & thinking where i have gone wrong & tried to change that every lesson
i personally feel i have’nt had enough time in the saddle so to speak!!! i feel i needed more time in the cab to iron out/smooth out my driving-feel a bit dissapointed as unless lady luck plays a role on wednesday i know i’m heading for a fail! not a good feeling
i’ll give it 150% o the day no doubt about that! i wont feel as pround if i do pass thoughi’ll feel a bit second rate-hope i make some sort of sence to you guys
thankyou all for any replys
Ok. So you’ve had 11.5h training in prep for a test. You also have had 2 different trainers. So have had to get used to 2 different ways of being taught.
Sounds like a shambles to me.
There have been a few threads recently of shambolic training along these lines.
I wonder whether you took the cheaper option just to save a few quid.
I hope it all works out for you and you get a pass. But from what you have written, I think you may just scrape through if you keep your composure on test day.
the course has been paid for by my employer & i did’nt get an assesment drive! i feel my employer is trying get a few of us so called “better drivers” upgraded to a lorry licence on cost over quality-nothing new in that statement these days eh
i’m a bit disheartened as i would love to upgrade to class2/c & also class1/c+e eventually…
in a “work” type situation i have never crossed paths with the “lorry-driving world” i’m a car/van driver-lorrys are a differant ball-game altogether, i’ve always viewed lorry driving as “pretty-■■■■-professional” & i’m always amazed when i see them manouvering
thats basicly why i’d like to be a lorry driver these days, to learn & be bloody good at putting a lorry in some amazingly tight spaces to load/unload
As you say there is nothing new in employers cutting corners on costs.
I honestly do wish you all the best and hope that if you don’t get through this test that you get another crack at it with some extra hours on the road.
Keep us updated and we’ll do the best we can to help
if all go’s “■■■■ up” & i fail
i feel in a sence at least i have experianced driving a lorry & had a good introduction & got a very basic feel of what its like…to that end
i feel 200% in using my own cash£££ & finding a good trainer to get my lorry licence-iow much feel i have the abuilty to be a “good” lorry driver
if i do “luck-it” & pass i personally feel i may use some of my own cash to have a few lessons with another trainer as in my own mind-i would’nt trust me in a truck if i do pass!!! thats saying somthing is’nt it
i have a fair amount of experiance in driving various vehicles on farms, driven alot of left hand drive vehicles over the years/motorbikes also but never a lorry in any sence-i can put a luton box van down an entry with 1/2" either side to spare & not touch the van “ever” but
IT AINT A LORRY-its just a big car with car gearbox/car brakes
i’m working for a bit of a “billy-■■■■■■■■” company & in all honesty monetary-wise i’d be better off on the dole but i like being with people & out n about so i’m "just about hanging in there despite wanting to hit the boss square in the jaw & show him some reality!!! 
suffice to say i’m not happy where i work whatsoever
i don mind treading a tough road to driving lorrys as to me “thats a given when ya new” 
i’m disheartened on this current experiance & a bit down-but not out!!!
i’m going to watch some dsa/vosa vids on youtube & go through the dsa heavy goods books/highway code later on after work to prepare myself for the test wednesday-also try try to drive in “lorry mode” in my car-which to be fair i have been doing since i started the cat c training
i start work at 2:30pm today 
& gotta put up with the village-idiot (boss) sitting in the passenger side of the van thinking he’s a fckin comedian-its got to the point i have vision in my head of dropping him off at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere when he needs a ■■■■
meanwhile i just leave him to it, & bugger off 400 miles home - oh the satisfaction i’d get
thanks for the advice all/dar
when i was training as it was all “new” & fairly intense sitting & driving a lorry for the 1st time, i did’nt really think about “is this enough traing for me to pass” i was to busy concentrting trying to be good enough to pass
now the time is nearly on me to go for test its the weekend before the wednesday test day! & now i have had time to take stock of the situation the reality-check has kicked in of how un-prepared i am
keep away from birmingham wednesday midday all… 
i’ll update asap-i’m off to deal with the boss
where in the country should i leave him hmmmm… 
See what Wednesday brings. Lets hope its a pass.
If not then we can always advise on good trainers in the Midlands.
Best of luck.
nervoustimes:
i’ll update asap-i’m off to deal with the bosswhere in the country should i leave him hmmmm…
No, don’t leave your boss nervoustimes! No matter how much satisfaction it would give you. 
My Dad taught me something I found very useful many years ago. He told me when I started my very first job aged 16 to always leave a company on good terms if at all possible, as you never know if you might need them to give references in the near future or as in my case, to work for again on a different department. I ended up actually going back to work (in a totally different capacity) for two companies I used to work for over the years. If I had just walked out, like I felt like doing, I would never have had that opportinuty. Just a thought mate.
Another thing I would say is…try not to worry too much about this test on Wednesday. It’s not the end of the world mate, it really isn’t. Try and actually enjoy it, that helps. (Well, it did for me anyway!) And don’t forget you’re not paying for it anyway! If I were you, I would just see all this as extra (free) training in preparation for doing it yourself later on. If you actually pass, it’s a great bonus. But if you fail, don’t worry, as it’s all invaluble experience and think about going it alone after that (if you can afford to), as I presume if you do pass, you’re current boss will ask you to pay the costs back if you then leave within the next year or so. Yeah?
