Cat C failure ..... Tips for next time please

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hello fellow drivers !!
I recently decided that my current job I’d finally had enough of so as I’d always wanted to I’d try for my hgv license
I passed the medical ,got my provisional , which unfortunately somehow showed a c1 provisional and I had to resend it away to get the C provisional , got 97% on my theory , and 74 % on the hazzard perception , ( for new drivers the dsa book and dvd’s helped me pass first time )
So I booked with NTS in Norwich for a weeks intensive course , hoping to pass and go straight for my C+E straight after …

How wrong could I have been !!! I considered myself a pretty good car driver but its only now that I realize that I was an average steering wheel operative and I have a new found respect for drivers of trucks and busses !!

So I started the course , Steve took myself and another lad out , nailed the reversing in the morning then out onto the road … I was up curbs , causing traffic to slow on roundabouts , not checking Mirrors enough , taking the wrong positions approaching parked cars , the list goes , even the pre selecter box on the axor was making machine gun noises !!!
Worst day was weds , I’d just about sorted passing stationary vehicles , roundabouts ,lane positioning , etc etc , but I got caught at an awkward roundabout exit with traffic queuing in the right hand lane , I didn’t position myself properly and didn’t bully the traffic to allow myself enough space , so I ended up on the curb ,
A chat with Steve and my old man who drives tippers put me right and the following day in rush hour I nailed it !!! Only scuffed one curb all day ,
So test day comes and we are all ( 3x class c and 2 x c+ e ) dreading the heartsease 5 ways roundabout , the other c drivers get lucky and the roundabout is either blocked buy an arctic or clear ,
On my test on the way out its blocked by an arctic , but the way back its busy , and by busy I mean rammed , I’m looking for the gap and I see two cars heading down Harvey lane bingo !! Unfortunately I miss the car turning right down ketts hill but I’m into the road and forced her to slow … Bye bye license ( even enough time to swear at my mistake ) ,
finished test 6 mirrors and 1 serious

Ok so here is the question , how can I learn how to not foul up again ■■ It’s a small 10 meter diameter roundabout with bushes and signs on it making it difficult to see the traffic on the other side , in a car your so low you can’t see the traffic on the other side of the roundabout so approaching in car isn’t that sharp either , do I stand out there for a couple of hours so I can learn cars body language better ■■

Any hints or tips greatly appreciated

Sorry about the long post
Thanks James

2

Learning how others are likely to act on the road comes with experience but nothing is foolproof

Only when you are 100% certain that you can pull out safely should you go

3

The secret is dont rush, safety safety safety and then go, if there is no gap dont go.
I know it feels like years waiting for a gap but its better than a fail or an incident :wink:

Chin up and keep at it :sunglasses:

4

Common mistake is to think that the examiner will fail you for not making progress because you’re waiting a long time for your space. But if you need to wait a long time before it’s safe, so be it and there is no way any examiner will fail you for it. But you will get knobbled for hanging about for no reason.

As ROG said, it takes experience to make it easier. In the meantime, don’t put yourself under pressure to go.

Pete :laughing: :laughing:

5

Take a wrong turn before you get there but do it correctly & avoid the problem !

6

John.c.1474:
Take a wrong turn before you get there but do it correctly & avoid the problem !

Examiner will suss it and keep taking you through the roundabout! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

7

This happened to me in 1986 on my PSV test, I was driving around Skelmersdale on test and the examiner only knew the route but I took a wrong exit from a roundabout and it ended up us both being lost :blush:
Some how I passed :open_mouth:

When I did my HGV in the army the examiner was a Sergeant and out of the blue he was shouting at me to stop the truck, I refused as I was on a clearway, he kept ranting that I was off test and to stop the [zb] truck but I wouldnt, I found a layby and stopped, he jumped out the cab swearing.
I was bricking it as I didnt have a clue, turns out there was a wasp in the cab and he was scared of it :laughing:
I passed that test too but only on the proviso I didnt mention the incident in the NAFFI that evening…Oh I did mention it much to his embarrassment :laughing: :laughing:

8

Unlucky result.

As others have said, if you are waiting 10 minutes for a suitable gap it’s fine. Just make sure that when the opportunity presents itself, you are ready, done your checks and don’t hang around to make sure.

Best of luck for next time.

9

Thank you for your reply’s guys
When I go for my retest I was going to book another day in the axor before hand , its another £200 but the biggest thing I’d driven before was my BMW ( I can see now why they’ve got such a bad reputation … Your forever getting cut up by them !! ) and I figure alittle more time behind the wheel will make me alittle more confident
Unfortunately my biggest problem is time , I wanted to pass before December as my current company makes parts for Motorsport , its sounds glamorous but its a glorified manufacturing job and they won’t allow me to take time off in December through to April , is it worth asking a transport firm for a Sunday job To keep my eye in on 7,5 tonner ■■?

