If I had a job and free training I’d probably come across a bit more grateful.
Also if you’re not safe to drive, don’t drive. Buck stops with you if you pass and get let out in something that will do serious damage.
check the mirrors every 10/20 seconds
10 seconds is far too long between mirror checks
you will be asked 2 show me tell me questions before going out on the road.
5 questions on C. 2 on CE.
Pete 
Peter Smythe:
you will be asked 2 show me tell me questions before going out on the road.
5 questions on C. 2 on CE.
Pete
Thanks for correcting me.
I had a niggling feeling in the back of my mind I was wrong 
car to truck licence-is 11.5hours training enough for someone who has never even sat in a truck before?
Yes. 11.5hours of good quality training on a good vehicle with a moderate candidate should do it. More makes it more comfortable though. Our “norm” is 14 hours 1:1 + test. And, without a shadow of doubt, it works.
But, 30 hours of crap training in a shed is a total waste of time and money.
Pete
FAILED! not in any bad way as such as i knew what i had done wrong
i just lost the grip of my nerves prior to the test & for some un-beknown reason i positioned the truck wrong for the reverse exercise & completley forgot i could have used two shunts to reposition myself obviously i hit the errr B cone i think it was ■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■■ what a knobhead!
i took the opertunity to carry on & drive for the hour, at the end got 6 minors & i know in my own mind because i stuffed it at the getgo
i just said to the examiner-right i’ll just drive how i would drive now ie not for test conditions, not even as tight as i drive on my lessons
so i feel confident as i have a retest & a little extra training
the examiner commented that i was a very smooth driver & the minors i got he said they are things that with a week or two “in a full time job” i would have those minor issues delt with
so really…if i held my nerve at the getgo of the test, completed he reverse properly like i know i can, as in practice i can hit my mark & have perfect equel vehicle postioning between the cones, in all honesty nerves prevented my passing 1st time
i dont actually feel bad about it, i feel more positive for the retest-i’m going to aim for an exemplary test result-cant fckin wait chaps ‘n’ chics
the only thing i did struggle with is the bit where the examiner says follow the signs for i dunno errr the airport, for some reason i cant forward plan like i normally do when i have a passenger-maybe thats a bit of nerves also
so all in all i’m a happy chappy 
i dont know when my retest is yet i’ll be ready…
Good to see you haven’t given up. Not a bad score considering.
Best of luck for the retest
i had my retest friday & FAILED again 
i feel bloody embaressed to be honest & a little angry, i feel i was done out of a pass, even my instructor argued with the examiner which was bit of a shock 
he really went off on one…
basicly i pulled off from an island, with plenty of time, car coming around the island indicated left they were coming off at the road i had pulled away from, i was indicating off the island & the guy had changed is mind & turned behind me, i know this as i was checking my mirrors like i bloody well should be!!! the examiner thought i had slowed another road users progress which i know fine well i did’nt, my instructor knew i did’nt but the examiner was having none of it, so i got a serious mark
my reverse exercise was a piece of ■■■■, dropped it on the mark within half an inch of the barrier, did’nt even bother to check as i’m pretty confident with reverse manouvers, i’ve done recovery work for a while in the past & had to deal with getting in/out some dodgy & tight spaces, square peg/round hole type stuff
so going to find a training company myself this week whilst i’m still in the “required” DSA standard mode-i’m sure you know what i mean…
so i’ve took a week off & going to fund myself to get this licence of class 2 & then class 1 if its possible
do any midland companys do free assesment drives? if i could get some free assesment drives & a chat to see who i want to put my money £££ too
recommendations for midland companys would be great, i dont mind a bit of a drive to get decent training & hopefully a pass
i’m definately “hooked” i want this pretty badly now as i have made some contacts that i maybe able to get work when i pass
so today its sunk in & i feel gutted but i’m definately feeding off the bad feeling of the fail to go forwards to pass
even the examiner mentioned that if i had the right amount of hours of training just to smooth things out a little more, they obviously can see i have’nt had the time in the saddle needed-which as i have said before-i totally agree with to be honest…
You have a PM
dar1976:
You have a PM
Make that two PMs
nervoustimes:
basicly i pulled off from an island, with plenty of time, car coming around the island indicated left they were coming off at the road i had pulled away from, i was indicating off the island & the guy had changed is mind & turned behind me, i know this as i was checking my mirrors like i bloody well should be!!! the examiner thought i had slowed another road users progress which i know fine well i did’nt, my instructor knew i did’nt but the examiner was having none of it, so i got a serious mark
I’m sorry you failed, but if I’m reading this correctly you pulled out without making sure the car driver was turning off the roundabout, car drivers go round roundabouts all the time with their left hand indicator on, it means nothing, it’s your job to wait until you’re sure they’re turning off.
tachograph:
nervoustimes:
basicly i pulled off from an island, with plenty of time, car coming around the island indicated left they were coming off at the road i had pulled away from, i was indicating off the island & the guy had changed is mind & turned behind me, i know this as i was checking my mirrors like i bloody well should be!!! the examiner thought i had slowed another road users progress which i know fine well i did’nt, my instructor knew i did’nt but the examiner was having none of it, so i got a serious markI’m sorry you failed, but if I’m reading this correctly you pulled out without making sure the car driver was turning off the roundabout, car drivers go round roundabouts all the time with their left hand indicator on, it means nothing, it’s your job to wait until you’re sure they’re turning off.
