SmItHy1982:
i couldnt see how they could be myself, its obvious that more skill is needed as they are bigger and heavier
It’s not more skill, just a different skill.
One driver has an 8x4 milk tanker, nudges 32-ton when loaded and runs down narrow lanes, manouvering in tight farm yards on any of the 365 days of the year come rain, hail, snow-storm, hurricane or bright sunshine. It is imperative that the work gets done.
Another driver has a 4x2 artic and tri-axle curtainsider delivering ping-pong balls for a big toy company on nights, his whole oufit rarely weighs more than 20 tons. He drives out of the factory and travels approximately a mile to the motorway junction and trundles down the M6 for about 2 hours before pulling into the warehouse which is just off the motorway, unloads and runs back empty along the same route. He does this 5 nights a week, and doesn’t work weekends or bank holidays. When the weather gets ‘interesting’ his run is always cancelled as the ping-pong balls are not considered a crucial delivery.
Which one requires the highest level of skill?
The Guy with the Ping Pong Balls just think of the mess if he has an accident
SmItHy1982:
sounds like the best thing to do is book the class 1 very shortly while i wait for an agency or a job to come along thanks for the info
Good luck getting your class 1, but you will have to do a little more than wait for a job to come along . There’s a lot of us experienced class 1 drivers struggling to get a job. Knock on doors, you might get a start. If you’re young then you might find an employer to take you on, on his terms. Which might mean driving a puddle jumper to start with but take the job anyway, it’ll lead to better things. Dont dictate that you want to drive class 1 from day 1, you will be shown the door. Good luck.
SmItHy1982:
sounds like the best thing to do is book the class 1 very shortly while i wait for an agency or a job to come along thanks for the info
Good luck getting your class 1, but you will have to do a little more than wait for a job to come along . There’s a lot of us experienced class 1 drivers struggling to get a job. Knock on doors, you might get a start. If you’re young then you might find an employer to take you on, on his terms. Which might mean driving a puddle jumper to start with but take the job anyway, it’ll lead to better things. Dont dictate that you want to drive class 1 from day 1, you will be shown the door. Good luck.
Tiger.
Having a speciality helps too, my LEVEL 4 (now LEVEL D) got me in with no exp and has pretty much kept me in work since. If I change job, I phone a few agencies that deal with the airport and 1 of them will usually have me in work the next day.
SmItHy1982:
sounds like the best thing to do is book the class 1 very shortly while i wait for an agency or a job to come along thanks for the info
Good luck getting your class 1, but you will have to do a little more than wait for a job to come along . There’s a lot of us experienced class 1 drivers struggling to get a job. Knock on doors, you might get a start. If you’re young then you might find an employer to take you on, on his terms. Which might mean driving a puddle jumper to start with but take the job anyway, it’ll lead to better things. Dont dictate that you want to drive class 1 from day 1, you will be shown the door. Good luck.
Tiger.
Started on 7.5t myself and got put through class 2 a year later. Hopefully getting put through class 1 later this year. Guess I just got lucky, right place right time etc. Got to admit it does look much harder than driving a rigid, especially the reversing and visibility.
SmItHy1982:
hi there im thinking getting my class 1 licence ive been told they are easier to drive than a class 2 is this true cheers
Its like with Computer
For the one is it easy and the other never learn it.
Same with learning another language
Exactly.Especially if you do in high Age and no English around you to practise it
sad,you know.I actually came to explore a Country.The British Isle,but no brits here.Only asian,African and Polish
but anywhy.if you reverse with a Rigid as Artic driver is it very Likely to hit anything,as well as you need to shunt around a Roundabout as you always too late with steering,and,when you pull off you may hit with Rear-end of rigid anything,as it turns around rear-Axle,whats not that common on an Artic.
Cba reading through all of the replies but I think where you’ve got mixed up is the fact that it’s actually easier (or so it’s said to be), easier to learn to drive a Class 1 because after doing Class 2 you’ve already got the hang of the ‘big vehicle’ sort of thing.
Sam Millar:
Cba reading through all of the replies but I think where you’ve got mixed up is the fact that it’s actually easier (or so it’s said to be), easier to learn to drive a Class 1 because after doing Class 2 you’ve already got the hang of the ‘big vehicle’ sort of thing.
I think you’re the one thats mixed up Sam. The thread is not specifically related to learning to drive C+E as opposed to C, its about driving them in the real world, which is a different kettle of fish altogether.
Sam Millar:
Cba reading through all of the replies but I think where you’ve got mixed up is the fact that it’s actually easier (or so it’s said to be), easier to learn to drive a Class 1 because after doing Class 2 you’ve already got the hang of the ‘big vehicle’ sort of thing.
SmItHy1982:
sounds like the best thing to do is book the class 1 very shortly while i wait for an agency or a job to come along thanks for the info
Good luck getting your class 1, but you will have to do a little more than wait for a job to come along . There’s a lot of us experienced class 1 drivers struggling to get a job. Knock on doors, you might get a start. If you’re young then you might find an employer to take you on, on his terms. Which might mean driving a puddle jumper to start with but take the job anyway, it’ll lead to better things. Dont dictate that you want to drive class 1 from day 1, you will be shown the door. Good luck.
Tiger.
cheers i know its not an easy ride getting a job anywhere i know im a bricklayer by trade but drivings what i want to do im 30 this year and having no experience driving doesnt help me,im sure il find something im even taking refresher lessons just to keep to a decent standard,when i look for jobs on the net it always seems to be class 1 work so im thinking if i get that il have a better chance of getting work even if its 7.5 to start with theres a few agencys near me im in blackpool by the way, so i think prestons the best be to look for work and ive been told theres a firm called E V T S and glasdons at the end of the m55 anyone worked for them ? so i can try them any info would be great
As has already been said, once you are in the mindset of handling larger vehicles then it all comes naturally. Coupling is not a hard skill to pick up. Just make sure the trailer and unit are correctly lined up and do the coupling in the correct order. Reversing is fine if you can get your head around pushing the back of the trailer round with the steering wheel.
It is nowhere near as bigger jump as from a car to a rigid.
dar1976:
As has already been said, once you are in the mindset of handling larger vehicles then it all comes naturally. Coupling is not a hard skill to pick up. Just make sure the trailer and unit are correctly lined up and do the coupling in the correct order. Reversing is fine if you can get your head around pushing the back of the trailer round with the steering wheel.
It is nowhere near as bigger jump as from a car to a rigid.
Good luck on your training
cheers ive got a couple of hours saturday on a rigid in bolton just to keep with it an im confident il be learning the ropes on the class 1 over the next month thanks for the input
As most have said, it depends what you’re use too, and what you’re comfortable with. Personally I prefer driving Class 1 as I enjoy the challenges it presents over Class 2 - size, weight, space, turning, road presence etc. I actually find Class 2 harder to reverse than Class1…!!
peirre:
trying to reverse your car out of the car park at the end of the shift is probably the hardest part of driving an artic.
Those thats done it will know what I mean
so true!
Not to mention putting your headlights on and the wipers start swooooshing!
. There’s a lot of us experienced class 1 drivers struggling to get a job. Knock on doors, you might get a start. If you’re young then you might find an employer to take you on, on his terms. Which might mean driving a puddle jumper to start with but take the job anyway, it’ll lead to better things. Dont dictate that you want to drive class 1 from day 1, you will be shown the door. Good luck.