Again thanks for your reply’s guys
James

10

Muppetmk1:
is it worth asking a transport firm for a Sunday job To keep my eye in on 7,5 tonner ■■?

If you work mon to fri then you can do that every other sunday

I assume you passed car test before 1997 so have the free LGV C1 on your licence?

11

Hi ROG
I passed July 96 so I slipped in before they took away grandfathers rights ,the company runs us pretty hard , a 60 hour working week Monday to Friday is the norm ( calculated over the year rather than 4 month period is how they get away with it ) and 10 hours Sat to get some overtime
Just so everyone’s aware say no to an annualized hours scheme … It really blows

I figured if I offered to do it for free , even yard shunting , cleaning and loading . It’s a way in and I’m still learning

Thanks again
James

12

Muppetmk1:
Hi ROG
I passed July 96 so I slipped in before they took away grandfathers rights ,the company runs us pretty hard , a 60 hour working week Monday to Friday is the norm ( calculated over the year rather than 4 month period is how they get away with it ) and 10 hours Sat to get some overtime
Just so everyone’s aware say no to an annualized hours scheme … It really blows

I figured if I offered to do it for free , even yard shunting , cleaning and loading . It’s a way in and I’m still learning

Thanks again
James

A very dim view is taken of those who work alone for free as its deemed as taking paid work off another but joining another driver for free is considered ok

You need to have at least 24 hours off in one go every week and at least 45 hours off every other week if driving under EU regs

13

Hi ROG

A very valid point ,I feel kind of stupid suggesting it now !! I thought it would make me a more attractive to a potential employer , forgetting it would annoy my fellow employees !!
By the sounds of it my best chance is a ride out with someone just to observe ,
By doing that I don’t fall under working time regulations and should be ok ■■

It sounds like I’m now unable to do my retest till April … And that’s quite frustrating

Thanks for putting me right ROG :sunglasses:
James

14

Muppetmk1:
Hi ROG

A very valid point ,I feel kind of stupid suggesting it now !! I thought it would make me a more attractive to a potential employer , forgetting it would annoy my fellow employees !!
By the sounds of it my best chance is a ride out with someone just to observe ,
By doing that I don’t fall under working time regulations and should be ok ■■

It sounds like I’m now unable to do my retest till April … And that’s quite frustrating

Thanks for putting me right ROG :sunglasses:
James

If your normal job is nothing to do with driving under EU regs then it comes under the normal WTD which can be opted out of
EU regs driving comes under RTD
WTD and RTD are not linked although WTD work counts as other work for the EU driver regs

WTD
RTD
EU regs
All separate issues

15

Hi ROG
Sorry to be a real pain just trying to get this square in my head !!!
I pretty sure the company I work with opted out of the WTD when it was brought in so I’m good there , Saturday working is optional so if I did 14 hours Monday to Friday ( 70 hour working week ) I could have Saturday off , drive upto 9 hours on the Sunday , back to regular work Monday do 60 hour week, then weekend off ■■

The annualized hour scheme is 2416 hours during the year an extra 100 hours @ time and a half is worth £1600 before tax and that’ll go for my C+e , that’s partially why I don’t want to drop the 70 hour week

16

Muppetmk1:
Hi ROG
Sorry to be a real pain just trying to get this square in my head !!!
I pretty sure the company I work with opted out of the WTD when it was brought in so I’m good there , Saturday working is optional so if I did 14 hours Monday to Friday ( 70 hour working week ) I could have Saturday off , drive upto 9 hours on the Sunday , back to regular work Monday do 60 hour week, then weekend off ■■

WTD hours are separate and do not count towards the RTD 48 hours averages

Legally records are required of any other work you did in any fixed week where you did any EU regs driving
If no EU regs driving was done in a fixed week then no records are required
Easiest way to record other work in another job is to use separate analogue cards - one for each day worked with your name date start and finish times on each card

In realistic terms you could work mon to sat with sun off in normal job with sun off = no records required so EU regs will assume a regular weekly rest has been taken even though one has not been taken legally

Every other week you could do mon to fri in usual job with sat off and drive on sun - records needed for that week and will show a reduced weekly rest

Driving sun and then doing mon to sat is more than the legally allowed 144 hours between weekly rests but as the mon to sat week does not need records then its up to how you view doing that

17

That’s again ROG , lot to think about , better play it safe and by the letter of the law

And thank you for your advice its really appreciated
James

18

Failed again … Same ■■■■■■■ roundabout !!!

19

Dam, I saw the email notification and hoped it was a pass.
Dont give up now though you have invested too much :wink:

20

Keep your head up! I know its hard.
I’ve got my third re-test on Wednesday i hope i pass…