All the best with it anyway. Keep us posted with your progress.
LJ 
cheers dar & lj!
i did’nt leave the boss in the lake district earlier! bit of a fast drive home for an early finish
on my drive today i was thinking, in my training this week i did my practicing for the reverse exercise, the instructor showed me a good technique & i managed to consistantly do the reverse exercise “bang on target” every time from my 2nd attempt onwards-
i have no issues with the reverse manouver at all because of the technique - afterwards as i was feeling pretty good about it all i went to shake the intructors hand & saying thanks for the help but the handshake did’nt happen, i was left hanging so to speak…looking at that situation “after the fact” it kinda says it all as to be honest its the only instuction i have had really,
i’ve not gone over the vehicle walkaround checks which i think should have happened from day 1
i had to ask instructor no2 about vehicle checks how to turn on lights/wipers, how/where to check the oil/antifreeze on thursday evening 
he seemed shocked i was’nt told by instructor number1■■?
i think i’m going to take the oppertunity of taking the test to at least aleaviate (sorry cant spell) my test day nerves-if i pass or fail is irrelivant this time & as lj says-i AINT paying for it so i’ll use this as experiance to my own advantage
i have already saved some £££ as a lgv training fund but as i’m sure you guys would agree it would have been nice to have gained my cat c without dipping into my own pocket but as the saying go’s
there is no such this as a free lunch!!!
11.5 is enough. I had 4 lessons 2:1 for 5 hours each time. With swapping round and ■■■ breaks I had far less than 11.5 hours and I passed.
Company doesnt sound great though and it sounds like you’ve been taking the truck out without doing vehicle checks. They shouldn’t be allowing that.
And those knock boxes are hardly ideal for training.
Good luck
Terry T:
And those knock boxes are hardly ideal for training.Good luck
A properly set up slap over box is perfectly good for training.
dar1976:
Terry T:
And those knock boxes are hardly ideal for training.Good luck
A properly set up slap over box is perfectly good for training.
Though not as ideal as a regular 6 speed with high/low split. Less to deal with the better.
well i have been out from 9am until 4pm today practicing my driving, going over MMS blindspot M, trying to refine my driving “routines” braking nice & early, planing ahead, keeping in mind when in busy areas with crossings “dont move off unless there is room for the full length of the lorry” so as not to impede pedestrians crossing, check the mirrors every 10/20 seconds/possibly say it out loud LEFT MIRROR CHECK/RIGHT MIRROR CHECK/BLINDSPOT CHECK so mister examiner knows i am covering that side of things, just going over the whole schpeel of it in my head & trying to drive smooth
the hill start worrys me a bit as i cant feel the clutch biting point in the truck i’m using which is a bit ■■■■■■ really
i found this has impeded me being as smooth as i know i can be, i’ve driven some dodgy motors over the years but i am one of these people that can usually find the “sweet spot” in a car/van with a dodgy clutch or gearbox/or handbrake-it may be just me being crap i dunno
i doubt it i drove a mini for years without a clutch at all, i just timed my gearchanges with the rpms to not crunch it to much?
going over the daily vehicle checks on my own vehicle with an up to date question answer sheet so i hopefully should have the answers the examiner asks for
i need to go over what switches do what in the cab for wipers/washers/lights etc etc yeah bit late in the day aint it 
other than that i thinks its just a case of take my time, dont rush ANYTHING, drive as smooth as i possibly can/use my mirrors well, indicate off islands as thats a bad habit of mine i need to get out off, dont rush the gears at any point!!! always prepare to stop!
fingers crossed guys ‘n’ gals i can lick it! but if i dont then i’ll have a retest, if i dont pass on the retest i’ll pay my own way with a decent trainer
i mean say the instructor went over daily checks on day 1 & said from now on its up to you to do the checks for your own good then fair enough, but they were’nt gone over at all, is it up to me to ask? personally i did’nt realise when i started that lorry drivers did daily checks so in that instance “i aint gonna be asking about them am i”
so in effect have i bascly had 11.5 hours of ■■■■■■■ aroung feeling how a lorry works then the rest i teach myself-whats the trainers role been in the grand scheme■■?
as you probobly can gather i’m a bit narked about the whole thing & i’m probobly “venting” some of the frustration on here but i hope if any other newbies read this & recognise some of whats gone on with my training & feel they are being “stiffed in the ■■■” then other newbies may be able to react to the situ sooner than i recognised i was getting the wrong eng of a ■■■■■■ traing stick
i apolaguise for my expletives-if they offend anyone-i’m really not that fussed if they do-i’m exactly the same in person
on the flipside of being a moaning goat i’m feeling pretty positive after the effort i put in for myself today, my head feels a little more relaxed about the test-i dont feel nervous, i’m just gonna give it my best shot, either way i’ll either celebrate with a cider or two if i pass or cry into 6-10 pints of cider if i fail - in warped way its a win win situ for some booze LOL
Yes. You need to know your checks because you will be asked 2 show me tell me questions before going out on the road.
I realise you have no control over the time your employer has booked for you, but they really are cutting corners if they expect you to be ready after just 11.5h of (by all accounts) mediocre training.
Again I wish you all he best. I think you’ve done everything you can and will just have to pray for a result on Wednesday.
I know a good trainer in the Midlands if you don’t get through.