I see lots of people post on here about Class 1 training so thought that i’d join them.
I start my training tomorrow, with Chris Wooliscroft in Ashbourne, and either Friday or Monday I’ve got me test.
I’ve been reading throught the DSA’s Good Vehicles syllabus and have been trying to think about driving a wagon and drag for the past couples of weeks whilst bombing round in the bin trucks.
Currently downloading the test routes off the net so that later this week, prob wed / thurs the misses can guide me round the majority of them in the car.
Starting to get really nervous - I don’t do well in test or exams, but i have already got rescue remedy by the bucket load to start downing.
I could however do with any suggestions / help / good advice.
Goodluck with the class 1 training mate. One thing i would say is if your training in wagon & drag & intend to go on to drive artics. The two are totally different. I passed my class 1 in wagon & drag & got myself a job driving artics. Been driving them for 6 weeks & have found driving & reversing the artics to be alot harder. If i could do my training again i would go for an artic instead. not trying to put you off thats just what i have discovered for myself.
Once again goodluck with the training
Well yesturday was my first day driving a Wagon and Drag. I didn’t find plain simple driving to be too difficult, turning left / right at junctions and roundabouts weren’t too much of a problem all i needed to do was to go into it correct and i got out alright. the reversing exercise was quite a challenge, in a previous job i drove a Land Rover with a Trailer and maneovered that around alot but it tended to be more perseverance to actually get anywhere, but reversing with a trailer properly, i was starting to get the idea into my head. after a couple of hours reversing i drove back to the yard and learnt how to uncouple. Best part of the day - not hitting a single kerb ! ! !
Today was a bit different tho, on my way to the yard i got a phone call from the misses asking me to do something on my way and so i had to take an exit and turn right at a round about, drove up to it like i would anyother roundabout, entered it and then half way round the back end slid round and forgetting that this car didn’t have abs i ended up skidding, would have gone smash into the barrier had it not have been for the kerb, which in turn dented my wheel rim - got it sorted tho and am contacting the council because that roundabout always has accidents on it.
Anyways back to my driving, i got to the yard and learnt how to couple up the trailer, drove off ok the about 25 mins into driving, turned left at a major roundabout and clipped the kerb . Pretty much got the hang of the reversing exercise, [ steer right until i can see a rust line, then to adjust the lock keeping the rust in the same place until the side of the bed of the trailer roughly lines up with the far front cone of the bay then to take the right lock off and put a bit of left on until i can weave my way in ]. Also had a go at the ’ controlled stop ’ a few times then back to the yard [with out hitting any kerbs] and un coupled the trailer. Best part of the day - pretty much getting the hang of the reversing exercise .
Got tomoz off, then got a full day Thursday Drving and my test next Wednesday, starting to get quite scared - i’m looking at passing trucks and i’m thinking that i might . . . no will be doing that soon.
Cheers tyler, got a plan tho, my father in law drives artics and i’ll prob con him and the agency into getting us together for a good few days so he can teach me a few of the basics, as for the rest, well this place looks like the fountain of all knowledge.
Good luck Mikey, thing i found is reverseing is directly preportional to the
amount of people watching - no one watching i do it first time
when there’s an audiance i make a hash of it
remy:
Good luck Mikey, thing i found is reverseing is directly preportional to the
amount of people watching - no one watching i do it first time
when there’s an audiance i make a hash of it
sorry that i haven’t replied here, unfortunately for the past week and a half i’ve been pretty ill.
well the good news is that i passed, which supprised me caus i thought that i had failed by clipping a kerb at a T junction, but the examiner said that i didn’t - well i’m not gonna argue.
got me licence through the other day and looked at the back of me photo card and can’t believe how many things i can drive on the roads. because of my illness i haven’t taken anything out yet, but i have spoken to my father in law who has given me alot of advice.
hopefully next week i’ll be able to get out on the open road, the thought of it is scaring me, but i’ll take it steady and hopefully nothing will go too wrong.
remy:
Good luck Mikey, thing i found is reverseing is directly preportional to the
amount of people watching - no one watching i do it first time
when there’s an audiance i make a hash of it
When I was doing TNT trunking I always found that when I was at some of the tighter depots the more care I put in the less likely it was to get it right first time. Second attempt was always right off the clutch, foot on the gas and it went in perfectly … … makes little sense - although perhaps it is something to do with the 3 months in a shunter previously !!!
Gazzareth:
Second attempt was always right off the clutch, foot on the gas and it went in perfectly … … makes little sense
Makes perfect sense, i found exactly the same thing when practicing for the reversing test, my instructor said that when you go at a good pace, rather than edging back at a snails pace, you get a better feel of where the trailer is going [and hopefully where it will end up].
! 
!
. Pretty much got the hang of the reversing exercise, [ steer right until i can see a rust line, then to adjust the lock keeping the rust in the same place until the side of the bed of the trailer roughly lines up with the far front cone of the bay then to take the right lock off and put a bit of left on until i can weave my way in ]. Also had a go at the ’ controlled stop ’ a few times then back to the yard [with out hitting any kerbs] and un coupled the trailer. Best part of the day - pretty much getting the hang of the reversing exercise 
.