I hesitated to say the same because I thought I had read it wrong but you seem to think the same as I do
I agree with tachograph and ROG. It is something that you’d probably get away with (though shouldn’t) in a corsa. But it’s a different kettle of fish with the bigger vehicles.
Apparently a faultless drive other than that. O probably just a slip of concentration coupled with a bit of bad luck.
Best of luck for next time.
in reguards to the post above ROGs,
on my approach to the island there was a car on the island junction to my right (red)
the black car (offending car) was “just in the position” to indicate left to the car on my right (red) that his intention was exiting at the next junction (mine)
at this point the black car is my “blocking” car,
so as i seen the the black cars “intention & first indicator flash” i made my mirror scan (its a split second) & i had left the junction,
i was actually at the point of exiting the island (small island in a shopping area) i could see the position of the black car being so much higher up & due to keeping an eye on the whole picture in the mirrors, i seen he had changed his mind, but he was’nt behind the truck at this point as he swerved away from his intended exit/junction!
he was what looks in a truck mirror a car length behind, which is reality as you guys know its a bit further than a car length!!!
he did’nt have to brake & i could see him behind the truck, if a car is close behind a truck as you guys know, they aint visible in the mirrors!
he then had his left indicator left the island the junction he came from…so he was far enough behind me at all times that i could see his road position & to be honest, i dont think my instructor would have kicked off if i HAD made a boo boo!
the examiner even commented i had great awareness of the vehicle size/width/height, & my observations were exellent this was the point my intructor brought the fail point to the examiners attention,
i know i had plenty of time for my manouver & did’nt create an unsafe road situation or slow the flow of traffic, its the examiners decision & i’ll accept it with a bit of sourness LOL
but…hay ho! i’m a bit bitter about it, who would’nt be■■? but i can ■■■■ it up & carry on, i have’nt sat with my left hand on pint glasses since friday night lol 
i’m saving the boozefest for when i do pass for a right good blow-out & i’ll probobly even dance which will be very effin dodgy indeed
cheers to dean ‘n’ ROG for the PM’s
i’ll put the 2nd fail it down as a character building excercise to make me a better driver, my aim is to be working before septemeber driving in a LORRY! no doubt!
onto the next phase…of training DAY1 with a better company
Black car indicated a little too early - happens often - that is why a driver should wait for the wheels to turn to confirm it - especially on a DSA test
In real life a driver might pull out if they figure that even if it is a too early signal, the vehicle will still be able to safely avoid a collision even if that means being inconvenienced a little = light braking … that’s not the best thing to do but if so busy that there is no other option then needs must
Unless it is so busy that you might have to increase the risk by pulling out, wait a little longer
No great hurry on a DSA test in that situation and if it means taking a minor for hesitation then so be it
Also on a DSA test, if the risk MUST be increased then make a comment about it and let the examiner tell you to do it
I often get a LGV pulling out on a roundabout where it forces me to slow down a little or makes me delay my acceleration but so what … its not as if it gave me no option except to brake hard …
nervoustimes:
i’ll put the 2nd fail it down as a character building excercise to make me a better driver, my aim is to be working before septemeber driving in a LORRY! no doubt!
It does sound like you’ve been a bit unlucky to come across a situation that many probably would not encounter on test, just the way things go though I’m afraid.
You certainly have a positive attitude so I’ve no doubt you’ll get there in the end
Good luck for next time 
Trusting a cars indicators at a roundabout is like putting a bet on without really knowing the odds. It’s a complete gamble. Better to miss the so called gap and let the moment pass. At worst a minor for hesitation but that can normally be avoided by telling the examiner why you didn’t go.
There are several factors you should consider when deciding whether to go or not. Visibility, your vehicle size, whether you have momentum or are stationary, weather and more. Safest choice is if you can see a car moving on a roundabout don’t go.
Third time lucky
lads ‘n’ lasses
ihave been through the midlands this week going to various lgv trainers, had a few assesment drives also & i’ve narrowed it down to
my top 4 in no paticular order as follows:
british hgv cannock
data academy
peter smythe transport training
ATT dodswell ind est
all have plus’s/minus points but nothing to major or really any consideration, but i’m really struggling to narrow my list down further! all have decent trucks, two trainers have brand new trucks, the other two arent as new but they are far far far far far from old nails, so in my opinion all of the four have good trucks that should make training a decent experiance driving-wise,
yeah some trucks you feel more comfy than others but i came away from all feeling confidant in any of the trucks to be honest
with all of them i have to travel, all of them are in areas i dont know the inner city roads too well, so these two points i have are not part of the equasion in terms of where to pick, the four above i have had assesments with & they all compare there or there abouts on the amount of training i need to clean up to get through my test
out of the above four training venues the price is roughly comparable, but on the flipside some are offering more hours training for the £ spent & one venue in paticular has both cpc test in with the total cost which is great value & benefit
another consideration of mine is for the future, when i’m successful passing my class 2 i’m considering going for class 1, two of the above trainers as far as i’m aware have “proper” class 1 artics the other two have wag ‘n’ drag, one trainer out of the four has both!
i have visited & had assesments at other venues but the four above stand out to me personally as my favourites!
any input from all that have experianced any of these venues would be superb! AND also a bit of input regaurding test venues, there is some chitter chatter some test centres have easier test routes than others■■?
let me know all-very much appreciated